Onerous is one word for it.....
Good to know, I will certainly be gving it a fair try!
In the process of turning my CV into a nice Canadian resume.

Thanks for the link!
I'm from Co. Antrim, sunny Carrickfergus to be exact.
No immediate relatives, although I do know a couple of people in Canada.
I've wanted to go to Canada for some time now, thankfully they reduced the points required in 2003 (i think) so I was able to start planning.
What about yourselves?

Hi Ireland2Canada,
Just thought i would pop on and say hello too - i am actually from up the road from you in sunnier Larne!!! Been thinking of immigrating for ages too although have been toying with the idea of going to Oz as well although I think Canada would be much better for us!! We are looking into going to east coast and Halifax has the distinct advantage of having direct flights from Belfast Trying to secure a job first then go through the PNP with a WP in between if necessary!!

All the best,
Sinead

Hi all, My name is Steve, I'm married and looking to work and live in Canada as a truck driver. My wife is in the legal world. This seems a friendly arena to liase with like-minded people, so once again, hi all.

Lol, you can go no-where without bumping into someone from this corner of the earth!

Hello to all who have replied, and thanks for the encouragement.

We are from Kilkeel, and also have no relatives in Saskatchewan although we do have relatives in Ontario. We were there a few years ago and have wanted to go ever since and in the middle of April this year just decided to take the plunge. Things are moving alon for us at an alarming rate compared to others on the forum and our move all depends on our house sale.
We are just fed up with Britain and the way things are going - Saskatchewan is the complete opposite and will be a lovely place to live. We have no kids but two dogs who will be going with us.

Hello sinead,

Lucky you arent from rainy Kilkeel? Ontario also has direct flights from Belfast/Dublin and so does Vancoouver so you do have quite a good range of options. Have you put in a ny applications yet to CHC?
There is a thread on the forum asking what country of origin is and little old Northern Ireland is badly lagging behind. Perhaps you two could join in and boost the numbers.

Hello Steve and Mrs and Welcome to BE. If you look out for the poster karla03 she is a fount of knowledge on all things trucking and has a fantastic thread called "Wages for truckers" it will take you about three weeks to read it though as it grows almost daily
talk to you all later.

Let me add my welcome to the new folks introducing themselves on this thread. It is good to "meet" you Ireland2Canada, Sinead and Steve.

FYI I'm from Tyrella, and my brother lived in Carrick for a few years. He's now living in the US, and I'm here...Mum & Dad still in Co. Down. When they visit us they normally fly EasyJet to Gatwick, then London to Edmonton with either Zoom or Air Canada (depending on time of year).

Anyway, we weren't prepared to wait years to get out here, so took the WP route. Been here about 1.75 years and PR is about to come through.

All the best for your future endevours. There is usually some good craic on the forum - I'm sure you'll find it both enjoyable and informational!

Rob

LOL I think i was in Kilkeel once and it was nice!! I haven't put in any applications yet, I kinda thought it best to find a job first to get out of here quicker!!!
I will look for the country of origin threat and add myself to it
Also its nice to "meet" everyone else on this post too
Sinead

Hi

We came over Sept 06 on one-year BUNAC visas and now with feet under desks are going through the PNP route with employers. It was loads easier to get jobs before we arrived already having visas. As for employers 'proving' they can't get a Canadian, they have to advertise preferably on a recognised website such as Monster.ca for one week including the weekends either side, so 9 days as a minimum, then have to say who else applied and why they weren't suitable. My employers put stupid stuff in the job advert which meant that I was the only suitable applicant as the job was written for me!

The non-student BUNAC visas have finished for this year. They normally run out by February, but I have heard of a sneaky way to get one of the unlimited student visas.

You can have a visa for a gap year before a degree. So all you have to do is apply for a uni degree course but with deferred entry to the following year to allow you to do a gap year. Then once the uni gives you a place you can use the paperwork to get a BUNAC visa. Then once out here decline your place at uni. I've heard of lots of people doing it.