melons

Hi all, im after some advice & experience from those that have been in a similar situation to us. I'm desperate to move but I'm not overly optimistic about my chances at the Canadian end. Me & Mr E are looking to move. However, I have to be honest here,I want it more! he would move within the uk, I definately want to emigrate. We also have a 14yr daughter. We have discussed moving and are planning a trip to see relatives in caribou, and have a good look at realistic options and a few parts of Canada in the real, as it were. My husband has his own timber business here and holds an hgv licence. I have plenty of transferable skills , recently sold my business but no actual qualifications as such that I think are desirable to help with any visa application. I have seen a few properties that offer business potential for either both of us or for me if my husband was to gain employment. But the viability of these ideas will have to be guaged upon visiting. We both would like rural/ edge of village or poss small town location and off grid may even be possible, as that's pretty much where we are now, with a 40acre smallholding. Has anyone else been in this situation and succeeded in their new life? There's going to be a huge difference between culture and education to begin with but what about the added pitfalls, stresses & strains that others may of experienced especially on a personal level? I have an idea this is a potential minefield but. . . .forewarned is forearmed! Hope someone can offer up some words of wisdom here! X

Aviator

Before looking at lifestyle and where to live, I would investigate if you would be able to qualify for immigration first. From your description so far this might be a challenge. This may be one possibility Start-up Visa

Oink

Welcome to the forum. Maybe we can help you more if we know why you are so desperate to move.

Stinkypup

Erm....parental killing is still illegal here although your daughter might attempt it if you succeed in your ambitions...

melons

I I have always wanted to leave the uk, even as a child. Apart from my elderly grandma and my own family I have nothing I feel to keep me here. Always liked the idea of Canada , Australia nearly became a thought but only as everyone else was doing it as a teen, it never really grabbed me like Canada. There's no freedom here anymore. I'm not talking running round naked growing my own veg & bathing once a week in recycled dish water! I mean , just being , enjoying a job/ carreer, decent rounded education, decent standard of living somewhere that also happens to be rather beautiful. I'm all for hard work but I want to be able to enjoy the product of my endeavours. I want to see what opportunities for us are there to be taken and built on. I may be wrong, but it seems that abroad success is seen as an achievement something to build up be proud of and pass on. Here, everyone bitches and wants their piece of it, by the time it comes to your kids there's nothing left.

christmasoompa

Tbh, I think you'd be in for a shock as you're not likely to find that life is much different in Canada. You'll still have issues with various things, still have to go to work and pay the bills, etc. You can be off grid in the UK (I'm only in Berkshire, but am still not on mains gas, mains sewage or mains water!), and I have the life you describe here. If you're not enjoying your job or career, then that's not the UK's fault and doing the same thing in Canada isn't likely to suddenly change that. It's often said on the forums that it's better to move for the 'pull factors' (i.e. love of a country or just desire for an adventure) rather than the 'push factors' (things that you want to leave behind), and FWIW I personally agree with that. Moving costs so much and is such an upheaval that it's got to be for the right reasons.

But as said above, you need to look at your visa options first, as it doesn't sound as though you'd instantly qualify for a visa from what you've said. So do look at that first before worrying about the rest of it, there's no point in spending £25k or more on trying to move to Canada for an off grid beautiful environment if the only way you can get there is to move to central Edmonton for a job.

Best of luck with it.

melons

Thanks everyone, plenty more for me to ponder & delve into 😌

Aviator

Canada - Same shit, different bucket!

BristolUK

But is it really? Doesn't everyone (nearly) say that chocolate and baked beans are different over here?

I mean doesn't all that cinnamon they put in everything change it?

Aviator

Absolutely.

Oink

Is it the chavs?

Vulcanoid

If you want land in a beautiful area, move to France/Spain while you still can, which will be far cheaper and easier than Canada (for the moment). Anything else - any developed country is going to provide more or less the same experience, with a slightly different flavour. They all have schools (of varying quality), they all have the same types of jobs (some more oil drilling in Alberta, some more lavender picking in Provence), they all have similar standards of living (inner city slums, expensive affluent suburbs, poor but beautiful rural areas, etc etc).

What you're trying to escape sounds like a modern, capitalist economy.

donnydon

Have to say I agree with almost all of the replies...

At the end of April we have been in Alberta 3 yrs!

2016 was dire for us, Hubby was laid-off (redundant) twice...and one employer didn't pay wages owed! (there were 5 other guys also unpaid!!).

We are in the NW of Albert...oil patch country.
When oil prices dropped, there were LOTS of guys & gals put out of work, BUT it is now starting to pick up.

Drivers with 5 yrs plus experience are in demand again...so it may be worth looking at whether your Hubby's experience will count..?

Take a look at the CIC website.

Also...
Indeed.com
Kijiji.ca
Monster.ca
Workopolis.com

they will give you an insight to what work is available...
some companies will consider helping with the paperwork you need....

Another thing here is the wording of job ad's...long haul is not used...look for semi-trailer. Another thing here is, due to the oil & gas industry, fluid, water and extended trailers are EVERYWHERE...!

so check that his UK license will transfer...if he has HGV,I believe he may have to re-take it ALL and extra Air-brakes...each province has it's rules.!!
(you will also find that due to the space involved, we measure in drive time as opposed to miles or Km's!!)...110km's on the highway (approx 60mph) makes for a long day!


BUT, I will say, in this area of Alberta the local attitude has become VERY 'Canadians first'...our neighbour's are 'Red neck' and proud!!!!

Having said that, we have found 99.9% of Canadians to be Fantastic...way too polite for their own good and they like our accent.

We moved here with a 14yr old daughter, who had a hard time in school, very homesick!
We moved around a year ago, new friends, new school and she is doing amazing things!

As has been said, all larger living area's have problems and Canadian cities are no different.

We live 40 mins away from a city and yes, there is rural crime.
An increase in car/truck theft etc.

We have bought our own 10 acre's with a home & double garage...which we would NEVER have had in the UK...so for us the stress of Immigration, paperwork, jumping through hoops have been worth it.

All in all it took us maybe 18mths for hubby to find a job (electrician)...3 moths for paperwork from Canada...6 wekks to get our UK life wrapped up and 2 flights to get here.

So far, no regrets.

Aviator

There are laws on this. https://work.alberta.ca/employment-standards.html

Employment lawyers may also be able to help.

All provinces and territories are the same for this. Class 1 and Air Brake are not covered under foreign reciprocal license agreements. Training is not mandatory, however re taking all the licensing tests is required.

donnydon

Thankyou Aviator

Employment standards are involved, also Canada Revenue, as the 'Boss' decided the T4 should show they WERE all paid...!
we got our accountant to look at it all and it's now sorted!!

It was just the icing on the cake for a ruff year.