justp1980

Hello, both me and my wife have made a decision to immigrate from the uk to canada. We have 3 children aged 15,6 and 4, plus our French Bulldog (can't forget about him) We are provisionally looking at Nova Scotia as a place of interest, this is purely as it seems to match our needs and what we are after.
However we don't want to just limit ourselves on one area, we ideally don't want city life but being maybe an hour away from a city would be considered.
An area where we can continue to raise our family, somewhere that is fairly laid back but has plenty to do.
We all know how kids can be, for me personally being a hockey fan somewhere that has a local team that would give us the ability to have a common interest with locals and help us settle.
Jobs and education are obviously a must, and meet our needs.
Any help is greatly appreciated, this is a dream we had quite a number of years ago but was not at the right time.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

You've not said, but I assume you qualify for a visa without a job offer? Most people need a job offer to get a visa, so often don't have any choice in where they go, and just have to go wherever they can find a sponsoring employer.

Can you give more info to help people narrow it down? Canada is such a huge country and most of it would suit if you just want a hockey team and to be an hour away from a city! What jobs do you both do? Certain provinces may be better depending on that. Any other requirements - climate, language, budget, amenities such as airports, skiing, boating, etc? The more info you can give the better really.

I'd also recommend you do a search of the forum for more info on transporting a French bulldog, IIRC there may be restrictions regarding transporting him, so you may need to factor in going by boat via the US.

Best of luck.

justp1980

I have been in contact with Canadianim based in Quebec, given them some basic information, and based on that information only they said it would be best to pursue the Express Entry System. I have been in construction since the age of 19 (now 41 ) doing ceilings & partitions, and recently done a course in Belgium now having the ability to do Mono acoustic. My partner is a qualified chef and has had various roles in the kitchen from the very bottom to be a Head Chef, Kitchen manager and for a while a trainee restaurant manager.
English is obviously our first language, as for climate somewhere that is similar to the uk would be ideal. As for Budget i would say we are average, amenities are not really a big issue, as canada has lots of open space just getting the kids out rather than being sat in front of a screen is a bonus.

christmasoompa

I'm not familiar with Canadianim, but do make sure you do your own research, you can check yourself to make sure you'd be eligible on the official website (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...nada-tool.html). Most people don't use consultants to help them with their applications, if you do decide to then make sure they are licensed, unfortunately there are a lot of dodgy consultants out there. Do you know your NOC code? Assuming you'd be applying under the Federal Skilled Trade program, then you may need a job offer for that anyway (you either need to have a valid job offer, or a certificate of qualification in that trade).

If you want a similar climate to the UK then the closest would probably be coastal BC, so about as far away from NS as you can get!

And if your kids aren't outdoorsy in the UK, then they aren't likely to be in Canada either. Canada does have lots of open space, but it's not got the same 'right to roam' that we do in the UK so you may find you can't access that open space anyway. Have you visited Canada before?

glendem4

You don't need an immigration consultant to apply. Save your money and do it yourself. This forum has all the information you need. First determine the visa you require, then determine if you qualify. Dreaming of another country is natural, but a waste of time if you don't meet the requirements.