Carlym666

Hi

My husband and I (i'm 46 and he's 56) are considering selling up and moving to Canada, exact location not yet decided. Our intention would be to move, buy a property and have part time jobs and treat it much like a slowing down of pace rather than a retirement. We will have savings and income from investments so don't see that supporting ourselves will be an issue, whilst i am a qualified chef its not my intention that this would necessarily be my job choice, i have vast experience in my current role of customer account management/customer service so its possible to continue doing this if i need to. My husband however is unskilled but happy to turn his hand to anything.

Its worth mentioning that we don't have any family ties to Canada, or friends who live there so sponsorship isn't a viable option for us, we would be totally reliant on our good selves.

So i wonder, in your view and experience, how easy it will be to do this? i have confused myself this morning looking at all the advice online so i'm looking for some direction from 'real' people who have possibly done this.

dbd33

I don't see how this works. You'd need some sort of immigrant visa. You might be able to obtain such a visa as a chef but then you'd have to work as a chef. Perhaps there's something not mentioned, does one of you have a Canadian parent?

Carlym666

As i said originally we have zero links with Canada, but would like to move there and are questioning the best way to do this as a couple with savings and a private income who would be prepared to work as necessary.

Whilst i am qualified as a chef i don't really want to go backwards in my career to do that but would if i had to although i wouldn't want to do that forever. if i got a visa as a chef would i then be able to work in another profession after a period of time? also, my husband has no skilled trade so what visa would he need?

dbd33

Yes, people who arrive on the basis of a trade can then move on to another type of work. The other questions will have to wait for someone who really knows this stuff.

Carlym666

thanks for this, its really helpful

christmasoompa

You'd only need to work as a chef if you were on a work permit (sponsored by an employer, for a specific job - when no Canadian can be found to do it). If you would qualify for Permanent Residency without a job, then you can do anything you like once in Canada, so wouldn't need to work as a chef even if that's what you applied as.

However, I'll be blunt and say that your chances of qualifying for PR without a sponsoring employer are slim from what you've said, your ages will be a big factor that drag your points scores down.

I'm going to move this to the immigration section of the forum where you can get more visa related advice, first step is to look at the Wiki and follow the links in there to establish your points scores - https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick...an_Immigration. Once you've done that, come back and let us know what they are, and we'll see if we can help you work out your best route. Can you also let us know exactly what your husband does?

Good luck.

naskar

hi I want to know what is the cost of living in Canada ( average )

christmasoompa

As a rough guide, about the same as in the UK or possibly a bit more (some things cheaper, some more expensive, so it tends to even out). But it might be best starting your own thread with more info in for a more accurate answer i.e. which province/city/town you're thinking of, how many in your family etc.

Welcome to BE.

naskar

Thank you so much

theotherlebowski

I'm not an expert by any stretch but as someone in their mid 40s who just confirmation of PR via the Federal Skilled Worker Self Employed route I can tell you that your options at your ages are incredibly limited unless you can get a sponsoring employer (highly unlikely as they have a pool of plenty of Canadians and permanent residents already in country to choose from, plus doing all the paperwork and paying the non-refundable fees to even consider you is not something that even a large company will be arsed about doing when they can just hire someone local for no extra hassle or cost), win the lottery and have several million CAD$ to invest or you have been self employed at a high level as a chef in fields that would constitute a benefit to Canadian cultural life.

Otherwise, there's no real easy way in. The older we get the less interested Canada is in us. All the quick and easy routes that are available are for people under 35 really (think student visas, temporary work permits, working holiday stuff). We're too old for that according to them.

Unfortunately, just because the Queen's on the money we can't just wander in and take a seat.

If you or your partner have beens self employed for at least 2 years then investigate that as a possible route in. When in doubt, chat to a Canadian immigration lawyer/specialist and get their opinions on your options.