Hi all,
Have been watching the Forum for some time now, but we have finally made the decision to go for it and bring our dream of moving to Canada one step closer! Its me, my hubby and our 4 children who are 11, 10, 8 and 4.
Scary times but if we don't do it now, we never will!

Just wondering really where to start. Our Visa application has been approved in principal as my hubby is a Carpenter/Builder, so he's been accepted on a Skilled Worker basis.

Would love some 'hand holding' to show us the next steps, where to look regarding renting accommodation, how long everything takes, moving belongings out there. EVERYTHING really!

Its great to finally be making this step so look forward to hearing from you guys!

Hi Jo welcome to the forum

....where are you going in Canada?.....one thing I have found is that it does make a heck of a difference to the responses you might get......

Hi there!

D'oh, would have been a good thing to have included eh?

We were looking at Calgary to begin with, as it seems to be one of the best places for the type of work that my husband does. Although, as with everything else, we are open to advice.

Hi Jo,

Welcome to our little community. You are amongst kindred spirits here as we have many members, like yourself, who are just staring out on a new chapter in their lives.

I am in the US so can't share any tips about Canada I'm afraid, but I wanted to pop by and say hi, and to let you know that should you have any site usability questions please don't hesitate to let myself, the Moderators or the Concierges know. The mods for the Canada forum are iaink and christmasoompa, and the Concierges The Aviator and AmyDavid and we have a site feedback forum you can post in any time.

In the meantime check out our great wiki that is jam packed with lots of info about Canada that our members have shared.

Welcome again, I hope you enjoy your time on BE

Sue

Hi Jo. I don't actually live in Calgary itself but in one of the smaller towns surrounding it. Give me a shout if there's anything particular I can help with. Best of luck.

We live in Calgary, moved over here 3 years ago. Its a great place to live and bring up a family. Clean, pretty quiet and with very little crime. It was also one of the least affected places when the economy took a down turn and is strongly on the up again.

Feel free to drop me a line and I'll help answer any questions you have. By the way where abouts in Cornwall are you? My Grandad was from Padstow and I have family there. I lived in Cambourne when I was little.

WOW, small world! We live in Dobwalls, just outside Liskeard and I run a Slimming World group in Looe.

We have soooo many questions, although slowly making my way around this site is answering lots of them. Its just nice to be able to talk to people who've made the move and who can stop you making mistakes and guide you the right way, so you can benefit from their experiences.

Obviously we are making this decision as a family and want to make the transition as smooth as possible for our children. That's really important.

Any advice, gratefully received! x

That's so kind. Everyone has been really friendly on here. I'm so glad I found this site. It's putting my mind at rest about lots of the things I was unsure about.

One, of them was, what on earth will we do when we get off the plane, not having anywhere to live and not knowing anyone!!!!

Hi Jo,

Another Cornwall lot here. We are Helstonians. We have our Visa's already and have landed -making the permanent move this time next year.

Any questions, just shout.

Karen

hi jo, im from cornwall too a few miles from truro. my husband has applied as a skilled worker to on the carpenter contractor trade, and have 4 children also, small world eh.. we are awaiting medical requests at the moment which is taking ages to happen....where did you go for your medicals? we put calgary on our application but have now decided on vancouver. nice to hear from fellow cornishman. x

Hiya!

Gosh, you could be us! Only your closer to your dream than we are. We are really just starting out on the journey. Nick has been approved in principal as a carpenter/builder so we are just in the process of putting our bits and pieces in order ready to apply for Visas. Nowhere near the medicals stage yet, unfortunately!

How old are your children? What do they think about the move? Have you been out to Canada many times?
Jo x

Having just spent the weekend in lovely Cornwall, I'm wondering why you are all leaving?!? It's so beautiful there!

But wanted to say welcome to the forum and fingers crossed that your visa process goes smoothly.

Good luck.

Hi Guys I don't come on here very offten but I do live in Exeter and moved to Canada in 2007 back in 2009 and now returning to Canada 2011. So I have a little bit of experience if you want to know anything pm me and I will send you my phone number, I found it really helpful when I first started to talk to people who have already done it.

Good luck.

never been to canada at all and although i love cornwall and its very beautiful, while we have the chance of changing our life and trying life in another part of the world we are silly not to take up the chance to. if it fails then we come back and move to a different area from where we are now. my kids are 21 16 17 and 10 and are all very excited about it, i will be leaving my 16 year old behind for 2 years as he wants to finish his apprenticeship before he comes out, so that will be heart wrenching for me..

while I understand the desire for adventure and the need for something different, one needs to be very cautious these days, especially with a family in tow. There is work to consider, housing, the financial costs, lack of family support when emmigrating, new friendships to build etc.....it all takes work and the 'adventure' may quickly sour, with the reality of no work, no friends, no one to mind the kids etc

If one's life is generally good, kids are settled, family ties sound, decent work....i'd think long and hard. Not suggesting it's not the right move to make, but now would be the right time for some real soul searching.

And as noted, Cornwall is beautuiful.