# Relocating to Canada versus New Zealand



## Clara123 (Jan 20, 2010)

Hi there,

can someone assist please???

For sometime we have been thinking about emmigrating away from the UK as we have no ties here anymore. We are undecided between Canada (which has always been my dream location) and New Zealand, which my husband prefers, mostly due to its climate.
I am easy and would go to New Zealand, if it meant better life there for us all.

However, my husband is a chartered public accountant (member of CIPFA) with many, many years of experience but it still seems that we would have a problem as it does not seem to be recognised in New Zealand under 'skilled jobs' or by NZICA.
It might be slightly better in Canada as far as the recognition is concerned but not too sure. 
I have done quite a bit of research but am still non-wiser as to our chances.
We also have two young children (8,10) so a good quality school system matters too.

Are there any qualified accountants out there who have successfully emmigrated to either of these 2 countries??? 
Or anyone else for that matter that can give me some more insight into this thing...

Please help, we need to move fast, would like to decide either way before our older one is due to go to secondary school!

Many thanks for any answers


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## jen45 (Jan 17, 2010)

Clara123 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> can someone assist please???
> 
> ...


Hello, My dad and mum went to Canada many years ago. Dad was an Accountant and had the job to go too. His skill was widely recognised and in high demand and he was paid much more than in the UK. I dont think this has changed at all. They both loved it and I grew up there. Came back to the UK 3 years ago and have been struggling ever since with jobs etc. it has taken us many months of thinking and now we have decided to go back as we might regret not going. I was waching a programme on New Zealand bout a UK family wanting to go there and it seemed very expensive compared to the UK and Canada so it must be bad!!..mortgage rates were crazy in New Zealand and also phone bills etc. Canada is the cheaper option and so worth thinking about. Will you regret not giving it a go... when your old??? ask yourself if having a better life is worth a gamble? I had too and thats what is making me JUST go for it....Good luck


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## jen45 (Jan 17, 2010)

sorry forgot to say about schooling. In my experience both with myself( educated in Canada then UK) and son who was secondary education in the UK when we moved to Canada. because of his age he had to go back to Primary school cause of his age. This was heartbreakng for him but he managed. I would be honest and say the standard of education is not as good as the UK. anyone would say different if they had not been educated in both. I had to take extra schooling as I was so far behind and my son was so far in front he was held back because of his age!!


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## LeoJ (Oct 8, 2012)

hi there - myself and my husband (carpenter) are thinking along the same lines. We don't really mind where we go - we want jobs and quality of life! We have also narrowed(!) it down to Canada and New Zealand, with Canada in front as it is a bit easier to get back to Ireland from there. Could you give me any advice on how it costs to move - none of the web sites give that detail. thank you


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## Kiwi in Alberta (Oct 15, 2012)

Clara123 said:


> Hi there,
> 
> can someone assist please???
> 
> ...


I am from New Zealand and now living in Canada, and I would say it depends on what you’re looking for New Zealand lifestyle in my opinion is better when you can live anywhere in the country and be only 2 hours at the most, away from the beach, I miss that. Canadian ocean beaches suck in comparison, there is however tens of thousands of lakes with some good beachs in canada 

If you are looking to make excellent money come to Alberta, canada
read my tread titled: "Agriculture Working Holiday in Canada" and take what you need from it.


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## LeoJ (Oct 8, 2012)

Would you say is it worth a carpenter and family going to Canada for a couple of years?

Thanks

Have been getting great advice on the forums - but then I reset my email add and lost loads of stuff.





Kiwi in Alberta said:


> I am from New Zealand and now living in Canada, and I would say it depends on what you’re looking for New Zealand lifestyle in my opinion is better when you can live anywhere in the country and be only 2 hours at the most, away from the beach, I miss that. Canadian ocean beaches suck in comparison, there is however tens of thousands of lakes with some good beachs in canada
> 
> If you are looking to make excellent money come to Alberta, canada
> read my tread titled: "Agriculture Working Holiday in Canada" and take what you need from it.


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## Kiwi in Alberta (Oct 15, 2012)

LeoJ said:


> Would you say is it worth a carpenter and family going to Canada for a couple of years?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Have been getting great advice on the forums - but then I reset my email add and lost loads of stuff.


If your going to make money yes, you will find work easy as a carpenter, perticually in northern alberta, this may require you to work away from your family for 2 weeks on 1 week off, but this is how you make the bigger money 
if your not wanting to be away from your family to much you could still find work as alberta is ever growing

new zealand is calling for carpenters to rebuild christchurch after the earthquakes so there is plenty of work there as well. 

all though i'm from NZ i'm not sure about the visa process 
but for canada i can tell you to find a job online and hope they have a LMO (labor market opinion) and apply under skilled worker program. an employer who is willing to go though the hassle of the paper is more likely to be in a less disirable location. however once your here and on your feet you can always find another employer with an LMO. 

To change jobs you need a copy of the LMO, a formal job offer or contract, passports and gas money to drive to the USA border, leave canada, turn around and enter canada, go through customs and come out with work permit for new employer. 

two good place's to look online would be jobbank.gc.ca/intro-eng.aspx
http ://alberta.kijiji.ca/f-jobs-construction-trades

this is the construction trade jobs listed this morning on kijiji

Banff / Canmore (42) 
Calgary (5525) 
Edmonton Area (5712) 
Fort McMurray (550) 
Grande Prairie (803) 
Lethbridge (272) 
Lloydminster (227) 
Medicine Hat (210) 
Red Deer (913)

also if you have a work permit under skilled worker program your wife can get an open (employer non specific) work permit
hope this helps


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## LeoJ (Oct 8, 2012)

Thank you very much - that sounds perfect for us. Sick of being out of work and it would be great to get away even if for a few years. We have school in Ireland until June so i would try to wait until the end of the school year so would we need to be applying now? i don't want to start annoying people for jobs too soon. Thanks again


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## Kiwi in Alberta (Oct 15, 2012)

I would say, it wouldn't hurt to start looking now, i wouldn't worry about "annoying people for jobs", you still have a number of ducks to put in a row yet! I would suggest to apply to any jobs that would suits your family best, and you'll get to know the process if nothing else. come June your bags will be packed and ready to go!


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## Tmorris (Oct 18, 2012)

Many newcomers face barriers to getting hired because they do not have "Canadian experience."

This concept may refer to:

Your language and communications skills
Your knowledge of Canadian standards
Your knowledge of Canadian legislation
Your ability to fit into Canadian workplace culture

In some cases, employers use "a lack of Canadian experience" as a convenient way to discriminate against newcomers. They may think that foreign work experience is not equal to Canadian experience.

Some employers may not know how to evaluate your education and work experience. It can be helpful to get your credentials evaluated to show their Canadian equivalency.

If your profession is regulated in Ontario, you may have to provide evidence of relevant work experience to get a licence.

A profession's regulatory body may require Canadian work experience specifically, and sometimes even Ontario experience. You can see a table of Canadian Work Experience Requirements on the website of the Office of the Fairness Commissioner.

Getting Canadian experience can be a challenge. Talk to other people in your field or community to see what they have done and what they would recommend. Ask your questions and read about others' experiences in our Discussion Forum. If possible, prepare before you arrive. 

The above is from the Canada Government website.

I am an accountant from the UK and like many have found it very difficult to settle here. So I urge you to look at the barrier regarding Canadian experience and try to find a job before you come over.

Goodluck


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## LeoJ (Oct 8, 2012)

My husband overstayed and worked on an American holiday visa in the late 90's, the experience will look good on his CV but will this affect his chances of getting a Canadian visa? Thanks for any help with this


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