Ahorvath

Hello everyone,

IWe are a family of six originally from Hungary, but currently living in the UK. I'm an information security professional and I had started to assessing the market in Vancouver/BC. I just started assessing the local job market and wondering about the cost of living for us.

Background: 4 children, 1 in secondary school, 2 little in primary and the smallest staying home with mum.

We are living now in London, currently renting and we are planning to rent in Canada too, probably a 3 bedroom, furnished house in Burnaby, we started at looking but no decided yet, so we are open to a recommendation, however, I don't drive so public transportation is important.

Questions:

- 100K CAD/ year salary is enough for a family this size? We are not living in luxury but would like to have a comfortable life.
- What are the standard benefits in the IT industry, if there is any?
- What is the usual cost for schooling, healthcare?

Thank you$

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Cost of living is about the same as in the UK as a rough guide (some things cheaper, some more expensive, so most think it evens out). Vancouver housing is expensive though.

Are you tied to Vancouver, do you already have a job offer there, or do you have a visa already and the freedom to choose where you live? If not, then don't get too focused on a particular area just yet, as if you need a job offer to get a visa, you'll just have to go wherever you can find an employer prepared to go through the hassle/cost/paperwork of your LMIA app, so Vancouver may not be an option.

My personal opinion is that $100k would be tight for a family of 6 in Van, just because kids cost so much! But a forum search will give you some relevant threads for info.

Best of luck.

christmasoompa

Here you go, just found this recent thread where somebody asked about living in Van on $100k - note that it's just him and his wife though, no kids. http://britishexpats.com/forum/canad...couver-870521/

HTH.

Snowy560

Yes Vancouver is expensive. Through what immigration category are you coming/applying? Or are you able to work in Canada already?

S

Ahorvath

Thank you for the responses.

I would come as skilled professional, EE and it seems like I'm going to get an offer just a week after I have started to look at the things there. Security is on demand here in the Uk too, but we had enough of ridiculous rent prices for very not quality accommodations. Possible outdoor activities and close to nature is also on the wish list.

I have not got the offer yet but was asked what would be my salary expectation. According to CIC website a valid job offer with an LMIA would put us on the top of the queue, but I have no clue what is the cycle/frequency the are sending out ITA. Do you have any information about that?

christmasoompa

It would yes, a LMIA would mean you'd automatically get invited to apply for PR in the next round of invitations as you'd be scoring very highly with those extra 600 points. There is no set timings for them, but it's usually every couple of weeks or so. You can check dates and info for all of the previous draws here - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/express...ast-rounds.asp

If they're asking for your salary expectations, do you have your NOC code? Or a job title? You could then check average salaries more accurately and know what they'll need to be paying you for the LMIA to be granted. $100k seems low to me, but I don't know what you do.

HTH.

Ahorvath

I'm an information security/cyber professional (engineer) at NOC there is not really a special section for security, seems like everything falls under 2171 Information systems analysts and consultants

The question happened very quickly so after a half day of research, I think I went low. But still don!t have solid data on it.

Ahorvath

Another thing, do you have to do language test anyway, I'm not a native speaker but UK native speakers has to do it anyway?>= I'm working in the UK for a while now, so I don't really get why is the test needed.

Snowy560

In order to make a profile for Express Entry, language tests results are required:

Language testing—Skilled immigrants (Express Entry)

S

Engineer_abroad

but we had enough of ridiculous rent prices for very not quality accommodations.


Don't come to Vancouver then rent prices here and in our London are extremely comparable. Take a read through the online stories from the Vancouver Sun newspaper and you will see some of the housing issues in Metro Van at the moment.

100k would seem tight at first reading but if you are making it work in London you can make it work in Vancouver. Be aware that single dwelling homes are the most sought after (read expensive) in the whole lower mainland. If you are not tied to Burnaby look at some of the cities to the south (delta, Richmond, Surrey etc.) all have good transport links.

Also it is unlikely that security engineer will be a job title here. Engineer is a protected term and normally requires at least bachelors degree in an engineering science.

dbd33

I'm not in Vancouver but would be surprised if a security administrator new to the country could command an initial salary of $100,000 in the GTA. Contract, sure, but it would be an unusual contract that provided for the LMIA.

Ahorvath

Thank you, we just checked airbnb and there is some very nice house for far cheaper than London prices. Well, the job advert said engineer but I don't know what would be in the contract.

Does anyone has experience/knowledge about internationally recognized institutional professional certificates, do they need to go through ECA? I have got a few most of them managed by US organization (ISACA, ISC2).

Ahorvath

GTA? is stands for? well, the role definitely not an admin role...

JonboyE

$100k seems a bit low for me for the job you are describing. Maybe start by asking for $125k. It is easier to go lower than higher. Also check the benefit package the employer offers. As a minimum you want extended health benefits that covers items not in the provincial medical plan. E.g. prescription drugs and basic dentistry. It can make a big difference for a larger family.

Schooling is free but you are expected to provide some supplies for your children and maybe contribute to some extra curricular activities. It is ten years since junior left school but I think it cost us around $100 a semester i.e. twice a year.

You will have to pay $150 a month for family coverage in the Medical Services Plan. This provides free-at-the-point-of-use access to GPs, specialist medics and in-hospital treatment.

Furnished rentals are as rare as hen's teeth. Expensive too as they are mostly vacation or short stay executive places. There is an active market in second hand furniture and there is always IKEA. If you don't drive you will need to quickly make friends with someone who owns a truck.

Not driving means that you will be limited in where you can live. Public transport (transit) is not bad from most places to and from downtown. Across town can be a different matter altogether. You can use the trip planner to get an idea of how to get from somewhere to somewhere else. TransLink - Trip Planning If you know where you will be working you can decide how long a commute you are prepared to put up with. The downtown core is quite walkable but the suburbs are designed for people with cars. That said, there are smaller "town centres" throughout the suburbs where you can find a place to live that is within hauling distance of a supermarket.

The is $x enough? question is asked all the time. The answer is always, "it depends." I think your material standard of living depends on what you spend, not what you earn. Do you like to hike (cheap) in your spare time or ski (expensive). Will your kids want to play soccer (football)(cheap) or hockey (expensive). Some will think $100k is little more than pin money, for others it is more than they could dream of earning. I agree with christmasoompa. It is certainly enough to keep body and soul together if you do not have to pay for a car or two but with 4 kids it is not a luxury lifestyle.

Engineer_abroad

Again I will refer you to Vancouver Sun there is a huge backlash against airB&B in Vancouver. As I said if you are making it work in London you are making it work here.

What you need to be prepared for is the competition for housing here.