bluenewby

hi there everybody hope you are all well,

over the last couple of years the wife and i have thought long and hard about moving to canada and now have decided it is the best thing to do for us and the two boys we have. the only thing is we have read far to much and now seem to be bogged down with information overload !!!! is there anyone who can offer some advice on how to get the "ball rolling" as regards the immigration process and if i could be granted access via the skilled worker program. iam a trained plumber/gas engineer with 15 years experience and my own business i have also just gained a level 3 diploma in mechanical and electrical engineering. my wife is a qualified teaching assistant with 6 years experience and qualification in counselling. on the face of it do we stand a good chance. any advice would be really appreciated, also we cant decide between the west coast or east coast !!!!! thankyou

christmasoompa

Hi, and welcome to BE.

Sounds like you've found BE in the nick of time! Hopefully it will help you figure things out, and the Wiki (blue bar at top of page) is full of useful info written by laypeople so hopefully all clear and understandable.

Plumbers are on 'the list' of 29 eligible occupations for a Skilled Worker visa, but you need to check that you do the duties listed under that NOC code (http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/noc/english/...spx?val65=7251), that you can prove it via things like employment references or job contracts outlining the duties. Then you need to calculate your points score on the CIC website if you haven't done so already, and make sure you score at least 67 points.

If you can tick both of those boxes, then you should be eligible as a Skilled Worker. There are other things as well, such as no recent criminal record, passing a medical and providing proof of funds (for a family of four the amount is $20,599 if I recall correctly). But assuming that all of the above is ok, you would be eligible to apply.

Best thing to do if you are eligible is to first of all get your IELTS exam booked as that can take a few months to get the results, and then start gathering the rest of the paperwork in the meantime. All of the info you need is on the CIC website, so download the forms and application guide and start from there.

With regard to East v West, they really are massively different so it will depend on what you want - what sort of climate, rural or city, whether you want to be able to ski or not, what kind of housing budget you'll have (as a generalisation, west v expensive, east much cheaper). Also, jobs will probably be vitally important so you may need to research where plumbers are needed to make sure you can find work.

And two last things I should mention - you may need something called the Red Seal to work in Canada as a plumber. I don't know enough about it, but a quick search of the forum should reveal more info. And your wife may want to read the following Wiki page...........http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Teaching_in_Canada Again, a search of the forum will reveal more info, but I think that teaching assistants have the same problems as teachers in Canada, so work may not be forthcoming for quite a while. Something else to consider and budget for perhaps.

And the Moving Back to the UK forum is always worth a read I think, just to see why people return from Canada having emigrated there.

I hope that helps, good luck.

bluenewby

thanks for the quick reply its much appreciated. we will have a good read though tonight !!!

expatdoris

Also, don't forget the cost of flights, removals, visa application/landing fees, Hotel and car rental, perhaps you will need another £10k+. on top of that mentioned by Christmas....Good Luck.

bluenewby

thanks will have to start saving a bit more !!!

expatdoris

Stay positive, you will get there!

simon876

It will feel like a very long haul, but it is worth it in the end. We waited nearly three years under the previous skilled worker category (no specific job offer) and finally got in.
We are now in our 5th year here with no regrets.

Be positive and stay focused. Get some reccy trips in if you can - there's so much to choose from.

Good luck.

christmasoompa

I'd say waaaaay more than that tbh. Don't forget the proof of funds amount is for setting up life in Canada (and is said by most to be too low), so the OP and anybody else moving will still need all of the moving costs. There was a recent thread about it which can be searched for, but iirc the general consensus was that between £20k-30k was about the norm for the cost of moving internationally and the whole process from start to finish.

Dave n Ailsa

Hi BlueNewby, welcome.

We are at the ball rolling stage.

Ailsa has recently got her IELTs test results back, and this morning I am posting off our police report requests.

While we are waiting for them to come back, Ailsa will be getting all her qualifications and education certified.

We will also be sorting out our proof of funds.

So in a few weeks we will be sending off our PR Applications

EAST V WEST....

We are aiming for the East, South of Toronto.

My heart says go west, with the mountains and the scenery, but we prefer the climate of the East. Very cold and very hot, lol. We've had enough of constant rain living in Glasgow all our lives.

We had a recent trip to Ontario which sealed our decision. You can read my report here:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...10#post9501010

Ontario is the easiest and cheapest if you need to get back to the UK, so that's something worth considering. Also makes it easier for friends and family to come visit.

But once you're over, you can always move. We might move to BC when the kids grow up and move out.

The world is your lobster

bluenewby

Thanks for the reply it's all been a big help ! What was your initial step. I've downloaded all the forms and info that you need to send to the correct people the only thing is it is asking for proof of language proficiency etc , do I take all the tests needed before I send any of the forms or is there an initial form to send just to get you in the "system"

Dave n Ailsa

Here's the procedure we are following:

IELTS test - Done

Police reports - Sent for

Employment history and education trasncripts - Doing

Birth certs/marriage/passports etc - gathering

Proof of funds - doing

By the time the police reports come back, we should have all the other things sorted.

So then we will apply, hopefully some time in November.

christmasoompa

You need to download the application guide as well as the forms - and make sure you have the document checklist. That will tell you exactly what you need to send, which includes IELTS results. As I said above, book a test now as it can take a couple of months to get a slot, and then you can be gathering everything else in the interim.

HTH.

bluenewby

many thanks to all those who have offered info and advice it is good to know there are people we can ask !!

helcat12

Get all your information on your previous addresses (quite hard sometimes to remember!), precise employment dates, parents D.O.B etc together before you even start filling in the forms.

Leave filling in the forms until last, as they are in the habit of updating them without notice and you must have the most recent version when you apply.