# moving to canada from ireland



## Chaz01 (Jan 2, 2012)

HI all,

We are currently planning on emigrating to canada in summer 2012 hopefully!!! We hired an agent last jan and our application has gone through Nova Scotia in april and was then sent to london visa office unfortunately our status still reads "received by the visa office". does anyone know would we be quicker with the application process if my partner had a job offer?? my partner is a plumber and has contacts in toronto so he can get work over there!!....we will be moving with a 13 year old and by may we will also have a new born baby .... i am a trainee accountant with ACCA is there much job prospects for me?? 

We had hoped to live outside Toronto in a family friendly area but within commuting distance to Toronto....kitchener, mississauga, Stratford and Burlington are a few places we have researched! has anyone moved to any of theses places?? Does anyone know about rental properties and the cost? High Schools and child care? Any advice would b much appreciated...there is only so much the internet can tell us we would prefer personal experiences  

Thanks in advance


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Chaz01 said:


> We had hoped to live outside Toronto in a family friendly area but within commuting distance to Toronto....kitchener, mississauga, Stratford and Burlington are a few places we have researched! has anyone moved to any of theses places?? Does anyone know about rental properties and the cost? High Schools and child care? Any advice would b much appreciated...there is only so much the internet can tell us we would prefer personal experiences


Of all the places you mention above, I would say only Mississauga would be considered "commutable" to Toronto.

As for rental properties and prices... what are you looking for? A 1 bed apartment is going to be significantly different in cost than a 5 bedroom 3 car garage house.

Depending on where you live, daycare costs can vary from $200/month to more than $800/month. Toronto is over $800/month or about $40-45/day. By contrast, Kitchener, one of the other locations you mentioned, would be $600-650/month.


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## Chaz01 (Jan 2, 2012)

Thank You for your response

We would be looking for a 3 bedroom house that is pet friendly!!

We are not set on any of the areas mentioned above they are just some of the suggestions that came up on the net when i was looking for family orientated places to live. If you have any suggestions it would be much appreciated.

Kind Regards


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Chaz01 said:


> Thank You for your response
> 
> We would be looking for a 3 bedroom house that is pet friendly!!
> 
> ...


A 3 bedroom in Mississauga is going to be around $1500-2000/month. Good school area will usually be on the higher end. Pet friendly can be hard to find and can also be on the higher end.


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## Chaz01 (Jan 2, 2012)

G-Mo said:


> A 3 bedroom in Mississauga is going to be around $1500-2000/month. Good school area will usually be on the higher end. Pet friendly can be hard to find and can also be on the higher end.


Thanks you for all of your feedback it was most helpful :clap2

I am researching burlington it appears 2 have good schools and good areas !!

does anybody know if this has a good public transport system into Toronto?
Or is it too much of a commute?

Is there anybody out there that has emigrated 2 Canada recently? I would b very interested in your story.

Regards


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Chaz01 said:


> does anybody know if this has a good public transport system into Toronto?
> Or is it too much of a commute?


Burlington has GO Transit services (trains and buses) to Toronto Exhibition and Union Stations. From there you would transfer to local TTC. The train ride is about an hour each way, the bus longer. The train is pleasant to ride, I'd hang myself before I rode the bus again.

The drive is about an hour in light traffic. Can take more than 2 hours in bad traffic and weather.

GO Transit - All Schedules


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

G-Mo said:


> Burlington has GO Transit services (trains and buses) to Toronto Exhibition and Union Stations. From there you would transfer to local TTC. The train ride is about an hour each way, the bus longer. The train is pleasant to ride, I'd hang myself before I rode the bus again.
> 
> The drive is about an hour in light traffic. Can take more than 2 hours in bad traffic and weather.
> 
> GO Transit - All Schedules


hi there, i have recently emigrated to Canada, to Winnipeg, Manitoba in fact. We are here just five months. We came here in august with our 13 yr old, 10 yr old and 5 year old, so far so good. Cost of living is high and wages are not great, but we think it will be worth the struggle in the long term (for kids sake, etc). Your credentials will have to be recognised Im afraid and if you dont have the ACCA it wont really stand for very much. I have IATI and it stands for nothing Im afraid. I also have a business degree but there are ten a penny people here with degrees so I havent been able to find work in my field. My OH is a mechanic and he works for one of Winnipegs largest dealerships. He is getting great training because he is working for one of their BMW dealerships so the outlook for him is good. We have settled in reasonably well but Christmas was difficult being away from my mother for the first time. My kids miss her too cos she was a big part of our life. She is a widow for many years now but thankfully still young enough to come here and visit. We lead a very busy life cos both of us work all day long and the kids are up and out before 8.00am. They get home at 4.00pm on the bus which drop and picks them up outside the door. We pay 1500 rent which is pretty high for this location but it is a safe and friendly place to live so we are happy to pay it for peace of mind. We are happy we made the move as OH has been out of work for over two years at home so we couldnt sustain things at home for much longer. If you need any other info feel free to ask. Ps. Schooling here is pretty good. my 13 yr old is getting so much more here than she would get at home in terms of subject choice and variety. My younger kids are also very happy and the kindergarden system here is amazing. my five year old is coming on in leaps and bounds since moving here. his confidence has taken a major boost and he has become a totally different child. I think all in all you are making the right move. Chat again soon.


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## Chaz01 (Jan 2, 2012)

LindaDoyle said:


> hi there, i have recently emigrated to Canada, to Winnipeg, Manitoba in fact. We are here just five months. We came here in august with our 13 yr old, 10 yr old and 5 year old, so far so good. Cost of living is high and wages are not great, but we think it will be worth the struggle in the long term (for kids sake, etc). Your credentials will have to be recognised Im afraid and if you dont have the ACCA it wont really stand for very much. I have IATI and it stands for nothing Im afraid. I also have a business degree but there are ten a penny people here with degrees so I havent been able to find work in my field. My OH is a mechanic and he works for one of Winnipegs largest dealerships. He is getting great training because he is working for one of their BMW dealerships so the outlook for him is good. We have settled in reasonably well but Christmas was difficult being away from my mother for the first time. My kids miss her too cos she was a big part of our life. She is a widow for many years now but thankfully still young enough to come here and visit. We lead a very busy life cos both of us work all day long and the kids are up and out before 8.00am. They get home at 4.00pm on the bus which drop and picks them up outside the door. We pay 1500 rent which is pretty high for this location but it is a safe and friendly place to live so we are happy to pay it for peace of mind. We are happy we made the move as OH has been out of work for over two years at home so we couldnt sustain things at home for much longer. If you need any other info feel free to ask. Ps. Schooling here is pretty good. my 13 yr old is getting so much more here than she would get at home in terms of subject choice and variety. My younger kids are also very happy and the kindergarden system here is amazing. my five year old is coming on in leaps and bounds since moving here. his confidence has taken a major boost and he has become a totally different child. I think all in all you are making the right move. Chat again soon.


Hi Linda

Thank you for sharing your experience its nice to hear from Irish people that have made the move successfully. We are a bit worried that my 13 year old will find it hard out there in school etc. but it appers your daughter has made the transition which is good to know!!

I am an ACCA student at the moment i have 5 professional exams to do and then im qualified (well after i complete 1 and half more years work experience that is) its a long haul but will be worth it in the end. Im hoping ACCA students will be recognised after all the institute told me that its recognised World Wide! My work experience to date is in practice although i would prefer to be in industry.

My OH is a plumber with 10 years experience in both industry and residential he also has experience as a foreman. Do you know if there is many jobs in this area for him? Work is drying up slowly here in Ireland for him and he is thinking about going to Canada soon to look for work and hopefully get an employer over there to Fill out an LMO for him we could wait out our skilled workers visa then over in Canada.

Any other info you have to share would be most helpful.

Regards


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Chaz01 said:


> My OH is a plumber with 10 years experience in both industry and residential he also has experience as a foreman. Do you know if there is many jobs in this area for him? Work is drying up slowly here in Ireland for him and he is thinking about going to Canada soon to look for work and hopefully get an employer over there to Fill out an LMO for him we could wait out our skilled workers visa then over in Canada.


Your OH will have to sit his Red Seal Exams to qualify for most work here in Canada. Here is a link: Red Seal Home / Red Seal

You cannot be involved in two immigration streams at once (LMO/Work Permit and Skilled Worker). You will have to pick one or the other. LMO/Work Permit will be quicker, if your OH can find a job offer and get LMO approval. Skilled Worker will take longer, but, in the end you will have permanent resident status. There are pros and cons to each.


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## Chaz01 (Jan 2, 2012)

Hi 

Our emmigration lawyer told us if cathal got a job offer we could go based on that for 2 years (work permit) and wait for our Skillled workers visa to be approved while living in Canada (with the hope that it will be approved in that time)...is this false info??

We realise my OH will have to do a trade assessment and then exams we have looked into all that and our Lawyer has given us info on the process.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

Chaz01 said:


> Hi
> 
> Our emmigration lawyer told us if cathal got a job offer we could go based on that for 2 years (work permit) and wait for our Skillled workers visa to be approved while living in Canada (with the hope that it will be approved in that time)...is this false info??
> 
> We realise my OH will have to do a trade assessment and then exams we have looked into all that and our Lawyer has given us info on the process.


Hi there, once your OH has an LMO you can get your work permit. Then you could try apply for the PNP programme once you have worked six months in the same job. (Different provinces have different rules, but in Manitoba you have to work six months in the same job before you can apply). Anyway, to put your mind a little at ease, you can come and work with work permits. Only problem is the work permit may only be given for one year, sometimes two if you are lucky, but at least you will be here and in a better position than over there. Its much easier to sort things out if you are here and working already in my experience. If we had of taken the advice of an immigration representative three years ago, we wouldnt be here now, my OH is a mechanic and we were told we wouldnt have a chance of getting in until the skilled workers visa but we pursued it ourselves and came over in the Feb 2011 and got a company to do an LMO for us. Luckily we have two years work permits so hoping to get our PNP in the two year time frame. If you want to come here badly enough, you will find a way, we did and it was against all the odds so good luck and best wishes. Dont let anyone or anything stop you from making your dream come true.


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