hi everyone,
first of all I would like to congratulate everyone who has gone to Canada. I need an advice with regards to visa application. My husband is an electrician( very good one), he has always had a loads of job offers in the UK and he is doing very well as a sub contractor. Problem is that we had always wanted to live in Canada particulary in Alberta. I contacted a firm in UK who can sort us out within 24 months for about 4k and they will do everything. ( find the job, type the resumes, etc.) the visas fees are extra. We were wondering if we should do it ourself and cut the costs. Also if he managed to secure a job in Canada, could he get out on temporary work visa and then apply for permanent???( if yes, would there be any complications??)What about me and the kids, will we be able to follow him in 6months- 1 year time or am I just complicating things. We want him to go first to get everything ready and settle before we follow him , but we want him to go as soon as is possible. Could somebody help please????

Hi It is quicker to go on a work permit, just not as secure as permanent visa. I would do everything yourselves if you can and save your money. Thats just my opinion.
We sent hubbies CV (he is a carpenter) to all jobs advertising for a carpenter. If you can it will probably be better to go over there and find a job. Anyway he got a job offer and the company applied for a labour market opinion. We received a positive one yesterday. It took 11 weeks to come through.
We are flying out to Calgary as a family on 2nd December and getting work permit at port of entry. We are going to rent somewhere till after christmas. I can also apply for an open spousal work permit which means I can work anywhere.
Hope this helps and goodluck

If he got the job offer, could he go on his own and we follow later? We need to sell the house first and sort out our things here and I would also like to finnish my law degree in uk before we go I have 1 1/2 years left.

I think so. I have heard of other people on this forum who have husbands have gone out first and they have followed later.

I suspect your hubby would need to re-qualify aswell - take that into account - probably not that easy to walk straight into an electrician post ? unless they do on-the-job training - but I suspect not, listening to others accounts on how easy it is to start new jobs (not ! ). Hopefully some others with direct experience in this field will answer for you - good luck anyway - emotional rollercoaster comes to mind

Hi Nik

I am a spouse being let behind - but not for as long as you will obviously be left due to your degree - I will take care of the house sale etc.

It is ok for you to arrive after your hubby as this is what we are doing - however I would think that it all depends on the length of Work Permit when it is issued. You could get 12 months and then get extension.

Over this question I think you really need to post a thread for the attention on Andrew Miller our own immigration consultant - although he can be very direct and to the point he is also a wealth of information on the subject of Canadian Immigration and I have never known him not to have an answer for any question put to him.

On a more personal note, I really think you need to consider the emotional factor of being left behind yes it is going to be tough, what difference will it make to your relationship as a family ?

Another thing which I would consider is how valueable is your degree going to be once you get to Canada - will you have to carry on studying and if u go with him now could you get credits for what you have done and carry on on the equivalent canadian equivalent.

Just some ideas for you hun

Gaynor

unless things have changed you can't work anywhere. there are some restrictions. i think you can't work with kids, teach or in healthcare. someone correct me if i'm wrong.

No that is correct I just meant any job like shopwork etc... would not need to get a separate LMO. You obviously would not be able to just go and work with kids or in a hospital!

Thanks Gaynor I dont know If I could transfer my credits and what would be the implications i.e. lenght of the studies but this is certainly a good idea to consider. Also need to check out the cost as I ve heard that non canadians pay a packet to study in Canada.

You dont know if I could work in the hotel or restaurant by any chance? if it is similar to america I should be O.K. i think. I am actualy a restaurant manageress and I have done it for nearly 10 years only just recently decided to study a law degree.

Alberta’s economy is booming at present. The two sectors that are particularly busy are the oil industry and the construction industry. If an electrician cannot find a job on his/her own in Alberta, there must be something wrong with him/her.

BUT your husband first will have to do a challenge exam in order to get the Red Seal accreditation that will allow him to work in Alberta. I’ve seen comments here on the British Expats forum that these challenge exams for tradespeople are not exactly a walk in the park. The difference in terminology is one of the issues they cite.

I would do it myself if I were you. Four thousand sounds to me like a waste of money for that service (all the more outrageous if the amount is in POUNDS).

Yes. From what I’ve read on this forum, permanent residence applications often are fast tracked if they are submitted by someone who already is working in Canada on a work permit.

Well, if your family’s case is straightforward, there shouldn’t be any complications. But we don’t know enough about you to say whether or not there will be complications. One of you could be an axe murderer or something. If you are, that would present a problem. Not that I’m trying to suggest anything along those lines mind you.

My reading indicates that it is simpler for the entire family to apply together for entry into Canada. Note that I referred to applying together. I didn’t say anything about arriving together. Applying together does not oblige you to arrive together. But I don’t feel qualified to say much about this. Gaynor (burton bunch) has shared some thoughts and, as she said, you need to do further research in the Immigration forum.

Well, if your husband started the process immediately (getting Red Seal accreditation, job hunting, applying for a work permit), it probably would take several months before he reached Canada anyway. If he was lucky and everything went smoothly, he might be able to land in Calgary a couple of months before the 2007 summer holidays (or vacation as Canadians would say). Then you and your kids could join him during the holidays. One can’t always arrange it like that, but it’s nice if you can, in that the children can finish the school year in the UK and then make a fresh start in Canada in September.

But don’t set your heart on that timetable. My participation on this forum has revealed many cases in which things didn’t work out the way people thought they would work out (from the point of timing and many other points of view).

In a subsequent post you said you were doing a law degree in the UK. If you came to Alberta with a UK law degree, you would need to do additional courses in Canadian law. Here is a previous discussion thread in which I did some Google searches and found out information for a poster who was heading to Ontario. You could look at the information in that thread and then supplement it with information that is relevant to Alberta by doing a Google search for the Law Society of Alberta:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=297284

You've already identified the issue of the very high university tuition if you're deemed to be a foreign student. The fees would be about three times what they are for a local resident (and local resident is defined as someone who has lived in the relevant province for at least a year).

I remember a question being asked around here about university tuition fees for the spouse of a work permit holder, and I can’t remember what the answer was. I am guessing that, at a minimum, the newly arrived spouse of a work permit holder would have to pay out-of province tuition during the first year of study. Those fees would be higher than local residents' fees, but lower than international students' fees.

Be aware that, while the work permit route works out fine for many people, it is not without risks. Usually a work permit is granted with conditions. A common condition is that the WP is valid only as long as the permit holder is working for a specific employer. If the relationship between the employer and employee is severed for any reason, the WP goes up in smoke. There have been a couple of members of this forum whose WPs have in fact gone up in smoke. It is not a comfortable situation in which to be if you’ve sold your UK house, bought a Canadian house, etc., on the basis of the WP.

Another route your husband may want to look into is the Alberta PNP (provincial nomination program).

About your husband going out first ……. I don’t recommend it. My husband and I have relocated a few times and, because of unavoidable circumstances, we’ve done it both ways. A couple of times we’ve moved together, and a couple of other times he’s gone ahead of me and bought a house. Having done it both ways, I would recommend against one spouse making major decisions on behalf of the whole family – if it can be avoided. If your husband must go ahead of the family, I believe it would be better for him to rent accommodation and familiarise himself with Calgary’s layout, but refrain from making as big a decision as buying a house.

Oh, here's another wrinkle that didn't occur to me at first. I was reminded of it when I went to the University of Calgary's website, and tried (unsuccessfully so far) to find out information about the tuition fees that would be charged to the newly arrived spouse of a work permit holder. The page I found said that the spouse of an international student automatically received an open work permit that was valid for as long as the international student's study permit was valid. Here is the page:

http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/intlstudents/spouses.html

and here is exactly what it says:
If you came to Alberta on a student visa, it would make it quicker and easier for your husband to obtain a work permit. What's more, it would be an open work permit, with no conditions attached. The price you'd pay would be your much higher international tuition fees. Also, your husband still would need to obtain Red Seal accreditation to work as an electrician in Alberta.

By the way, there also is a law school at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Because I live in Calgary, because my kids attended the University of Calgary, and because I'm somewhat familiar with the U of C's website, I do tend to take the path of least resistance and look there first. However, the City of Edmonton in general and the University of Alberta in particular do merit consideration as well.

If you had an open work permit (which is granted to the spouses of work permit holders who work in certain high demand fields), you would be able to work in the hospitality industry.

Thank you very much for your advice. you gave me some more options to think about. What we might do is apply for red seal exam to sit in June go on 3 weeks hols at the time and try to secure a job offer. In a mean time I get my school sorted out so if his exam go up in smoke(which I dont believe he does his exams with distinctions) I will have a school sorted for september anyway- Just in case! Do you think that this is good idea?

Cheers to Judy for the very informative posts she makes .... she's a great resource!!

Yes, that sounds to me like a good plan.