Hi there everyone, I've been an observer on the site for a short while but I would say that until fairly recently the idea of moving to Canada was simply that, an idea. Having only touched the surface on what Canada can offer us a family and our growing discontent with the not so great Britain we think that it is time to make preparations.

To introduce ourselves we are a family of four. There's me, the wife and two kids, little girl aged 6 and a boy aged 15. My son is from a previous marriage of my wife's so this may complicate any move that we make even though his bio-father has nothing to do with him. I would be interested to hear from others in, or who have been through a similar situation. We are currently in West Yorkshire and in terms of canadian destination we are edging towards Alberta somewhere around Calgary poss Airdrie? don't know for sure. In fact location may well be decided by any future job offer. The main reason Calgary was initally suggested was because my wife currently has a cousin in the process of emmigrating since he is with a canadian girl. He loves it there and paints a wonderful picture of life, he should be working for the Calgary tourist board!

Anyway in terms of jobs I would like to continue working in the area of Information Security. I am relaively new to this line of work but want to continue if at all possible with a canadian career in this area. I visited the expo in Leeds and to be honest was very disappointed. There was nothing really for me there. When Itried to explain my current role I was being confused with a systems architect which I'm definately not. I'm not a techie, Iknow a little but my focus is policy and compliance in terms of information governance specifically Information Security. Given the global importance of information flows andthere security Ihad thought there would be strong demand for these skills amongst employers. However, this is not the initial impression that I've received.

My plan is to try and gain some more experience and qualifications in my field of work an then try to get a twp, rent our home out (given current housing market in UK), go to canada and get a job then apply for residency. I'm looking at a rough timeline of about two years. What do people think? Is this realistic and what things should I set in motion now to be on target for this time period? Sorry for all the questions but Iknow you guys all have first hand experience of how long these processes actually take so may be able to give me an indication of what things can and should be done simultaneously to save time and what things need to be done seperately and slowly. I don't suppose anyone knows of a company or org worth approaching for information security positions? Apologies if this is too cheeky and not the place to ask. I'd love to hear the veiws of anyone on here.

By way of background I have always wanted to experience life in another country and make it my own. However, the age old pull on the heart strings by parents has stopped me ever fully committing to a move. Now, I suppose I'm a little stronger and whist I know it will be hard and still emotional with parents I can honestly say that I am fully committed in doing this as I know it will be better for me, my wife and children. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Any information, thoughts etc all appreciated.

Thanks everyone, Adam.

Hello Adam

Welcome to Expats.

Neil and I are looking into emigrating to Calgary, it all depends on salary etc.

Please feel free to read my blog as most of our reasons are stated there.

Good luck

Cassie

Hello, Adam, and welcome to BE.

I'm not British, so I often have to go on what other members of this website state. They often say that Canada is behind the UK in many respects, and I dare say it is in the matter of Information Security too.

There's the technical aspect of information security, shielding a company's servers from hackers and that kind of thing. But you've already said you're not a techie person.

In my experience, other (non-techie) kinds of security often come under the broad umbrella of the Vice President of Legal Affairs in any given company. That is the VP who often has Public Relations under him/her, and he/she often has Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) reporting to him/her as well.

The EHS Department often draws up procedures for emergencies, e.g., who gives a statement to the press when there's an event like an accident, a fire or whatever, how to make notes and report a phone call you may receive in which someone makes a bomb threat -- stuff like that. Since it's someone in the Communications Department or Public Relations who usually has to make a statement to the press, there has to be cooperation and coordination between EHS and PR.

There also is the matter of protecting company information. For example, computer systems are backed up regularly, and the back up tapes (or whatever physical form they take) are stored offsite. The rationale is that, if the company's building were to be destroyed, the back ups would have a greater chance of survival if they were in a different location.

Similarly, hard copy archives also are stored offsite.

On the finance side, new protocols have been introduced to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Although that legislation is American, and although Canada has its own legislation concerning securities and corporate governance, even Canadians refer to Sarbanes-Oxley as a kind of shorthand. Companies that want to be seen to be exercising due diligence go above and beyond the requirements of the law and follow "best practices" (or at least what are thought of as best practices in backward Canada).

A company's employers and contractors often are given card keys that allow them to operate electronic doors that give them access to a building. The system of issuing passes often is administered by the owners of the building rather than the companies that rent space in the building.

That's about the extent of my knowledge of security. I wouldn't call myself an expert, but have had some exposure to the topic because of my experience as a technical writer in the EHS field. A technical writer usually edits drafts written by subject matter experts (SMEs). Although I'm not a SME myself, I have picked up some knowledge along the way.

If you aren't a techie person, what skills do you bring to the table? I'm not being confrontational. It's just that I don't understand what you do and what skills you use to do what you do. Unless I can translate your occupation into the Canadian context, it's hard to suggest what your next steps should be.

I think you should look at the National Occupational Classification, and try to figure out where you fit into it. For example, look at NOC Code #1122 - Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management. Click the View All Titles link to see what other titles a person in this occupational group might have. Also look at the duties, and see if any of them are a fit.

A problem you will run into is that you have been in the occupation for only a short time. If you hope to use this occupation as a way of getting a temporary work permit, a prospective employer would have a hard time claiming that there was no qualified Canadian resident who could do the job.

At this point you should read the Wiki section of this website. The articles to which you should pay immediate attention are:
If a person provided a service that Canadians knew they needed, like nursing or plumbing, it would be entirely feasible to get into Canada within two years or less. But I don't know what the prospects are for a person in your occupation.

Oh yes, here's another thing I should clarify for you. You seem to be under the impression that you can get a temporary work permit and then a job offer. It's the other way round. You have to get a job offer first and, in order for that job offer to qualify for a temporary work permit, it has to be a job that no qualified Canadian resident wants.

Hope that helps.
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Hi Adam,

I suspect Judy in Calgary is spot on when she references others' comments re Canada being a step behind the UK in some respects (which is actually a positive sometimes). Even so, I would have thought that just about any significantly sized corporate organisation, (there are many in Calgary), would be operating with Information Management/Security policies of varying degrees of sophistication and so I'm sure such jobs exist. Whether there is a shortage of people to do them may be another matter. I had a quick look on the NOC and an additional code to look at along with Judy's suggestion is the fairly generalist "0114 Other Administrative Services Managers" which you can see here...

http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/noc-CNP/app/...searchkey=0114

I would endorse Cassie 10000's suggestion of reading their excellent blog and you're welcome to take a peek at ours as well (see sig line below) which maybe complements Cassie's in the sense we are over here already and it picks up on both the mundane and wonderful aspects of settling into a new life in Alberta.

Cassie - hope the extraction goes well! I had to be knocked out for mine!

Eamonn

Thanks for the info thus far guys (that includes gals as well). I've taken a look at the information you suggested and believe that my particular job is somewhat a combination of NOC 2171 Information Systems Analyst and Consultant with 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management. I'm majority 2171 if I had to choose. The job titles and roles are familiar. Whilst relatively new to this area and by that Imean just under two years I am still developing into the roles but am undertaking many of the tasks described in the duities section. The qualifications side does not matvch perfectly as Ido not posess a computer science degree (hence my statement at being a non techie). I moved internally to this post based on a common skills approach to job roles. This is the norm for the government department Icurrently work for.

I do posess a degree but this is in Recreation Management. I also have a National Diploma and HND in Business & Finance. In terms of professioal qualifications I have a Certificate in Information Security Management Principles (CISMP) at distinction level.. I believe Judy touches on the areas of Business Continuity which my role also emcompasses as it does in regard to secure data destruction.

My intention over the next two years if possible is to gain more formal recognition of my skills through qualifications such as the ISO 27001 Lead Auditor course and try to achieve CISP (Certified Information Security Professional) status. I thought that these would greatly assist me in my search for an InfoSec role in Canada.

Ihope that this helps to clarify what I do so that you can assist better in my search for advice. I beieve that Ido have a lot to offer Canada Ijust need to be given the opportunity to prove and show it.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers, Adam.

You'll probably be interested to know that 2171 is listed as an Occupation under Pressure in Alberta and British Columbia. That bodes well for you.
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Hi Adam

I think it will be worth your while to try and find companies in Calgary who hire people to carry out this role.

Explain your situation and ask them what qualifications they would like to see in prospective employees. This will ensure you don't waste your time over the next two years gaining qualifications that will not be recognized in Canada. Although you may be able to track these people down on the web, you will probably need to 'phone them for a chat.

That's fantastic news Judy I hadn't realised that it was an OUP and in Alberta as well. I'll just have to hope that it's still the case when we're ready to go. JonBoyE that's good advice but who to target for these enquiries is the difficult question. I don't suppose you or others on the site could suggest a company or organisation? I realise that this is a little cheeky but since Information Security isn't really sector specific the organisation could really be in any type of business which makes a web search difficult.
It would be excellent to know what real businesses in Canada would expect to see from their InfoSec professionals.

In terms of the two year timescale this is mainly because we want our son to have completed his GCSEs. We then want him to enrol in school in Canada so that he can obtain his high school diploma at 18. This will make it easer for him to gain employment later in Canada. Also since I am not his bio-father I'm not entirely sure what, if any permissions are needed.Does anyone have any further information in this area?

Apologies again for the lengthy reply. Any help or assistance any of you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading,

Cheers, Adam.

Hi, welcome to the board. Do a search in the immigration section for Parental Consent in reference to the biological father bit, you should find some details there, if not I would be happy to PM you.

Thanks PiffPoff I'll do a search as you suggest to get the official position. However, I would be really interested to hear of any real life examples, especially those that have moved sucessfully so if you have the time a PM would be appreciated.

Cheers, Adam.

All companies that deal with the general public are required appoint someone to take responsibility for the security of personal customer information. Just as an example I took a look at Shaw's policy. There are a cable tv, ISP and phone service provider in Western Canada.

http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/AboutShaw/P...nciples.htm#q1

I don't know who the responsible person is at Shaw (you might be able to find out with a more thorough investigation) but my bet is that they ultimately report to Ken C.C. Stein, Senior Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs. I found this man's name in the Corporate Governance section of their website. If you can speak to someone on his staff you might be on the right lines.

A word of caution as well. The people you speak to now may become important for your future job seeking network so keep things light and friendly, and don't forget to thank them officially (by email or letter as well as verbally) for any help they give you.

Thanks for the info on the approach I should take Jonboy. It looks like a fiddley process especially allowing for the time difference between UK and CA. I think it's a case of treading softly softly.

I'd just like pose a quick question regarding step children. How old does a child have to be before they can enter Canada with there mother and step-father without the need for the bio-father's consent? Is it 17yrs? Would he have to make a seperate application, say a student app for example? Any help and direction you can give in relation to the age range would be appreciated. Step-son is currently 15yrs old and it is unlikely bio-father will grant consent even though he has nothing to do with him. If there was no need for consent at age 17yrs then financially it would make sense to wait since any court order may well take us near his 17 birthday. Grateful for your valued advice.

Cheers, Adam

You're actually at an advantage, because it's evening in the UK while it's still daytime in Canada. Ordinarily Britons would be off work while Canadians were still at work.

Sorry, I don't know the answer. You're likely to get more responses if you pose this question on the Immigration forum.
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