re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Again, I reiterate - nobody said it would cost £50k!

As for 'perhaps it would cost more than $10k for a fam of 5', let's do some sums.

Visa fees for the 5 of them - $2455 (£1350)
Medicals - approx £1000
Misc application costs (IELTS, police certs, photos, courier, etc) - £400
Shipping - approx £4000
Flights x 5 - approx $5000 (£2800)
Insurance for 1st 3 months until OHIP kicks in - approx £200 per person = £1000
Rent, perhaps 3 months (first and last deposit etc) - approx $6000 (£3300)
Car purchase - perhaps $10k (you may not have needed it, but most do, and certainly anybody with kids living in Collingwood would do!). £5500
Car insurance - approx $2k (£1100)
Buying new sheets/electricals/other things that you can't take with you - perhaps $2k (£1100)

So we're up to well over £20,000 ($37,000) on just the basics, and there are lots of other things to add to that list such as money lost in the UK (on things like paying to get out of a mortgage or a car lease), buying new mobile phones, cable, any utility deposits, any pets they might need to transport, etc, plus the big one - enough money to sustain you until you can find work, so at least a couple of months of living costs.

If you did it for $10k then that's great (especially as pointed out above, your visa fee was considerably more than $50, your memory must be playing tricks on you!). But that was a decade ago, plus there was only two of you, so it's not really relevant to the OP's situation.

HTH.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Here's a simulation that I have thought of that might work. Can you see if it would please?

We're planning on staying put here for another 2 years. That way we can save another £12k for moving costs and such. I would apply for that ICE as i'll be 29 (Would I get it?) and then go look for work, Hubby stays at the Canadian home doing his self employed work while I am working in the new job and does the school runs and things like that. Would that work in terms of Visas and getting there? or would it be just me allowed on an ICE and the rest of the family have to apply for a different Visa?

It's so confusing!!

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

That would be fine, but your husband couldn't work without a valid work permit, so he'd need his own IEC as well, or a normal work permit.

So although you could go in a couple of years with you on an IEC, you'd need to think about what visa your husband would go over on.

HTH.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Does the IEC not allow you to take spouses or dependants?

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Obviously not then. I supposed it's geared more towards young people who want to experience the world rather than families looking to settle

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

By its temporary nature its not really there to encourage people to settle. It can be used though to find that permanent job offer, and if nothing else its a "test drive" of the country to even see if it offers what you think it does in terms of lifestyle and prospects.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

I posted a new link, but yeah, that's the gist of it. They'll let the family in, that's fine (as long as they're not otherwise inadmissible) but if they want to work or study then they need separate permits.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

How much of a grey area is it if a UK citizen is working for the UK clients of his UK business, presumably getting paid in Sterling into a UK bank account, but just happens to be sitting at a computer in Canada at the time?

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

I was under the impression that was fine - there was someone in the Timeline thread a few months ago whose husband makes money by posting gaming videos on YouTube and gets money from I think advertising. He's paid in Pounds into a UK bank account, but wanted to keep doing it while he waited for PR in Canada with his wife. They were told it was fine as he's not taking a job away from a Canadian...

This sounds broadly similar...

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

That *may* be ok, but the OP did specifically say that he planned to get Canadian clients, so he'd require a work permit.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

If he was sitting in the UK, working for Canadian clients of his UK company paying him in Sterling into a UK bank account he presumably wouldnt need a work permit... so I dont really see how his sitting at a computer in Canada makes much difference, then again IANAL...

On the other hand actually getting canadian clients to do business with a UK entity would probably be tricky.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

Trouble is that the regulations define 'work' (foe which a work permit is needed) as anything that competes with the Canadian employment market. Tricky one to prove you're not trying to steal Canadians jobs, even if paid in the UK etc, and I'm not sure I'd risk it!

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

I think (and I am really only speculating) is that because he wants to hire Canadian clients, it gets muddled. Even if he's being paid in the UK, he's taking BUSINESS from Canadians with permits, and thus it's an issue. Unlike the guy who is making youtube videos, the fact that he's in Canada is basically moot. He runs his business entirely out of the UK, but is basically in Canada on holiday but still working in the UK. His business isn't interfering with the Canadian marketplace, neither in terms of taking Canadian jobs, or taking Canadian clients.

I am only speculating, that is not meant to be taken as fact, just discussing an option.

re: Thinking of Moving to Ontario
 

That's my take on it too. It's a tricky one though, even if his clients were only in the UK, technically he could still be taking them from a similar Canadian business that advertises worldwide! Unlikely, but you never know. Not sure I'd risk it myself, certainly not long term anyway, just in case.