HairySnotter

Hi all I have been one of those guys that has sat reading this forum from the day me and my family decided Canada was the place we wanted to call home ,that was over four years ago. I never posted or joined as I got most of my answers from previous posts and a few holidays we took to Canada. This forum is an absolute gold mine of information and peoples own experiences bad and good.



We (myself wife and two kids) have now lived just outside of Oshawa for a year now (we rented near Ajax for the first year) and Canada has become every thing and more that we all wanted it to be. I now feel that I can pass on some information to all you guys wanting to move from the UK to start a new life. Because it is a new life you are leaving that street you walk down every day, the neighbors you speak to every day, the family that is always there, the city village or town you lived most of your life all the familiar things that you take for granted every day . So do you still want to move to a new Country? If the answer is yes read on and I hope you do.


We are earning less than we earned in the UK but our quality of life is far superior to that in Glasgow. We could not afford to buy the house we wanted in a good area of Glasgow, we now have a detached house in a very quite subdivision. Our two kids are doing extremely well at school our oldest even has a well paid part time job. We did not bring a substantial amount of money with us (enough to rent for a couple of years if it was necessary) as we where the average lower middle class UK family. We both got full time jobs within the first week of posting our CVs, so that meant our savings could now go to a down payment for a house. So we decided to keep renting for the first year then buy a house the second year.


We used Abrams & Krochak yes I know you can do it yourself but we felt it would be better to let them have any headaches than us and the price was incredible (I had approached an English based specialist and she wanted three times the money and she gave us bad advice).You must come out on Holiday a few times as the place is so vast and you can get a feel for it. You have no credit history when you land in Canada no matter what any one tells you, I guess there will be some on this site that will beg to differ. That also goes for car insurance some insurance companies will ask for a letter from your old insurance company in the UK bring it anyway but it will make virtually no difference to your premium (you are effectively a new driver in the eyes of the insurance companies) .So get yourself store cards and even a preloaded credit card as soon as you open your bank account as this starts to work in your favor providing you pay it of monthly.

There is plenty of work out here as long as you are willing and able to take any thing on at first. Our telephone, internet and TV bill is the same amount we paid to telewest, electricity and gas are slightly cheaper and we have a much bigger house than in the UK. Our weekly grocery bill is cheaper as is our petrol bill. We pay for water in Canada and that works out around sixty five quid a quarter (and we have a swimming pool and three bathrooms) our property tax is the same as we paid in the UK for a two bedroom semi in Glasgow. So when every thing adds up we are not much better of financially but we never moved here to be better of financially we moved mainly for the kids, better weather, more opportunities, cleaner environment, spectacular county side, incredible wild life and a country that seems to know how to treat its tax paying workforce right (you get every opportunity to claim your tax back at the end of each year).Me and the wife still get what we call that Canada moment when you’re sitting in the car, store, work or watching the kids play street hockey and you suddenly think god I am in Canada its a great feeling. It was worth all the hassle and sleepless nights to get here and that’s after being here two years.


So quick recap decide you want to do it, do your home work and read this forum
It mite be for you it mite not, but you are the only one that can make that decision.
There is a huge expat community stretching from Ajax, whitby, Oshawa, Bowmanville and I better not forget Port Hope and the ones that are reading this (you guys know who you are) will help you out especially if you move to this area they all have there own stories to tell and have valuable advice for the new family on the block
We all get together now and again for a drink or a BBQ and new faces are always welcome. One thing I will say if you are coming to Canada and expect to get a huge house and a great job with a wallet busting salary and retire at 50 Canada is probably not the place for you .In our experience the ones that don’t make it are the ones who come over without doing adequate homework, or will not just take any job it has to be that very special $180,000 a year job that gives them 6 weeks paid vacation and the company Ferrari. There are loads of them just ask the next flying pig you see to point you in the direction of the $150,000+ job centre. (Canadian employers love this phrase you will here it a lot Canadian experience) So take that job it will get you the Canadian experience and you can move on from there. Canada does have its bad points but the good ones far out way them.


This is our experience and I don’t wish to get into any he said you said garbage that inevitably follows some ones opinion in forums. So be four you decide well I gave my letter to the insurance company and it made a huge impact to my premium, my grocery bill has tripled, my kids hate school, the weather was garbage this summer (ok I will give you that), Canadians cant drive, I never get my tax money back, they don’t recognize my qualifications, I cant get bisto, the washing powder is crap, I am getting withdrawals from eastenders. Like I said this is our experience not yours and yes like I also said we all have different stories to tell. Hope this helps some one, and if you want to know anything and I can help just ask. And for the argumentative ones out there think be four you start to rip people to shreds or shoot there post down in flames ok

R I C H

Snotter - could you break up your paragraphs with some white space please? A block of text like that's hard to read on screen.

Nice to hear you're happy

HairySnotter

Hi Rich hows that? new to all this

R I C H

Much better, thanks

laser558

Excellent post. Honest, down-to-earth and some very good points raised. Can't fault it. Many thanks.

fledermaus

I'm pleased you are happy and enjoying your life here.

I find it interesting that someone in Oshawa says there are loads of jobs.

If you have get togethers for expats then why not mention them on here. They may have helped a few people along the way.

Don't assume that those who aren't happy here haven't tried hard.

Judy in Calgary

Great post, HairySnotter. Glad you're happy in Canada. Your tips, about building up a credit rating, etc., are useful for other people heading to Canada.

The one thing I would say, though, is that not everyone will be able to get into Ontario as you have done. I don't know how you gained admission to Canada. Perhaps you were one of those who got permanent residence (PR) via the skilled worker route before it took an ice age to get it.

Many of the people who are applying now are going to have to come on temporary residence permits and then upgrade to PR status once they're already in Canada. Alternatively, they're going to have to apply through one of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

Either way, those people are going to need job offers before they can apply for admission to Canada, and they're going to have to find out where the labour shortages are. Note that those people will not only have to find jobs but also jobs that no qualified Canadians want.

I'm just providing this opinion by way of a reality check for the new forum member or new lurker who might read this.

Anyway, happy trails.
x

iaink

I'm bored, not argumentative

Actually, karma sent for a good post, especially after it was made easier to read!

Dave+Jules

Great post

I can tell you even coming up to three years here we still have those 'Canada moments' weird eh? (OMG I am turning Canadian )

I have noticed I call Holidays, 'Vacation' these days and my daughter called her trousers 'pants' the other day and then gave this look while saying "I don't believe I said that"

On a personal note I have decided not to get anymore English teabags sent out. After three years I just have to get used to that Orange Pekoe stuff

Dave+Jules

Tsk, Tsk, Iaink not in an argumentative mood what is the World coming too

iaink

Oh, I'm sure someone more argumentative will show up sooner or later, its the nature of this place.

I just thought "be four" was funny I don't want to be too rough on a new poster and scare them away, especially one who seems to have their head screwed on right.

Souvenir

Do you edit every post you make?

startwin

That's a great post, and likely very helpful to all the people waiting to get in, or trying to make the decision.

iaink

Yes, that's how you know its me and not an impostor

And I type faster than my brain can keep up. Sometimes they are edited so soon after posting that the system doesnt catch it and flag it as edited.

dinger24

That doesnt mean your fast at typing