vanessamh

My husband and I are not sure where we want to settle down. I am a US citizen, and he is a UK citizen and US permanent resident. After we married, we lived in England for a year while he finished his degree in mechanical engineering, then moved to the US in July of last year.

After nearly a year here, my husband has been unemployed for all but two months. He has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from England and over a year of experience and can’t find work even as a technician. He is having a hard time adjusting to life here in general, particularly because the government, foreign policy, war, etc, not having good medical insurance and of course being unemployed for such a long time.

We have been considering immigrating to Canada for quite a while, under the skilled worker category. I will be up to the 67 point mark this fall when I hit two years work experience. We want to know as much as we can before we go, and I have a few questions about the move…

Does my husband have any better chances finding employment as an engineer in Canada than in the US? Where would the best cities/provinces for him to find work?

Will getting our visas take longer because of our different citizenship and residence in two countries fairly recently?

How much money is realistic to live on while we are looking for work once we make the move? We have what the government requires, but I want to be prepared for a long wait and taking low paying jobs.

I have a degree in sociology and have been working in social work for two years. Is there any chance of me working in this field without a BSW from Canada?

We have traveled to Canada, both BC and Ontario, and loved both, but I think we may be bringing our problems with us. Any advice? I would appreciate any help!

Vanessa

ThemeOne

As far as work goes, I would advise you to stay put and save the money you would pay to the Canadian government to process your immigration application. If you move to Canada, both of you will be looking for work in a strange country, whereas where you are now, that only applies to one of you!

Also, you might have read about the difficulties many immigrants to Canada face in finding work in their field.

In your situation, there would have to some overwhelming reason apart from work to make me consider emigrating to Canada.

CalgaryAMC

The Canadian PR application process will take about 2 years. So it would not be a quick fix to the problem.

If the *only* reason for moving is for work, this would be an unwise move.

dingbat

Stay put or go back to the UK where you will both get work very easily. BC has very many unemployed care workers who cannot call themselves social workers (or be employed as such) without a BSW or CYC equivalent. You could be a youth care worker or something similar - $12/hr on average, on call. Not fun! Foreign trained engineers have an impossible time in BC. I cannot speak for Ontario, but I think relocating up here is a very unwise move.

Kadett

Don't think that employment would be any easier in Canada for a foreign trained engineer. I know some here and generally they have a very difficult time. The pay is also crap. Think about it the Canadian dream, at least in some part, is to move down to the US so that should tell you something.

As someone said earlier the PR process is so long anyway, by the time you get the actual landing visa your own situation may be quite different.

Reading between the lines it seems your husband is homesick, in which case moving to Canada is not going to alleviate anything. Many of the things he may dislike in the US can be just as prevelent here. In general the issues of bad government, foreign policy and war is not confined to the US alone.

Generally I think the best advise would be either to ride it out in the US, or consider a move to the UK if you can afford it. As I know from my own situation being unemployed anywhere is hard and here is no better.