Need some information please
#16
Just Joined
Joined: May 2008
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 13
Re: Need some information please
Hi Ry & Em,
My partner and I went out last June with our boys aged 2, 12 and 16. We stayed in Calgary, Alberta for a few days and then stayed in Cochrane for the rest of our stay.
This was our first time in Canada and we absolutely loved it the people were so friendly, nothing seemed too much. The customer service was fab.
I loved the country myself very much and found the sencery very similar to where my house is in Spain (I split my tiime between spain and Cornwall). My understanding is that although the winters are long and cold it is very different to our winter months in Cornwall - we have is cold and wet and they have snow. After speaking to people in Alberta who have experienced their 1st and some their 2nd winters they say yes it is go but you need your sunglasses as it is so sunny.
We are currently going down the PNP route and are looking to move to the outskirtws of Calgary. My I suggest you look it up on google the city is lovely and it has some great towns on the outskirts with loads to do. We also visited Okotoks.
We booked out flights through Trans Canada and flew from Gatwick straight to Calgary and the flight was about 8 to 9 hrs.
I definitely want to leave the UK for similar reasons too which is why I have a place in Spain too but Spain has no prospects for our children and Cornwall is just so overcast although blue skies today!!!
I hope this helps
Dee
My partner and I went out last June with our boys aged 2, 12 and 16. We stayed in Calgary, Alberta for a few days and then stayed in Cochrane for the rest of our stay.
This was our first time in Canada and we absolutely loved it the people were so friendly, nothing seemed too much. The customer service was fab.
I loved the country myself very much and found the sencery very similar to where my house is in Spain (I split my tiime between spain and Cornwall). My understanding is that although the winters are long and cold it is very different to our winter months in Cornwall - we have is cold and wet and they have snow. After speaking to people in Alberta who have experienced their 1st and some their 2nd winters they say yes it is go but you need your sunglasses as it is so sunny.
We are currently going down the PNP route and are looking to move to the outskirtws of Calgary. My I suggest you look it up on google the city is lovely and it has some great towns on the outskirts with loads to do. We also visited Okotoks.
We booked out flights through Trans Canada and flew from Gatwick straight to Calgary and the flight was about 8 to 9 hrs.
I definitely want to leave the UK for similar reasons too which is why I have a place in Spain too but Spain has no prospects for our children and Cornwall is just so overcast although blue skies today!!!
I hope this helps
Dee
#17
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 6
Re: Need some information please
Hi Dee,thanks for the message,Alberta sounds great have had a look at the Website looks great too.Also looking at the jobs that are in demand over there and at the expo website,Alberta is the only place at the moment that is needing a trade like mine.Myself and Emma,have decided to visit the expo in June in London to get more of an insight into things and then apply via the skilled worker route if feasible.Me and Emma are only 26 years old, so time (i hope!!) is on our side,and having looked at the time it takes to get accepted which is between 5-7 years,this should work out well,as we would both like to save more money,and buy a house outright in Canada with the sale of our house here etc,as the pound is so strong against the dollar.That is the plan anyway,sounds good,just need to go for it i suppose,anyway its nice to here from a fellow cornish person.We live in Penryn,close to Falmouth,it was sunny this afternoon for a change,but was pretty crappy down here this morning,nice to here from you,hope things work out for you too,thanks again,
Regards,Ryan and Emma.
Regards,Ryan and Emma.
#18
Re: Need some information please
This is correct a mobile home can cost more than $80,000. When the average house price in the UK is just under (200,000 pounds ) $400,000, expect to pay much more than $100,000 for something worth having and prices are steadily rising.
#19
Re: Need some information please
Hi all, my fiancee and i have been wanting to emigrate to Canada for about two years now.We saved enough money to have a 21 day driving holiday around eastern Canada,last June (2007).This was also to plug for a place we may like to live etc.As this was quite rushed we never really got the feel for anywhere, and nothing stood out as a really fantastic place to up sticks here in uk and go out there to live.We are 100% wanting to emigrate within the next two years or so and have been accepted on the skilled worker program,but we are confused as to where the ideal place to stay would be.
Our perfect place list would be as follows,
1/ Affordable housing
2/ Climate
3/ Close to city but in suburbs
4/ Great outdoor activities etc
The only place we had time in on our holiday was Ottawa, but after spending a few days there,found it quite boring and speaking to people they say it is extremely cold in winter, sorry to go on and on ,but any info on place would be appreciated,
Thanks again Ryan and Emma.
Our perfect place list would be as follows,
1/ Affordable housing
2/ Climate
3/ Close to city but in suburbs
4/ Great outdoor activities etc
The only place we had time in on our holiday was Ottawa, but after spending a few days there,found it quite boring and speaking to people they say it is extremely cold in winter, sorry to go on and on ,but any info on place would be appreciated,
Thanks again Ryan and Emma.
6hrs flight from London and less from Glasgow. Hot summers and here on the North Shore not registered above -15 all winter. Around 80% of the job market is hidden so advisable to visit.
Last edited by Paradisefound; May 26th 2008 at 2:41 am.
#20
Re: Need some information please
Hi thankyou too everyone that replied.I have read them all and i have found more information than when i started,so thats great.I did not realize it would take so long to move unless we had a job offer etc.I think another year or so working out exactly what we want would be good.Thanks again,
Kind regards,Ryan and Emma.
Kind regards,Ryan and Emma.
Also, check out the Provincial Nominee Programme to see if you can fast track coming to Canada.
Canada has a lot going for it, but you might find you replace one set of annoyances for another!! However, I can't see myself ever moving back!!
Clare
#21
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 6
Re: Need some information please
Don't waste a year - apply now and spend the next 5 years working it out. That way you are not wasting any time.
Also, check out the Provincial Nominee Programme to see if you can fast track coming to Canada.
Canada has a lot going for it, but you might find you replace one set of annoyances for another!! However, I can't see myself ever moving back!!
Clare
Also, check out the Provincial Nominee Programme to see if you can fast track coming to Canada.
Canada has a lot going for it, but you might find you replace one set of annoyances for another!! However, I can't see myself ever moving back!!
Clare
Ryan and Emma
#22
Re: Need some information please
As for annoyances - well don't get me started on how crap the banks/phone systems/ anything with Data connected are compared to those in the UK... But after a while the better/faster/smarter UK systems do become a dim memory (thankfully!)
But annoyances are just that - annoyances... (and so often minor....)
HOWEVER, I just love living here. It is a fabulous country to bring up kids (IMHO! )
Last edited by ClareBC; May 27th 2008 at 7:13 am. Reason: it is late, and my grammer has shut down
#23
Re: Need some information please
Did you visit Nova Scotia? http://www.novascotialife.com/
6hrs flight from London and less from Glasgow. Hot summers and here on the North Shore not registered above -15 all winter. Around 80% of the job market is hidden so advisable to visit.
6hrs flight from London and less from Glasgow. Hot summers and here on the North Shore not registered above -15 all winter. Around 80% of the job market is hidden so advisable to visit.
Just interested in what you said there "80% of the job market is hidden" does that apply to Nova Scotia only or the rest of Canada too? Im heading for Ontario... and thats the impression I got, Canadians don't seem big on advertising jobs.
Paul
#24
Re: Need some information please
Its just when you read something that someone may know a little more about - you have to jump in there! I think visiting the expo in London in June will be a good decision for you both.
This has turned out to be a very interesting and informative thread!
Paul
#25
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 212
Re: Need some information please
There is now a direct flight from Gatwick to Fredericton with a one hour 'drop off' in Halifax. Takes about 10 hours in total I think.
Ryan and Emma, we didn’t get off to a very good start. I’m going to take another crack at this and try to explain to you why I found it so difficult to respond to you the first go round.
First of all, you've actually been to Canada. If you travelled around the eastern half of Canada for three weeks and nothing called out to you, how am I supposed to resolve the dilemma you appear to be experiencing? You want to leave the UK, you don't want to go as far afield as Australia, but Canada didn't particularly appeal to you. Well, I'd say you have a problem, and I don't know how to fix it. I'm not trying to be facetious. I really mean it.
You seem picky about climate but, frankly, I don't consider the climate in any part of Canada to be brilliant. So, unless you have a very compelling reason to tolerate Canada’s climate, as I do, are you going to be able to pick your dummy up off the floor and soldier on in winter?
I think you are mistaken in believing that the eastern half of Canada necessarily has shorter flights from the UK. Yes, this would be true in the case of cities that have direct, non-stop connections. But, if you have to catch a connecting flight, it might cancel out the difference. Let's suppose you lived in Fredericton, New Brunswick. (I have nothing against Fredericton. I’ve never been there. I'm just using it for purposes of illustration.) The shortest journey I could find from London to Fredericton was 11 hours 40 minutes (this involved a change of planes at Montreal). Non-stop flights from London to Vancouver, on the other hand, take around 9.5 hours. I agree that proximity to the UK is a factor, but is it an overwhelming factor? (It is for some British expats, and it isn't for others.)
Affordable housing and great job prospects generally do not go hand in hand. Usually you have to choose one or the other. That’s the way it’s been in every country in which I've lived. Although I've never lived in the UK, I would have thought it was the same there. It was this (to my mind) unrealistic pair of items in your wish list that, more than anything else, prompted me to comment that you must have been looking for another planet.
Most of us want to find Utopia, but I don't know anyone on this forum or in "real life" who has found it. Each of us has made greater or lesser compromises.
I think you are in what I would call the denial stage of emigration planning. That is, you haven’t come to grips with the trade offs that you’re going to have to make if you emigrate. Many people discover what these trade offs are once they’re already living in a foreign country. It’s impossible to research the consequences thoroughly enough. You can think you’ve found out everything in advance, but there still can be surprises that knock you for six. Still, even if you can’t foresee all the potential consequences of emigrating, I think it would help you if you tried to anticipate as many of them as possible.
With that in mind, I suggest you go through the following steps:
Here is an effective methodology for ranking. Take each point and rank it against each other point. Let me run you through the exercise.
Your wish list was:
(a) Anywhere from central Canada to the eastside, so it is not as far away for friends and family visiting
(b) Somewhere it doesnt rain all the time and is not grey and overcast
(c) Somewhere with a good community spirit and friendly people
(d) Affordable houses
(e) Great attractions and things to do for children
(f) Great Job prospects
(g) Good schools and colleges
Take (a) and compare it against (b). If you had only these two factors to consider, which of them would be more important? Assign a score of 1 to the one that wins and a score of 0 to the one that loses.
Then take (a), compare it against (c), and apply the same scoring system.
Then do this with (a) and (d).
Keep going until you've compared (a) with every other point.
Repeat this exercise by comparing (b) against every other point.
Then compare (c) against every other point.
And so on, until each point has been compared with each other point.
Add up the score that each item has received.
Finally, re-order the items according to the scores they've received.
If you encounter situations in which it’s impossible to get everything you want (affordable housing and great job prospects may be irreconcilable, for example), you’ll know what’s more important to you.
Hope that helps.
x
First of all, you've actually been to Canada. If you travelled around the eastern half of Canada for three weeks and nothing called out to you, how am I supposed to resolve the dilemma you appear to be experiencing? You want to leave the UK, you don't want to go as far afield as Australia, but Canada didn't particularly appeal to you. Well, I'd say you have a problem, and I don't know how to fix it. I'm not trying to be facetious. I really mean it.
You seem picky about climate but, frankly, I don't consider the climate in any part of Canada to be brilliant. So, unless you have a very compelling reason to tolerate Canada’s climate, as I do, are you going to be able to pick your dummy up off the floor and soldier on in winter?
I think you are mistaken in believing that the eastern half of Canada necessarily has shorter flights from the UK. Yes, this would be true in the case of cities that have direct, non-stop connections. But, if you have to catch a connecting flight, it might cancel out the difference. Let's suppose you lived in Fredericton, New Brunswick. (I have nothing against Fredericton. I’ve never been there. I'm just using it for purposes of illustration.) The shortest journey I could find from London to Fredericton was 11 hours 40 minutes (this involved a change of planes at Montreal). Non-stop flights from London to Vancouver, on the other hand, take around 9.5 hours. I agree that proximity to the UK is a factor, but is it an overwhelming factor? (It is for some British expats, and it isn't for others.)
Affordable housing and great job prospects generally do not go hand in hand. Usually you have to choose one or the other. That’s the way it’s been in every country in which I've lived. Although I've never lived in the UK, I would have thought it was the same there. It was this (to my mind) unrealistic pair of items in your wish list that, more than anything else, prompted me to comment that you must have been looking for another planet.
Most of us want to find Utopia, but I don't know anyone on this forum or in "real life" who has found it. Each of us has made greater or lesser compromises.
I think you are in what I would call the denial stage of emigration planning. That is, you haven’t come to grips with the trade offs that you’re going to have to make if you emigrate. Many people discover what these trade offs are once they’re already living in a foreign country. It’s impossible to research the consequences thoroughly enough. You can think you’ve found out everything in advance, but there still can be surprises that knock you for six. Still, even if you can’t foresee all the potential consequences of emigrating, I think it would help you if you tried to anticipate as many of them as possible.
With that in mind, I suggest you go through the following steps:
- Spend a couple of weeks reading the Moving Back To The UK forum (if you haven’t read it already). I consider it essential reading for anyone who is contemplating emigration.
- Read the articles in the Canada Challenges section of the Wiki.
- After doing that, rethink whether or not you really want to emigrate.
- Reconsider whether or not Canada is a suitable destination for you. (I’m not sure that it is.)
- If you still want to emigrate and if you still think Canada is your preferred destination, take your wish list and rank it.
Here is an effective methodology for ranking. Take each point and rank it against each other point. Let me run you through the exercise.
Your wish list was:
(a) Anywhere from central Canada to the eastside, so it is not as far away for friends and family visiting
(b) Somewhere it doesnt rain all the time and is not grey and overcast
(c) Somewhere with a good community spirit and friendly people
(d) Affordable houses
(e) Great attractions and things to do for children
(f) Great Job prospects
(g) Good schools and colleges
Take (a) and compare it against (b). If you had only these two factors to consider, which of them would be more important? Assign a score of 1 to the one that wins and a score of 0 to the one that loses.
Then take (a), compare it against (c), and apply the same scoring system.
Then do this with (a) and (d).
Keep going until you've compared (a) with every other point.
Repeat this exercise by comparing (b) against every other point.
Then compare (c) against every other point.
And so on, until each point has been compared with each other point.
Add up the score that each item has received.
Finally, re-order the items according to the scores they've received.
If you encounter situations in which it’s impossible to get everything you want (affordable housing and great job prospects may be irreconcilable, for example), you’ll know what’s more important to you.
Hope that helps.
x
#26
Re: Need some information please
There are even some nice 2 bedroom hooms for between £50k and £75K in the same area. Remember, too, that some houses have finished basements and there's often an extra 'bedroom' there.
Jobs are another matter, of course. But a job may not be needed for many people whose UK equity allows them to buy a couple of rental properties. Some occupations will get a decent pension for the rental income to supplement.
Last edited by BristolUK; May 27th 2008 at 9:03 pm.
#27
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Perth, WA, Australia, previously Kitchener Canada
Posts: 288
Re: Need some information please
Hi all, my fiancee and i have been wanting to emigrate to Canada for about two years now.We saved enough money to have a 21 day driving holiday around eastern Canada,last June (2007).This was also to plug for a place we may like to live etc.As this was quite rushed we never really got the feel for anywhere, and nothing stood out as a really fantastic place to up sticks here in uk and go out there to live.We are 100% wanting to emigrate within the next two years or so and have been accepted on the skilled worker program,but we are confused as to where the ideal place to stay would be.
Our perfect place list would be as follows,
1/ Affordable housing
2/ Climate
3/ Close to city but in suburbs
4/ Great outdoor activities etc
The only place we had time in on our holiday was Ottawa, but after spending a few days there,found it quite boring and speaking to people they say it is extremely cold in winter, sorry to go on and on ,but any info on place would be appreciated,
Thanks again Ryan and Emma.
Our perfect place list would be as follows,
1/ Affordable housing
2/ Climate
3/ Close to city but in suburbs
4/ Great outdoor activities etc
The only place we had time in on our holiday was Ottawa, but after spending a few days there,found it quite boring and speaking to people they say it is extremely cold in winter, sorry to go on and on ,but any info on place would be appreciated,
Thanks again Ryan and Emma.
First of all, as far a direct flights from the UK go, you need to be looking at Southern Ontario. Toronto is our largest airport and all the charters and scheduled airlines have nonstop direct flights from there.
As far as Ottawa goes, yes it is boring, I lived there for one year, whilst I was in college, went back a few years later as an adult and OMG you could go bowling in the middle of town, as everyone vacates by 5:00 p.m., that being said, it is a lovely city, but now has a huge drug problem in the downtown core, that was never there before.
Have you looked at any cities in Southern Ontario. We live in Kitchener/Waterloo which is home to the number one college in Canada plus we have two universites (one of which is renowned for it's computer engineering), also we have a Children's museum, the 2nd largest Octoberfest outside of Munich, a great Farmers Market, only 45 minutes to Stratford for theatre, one hour to Toronto and just over an hour to Niagara Falls (and the US).
I think you have to be realistic when making the move to Canada, it is not England and things are different here, but I would not change anything for the world.. We have a great health care system compared to the US, generally people are very friendly and of course being Canadian we love our beer and hockey!!!
It is funny I was born and raised in the UK until I was 15, and yet I now think of Canada as my home. I am Canadian and I married a Canadian and my two beautiful girls are Canadian. I do not forgot my british roots but when my family moved here, I made the effort to make Canada my home.
Trust me, the ride will not always be smooth and no this is not Utopia, however, every country has it's good points and bad points (too much snow and cold is one bad point... but hey being Canadian we always have to complain about the weather), you will miss the Uk, but the main thing to remember is that you will be living in Canada and will have to adjust to the way of life... it does get easier.
Cheers
Karen
#28
Re: Need some information please
Hello I am replying to this only because I live in Canada and also am an ex-pat (mind you been here 27 years now).
First of all, as far a direct flights from the UK go, you need to be looking at Southern Ontario. Toronto is our largest airport and all the charters and scheduled airlines have nonstop direct flights from there.
As far as Ottawa goes, yes it is boring, I lived there for one year, whilst I was in college, went back a few years later as an adult and OMG you could go bowling in the middle of town, as everyone vacates by 5:00 p.m., that being said, it is a lovely city, but now has a huge drug problem in the downtown core, that was never there before.
Have you looked at any cities in Southern Ontario. We live in Kitchener/Waterloo which is home to the number one college in Canada plus we have two universites (one of which is renowned for it's computer engineering), also we have a Children's museum, the 2nd largest Octoberfest outside of Munich, a great Farmers Market, only 45 minutes to Stratford for theatre, one hour to Toronto and just over an hour to Niagara Falls (and the US).
I think you have to be realistic when making the move to Canada, it is not England and things are different here, but I would not change anything for the world.. We have a great health care system compared to the US, generally people are very friendly and of course being Canadian we love our beer and hockey!!!
It is funny I was born and raised in the UK until I was 15, and yet I now think of Canada as my home. I am Canadian and I married a Canadian and my two beautiful girls are Canadian. I do not forgot my british roots but when my family moved here, I made the effort to make Canada my home.
Trust me, the ride will not always be smooth and no this is not Utopia, however, every country has it's good points and bad points (too much snow and cold is one bad point... but hey being Canadian we always have to complain about the weather), you will miss the Uk, but the main thing to remember is that you will be living in Canada and will have to adjust to the way of life... it does get easier.
Cheers
Karen
First of all, as far a direct flights from the UK go, you need to be looking at Southern Ontario. Toronto is our largest airport and all the charters and scheduled airlines have nonstop direct flights from there.
As far as Ottawa goes, yes it is boring, I lived there for one year, whilst I was in college, went back a few years later as an adult and OMG you could go bowling in the middle of town, as everyone vacates by 5:00 p.m., that being said, it is a lovely city, but now has a huge drug problem in the downtown core, that was never there before.
Have you looked at any cities in Southern Ontario. We live in Kitchener/Waterloo which is home to the number one college in Canada plus we have two universites (one of which is renowned for it's computer engineering), also we have a Children's museum, the 2nd largest Octoberfest outside of Munich, a great Farmers Market, only 45 minutes to Stratford for theatre, one hour to Toronto and just over an hour to Niagara Falls (and the US).
I think you have to be realistic when making the move to Canada, it is not England and things are different here, but I would not change anything for the world.. We have a great health care system compared to the US, generally people are very friendly and of course being Canadian we love our beer and hockey!!!
It is funny I was born and raised in the UK until I was 15, and yet I now think of Canada as my home. I am Canadian and I married a Canadian and my two beautiful girls are Canadian. I do not forgot my british roots but when my family moved here, I made the effort to make Canada my home.
Trust me, the ride will not always be smooth and no this is not Utopia, however, every country has it's good points and bad points (too much snow and cold is one bad point... but hey being Canadian we always have to complain about the weather), you will miss the Uk, but the main thing to remember is that you will be living in Canada and will have to adjust to the way of life... it does get easier.
Cheers
Karen
Hey, just kidding. I really like Australia.
x
#29
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2008
Location: Perth, WA, Australia, previously Kitchener Canada
Posts: 288
Re: Need some information please
Yes in the final stretch of applying for our PR visa for Australia, it's funny I thought I stayed in Canada to my death, as I truly do believe it is my home country now. We should be in Australia before Christmas (that will be strange ... no snow)
But a great opportunity has come up for us in Australia and so we are going for it.
Now I just have to remember what it was like when we emigrated from the UK to Canada and try to keep everything in perspective when we go down under.
I am sure that I am going to be in for some cultural shock, as I know that Australia is not Canada.
The only advantage I will have over the rest of my family, is that I have done this once before, and I know that at first I am sure we will compare Australia and Canada at first.
I think the key to moving to any new country is that you have to go in with an open mind. You are moving to a new country and it will not be the same as back home is (wherever back home is).. and you just have to emerse yourself into their culture.
Like I said, although I was born and raised in the UK until I was 15, I do not even consider the UK home. Yes I will always have my roots, but I have fully embraced the Canadian way of life and plan to do the same in Australia.
Karen
#30
Re: Need some information please
Can I just jump in here too.
Firstly, get your application in. It may aswell be in the system, ticking the months off, and you've got loads of time to research during the 5 yr wait !
Secondly. You are in the UK, living the same and only lifestyle you have ever known. Canada looks exciting and different and visiting on holiday only gives a rather blinkered image of the place. Be prepared that living here may just show you other aspects to life here you could never envisage. Sure, Britain has its issues, and here has issues too. Keep a balanced perspective.
Alberta doesn't have the bargain housing it used too. The $500k figure another poster put is "average". You CAN still get a nice home for less than that. Here in Sherwood Park, a lovely satellite town of Edmonton, you are looking at low to mid $300's for a smaller/older detached home. Under that figure, you may only get duplexes or condo's.
Firstly, get your application in. It may aswell be in the system, ticking the months off, and you've got loads of time to research during the 5 yr wait !
Secondly. You are in the UK, living the same and only lifestyle you have ever known. Canada looks exciting and different and visiting on holiday only gives a rather blinkered image of the place. Be prepared that living here may just show you other aspects to life here you could never envisage. Sure, Britain has its issues, and here has issues too. Keep a balanced perspective.
Alberta doesn't have the bargain housing it used too. The $500k figure another poster put is "average". You CAN still get a nice home for less than that. Here in Sherwood Park, a lovely satellite town of Edmonton, you are looking at low to mid $300's for a smaller/older detached home. Under that figure, you may only get duplexes or condo's.