Tim Rodgers

Hi,

I'm after some help please...

I met my girlfriend (who is Canadian, and lives there currently) about 14
months ago. I recently applied for immigration, but fall a few points short.
Having Arranged Employment would bring me up to the required total, but I'm
not sure how to go about it. I am currently wokring as a Software Engineer
in the UK and have 4 years experience, and would be looking to move in to
the same profession in Canada.

My dilemma is, how can I apply for a job when I have no idea when I would be
allowed to enter the country. But without arranging employment, it is likely
that I would not be accepted for immigration

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Also, am I right in thinking that you can only sponsor someone to move to
Canada if they are family. My girlfriends parents would be willing to
sponsor me if my current immigration plan fails. But would they be able to?

Thanks for any help!

Tim Rodgers.

Jesse Stanson

Why don't you apply for family class immigration as your girlfriends
"Congjual partner" and then you can scrape the entire point system. Might be
easier..

- Jesse


"Tim Rodgers" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi,
    > I'm after some help please...
    > I met my girlfriend (who is Canadian, and lives there currently) about 14
    > months ago. I recently applied for immigration, but fall a few points
short.
    > Having Arranged Employment would bring me up to the required total, but
I'm
    > not sure how to go about it. I am currently wokring as a Software Engineer
    > in the UK and have 4 years experience, and would be looking to move in to
    > the same profession in Canada.
    > My dilemma is, how can I apply for a job when I have no idea when I would
be
    > allowed to enter the country. But without arranging employment, it is
likely
    > that I would not be accepted for immigration
    > Has anyone been in a similar situation?
    > Also, am I right in thinking that you can only sponsor someone to move to
    > Canada if they are family. My girlfriends parents would be willing to
    > sponsor me if my current immigration plan fails. But would they be able
to?
    > Thanks for any help!
    > Tim Rodgers.

Simon House

Hi Tim,

Be a little cautious and research your field of work before applying to
come to Canada. If you have a good software engineer position in UK,
you may find it a little difficult to match when you come to Canada.

Jobs in the IT industry are few and far between, and rarely will they
get advertised. Most jobs are granted through employee contacts and
other networking schemes - it can take alot of hard work and
perseverance to get the position you want, especially at the salary you
want. You might get lucky - some have, but its a risk you take.

What programming language(s) do you specialise in?

Good luck - I was unable to even apply here in the years before my wife
and I got married, as the new rules only came into effect last June.

Simon


Tim Rodgers wrote:
    > Hi,
    >
    > I'm after some help please...
    >
    > I met my girlfriend (who is Canadian, and lives there currently) about 14
    > months ago. I recently applied for immigration, but fall a few points short.
    > Having Arranged Employment would bring me up to the required total, but I'm
    > not sure how to go about it. I am currently wokring as a Software Engineer
    > in the UK and have 4 years experience, and would be looking to move in to
    > the same profession in Canada.
    >
    > My dilemma is, how can I apply for a job when I have no idea when I would be
    > allowed to enter the country. But without arranging employment, it is likely
    > that I would not be accepted for immigration
    >
    > Has anyone been in a similar situation?
    >
    > Also, am I right in thinking that you can only sponsor someone to move to
    > Canada if they are family. My girlfriends parents would be willing to
    > sponsor me if my current immigration plan fails. But would they be able to?
    >
    > Thanks for any help!
    >
    > Tim Rodgers.
    >
    >

Adrian Starkey

My advice is don't give up the UK- we moved last year and my partner who is
also a software engineer, has not found work since we've been here. We've
networked so much and he has sent off over 100 resumes and nothing. Canada
is very disappointing for us.
"Tim Rodgers" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi,
    > I'm after some help please...
    > I met my girlfriend (who is Canadian, and lives there currently) about 14
    > months ago. I recently applied for immigration, but fall a few points
short.
    > Having Arranged Employment would bring me up to the required total, but
I'm
    > not sure how to go about it. I am currently wokring as a Software Engineer
    > in the UK and have 4 years experience, and would be looking to move in to
    > the same profession in Canada.
    > My dilemma is, how can I apply for a job when I have no idea when I would
be
    > allowed to enter the country. But without arranging employment, it is
likely
    > that I would not be accepted for immigration
    > Has anyone been in a similar situation?
    > Also, am I right in thinking that you can only sponsor someone to move to
    > Canada if they are family. My girlfriends parents would be willing to
    > sponsor me if my current immigration plan fails. But would they be able
to?
    > Thanks for any help!
    > Tim Rodgers.

S B

adrian starkey wrote:
    >
    > My advice is don't give up the UK- we moved last year and my partner who is
    > also a software engineer, has not found work since we've been here. We've
    > networked so much and he has sent off over 100 resumes and nothing. Canada
    > is very disappointing for us.

If you sent out 100 traditional resumes, it's no wonder you got
*nothing*.

You really have to sell yourself in your resume ... enough to get past
HR.
You have 6 to 8 seconds to sell youself on the front page of your
resume.

Abw

Speaking about arranged employment and bleached IT job market,
Could someone suggest any geographical preference to look for an IT
job in Canada?
Calgary looks dead to me (Is that so, Mr. House?)
Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal don't look too good either.
Perspective employers in Edmonton are in wait and see stage so far (in
my situation at least).
Could someone (except trolls) share their two cents?

Northernligths25

You said it urself....every major metropolitan city in Canada without
exceptions have very weak IT job markey outlook.

Not impsosible to find a job but it's almost impossible. The more experienced
you are the less chance u'll get a job. better if ur appying for entry level
but it still bleak.

With SARS, mad cow, west nile in Canada it's truly is a bad choice to immigrate
to. 7.8% uemployment. The longest waiting time in hospitals. The pollution
in Toronto and Montreal. Ecoli was in Walkerton waters, Ontario a couple of
years back. The low moral in Canadian forces. It really looks bad, I suggest
you wait and see if its get better. In the mean time be happy you are in the
USA.



    >Subject: Re: Arranged Employment, Help Please...
    >From: [email protected] (ABW)
    >Date: 6/18/03 4:10 AM Atlantic Daylight Time
    >Message-id:
    >Speaking about arranged employment and bleached IT job market,
    >Could someone suggest any geographical preference to look for an IT
    >job in Canada?
    >Calgary looks dead to me (Is that so, Mr. House?)
    >Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal don't look too good either.
    >Perspective employers in Edmonton are in wait and see stage so far (in
    >my situation at least).
    >Could someone (except trolls) share their two cents?

Simon House

Calgary is certainly dry for most areas of Information Technology. If
you specialise in the more technical side (UNIX, C, C++, Cisco, etc),
then you are most probably out of luck. Positions are rare and attract
hundreds of qualified applicants.

However, on the business application side there do appear to be several
positions cropping up for JD Edwards, Peoplesoft and Siebel. These
positions often require a lot of specialist experience, and are normally
obtained via employee referal.

On top of all this, experienced professionals now have to compete with a
sea of university graduates who are willing to work for peanuts.


ABW wrote:
    > Speaking about arranged employment and bleached IT job market,
    > Could someone suggest any geographical preference to look for an IT
    > job in Canada?
    > Calgary looks dead to me (Is that so, Mr. House?)
    > Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal don't look too good either.
    > Perspective employers in Edmonton are in wait and see stage so far (in
    > my situation at least).
    > Could someone (except trolls) share their two cents?

Northernligths25

yup no jobs in Canada at all.

    >Subject
    : Re: Arranged Employment, Help Please...
    >From: Simon House [email protected]
    >Date: 6/18/03 11:40 AM Atlantic Daylight Time
    >Message-id:
    >Calgary is certainly dry for most areas of Information Technology. If
    >you specialise in the more technical side (UNIX, C, C++, Cisco, etc),
    >then you are most probably out of luck. Positions are rare and attract
    >hundreds of qualified applicants.
    >However, on the business application side there do appear to be several
    >positions cropping up for JD Edwards, Peoplesoft and Siebel. These
    >positions often require a lot of specialist experience, and are normally
    >obtained via employee referal.
    >On top of all this, experienced professionals now have to compete with a
    >sea of university graduates who are willing to work for peanuts.
    >ABW wrote:
    >> Speaking about arranged employment and bleached IT job market,
    >> Could someone suggest any geographical preference to look for an IT
    >> job in Canada?
    >> Calgary looks dead to me (Is that so, Mr. House?)
    >> Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal don't look too good either.
    >> Perspective employers in Edmonton are in wait and see stage so far (in
    >> my situation at least).
    >> Could someone (except trolls) share their two cents?

Tim Rodgers

Thanks for everybodies answers so far...

Some extra background here. I am 25, and have been working for 4+ years as a
Software Engineer (VC++, some VB / SQL etc). My girlfriend is 23 and is
studying a Dance + Education Degree at York University. I am looking to move
to Whitby (GTA), Ontario as this is where she is from.

I have noticed that the IT market isn't amazing in Canada at the moment, but
then its the same all over the world. I do have a good job that ideally I
wouldn't want to leave, but I want to live in the same country as my
Girlfriend

Out of interest, if there were jobs in Canada what would be the going
rate for a VC++ developer with 4 years experience?

With regards to applying for family class immigration as my girlfiends
"Conjugal Partner" I was unaware that I could do that, I figured that we
would have to actually be married to go that route. My Girlfriend is just
about to go in to her 5th and final year of her degree. If she is wanting to
sponsor me, do they do any sort of financial background check? She currently
only works part time to get herself through school, and obviously has a
small loan ($15,000) which is a car / school stuff. Will that count agianst
her when it comes to applying? What would our chances of success be for her
to sponsor me? (Can her parents give her any financial backing she might
need for this scenario?)

Thanks again!

Tim.

Someone

On Wed, 18 Jun 2003 08:40:46 -0600, Simon House
wrote:

    >Calgary is certainly dry for most areas of Information Technology. If
    >you specialise in the more technical side (UNIX, C, C++, Cisco, etc),
    >then you are most probably out of luck. Positions are rare and attract
    >hundreds of qualified applicants.
    >However, on the business application side there do appear to be several
    >positions cropping up for JD Edwards, Peoplesoft and Siebel. These
    >positions often require a lot of specialist experience, and are normally
    >obtained via employee referal.

Actually to clarify this a bit, there aren't a lot of jobs in the
technical side of business applications such as SAP, Peoplesoft, etc.
You are much more likely to get a job on the functional side. So if
you like to program computers, you're best to go elsewhere.

Also Peoplesoft looks like it is buying JD Edwards and Oracle is
buying Peoplesoft. So it looks like that market is thinning out.

    >On top of all this, experienced professionals now have to compete with a
    >sea of university graduates who are willing to work for peanuts.

I'll work for peanuts and I'm pretty qualified (5 years experience,
degree from top ontario university). I'd rather have a job than to
see it get outsourced overseas. The fact is that IT work can be done
from anywhere. And people who will work for $10 a day are going to be
the ones getting the programming jobs.



    >ABW wrote:
    >> Speaking about arranged employment and bleached IT job market,
    >> Could someone suggest any geographical preference to look for an IT
    >> job in Canada?
    >> Calgary looks dead to me (Is that so, Mr. House?)
    >> Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal don't look too good either.
    >> Perspective employers in Edmonton are in wait and see stage so far (in
    >> my situation at least).
    >> Could someone (except trolls) share their two cents?

Someone

On 18 Jun 2003 17:29:50 GMT, [email protected]
(NorthernLigths25) wrote:

    >yup no jobs in Canada at all.

While there seems to be a lot of intelligence and smarts in Canada,
the one thing people lack immensely is job market knowledge. Nobody
would go into IT considering that the market is flooded with Gen-Xers
and kids--who won't retire for 20 or 30 years. Meanwhile teaching,
medicine, business, skilled-trades, etc are flooded with
baby-boomers--who will be retiring anytime between now and 15 years.
These jobs will go un-filled. It is mainly due to lack of knowledge
in the job market that we have a gazillion computer programmers but
the educaiton and medical system are begging for workers (or will be
begging for workers in the next few years)


    >>Subject
    >: Re: Arranged Employment, Help Please...
    >>From: Simon House [email protected]
    >>Date: 6/18/03 11:40 AM Atlantic Daylight Time
    >>Message-id:
    >>Calgary is certainly dry for most areas of Information Technology. If
    >>you specialise in the more technical side (UNIX, C, C++, Cisco, etc),
    >>then you are most probably out of luck. Positions are rare and attract
    >>hundreds of qualified applicants.
    >>However, on the business application side there do appear to be several
    >>positions cropping up for JD Edwards, Peoplesoft and Siebel. These
    >>positions often require a lot of specialist experience, and are normally
    >>obtained via employee referal.
    >>On top of all this, experienced professionals now have to compete with a
    >>sea of university graduates who are willing to work for peanuts.
    >>ABW wrote:
    >>> Speaking about arranged employment and bleached IT job market,
    >>> Could someone suggest any geographical preference to look for an IT
    >>> job in Canada?
    >>> Calgary looks dead to me (Is that so, Mr. House?)
    >>> Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal don't look too good either.
    >>> Perspective employers in Edmonton are in wait and see stage so far (in
    >>> my situation at least).
    >>> Could someone (except trolls) share their two cents?