davidmac75

Hi Guys, new member here so looking for advice, me and my wife and 2 kids are looking to move from scotland to canada ASAP, my wife has canadian citizenship so the process seems straight forward. I am keen to learn of nice, safe family friendly areas that are affordable in the toronto area (Suburbs) my wifes family are originally from Hamilton but are all sadly long since passed away, I would be seeking work and i am a print finisher so if anyone knows a printing firm nearby Great!! any advice/help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. david.

Shirtback

Erm ... Ok, so you already have your visa in hand? Or you're going to apply inland & ask for an OWP? (I'm basing that on you saying you plan to move ASAP and everything in "straight forward"). Are the children Canadian citizens?

Loads of threads about families moving to the GTA, sit yourself down with a nice cup of tea, or a beer, and have a good read .

I have no idea what a print finisher does, so I'll just suggest you do a quick search on Jobbank.gc.ca, indeed, etc to see what the job situation looks like.

Hemi Dave

Hi, welcome to the forum.

We are in Ancaster/Hamilton (originally Glasgow), and there are a few others from this area here too.

Have you been over to visit?

I have nothing but good things to say about our move, much to the annoyance of others, lol.

Happy to help where I can.

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

It is definitely straightforward, but not sure about 'ASAP', as it'll take about a year to get PR via spousal sponsorship unless you've already got your visa sorted? Do your children have their Canadian passports? If not, then proof of citizenship can take about 18 months.

Not really an option, as he's not in Canada - and getting in to Canada would be tricky to say the least as he wouldn't be a genuine visitor.

Good luck OP, hope it goes smoothly for you. I'd suggest you do a recce trip or two whilst you're waiting for your PR, so that you can narrow down areas.

christmasoompa

I don't think it annoys anybody does it?! It's just the Glasgow effect (my new theory). Coming from Glasgow = happiness in Canada. Coming from a nicer part of the UK = maybe not so much!

davidmac75

thanks for that. No I don't have my visa yet but the consultant I'm using has quoted 4 months tops for it. I've spoken to a family in identical circumstances and they were good to go in 3 1/2 months, he's just about to leave for B.C.. for me the only draw back from what I can find is the work life balance is awful in Canada although I am just going by what I can see ? Is this the case I.e. work all the time and no time for family life ?

davidmac75

What's your view on the work/ life balance ?

christmasoompa

Erm........! What visa are you applying for then? Because that's certainly not remotely realistic as a timescale for PR via spousal sponsorship? I'm wondering if you are planning on applying for a different type of visa though? If you can clarify then we can help.

You can search for threads on the subject, and this Wiki article may be useful - Annual Leave-Canada : British Expat Wiki

HTH.

christmasoompa

It was never really an issue for us, because my husband got 6 weeks annual leave in both countries (we're in the UK now). The only thing I did really miss in Canada was the accessibility of interesting places in Europe, and being able to do really cheap flights/breaks.

This year we're going to Tuscany in August, a long weekend in Paris in November, a cruise to Bruges & Amsterdam in December and skiing in the Alps over New Year, all very cheaply. I know that many on the forum think that North America is great for exploring, but for me there's no comparison personally and it's usually just so much more expensive to do it there.

Howefamily

This is so horribly true From a more expensive point of view. It's so expensive to get on a plane here, you can kiss goodbye to deals with Ryanair etc and say hello to $$$$

christmasoompa

I know, it's crazy. Our return flights to Tuscany, in the middle of August, were £40 each and that's with BA. Our Eurostar to Paris has been paid for with Clubcard points so hasn't cost us a penny. Etc, etc. No chance of that kind of thing in Canada!

Roberto1980

Hi mate,

Kind of in the same boat as you at the moment, ( looking for an area to move to) How far outside Toronto are you willing to go?

My wife and I have been looking at Hamilton, Dundas, Burlington area. And no doubt smaller communities around that neck of the woods like Waterloo, Waterdown etc should be what you (and we) are looking for..

Roberto1980

It's finally understood!!! lol

MikeUK

What type of print?

MeadWestvaco have a plant on the east side of town (Ajax) if its board
Atlantic packaging are more centrally based, or Smurfit on the east side, down town I think there was another big setup if its Corrugated
there is also a big pre-print place centrally, can't remember their name I don't think you'll have a shortage of opportunities
Just a sh1t commute if you pick the location before the job

davidmac75

hi we are totally open, we are only looking at Hamilton/Toronto due to my wife's family history there, it will all depend on work availability for us, what about you ? Are you over there yet ?