just_jen_1986

Hi,
my partner and I along with my mum (canadian citizen) and our two babies are hoping to move to Canada in August. My mum is 2nd generation citizen but I don't have PR or citizen status. I will be studying and my partner will be looking to secure employment in Arboriculture. We have narrowed our search area down to Kelowna. My partner and I get the impression that it would tick our boxes for what we are looking for but we need to find out whether there's much going on there for my mum. Shes 62yrs old but very active and young at heart. She would be looking to join local groups with people of a similar age and outlook on life. All the youtube videos on why to move to kelowna are geared towards the younger age group which is great but there's very little information on what life is like in kelowna forcthe over 50s? What's your take on it? My mum and I love meeting for breakfast in independant coffee shops, crafting, shopping, visiting markets etc. We also would love some info about areas to live in that would be ideal for a young family who want to be able to access the beach and the playgrounds and things going on within the community? Although we are coming on a study and open work visa our hope if that my partner will get a job that leads to a permanent job. Like I said, his field is arboriculture. He's currently an arboricultural contracts manager and it seems he wouldn't be short of job opportunities out near kelowna and the surrounding areas of the job adverts on the search engines are anything to go by but again if anyone has any information on this field then we would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks in advance

scrubbedexpat091

62 year old wont have trouble finding activities, people and groups, Kelowna has a fair amount of retirees and skews older than many city's in BC and long known to be a place to retire. She should have no issue finding people her age to interact with.

Lots of senior centers, groups and activities in the region.

Siouxie

Hello and welcome to BE!

Have you checked whether you can apply for Citizenship if your Mum is 2nd generation (or was she born outside Canada)? RCIC have a useful tool for checking > https://na1se.voxco.com/SE/56/amican...ng=en&tui=auto

If you end up having to go down the PR route, do check that you will have enough points to get an invite to apply before you spend money on international student fees. Follow the guide to determine your points, using the links in Christmasoompa's post in our wiki and post a new thread in our Immigration forum if you have any questions

What exactly does he do in the Arboriculture field - what is his NOC? https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3V...tVD&TVD=314243

I'm not sure how many 'independant coffee shops' and market etc., Kelowna has, but this walk score map should help - click on 'map' and it will give you a list of different types of establishments https://www.walkscore.com/score/kelo...itish-columbia
https://www.tourismkelowna.com/thing...beaches-parks/
https://www.dotheokanagan.com/kelowna-playgrounds

https://www.meetup.com/cities/ca/bc/kelowna/
https://www.meetup.com/Kelowna-Ladies-Friendship-Group/

just_jen_1986

Also Siouxie I forgot to say - my partner was an arborist and lead arborist for 9-10 years and has progressed and studied his way up to managing a team of about 30 arborists as well as becoming the contracts manager which he basically sources work, quotes and estimates work, and manages the contracts from start to finish including report writing etc. He's due to finish a 3yr Fsdc degree in June this year aswell in arboriculture which allows him to then do surveys for companies. His role falls into two NOC codes, I can't remember the codes off the top of my head but one gives in a "B" and the other a "0" which i believe means they're jobs in demand. Thats what information i found on the BC PNP site anyway

christmasoompa

It just mean that they're Skill Level O or B, not that they're in demand. Skills Levels A, O or B are 'skilled' (and tens of thousands of jobs that come under those). Skill Levels C or D are 'semi-skilled' or 'low skilled'.

As Siouxie has wisely said, do check to see if you'd be eligible for PR once there, as otherwise you could move and spend a ton of money on a study permit without actually being able to stay. So best to double check that now if you've not already got a route to PR in mind.

Best of luck with it.

just_jen_1986

Ah ok yes that makes sense. We were literally going to follow the advice of the agent we were dealing with who said from the UK i could apply to a chosen college hopefully get accepted and from there apply for my study visa whilst still in the UK. If that was granted to then get to apply for a work permit off the back of me having a study via so he could come with me and the two babies. my partner would hopefully be able to get a job offer prior to us departing once he has a working visa permit date to issue to the companies which he would be applying to and that from the agent said we could then apply for PR if my partner got offered a permanent job once there in arboriculture or if my diploma lead to me securing a permanent job offer. The agent said that would be our fastest route to 1. Get into Canada and 2. Get PR once my course finished by either myself of my partner. He never mentioned us checking our points prior to me applying here in the UK for a study visa. I'm going to have a look on the immigration forum and see whats on there. Thanks again for.your info and advice

christmasoompa

The agent is right, but just a permanent job offer won't automatically mean he'd get PR. He'd still need to meet the criteria for whichever program he's applying under. So do double check it yourself!

I'd also ask in the immi section of the forum in case there is a better route for you. We had somebody the other day planning on the same route (study permit/work permit) as she thought it was their only way over, but we pointed out that her husband was probably eligible to get PR straight away from the UK via the Self Employed program. A much cheaper/quicker/easier/more secure way for them! So worth double checking that the advice the consultant gave you is correct just in case.

just_jen_1986

Yeah I saw the ladies post and word for word what her agent told her is identical to what ours told us i think we may have paid the same agent haha! I will definitely do that and again thank you so much your advice is greatly appreciated

christmasoompa

If it is the same consultant then I'd steer well clear personally. Whoever advised that person needs their head banging against a wall, telling them to apply on a very expensive and insecure study permit when they could get PR instead!

scilly

You would do well to check what arboriculture companies/jobs there are in Kelowna .......... just go to Kelowna businesses or Kelowna arboriculture positions.

I used to work in an area that sometimes had us looking at arboriculture ................ and there are several different types of work.

Working for a forestry company ......... ie, companies that log trees, and replant, manage wood lots, etc.

Working for the government departments

Private companies ..............either on contract to municipalities or homeowners.

Parks and Recreation Boards in municipalities.


There might be lots of opportunities, or none.

just_jen_1986

There seems to be lots of arb employment opportunities for my partner in BC, he has reached out to 4 companies last week in and around Kelowna that are advertising the same type of job he is currently doing here in the UK. He doesn't feel worried about not being able to find work once we are there its just getting there that we are trying to navigate without getting overwhelmed

Siouxie

Without knowing his NOC you won't be able to apply for Permanent Residency.. so that's the first thing to determine. You also need to ascertain if he requires any certifications to work in that industry in Canada / BC - any trade qualifications he might have from the UK may not be recognised in Canada. I recommend ensuring that you can meet the minimum points required to obtain PR - prior to taking any further steps.

Do check that the uni/college you wish to apply to is on the designated institution list - and that the course you want to do qualifies for a study permit and potentially a post grad work permit. You will also need to show ties to the UK/your home country to get a study permit... Do also bear in mind that the course will need to be of at least 1 year duration for your spouse to be able to get the work experience in Canada for additional points.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...igibility.html

Depending on the circumstances surrounding Covid and the travel restrictions, your husband may not obtain his work permit until he enters Canada.. and until he has one he can't in honesty state that he is allowed to work in Canada on his job appliications - unti Covid occurred, the study permit was issued at the port of entry using the letter of introduction - once issued, the spouse then obtained an open work permit on the back of it.

We have a great Wiki with information about study permits / work permits - job hunting etc., that you might find of use.
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick...uctions-Canada
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick...an_Immigration





Perhaps post to the Immigration forum for more guidance on what he might need to apply for PR