My husband and I would like to move to Toronto as soon as possible, but we would feel much better if at least one of us could secure a job first hand. My husband was born in Canada, so he would not need to apply for a Visa. I have heard that many Canadian companies are a bit skeptical about hiring foreigners because it would be much easier for them to hire residents that can start work immediately. We live in Europe, and we have no idea where to start. My husband is a computer technician (with certifications) he's not a Uni grad, therefore he will mostly likely be open to unskilled jobs that are not computer related. He wouldn't mind working as a courier, for example. Do you think it's possible to secure an unskilled job before making the move, bearing in mind that he would not need to go through the whole Visa process? Would companies appreciate this more? Where should he apply online? Can you recommend any job sites for this purpose? Is it easy to find unskilled jobs once you are in Canada?

Thanking you in advance...

good luck in your job search!

just our scenerio...hubby had the same job for 24yrs(skilled trades) and is now going to be laid off (indefinite leave) Oct/08 in Ontario.

Thank you, and sorry to hear about your husbands job!!

Any feedback regarding my post would be greatfully received!

Sorry, additional question...
What's the job market like in Barrie? Is it a relatively safe area?

Hey Helena,

I would second that at least one of you needs to have a job secured or at least enough savings to tide you over until you can find suitable employment. Toronto ain't cheap! :-(

My partner is also Canadian but lived in the UK for 11 years - he had no work experience other than UK and at first he was hit with 'gotta have Canadian Experience bs' - luckily he managed to avoid HR devil lady and went right to the director who considered his London experience an asset and hired him. It's insurance after all. Deep down the HR lady was just p*ssed he was requesting 5 weeks vacation plus stats and flex and she only had 3 hehehe

However in the beginning I did get annoyed with it all 'he's Canadian'... they viewed him as someone from the UK end of... Canadian work culture is protectionist with 'keeping our own' mentalities -'he is one of your own!!!!'. I find it's the reverse in London and the UK in general - having a different take on a similar job from a different country seems to appeal to bosses in the UK - perhaps they think they can bring another dimension or do things differently.

Oh I'm so glad I work from home for my UK co...

Good luck with Job search... don't know anything about Barrie.

Barrie is great, we have friends who live there and could not be happier (they are Canadians and moved from and still work in Toronto).

The city is really booming, it seems to get bigger every 6 months we go up. The commute from Barrie to Toronto is not bad, but seems to be getting worse. From my friend's opinoin, it has gone from 45 minutes max in the morning to over an hour, albeit this is over a good 5 six years.

It's great if you enjoy the outdoors, with Lake Simcoe right there and Georgian Bay a short ride away (A huge beach in Wasaga Beach).

Had I not had to move to Hamilton Ontario due to my girlfriends work we would have moved there.
Hope that helps.