On your own!
 

Allright ;)

Just wanting to know if there is anyone on here who has moved to Canada by themselves, preferably younger people :thumbup: . How did you do it ? Was it hard ? What are the costs like ?
Any replies will be greatly appreciated. :thumbsup:

Re: On your own!
 

My friend from Glasgow is 29 and has just arrived in Toronto on Monday. She has a new apartment and starts a job in IT sales tomorrow.

We are very proud of her, it can be done!

To do so, she learned French to business level, and completed a masters in IT. I must stress however this was under the old points based system, and her full application took over 4 years!

If she had tried to apply now under the new rules she would not have been successful :(

Are you aware of the 38 job categories which you now have to match one of to qualify to apply?

Re: On your own!
 

Are you aware of the 38 job categories which you now have to match one of to qualify to apply?

Thanks for your reply. Im not too sure about this, could you explain it a bit more ?

Re: On your own!
 

Here you go - http://britishexpats.com/wiki/THE_LIST-Canada

But bear in mind that (a) this list is about to change; and (b) that this is only relevant to Skilled Worker visas, which is only one route in to Canada (there are over 50!), so there are plenty of other options if you don't have a job on the list of 38.

:)

Re: On your own!
 

i think there are a number of people on this board who have moved here on their own, me included.
unless you come over on a bunac visa (which is limited to a year) you have to go through the exactly the same work visa / immigration process as somebody with a spouse or family. just that the according costs are accordingly smaller. so, i'm not exactly sure what information you're after?

i've been 30 when i got a job opportunity on vancouver island, came over on a youth exchange program like bunac (i'm not british), fell in love with the island, applied for pr through the bcpnp program and the rest is history (in the process to get citizenship now).
my immigration process was essentially sailing through - because i was at the right time at the right spot and willing to give it a go. another way to put it is: it's meant to be.
the thing that can be hard once in a while is leaving friends and family behind, i find modern information technology a mixed blessing in that regard. i personally think that being on my own has given me different opportunities to integrate into society here - you have to make an effort to build new friendships, coming over with a partner could lure you into mainly relaying on your existing relationship.

but what do i know?

Re: On your own!
 

The list only applies to those who are wanting to emigrate to Canada without a Job offer in Hand.

It wouldn't apply to someone who already has a job offer and a skilled profession who wanted to emigrate or perhaps someone who is on a TWP working in Canada already and wanting to emigrate there.

Just thought id throw that in just in case its relevant :)

Re: On your own!
 

I was 39 when I came across, but I wouldn't have thought about it if I hadn't had a job to come to.

Re: On your own!
 

Well i was wanting to do plumbing -im still only 17 - and i see thats on the list. Any idea when the list will be changing ? And if plumbing will still be on it ?
Ive spoken before on here and learned that after a four year apprenticeship i could look for jobs in Canada and if i do get one then i could get in that way, would that now be different ?

Thanks again

Re: On your own!
 

As long as the economy is good I think Canada will always have a need for plumbers. There has been a shortage in my area. I know, because I have needed plumbing work done last year and I had to wait a few months for a plumber to be available. They make very good money too.

The economy everywhere is so unstable that who knows what is going to happen in the future. Canada is in a good position to do better than other places because it's a resource rich country unlike Britain.

Re: On your own!
 

It's on 'the list' at the moment, but no way of knowing if it will still be when the list is changed (which is due to happen any day now). And certainly no way of knowing if it'll be in demand in 4 or 5 years time!

Do plumbing if that's what you really want to do with your life, but don't do it just to get in to Canada as there's no way you can know what the visa situation/requirements will be when you're ready to go.

Good luck. :)

Re: On your own!
 

I did it. It's harder now than it was 3/4 years ago because of the exchange rate.

This is actually my seond stab- the first was via Bunac and it was definately easier at $2.3 to the GBP than $1.6 to the GBP.

The process has also changed.

As always it largely depends on the job you land and how quickly you land it.

I have an ok life style and cover my costs but not making the same cash as the UK yet. I'll see how it plays out over the next twelve months or so. I won't be sticking around if I can't improve my earnings.

Re: On your own!
 

I think it's worth the gamble if you decide that Canada is where you want to be.

I'm 33, single and have just started the process of applying for a visa. I realise that the chances of walking into a job that pays the same as I'm earning now are slim but am willing to work through the ranks again because of the better quality of life Canada can offer.

Re: On your own!
 

Yeah well plumbing is definatley what i want to do. All i can do is hope that its still on the list when i finish my apprenticeship :)

Money will be a big part of it im guessing. Is it acheivable tho at a young age?
I was thinking about BUNAC, seems a good way to go about it.

James, how big is the difference in earnings from Uk to where you live now? And will that vary from area to area in Canada ?

Re: On your own!
 

Hi

Re Plumbing - Did you know that having the 4 year apprenticeship is not always enough? Most provinces require you to have 9,000 hours of work experience as a Plumber on top of the apprenticeship before you are able to sit the exams that allow you to work there.

Depending on where you are looking at moving to, you would be looking at another 5-6 years on top of the 4 year apprenticeship before you would be able to apply to sit the exams!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but thought you should be aware - Which province are you looking into moving to?

Here are some links for info on Plumbing in Alberta and British Columbia:

http://www.tradesecrets.gov.ab.ca/in...ex_content.asp

http://www.itabc.ca/Page674.aspx

Hope this helps, if you have any other questions, feel free to PM me.

Re: On your own!
 

I'm heading over alone on a bunac work visa and would like to apply for PR or a LMO if can get a good job. Otherwise will return in Nov 2011 and reapply to Bunac on the non-student route in dec 2011.

Re: On your own!
 

We came over 10 years ago with nothing other then our dreams of life in Canada.
Was it hard? Yes sir
Was it worth it? Yes sir
Would we do it again? No sir

Re: On your own!
 

Sorry to bring up an old thread!
Linz, are you serious? It would take that long?
I heard that whilst doing the 4 year apprenticeship this was also covering the so many hours experience needed.

Also wanted to ask, the areas i visited where beautiful, but im guessing Vancouver would be far too expensive to live in for me.
Is Kamloops expensive? Because i really liked that place.

Re: On your own!
 

Wouldn't a nice long back-packing holiday meet your needs?

Re: On your own!
 

no, clearly stated that i want to actually LIVE in Canada, but thanks for your comment . . .

Re: On your own!
 

I did it on my own, came here without a job and place to live but with PR status.

I did BUNAC 2003-4
Applied for PR (old system) in July 2005
Got my PR visa in April 2008
Moved to Vancouver in January 2009 - I'd turned 28 the previous month

Now I'm nearly 2 years down the line and am still in Vancouver, working for the same organization (started work 2 weeks after arriving) and live with my Canadian boyfriend. In a few weeks I head back to the UK to spend a month with my family and friends and celebrate my bday and Christmas with them. OH is coming out for the middle 2 weeks and will meet everyone for the first time :wub:

It can be done - it took me years from first deciding it was what I wanted to actually getting the visa and moving, but if it's your dream and you take your time to do your research and preparation then there's no reason why you can't be successful.

Good luck :)

Re: On your own!
 

That's great! What was your job/qualifications when you applied ?
Also is that the average time it takes to gain PR or does it vary?

Re: On your own!
 

Things have changed A LOT since I applied so my case really isn't relevant anymore, but I have a degree and my work experience was in NOC codes 1221 and 0632. I doubt I would qualify under the current system (although if you do, at least the wait times are a lot shorter!). Check out the CIC website for current routes to PR and their processing times.

All the best!

:)

Re: On your own!
 

I'm afraid so! It depends on where you move to. BC will accept the apprenticeship as part of the hours but you are still looking at an extra 3 years on top of your apprenticeship to get the hours needed. AB does not take into account the hours of the apprenticeship and you have to have gained the hours over 72 months! So an extra 6 years on top of the apprenticeship!

You can apply for a FSW visa 1 year after you have completed your apprenticeship but you will not be able to register as a Plumber over there for another 2 years. So the apprenticeship could get you the Visa but then you will not be able to work as a Plumber there.

Basically, if you start your training now, you are looking at 2016 before you are experienced enough to apply for registration as a Plumber in Canada.

Have a look through the links I gave you before. They have all the info that you need.

If you PM me your email address, i forward on all the correspondence I have had with the ITA in BC.

HTH

Re: On your own!
 

It says on the Canadian Visa Bureau that minimum requirements are completion of a four to five year apprenticeship.
Do you mean that some companies in Canada will only take me on if i have more experience?

And ill have a look through then links, thanks alot.

Re: On your own!
 

Hi
The requirements vary for each province. We have researched NS, ON, AB and they all require at least 8340 hours of experience on top of your apprenticeship. BC is the only province that we have researched that includes the apprenticeship as part of these hours.

I can only conclude that the Canadian Visa Bureau is talking about the Visa application.

You will not be able to work as a Plumber unless you have passed the exam to become a Journeyman Plumber. You cannot even apply for this exam without having the above hours of experience. Therefore, you will not get a job without passing this exam. You have to prove the experience you have by getting your employers to sign a declaration to say you have completed the requirement - they do check up on your references too.

HTH and Good Luck with it all
:thumbsup:

Re: On your own!
 

Ok, so my original plan was to complete apprenticeship then apply to BUNAC and go on a 1 year working holiday- cant quite remember - and look for a job as a plumber, and i was told on here that a job offer would get me PR.

Would i not be able to live in the country until i have these hours under my belt ? Ahh dissapointing!

Re: On your own!
 

You have youth and determination on your side but unfortunately without experience you may have to wait until you are a bit older.

I came over here almost 50 years ago at the age of 33 with 18 years of work experience and a young family and even then it would have been pretty tough to get a job with your age and experience.

Don't give up it's a great country with a great future.

I do wish you lots of luck.