Potential emigration to Canada
 

Hi everyone,

New to the forum but recently started reading it as I may have the opportunity to emigrate out to Canada.

I was wondering if people who have done it could give me a bit of assistance?

Bit of background:

I work for a small local company and currently earn a salary of £24K which from that I support my wife and 2 kids (2 year old twins) and we currently have another one on the way (albeit not until start of next year). We manage OK on this as thankfully we bought our small house about 10 years ago for a low price and our mortgage is extremely low.

However, as its a 2 bedroom house and extending isn't really an option we need to move to accommodate our expanding family which of course is going to take a serious chunk out of our monthly income.

The future:

I have a potential offer on the table from a company in Toronto (Markham) and I know the cost of living is a lot higher there than where I live in Scotland and although the salary I've been offered is a lot higher than I currently earn now I was wondering if the salary would actually reflect a better quality of life to what we have back here.

Job wise, id be very excited to do it as its a great opportunity for me but my family are the most important thing in the world to me and doing whats best for them is what really counts. (oh, my wife is OK with moving but of course only if we are actually going to be noticeably better off as we would be leaving behind all the usual things, family, friends etc)

So, salary I've been offered is $100K a year and the company will cover all relocation costs, which you can see is a lot better than I currently earn, but is that increase likely to benefit us a great deal? (cost of living, housing etc)

Sorry if this has all been asked before and for the long post lol :-)

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

Not sure I can be too much help ... but as an example, this may provide some guidance ...

Me and the OH are also from Scotland (between Edinburgh and Perth) and both have had (both now redundant) until now jobs that we take home about £55k combined a year. We live in a large 3 bed house in a lovely area with a reasonable plot, have three dogs and run two cars. We don't have a huge amount left over (the house was in part due to making killings on two previous properties!). We don't have a huge amount surplus - but are certainly comfortable.

We are moving to the Toronto area - going to be living in Burlington, OH working in TO, me working in north Burlington, and both will earn more than we do in the UK, around $140k a year combined. We will run just one car, and we think that we will have about the same lifestyle as we do here in Scotland ... a nice 3 bed house, within striking distance of a town/city and facilities, 3 dogs etc ... we may be able to afford a little more house, and hope that we might save a little, but certainly are not banking on saving the 'extra' income completely as the cost of living is higher in some regards.

We are making the move because we have the opportunity (which as indicated above, we currently do not have in the UK, both being part of rubbish public spending situation), have always fancied Canada as being a nice place to live, and are not adverse to challenges and changes on life ...!

We are not viewing it as a utopia, or offering us lots of things we do not have in the UK, and realise that we will miss things from the UK, and hope to enjoy the things that Canada offers that the UK does not ...

My gut feeling is that in your situation, you could probably do likewise ... move, $100k would be enough, but would probably not offer a huge leap in lifestyle ... but if you fancy moving, then this might be the opportunity you have looked for!

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

$100k p/a is considered a good income by most Canadians. With all your moving expenses paid and some equity to bring with you you should do quite well. IMO, the secret is not to get carried away by buying too much house here and ending up with a sizable mortgage. There are quite a few good residential areas within 30 minute drive of Markham (I live in one) where you can get a most acceptable home for $350-400k.

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

I'd strongly suggesting renting until you get settled.

The proprty market in Canada is quite flat, so there's no need to rush to get onto the ladder. People have reported stories about buying in haste only to repent (through high selling fees) soon after.

I've no idea about the rental costs for a 3 bed place near Markham but I'm sure somebody on this forum will...

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

I agree with all the advice given.


$100k should give you around $5600+ per month. After a leased or loan car (if you went that route) and renting a good sized place place you would still have at least half your disposable income each month.

From a financial perspective you would definately be better off.

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

^^^
This

It all depends on your definition of Quality of Life. If it's predominantly "nicer" things and a larger house, etc, then why not try it.

If it also involves lots of interaction with good friends and close family, then possibly not.

Only you can know your current quality, what you want improving, and what you're willing to, and not willing to, compromise on.

I would say $100k is a decent salary for a Canadian city, but i'd also say £24k is a decent salary for up north and Scotland away from the cities.

My own personal opinion - try it for a year and see what happens.

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

The company offering the job have done all the paperworks and got the LMO for you to apply for a work permit, or you are already able to work in Canada?

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

If you live north of Markham, say in Aurora or Newmarket, I'd say $100k would be plenty.

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

To the OP

Have you ever visited Canada? If not, it may be a good idea to visit the area, get a feel of the life style and browse at houses and schools. The schools mostly look like hmp prisons here btw.

100k is is a good wage. You be ok for money if you rent and buy in east GTA pickering Ajax or Markham and Aurora.

Not.all at once of course. Lol

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

I would also ask whether the company would cover your healthcare costs for the first 3 months for your family. You would need private health insurance to cover you for the first 3 months before their NHS (OHIP) kicks in - important with pregnant wife etc

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

Hi,

Thank you for the responses, both helpful and informative.... so in answer to some of your questions:

Healthcare costs - as part of the employment package I will be getting free private healthcare for my family and I (kicks in straight away)

Have I visited Canada before - Yes, been to Toronto 3 times now for business but if im honest I had never considered emigrating as unless I have a job with the family in tow its not really an option, but this came completely out of the blue (essentially head hunted)

Paperwork etc - The company are will handle all the paperwork, arrangements etc

Property - We would not be looking to buy straight off the bat and would be looking to rent. Does anyone have an idea of rough rental prices for a place within either Markham or commuting distance?

Another question for you, although probably very common on these forums.. but.... driving, how long did it take you to get used to driving over there? With a family we know we are going to need a car, potentially two although my job offers a fair degree of flexibility to work from home so we may well be able to get by on one.

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

It'll be worth checking the health care side - most employers provide cover and (from the two jobs me and the OH have got) seem happy to waive the 6 month delay in them kicking in - but as I understand it in most cases this is additional to, not in replacement of OHIP - you may still need OHIP cover as well, so you will need to check that out - but insurance to cover for the six months for you and family would not be so steep as to be ridiculous...worth checking ...

also worth checking what the company is offering you ... are they offering you a temporary work permit (TWP) for say 3 years? This they get by getting an LMO for you and seems the most likely route, but if you plan on staying longer, you may need to factor in the costs of permanent residency (PR) which will be a bit pricey for the whole clan ... again, just one of those moving costs ... it would be extremely generous if they were offering to fund this as well!

Rent prices - a good place to check out to give you some idea is mls.ca - it has an easy map search function and you can select price ranges etc. I would have thought that $2000 - $3000 would sort something more than sufficient! I then used google earth to help explore the settlement, once I had read up on here (and other places) about the pros and cons of the area! The forum has various threads that cover the areas you are likely to be looking at. :thumbup:

Driving - a minor thing in the grand scheme of things ... its relatively easy to pick up once there - I have only visited and driven for about 3 weeks and am starting to get the hang of it - weaving on the freeway, school bus stopping and four way stops are the only things that have got me so far! However, and you will probably have read this on the forum, be prepared for huge insurance costs ... ours is coming out at $3700 a year for one car with UK no claims being taken into consideration - its just one of them things!

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

It'll be worth checking the health care side - most employers provide cover and (from the two jobs me and the OH have got) seem happy to waive the 6 month delay in them kicking in - but as I understand it in most cases this is additional to, not in replacement of OHIP - you may still need OHIP cover as well, so you will need to check that out - but insurance to cover for the six months for you and family would not be so steep as to be ridiculous...worth checking ...

Just a point, if I may. OHIP is mandatory in Ontario. Everyone has it and those who can, pay an annual pro-rated fee, depending on income level. Ther is no private healthcare permitted, for the most part, in Canada. Companies often provide supplementary to Provincial coverage for such things as dental, eye ware, private hospital rooms and some other items not covered by OHIP.

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

Its only 3 months till OHIP kicks in...

Add prescription drug costs to the list of things it doesnt cover. And Physio.

Re: Potential emigration to Canada
 

Maybe I miss understood what was being offered with the medical benefits then :(