Hi all,

Looking for some opinions on our plans....

We have decided that if my husband can get a career break of 3-months from work, we can give Canada a try with a safety net. Our plan is to head out in April to either Waterloo/Kitchener. My husband is a Senior Developer (Perl, and other languages). He works for a major mobile phone company in the UK.

We have an 18-month old son, so he is, of course, a main consideration in our plans. At the moment, we feel that we cannot risk it all, as we have a very limited safety net in the UK. We do not have any relatives out in Canada, so would need to rent somewhere for 3-months.

We really need to finalise the area in Canada, once decided I can get networking and get as much info as possible. We are not looking at this as a holiday, but to try and see the day-to-day (ie mum and baby groups, etc). Of course, this is dependant on him being granted the career break!

Many thanks!

Any opinions?

What is your visa situation e.g. do you have PR?

Yep, we have PR. We will be flying over in Jan/Feb to activate it.

Quick question. What did you envisage when you originally applied for PR?

What do you mean?

We applied for PR a number of years ago, circumstances change

Sounds like a very safe move then - this way you don't sacrifice your current job. What is your question? Are you saying the other alternative is just to move full stop?

I suppose the whole idea of the proof of funds is that you will commit to the move 100% and support yourself to begin with without a job. In this job market this is a risk of course. Hope it works out well - what is the market like for perl over there?

I guess my question is whether anyone else has just tried moving to Canada temporarily. I sometimes feel that 3-months is too little time. However, it will give us a feel for things out there and also a bit more of an accurate measure of how the job market is.

My husband met with an IT association a few weeks ago (he was over from Canada to the UK on business). According to him, the market is better than in the UK. That said, there seems to be plenty of PERL positions in the UK.

We just need to really decide on the area and sort out a short-term rental. Of course, I will need to find activities for my son and I (baby groups, etc). Shall be fun.

They sure do. But the basis of wanting to emigrate may stay the same. If you're financially limited i would suggest taking the 3 month sabbatical but not limit that whole time to one place, area, or even province. For example, pick 3 locations and spend up to 1 month in each.

If you don't get the sabbatical i would personally re-visit the whole idea because it sounds like you're not risk takers, and that's fine. It also sounds like you're comfortable in the UK (my take on your wording).

The only problem with this emigrating lark is that you'll never know if it's the right thing to do or that you'll love it until you're living there permanently. With limited financial constraints, aversion to risk, and the involvement of children, that isn't an easy undertaking.

Good luck with your decisions and i hope the sabbatical comes through for you

Sounds very positive. There are plenty of horror stories on here about those that have failed to get jobs in their chosen areas - but ultimatley it is your skills and situation that counts. All the best with your plans.

I'm a software developer (C++, C#, Oracle, SQL server and more recently Biztalk) and we are looking at moving next year (PR Permitting) and looking at most areas in Southern Ontario)

Thank you very much. You are right with not limiting to one place. My husband thought of Waterloo as its proximity to other areas (allbeit a long drive) but easy enough.

It all really rests on the sabbatical. Although we only rent our house, it is a very, very good rental. So, a shame to give it up.

People have been very keen for us to take a chance on the basis that you have to try these things. However, its not their risk. I prefer a more calculated approach. In 3-months if my husband does not have any leads workwise, it will give us a pretty good idea.

If the sabbatical does not come through, my suggestion is to wait a few more years and save. We both feel that a lot has been on hold whilst waiting for this PR, so I guess we just want to know either way!

Hi Bodgerex,

Thats what we were told (this guy was not a recruiter). When are you planning on heading over?

If its not until next year, we can let you know how we get on, if we get the sabbatical

Yep and you'll have a few years to save and think before your PR becomes void. Hopefully in that time the job market in your hubbys field will pick up and make the search and move easier.

Hopefully it won't come to that for you but at least you seem to have the patience if it does come to that. Plus as you say, at least you'll not be in limbo any more once a decision has been made and you can enjoy life in Canada or enjoy life in the UK for a period of time.

Yeah, let us know how you get on.

On current timelines, and all being well with our application, we expect PR around summer next year. We are doing a 2 week reccie in april/may - depending on the vibes we get off that we plan on going in time for the September school year start for our 4 year-old daughter.

I dont get it.
What if your OH gets a job in week 1?

Plus, you're undoubtedly going to struggle at first. We all do. Having your "safety net" as you call it will only make it easier for you to go home, instead of standing firm and staying committed to making it work.

Sorry, I just dont get it...

I think it is a case of dammed if you do, dammed if you don't on this forum. After the "risking it all!!!" thread, someone comes up with a sensible, conservative plan and the forum questions it! Lol