fabulous

Hello everyone,

My husband has got a job offer in Hamilton and he believes it will boost his career further.

Me and my kids are very satisfied in our present situation and honestly speaking, I don't want to move but it seems, we will have to. I am so confused and nervous that I don't know where to start. I have googled a bit but my mental state is not able to analyse any thing. I have 2 kids aged 8 and 7 and uprooting them is making me anxious.

Please guide me about how will be the living conditions over there, area to live in, weather and school system. Neither of us know how to drive, so do I have to buy a car over there and obtain driving licence? We are not so rich anyways.

Sorry, I have nowhere else to go to and google is not helping my nerves either.

Thanks in advance

SchnookoLoly

Hamilton is a nice city. Like any it has its good and bad pockets, but there are tons of nice spots, particularly in the areas just outside of Hamilton - Waterdown and such.

A car will for sure be required, though... Licensing in Ontario is in three stages:

G1 - learners' permit. You have this for 12 months before you can go to the next level. You can only drive with someone who has had their full G license for 4 years or more. When I was getting mine, you could get your next level after 8 months if you completed driving school, but not sure if that's still the case.

G2 - almost your full license. Blood alcohol tolerance is zero, otherwise no restrictions if you are over 21. (Again going on memory - so double check this!) You have to have your G2 for one year before moving to your G.

G - full license, no restrictions, BAC limit 0.05.


Other pertinent questions, though, does your husband have a work visa sorted out? Is the company willing to apply for one? Will the permit then extend to you and your kids for work (you) and study (your kiddies)?

fabulous

Thanks a lot for so quick n helpful reply. I dont know details but company persons seem to be very helpful n want us there as a family. I am sure my husband will have no problems in getting visa. Thx again

Oakvillian

Welcome! You've come to the right place for support and answers, so a good first step...

Where are you moving from? What sort of line of work is your husband in? What sort of work permit will he be on when you move? Do you know when the move is likely to take place?

There are reasons for asking: the type of work and immigration status of your OH (temp work permit vs permanent residence etc, skilled vs semi-skilled, etc) will make a difference to whether you are permitted to work, and whether you plan to make this a permanent or temporary move.

Hamilton is a nice enough place to live - it is a former hub of heavy industries (coal, steel, shipbuilding) but has had a lot of inward investment in recent years to reposition itself in a sort of post-industrial mould. There are still some run-down areas, like any big industrial city, but there are also some lovely neighbourhoods. It is also one of not very many North American cities where it is perfectly sensible to live without a car, if as it seems it'll take you a while to get a drivers' license. I don't know the individual neighbourhoods well, but we have a few Hamiltonians on the forum who will be along to advise in due course...

Your kids will likely be absolutely fine: 8 and 7 is a great age to treat the whole thing as a bit of an adventure, and to fit right in without a significant impact on education etc. But, being kids, they will take their cues from you - if you can manage to project excited enthusiasm about the move, they'll echo that, while if you're super-anxious about everything they will follow that too.

You ask about weather... Hamilton is in southern Ontario, where our winters are colder and snowier than anything in the UK, and the summers hotter and more humid; spring and autumn are both relatively short seasons in between. But teh infrastructure is built with those conditions in mind: society still functions perfectly normally when it's -20 outside with a couple of feet of snow on the ground; most public buildings and many private homes have air conditioning systems running in the summer.

Good luck! Don't forget there are (almost) no stupid questions on here, but do be prepared for a bit of off-topic banter in the answers (I've just been re-reading the infamous "parrot thread" from a couple of years ago, linked from a post in here about transporting small pets - have a look if you need a laugh)

SchnookoLoly

I wouldn't take it as a given. What does your husband do? THe process for getting a work visa has been tightened up quite a lot this year and will take a few months to come through. Just helping to manage expectations!

Partially discharged

My sister in law and family live technically in Hamilton (Binbrook) and they seem to me, like many in their area, to have turned their back on the downtown area itself. They rarely go there preferring the Limeridge Mall and all of the lovely retail offerings of Stoney Creek etc.

The suburbs of Hamilton seem to stretch for a long way and the downtown area seems to have lost its relevance as a place in which to live.

The view coming into Hamilton from the west at night from this location can be quite spectacular....

http://goo.gl/maps/EMzno

itsasmallworld

Try to relax and just collect as much information as possible. I am sure it feels like you have been run over by a bus right now, but I doubt things will happen as quickly as you fear. Check on the visa process, assuming the company are confident they can get this for you. The time span for the visa will determine everything.

The kids will be fine. They will love Canada, especially around Toronto and Niagara. They will love the reliably warm summers and reliable snowfall in winter. Perfect age to bring kids over to Canada. ( I have perfect little fluffy snow flakes floating around as we speak!)

If you google Hamilton you might not always find nice things about it. I live near Sarnia and believe me you will find lots of nasty comments about that town. They are both industrial and have suffered with economic declines in manufacturing. However I generally pick up good vibes about Hamilton. It is trying to revive its downtown and may still succeed. In many North American towns people live, work and shop in the suburb communities so Hamilton itself is not a good thing to google. I would love to have been forced to go to Hamilton as it is so close to Toronto; the airport; Niagara; US border etc.

You have such an adventure ahead. Embrace it and enjoy it.

Welcome to the Forum!

fabulous

Thanks all. Yup, feeling like run over by a bus

My husband is in research line and he will be getting a skilled visa. I think, right now his work contract will be of 2 years and then hopefully will be extended later on. We are expecting to move in August.

Thanks for asking questions because there are some points which I even didn't gave a thought.

So, I am still getting mixed reviews about Hamilton here. I think will have to check it out personally

May I ask about average income for a family with 2 kids. I know it depends on each family and their circumstances. But still will give us a food for thought whether move is feasible for us or not.

bgpz

To say this is out of date is an understatement.

With kids that age, if you can find somewhere in Kirkendall, JFDI. It's one of the most family-friendly neighbourhoods in the city. Locke St is lovely, basically Kirkendall's very own equivalent of a high street. House prices are going up due to clued-up Torontonians moving in, but still highly affordable by UK standards (and other, more plastic parts of the GTA).

James North continues to gentrify at an incredible pace, once the GO station opens later this year it will just cement things for that part of town. The property bargains just off James N have all pretty much dried up once the GO station got confirmed - but as a place to walk down, hang out etc it's going from strength to strength. The monthly art crawl is totally kid-friendly.

McMaster University is hugely increasing their presence in the downtown core - they've taken over all the office space in Jackson Square, and the brand new building next to the Art Gallery of Hamilton (punches well above its weight if you're in to that kind of thing, btw) is slated to open later this year as well.

Plenty of other posts about Hamilton on here if you take a look, but if you know which neighbourhoods to focus on, you'll be golden.

bgpz

Heading to McMaster, by any chance?

MarylandNed

Hmmmm....not sure I agree with the posts so far. I wouldn't say Hamilton is a "nice" or "lovely" city. It's a post-industrial city still in recovery with a way to go yet. The downtown area needs some development work.

I also don't agree that the parents of 2 young children can easily get away without at least 1 car there. It's possible in a city where it's viable to live/work downtown and there is good public transportation (including a subway) but I wouldn't say that applies to Hamilton. Depending on the husband's commute, they might even need 2 cars.

It's not a horrible place but it's not exactly a place that attracts migrants. I'm in and around Hamilton quite often. Have been to concerts downtown at FirstOntario Centre (formerly Copps Coliseum) and Hamilton Place. There's a good Irish pub downtown that I go to. But downtown isn't exactly somewhere I would choose to spend much time. Lots of undesirables roaming around.

jossie

We have travelled all over Canada in the past 8 years and Hamilton has to be the most industrial ugly place I have ever visited. If you are having doubts about moving as it is then I would think very hard about this. Canada has some beautiful parts but Hamilton isn't one of them.

Oink

If its a really good career opportunity for him and your children are settled why doesn't he go out there for a couple of years on his own? I can't imagine he could get up to too much in Hamilton. Plus, you might enjoy the space and explore your own options.

rivingtonpike

Firstly, I have never been to Hamilton. However, I have immigrated to Canada. I really don't think it is something you should consider lightly. If you have a nice life in the UK with security, nice house, family etc, moving over here might not be in your best interest. For us, the move took well over 2 years to get over - probably more like 3. The cost (financially), unless being picked up by work, is horrendous (or at least it was for us). The culture shock is far greater than I had anticipated - and we'd spent a fair bit of time in Canada over the years before we moved here permanently.

I'm not saying don't do it. I would just add caution to the thoughts that are already going through your thought process. Not being able to drive in Canada, unless you're in a really big city, I would have thought would be a major inconvenience. Granted we are fairly rural (ish), but 2 cars for us is essential for survival.

MarylandNed

I'd say the perfect age to move kids is before they have started school. The younger the better.