Moving to Vancouver
 

Hi all,

My partner and I have been severely researching immigrating to Canada, specifically living in Vancouver. We are hoping to move within the next 4 years so our little 6 month old baby boy will be ready to start school and wont be seriously affected by the uproot so to speak.

The plan is to visit perspective areas a few times before making any firm decisions and so we can pick an area we like and feel comfortable living there for the foreseeable future. Once we have chosen the area we would obviously both secure permanent jobs before beginning moving preparations.

We recently read a thread posted here in 2011 and to be honest it sounds so negative. We were wondering whether any of you are still in Vancouver or Canada in general and what your situation is now?

http://britishexpats.com/forum/canad...london-708112/ Is the link

Could we possibly get any tips on moving? what to look for? places to avoid? easier ways to get jobs? Good schools in the area? Shops as good as asda or Aldi? and just any general advice.
Also please could anyone give advice on the above thread; i.e. is it still like that? Is it a safe area? Are jobs hard to find? FYI we would be looking for jobs in the IT sector and in Veterinary.

Thanks in advance, any help you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Chris and Rachel

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

What visa are you planning to move on, and do you qualify for that visa?

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

We are still looking into the options currently and are liturally in the early stages of planning. Both me and my partner will both have university degrees when we move. (Me: IT - Computer Sciences, Partner: Veterinary Nurse)

Could we get some advice on visa's?

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

And another question is, what is MSP and how does it differ from the NHS? If you are currently on medication or contraception how does that work in BC?

Thanks again,
Chris + Rachel

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

You won't be moving anywhere without a visa, so there is absolutely no point in fretting about where to live in Vancouver unless you have your visa situation sorted first.

In migration it is visa first, then relocation details second. You are also going to find many posters here reluctant to spend much time giving you information unless there is clarity about your visa situation (see above).

I encourage you to visit the Immigration Department's web site and use their points calculator to see what you qualify for.

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

I appreciate your concern and advice, however we would actually like to decide if we want to live in Vancouver first before going for a visa. Having said that, both my partner and I will have university degrees as previously stated, which we are currently undergoing and makes using the point calculator pointless as the fact's aren't specified.

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

I can't give you any visa advice, but have you seen the house prices in Vancouver?

Unless you are bringing half a million dollars as a down payment, I wouldn't get your hopes up as a potential house owner in Vancouver. You will end up renting. It is utterly ridiculous right now.

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

Hello and welcome to BE! :welcome:

Whilst it's great to do research, unless you have a viable option to obtain temporary work permits or Permanent Residency then there's not a lot of point in doing it. You don't want to get your hopes up and get excited at the prospect of moving, only to have them dashed because you can't secure or qualify for PR! :)

I'm not sure how old you both are, but if you are under 31 (35 if Irish) you could apply for IEC 2 year work permits, to give yourself a taste of Canada first.

There's an old adage about emigrating - you go where the work is, not where you necessarily prefer to be, at least initially. Unfortunately, unless you have work experience and in-demand professions, it's highly unlikely that you will secure jobs before moving to Canada. It's also much more difficult now for an employer to get a positive LMIA in order to get a temporary work permit, if you were thinking that route.

I would suggest having a look at the different routes to Canada and see how you score (potentially) on the FSW and CRS points. (you could assume that you have had your degrees checked and that you would score top marks for language).

Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Criteria – Express Entry
Do you want to come to Canada, or extend your stay?

As to Vancouver, there are many threads on it and no two will give you the answers necessarily - everyone has a different opinion! I'm not sure if this search link will work but if not, click on 'search' in the blue bar above, select advanced, then input Vancouver as the search title, check thread titles and Canada.. http://britishexpats.com/forum/searc...archid=9666369

:)

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

You are not understanding.

I am not saying apply for a visa. Go to the web site, use the points calculator, and determine what visa you may qualify for.

That will give you, and others, an idea of if your move is even possible. Aside from me there are going to be 100 other posters asking you the same question about if you qualify for a visa before they're willing to spend time. There are a ton of people who come onto these forums with "Hey, tell me about buying a house in Toronto!" type questions and then soon find out they have no realistic chance of getting a visa.

Once you have been able to determine that you could qualify for a visa, then you can get into details.

Qualifying for a visa is harder than it looks - being British and having a university degree doesn't carry the same cache that it did 60 years ago.

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

We will be choosing to rent just like in the UK, speaking of which do landlord's have the same responsiblity for rentals as they do in the UK?

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

BC Landlord and Tenant Resources - Resource for BC Tenants

Google is your friend :)

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

I think you have to look at moving to Vancouver as you would NYC. It's too expensive to live there long term so is it worth going even if it's only for a few years and you have to live in a garage? In the case of NYC, sure, it's exciting, it's special, for a young person with no commitments it could be worth doing. One might say the same of London or Paris or any other place named on perfume bottles. I don't see Vancouver that way but I expect some people do.

My daughter lives in Vancouver, she and her husband have two young children. She instagrams lots of pictures of them on the beach. It looks pleasant and, yes, they're one block up from the water. The stream is a lot like her cousins' streams except that the cousins are in Bexhill and so they can afford houses and a cars and all of that as well as being a block from the beach. I'd look at Hastings instead of Vancouver. It has a beach and you can pop across to France for cheese. And you might be able to buy a house.

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

Are people with children eligible for IEC? I didn't think so.

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

Thank you for your help, the result is 505 points.

Re: Moving to Vancouver
 

:lol:
Never thought of it that way. That's pretty good. :nod: