Hi,
I would love some opinions regarding moving to Ontario Canada. We are in the very early stages of talking about it as a family.
My husband is a Carpenter Joiner, I am an Admin Assistant and we have a 10 yr old son. I have lots (40 odd i think) of family in Canada (cousins only), and a place to stay initially.
Because of the recession here, my husband's trade is at its lowest ebb and we are struggling financially. We know that Canada is still thriving and wants more people that are skilled in the contruction trades. If we made that very big step to moving to Canada, how different would my life be? I hear such mixed reviews ie: only 2 weeks holiday per year, high taxes etc, but then i hear great things too. What is the standard of living like? What is a average yearly salary for a carpenter?
I am very confused as i do not want to take that step and then regret it - as some people on this forum have it would seem.
Any opinions / advice would be greatly received.
Thanks
Bertybert

Hi and welcome to the forum.

First question, do you/your husband qualify for a visa? That needs to be your starting point.

Where did you hear that? The economy is Canada is not any better than in the UK, and construction is one industry that has apparently been hit hard in the recession. I'd suggest you do a search of the forums to see threads from others in the industry over there, people have been struggling a lot and we've seen several construction people on Temp Work Permits be made redundant and have to return to the UK recently.

Also, if you are struggling financially, then can you definitely afford to move? Bear in mind that you'll have to show proof of funds for a visa, and for 3 of you that amount is $16,967, plus of course visa fees (another few thousand) and have to fund the move which can cost an awful lot. Sorry to ask a personal question, but I'd just check you can definitely afford to move first.

Again, a search of the forum will throw up some info for you. Wages will depend massively on which province you are hoping to head for. Taxes will be roughly similar to what you are paying now (but again, will vary by province), and generally cost of living is about the same, so your standard of living will be fairly dependant on how much equity you can take with you to buy a house. If you'll be mortgage free, or only have a little mortgage, then obviously that will make a massive difference.

Have a good read of the forum and Wiki (on blue bar at top of page), check the CIC website for info re: visas, and shout with any questions!

Best of luck.

Edit: doh! Just realised you said in your post you were hoping to go to Ontario. So if you do a search of the forum for 'carpenter wages Ontario' or similar, you will hopefully find some info, and also there is tax info in the Wiki for you to figure out that too.

Thanks. Yes my husband would qualify for the visa.
We heard from famliy that the construction trade is doing very well in Canada - a newspaper article was emailed over to me this week saying the same.
Money to get to Canada wouldnt be a problem, lots of equity in my house. I guess we could buy a small house and have a small mortgage. Its just that if we do that, then we are (in my head as it were) taking a step back. But, if you get a better standard of life, then its worth it right?
The other thing for me is the same as what a lot of people want and say - a better future for the kids. We are always being told that there would be more opportunities for our son out there.
Like i said before, we are in the very early stages as a family talking about it.
I am a bit of a Nervous Neris when it comes to making big decisions lol - my husband would move there in a heart beat!!

Do you mean a Skilled Worker visa? Or another one? Assuming that he's a carpentry supervisor/manager and you therefore mean the Skilled Worker visa, are you aware that 'the list' of occupations in demand is about to change? So if you do want to go for it, then best to get your application in asap in case his occupation is removed from the list.

That's the opposite of what people have been saying on this forum, but I don't have any firsthand knowledge, so am only going on that. But a quick search will give you others opinions on that. Would your husband need his Red Seal to work in Ontario? Not sure whether it's required for a carpenter in ON, but worth looking in to as well.

I'm the same as you, and I worry about everything, so can sympathise. But if you have family there that can support you, that should help. A read of the Moving Back to the UK forum would also be a good idea to see why people are returning from Canada too.

Good luck making the decision!

I would disagree that Canada is thriving. We live in Ontario I am an x-ray tech and my husband is a steam fitter/maintenance man with many years experience. Giving today as an example I was called yesterday to be told not to come in to work today as my shift had been canceled. MOH has been laid off since January. Today he is working 6 hours for an agency doing an unskilled job. This is the first work he has had since being laid off.

I wouldn't move here without a job to come to.

Which part of Ontario are you thinking of moving to?

You know that? Its certainly not clear to those of us on the ground here, if this is thriving I wouldnt like to see it when its struggling!

Where does this high taxes thing come from, I paid a total of 17% income tax/ NICs last year for a family of 2+2kids? Taxes here are no worse than the UK, and probably better for most. As a contractor he can probably work as much or as little as he wants.


Standard of living depends on where you choose to live I think, and salary is hard to say as it will depend on how much overtime etc he can get. I wouldnt be counting on more than $50k, based on national average of $22 an hour and 40 hour weeks, but obviously there is potential for more with overtime and premium rates.

Is your only reason for wanting to move to canada the recession? If so, that may not be good enough by itself.

When I started the process of emigrating to Canada, we were going through hard times. It was a very costly process, so the application process made hard times even harder (We had equity but could not take it out until we moved).

By the time we got the go ahead to go to Canada, our situation was totally different. My employment turned around and we were in the best financial position ever. If work had been the only reason we wanted to move, then we would probably have stayed in the UK and all the money we spent would have been wasted.

The recession will end and work will pick up again. So what other reasons do you have for wanting to move?

Dr Anu Sayal-Bennett, a psychologist based in Harley Street, says: "A new life abroad is a bit like a fantasy, and fantasies can go sour. Leaving a job, family, moving house and moving country, all bring huge pressures. The problem is that television programmes such as Escape To The Sun and other relocation-type shows offer a quick-fix to life’s problems. These shows focus on the outcome and they make for alluring viewing. But people forget about the actual process of relocating to a new country."


Be careful before you emigrate

Hi

Try looking at Alberta, around Calgary and Edmonton. We have new schools going up, a new hospital and loads of houses being built. We went through the reccession very well and its only going to get better here for the trades. I see so many construction jobs online on Kijiji.ca. Take a look for both cities.

Cost of living might be a bit higher here but you earn more too. Also a small house here is big compared to a lot of houses in the UK. Usually consists of upstairs, mainfloor and a full basement. So you have 3 levels to spread out in. Plus the way of life is just amazing for families. We are right near the rocky mountains. Lots of camping, fishing and skiing/ snowboarding to get into plus lots more.

My mum brought me, my sister and 3 brothers out here 6 and a half years ago for a new start and we are all thriving. I see more oportunity here then when i moved here. Maybe the location of your move might be a factor in your decision. I am not just suggesting Alberta but just suggesting you look a research over all of Canada as you may find what you are looking for.

Good Luck