Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

You've probably been asked this thousands of times, but here goes :)

Hubby has always wanted to live in Canada since a young age. His Aunt lives there in Collingwood, Ontario‏ and he loves it round there.

What would be the first thing to look into to move over there. Looking at jobs on a job site, OH could look at getting highly paid job which is nice. He's a Systems/Web Developer so I don't know what the call for that is out there.

I love the idea of living in a different country. I always regret listening to parents when I was younger saying I wasn't allowed to go to Japan. I can't do that now as I have 3 children to think about. They are 6, 3 (nearly 4) and 8 months so good ages to move I think. I also think there could be better opportunities in Canada than the UK.

Sorry, I'm rambling.

Basically, is it a good idea, or is it a case of the "grass is greener"?

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

I think it can definitely be a case of "grass is greener", things aren't necessarily better in Canada they are just different, sometimes for the worse & sometimes for the better.

The bottom line is, everyone is different some will have great experiences others will not, I think if it's something you really want to do & have the opportunity to then go for it, you can always move back if you hate it (albeit a bit poorer). You'll never get it out of your system otherwise & could spend the rest of your life regretting it.

But that's just my view

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Yeah I know I would come to regret it. How do I go about looking to do it then? Do We get hubby a job first, or send him over to look for work then we follow?

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

There's so many different routes you kinda have to look up what one suits you best.

One option is for him to get a job offer, that company would then need to apply for an LMO (Labour Market Opinion - basically the government want to know if a Canadian could fill the role first) if that comes back positive he can get a TWP (Temporary Work Permit), then after so many months of working in Canada he can apply for PR (Permanent Residency) through the PNP (Provincial Nominee Program).

The hardest part this is to find an employer willing to jump through hoops to take him on & then getting a positive LMO.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

I think you can only apply for pr if that job is recognized as skilled Labour

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

That is true, he will need to come under NOC skill level of 0, A, or B, you can find more info on NOC codes here:

Where can I get more info on the National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes?

(It sounds like he probably qualifies though)

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

I must be stupid as I don't know which one he falls under. I did take the test on that site though and it said I failed :(

EDIT: He has "2 or more post-secondary educational credentials (Must include 3 year post-secondary credentials)" If that makes any difference?

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Lovely part of Ontario to be fair.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

There are a number of streams that might work for your husband - you need to do a bit of your own research first. Grab yourself a big pot of tea and start reading through the Wiki - Category:Canada : British Expat Wiki . The most common streams are FSW, TWP, and PNP. But there are 50+ ways to immigrate, so you need to work out which one(s) you qualify for and go from there. Once you've started to narrow it down, post back with more questions - you will find you get better advice once you've done some more research yourself first. :)

Good luck!

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

:goodpost:

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Nope, there are ways to apply for PR even if a job isn't skilled, as many PNP's have semi or low skilled streams - although they would require an applicant to be working in Canada first. That's how people like truck drivers get PR usually.

If you're talking about the FSW program, then he'd not only need a skill level of A, O or B, but he'd also need either a job offer or a job on the list of 50 eligible occupations.

OP - as you may have gathered, the first thing to do is figure out if either of you are eligible for a visa now, or if not, plan a job hunting trip and see if you can convince an employer to do the paperwork/spend $1000/wait several months for a LMIA for you (the LMIA is the same thing as the LMO mentioned above, but it's not called a LMO anymore).

Start with the Wiki and the CIC website, and then once you've figured out a likely visa route feel free to shout with any questions and somebody will always try and help.

Best of luck.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

I would say (though only you would know) his job falls in this category:

Detailed Occupational Structure


Then once you figure out his noc code you look on the matrix table (below link) to see which skill category it falls under

Matrix

It can be a little hard to get your head around first but it will make sense.

I'm not sure what test you've taken, is it for the FSW program?

Like Schnookoloy says check out the wiki link & see what options might be available to you

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Have a read of the wiki that snookololy posted the link to to try and get a handle on the current immigration options.

If immigration seems an option the the next step is to spend a few weeks here looking about, checking out schooling, jobs, property costs (Collingwood is nice, but its not cheap, and jobs to fund that are likely in Toronto so a bit of a commute, and no fun in the winter). Dont confuse that with a vacation...

Is the grass greener? Im happy enough here, but there are definitely pros and cons and much probably depends on having a decent income here and finding an area that suits you. At least the vast size of canada makes different sorts of areas a possibility, but thats also true in the UK too I think, if to a lesser degree. Certainly a lot less stress hassle and expense to move within the UK or even Europe than it is to come to Canada.

Its important to understand why you want to do this, its wont always be easy so you need to make a list of pros and cons of where you are now to get an understanding of what it is you hope to find in Canada, and how likely that is to be realised once here. People on the forum are generally pretty helpful in answering any questions, although there are definitely distinct phases of expatship you can identify among us from "rose tinted newby" through "jaded hasbeen" and all stops in between.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

[QUOTE=christmasoompa;11337086]Nope, there are ways to apply for PR even if a job isn't skilled, as many PNP's have semi or low skilled streams - although they would require an applicant to be working in Canada first. That's how people like truck drivers get PR usually.



I think you will find truck drivers cannot get pr in Ontario

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Yes, but they can in other provinces. I was simply replying to your statement 'you can only apply for PR if that job is recognised as skilled labour', which isn't correct.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

True, but the poster was originally talking about Ontario

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Yes, but I needed to clarify it for the sake of anybody else reading! In any event, as the OP's husband is in a 'skilled' job, it's not relevant and he would be eligible to apply for PR via various routes.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

:thumbup:

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Right, looking at that NOC thing, he comes under Skill Level A. What does that mean?

I shall have a read of the Wiki link you sent me :)

Does it help that we would be taking roughly £50k with us from the sale of our house?

Thanks for all the info so far everyone :)

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Not in terms of finding an immigration class, but some classes will require you to have proof of funds available to help smooth your transition into a new country.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

It doesn't really mean much just that there are probably more options open to you if you are a skilled worker (i.e. Ontario PNP). It's also good to work out what your noc code is anyway because you might have to know it for your application

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

So what's his actual NOC code?

And the £50k doesn't really help other than meaning you can show proof of funds as required for most visas. You'll spend most of that anyway! :lol:

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

He falls under a few of the sub categories in the code 217.

EDIT: what would we spend £50k on?

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

A category doesn't actually help, can you be more specific? It should be a 4 digit number.

You need to find the one with the duties most closely matching what he does every day.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

The move, unless you've got the money for that in addition to the £50k. Probably not quite all of it though, but close!

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Day to day, he does 2175, but he can do 2174,2173,2172 & 2171. Lol. Very smart guy, dunno where he stores all that knowledge.

Wow, really, nearly £50k just to move there?! I didn't think it would be that much to be honest!

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

The costs add up exceptionally fast. The cost to apply, which includes the application itself, medical, police certificate(s), language tests, postage, copies, etc.

Then all the actual moving costs. Plane tickets, shipping, extra baggage, etc.

Then the costs once you're over here. Temporary insurance for immigrants, deposits for credit cards and phones, deposits for housing (whether rent or down payment), furniture, housewares, linens, mattresses (depending how much you ship etc), car, car insurance, etc.

It adds up exceptionally quickly. I think you will find your £50k won't last very long at all.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Day to day is what matters. Bear in mind he'll have to prove his duties for his app via things like references, so you need to make sure it's a good fit. So do you still think 2175 is the best match? Can he prove he does that job easier than the other NOCs you mentioned?

And yes, emigration isn't cheap, think tens of thousands of pounds. This thread may be useful reading - http://britishexpats.com/forum/canad...canada-735341/

HTH.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Oh and this is the test I took. Your session has expired - Citizenship and Immigration Canada

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

I think you are taking the Federal Worker eligibility test, you have to have a specific job on the list in order to apply for that program, 2171-4 are on that list but not 2175. If he does suit one of the other noc codes better you could apply for it, but each occupation has a cap (which may have already been reached) & also it's changing next year so you would have to get in quick.

Here's a link to the Ontario PNP which is another possible route for you but you need a job offer to apply

MCI - Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Re: cost of moving, I wanted to add my thoughts. People have said moving will eat up £50K (!) and I don't think that's accurate at all. For us, we moved to Canada from the UK, as well as from Canada to the UK, and it cost us around $10,000 Canadian both times. We didn't ship our belongings (took only clothes in-cabin, shipped some books and decorations, but nothing much). And it really didn't cost us much at all. Perhaps the 50K comment is in reference to using the remainder as down payment for a house, but if it truly cost that much then several of the expats I know never would have done it. Cost it yourself, don't take subjective opinions. Good luck.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

See the thread I linked to above, where people gave their costs. You didn't ship your belongings, but even so surely it must have cost you more than $10k? Visas would be approx $2k, medicals/police certs/couriers etc another chunk of change, flights another couple of thousand, insurance, downpayment of several months rent, buying a car, insuring it, replacing everything you didn't ship, etc, etc, etc. If you really did all that for $10k then I'm very impressed!

Also don't forget that the OP has a family of 5 to move - just visa fees and airfares alone for them would be in the region of $10k, never mind all the other costs.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Yep, it was only around $10 k for us. We were a couple, not a fam of 5. I'm Canadian, my partner got PR through me, so there was no $2,000 fee. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you... but I've no motivation for lying. Just giving OP an alternative perspective. £50,000 is extreme, IMO.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Pretty sure it would have cost you around $2k. The application is $1040. The medical is about $300-400. Postage $50. Police certificates $50. Paper, printing, etc call it another $50. Maybe it didn't cost you exactly $2k, but it would not have been much less than $1500.

I don't think you're lying, I think you're just leaving things out. Two plane tickets would have been in the region of $1500-2000.

What did you do when you arrived? You had to find somewhere to live, whether it's rent or a mortgage. You had to buy stuff - furniture, dishes, linens, etc - even if you moved into a furnished rental, you would have had to buy some new things. Did you buy a car? Did you insure that car? Did you buy private health insurance to cover you for the first 3 months before OHIP kicked in?

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

He has a National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Software development, but does Web Developing daily. He has been working full time doing Development for 10 year, only recently going self employed last year with my dad. Is there any way to go over to Canada and remain self employed? He takes home £2k ($3686) a month which would obviously help a lot with living over there. Plus he could acquire Canadian clients for the business, not just clients in the UK.

I have seen a work permit where you can come over and work for a year if you are under 30. Is that 30 and under, or under 30. He turned 30 this year. (I'm 27)

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

So your fee was approx $1100, but add on the additional costs for the app such as the medical, courier, police certs, photographs, etc = approx $2000 for your husband/partner's PR app.

There's a huge difference between moving as a couple and moving as a family, just to give you a comparison, the OP would have to pay $2500 in visa fees, then add on another $1500k or so for medicals, plus the other costs - probably around $4500 in total just for their visas because they're a family of five.

But also moving as a Canadian would make a difference. Perhaps you didn't need to pay several months rent upfront, or utility deposits, because you had a Canadian credit history?

If you re-read the response, you'll see that nobody said it would cost £50k, we simply said that most of that would go on the moving costs. And again, if you read the thread I've linked to above, you'll see that it's cost those people tens of thousands of pounds to move to Canada.

HTH.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

It's 30 and under for the IEC, so that could be an option, although you'd have to weigh up whether it's worth uprooting the kids and moving them over for potentially only a year or two.

There is a self-employed program for PR for Canada, but it doesn't sound to me like he would qualify for that, have a look though - Entrepreneurs and investors: Self-employed people

Best of luck.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

$1100 for my partner's PR? No way. It cost us $50. The medical was maybe a couple hundred quid. This was in 2005 so fees may have changed. I stand by £50k being an excessive estimate that will scare people off. Flights cost over $1,000, yes. In terms of possessions, we didn't buy everything all at once, but had all the basics (sofa, bed, towels, plates) by the time we moved into our new apartment. Yes, first and last month's rent. No car required in Toronto. You could perhaps say it would cost more than $10k for a fam of 5, obviously, but nowhere near £50k. OP, feel free to PM if you'd like.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

$50?!?!?!? HAHAHAHAHA. RIGHT. Okay then.

The current application cost is $1040. Somehow I doubt it's gone up $990 in 9 years.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

The majority of the £50k is best saved to tide you over while you are establishing an income in Canada. When you first move there are a lot of expenses, deposits, stuff to replace, costs to ship your stuff. Car insurance alone is going to cost you maybe $3-5k a year with no canadian history. Credit will be hard to get with no canadian history, so lots of cash up front purchases.

The government will want to see proof of at least $24,920 for a family of 2+3 at the time you land under the skilled worker program unless you have a job lined up, and fees to apply and get medicals and all the rest done will add up to several thousand. Airfare for 5 will cost you, perhaps more than once if you have the sense to do a rece trip, then there is accomodation and transport for those trips and once you land, medical insurance etc etc etc. If you have pets you are considering bringing thats going to add a wack of expense too.

£50k is a decent enough safety net, but its going to drain alarmingly fast with a family of 5 to support.