# Cost of living in Canada and VISAS!!!



## twinkle33 (Jul 16, 2011)

Hi.
We are considering a move to Canada. Neither of us have jobs on the list but there are a number of job opportunities that my dH could apply for so think we may find it easy enough to get a temporary visa that way. (according to a recruitment agent he spoke to!)

Can anyone advise how long these work visas are granted for and how hard is it to get permanent residency after that? Or advise me where to get this info!!

I should add that i have lived in Canada before and I speak fluent French = maybe would help!

Also - what is the cost of living like now compared to say here in Ireland? As Canada is close to Ireland I would prefer it to a move to say Australia, where the cost of living seems to be exorbitant!! 

We will need to consider leaving Ireland in the next year as work is getting very scarce for my Dh and the uncertainty is not good for anyone's peace of mind! 

Any advice anyone can offer is very welcome!
Thanks


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## NewtoVictoria (Jan 10, 2011)

Hi,
We moved to Canada about a year ago with my husbands job. We too are here on a temporary work permit (TWP). As my husband TWP was issued due to an intercompany transfer, the process was fairly straight forward. My understanding that if a potential employer wishes to employ your husband under the TWP that they would need to obtain a positive Labour Market Opinion (LMO) first. This includes that they have to advertise the position locally for a certain amount of time to demonstrate recruitment effort from within Canada.
One thing I've discovered since moving here is that you can't generalise much on a country level. So much is different on a provincial level so e.g. your question with regard to cost of living, I can only comment on living in BC. I live in Victoria and it certainly isn't cheap to live here. I recently heard it's one of the most expensive cities (I think after Vancouver) to buy/rent. If we do end up staying here we would certainly need to look at buying somewhat outside of Victoria coz the house prices are crazy here (bit like Ireland a few years ago, but just not artificially inflated). They have come down a bit in the last year, but no sign of a bubble bursting here. This however may be different in other provinces. So rent here is definitely higher than back home in Ireland but our utility bills seem to be quite a bit lower. Groceries are pretty much the same I think. Some things (e.g. fruit & veg) are cheaper here but then others (e.g. milk and cheese) are more expensive so it balances out. A year on though, I'm only now getting used to the fact the prices displayed are without sales tax. Here in BC HST is 12%, which can be a real pain when e.g. going out for a meal to have to add 12% to price of meal and drinks and then tip on top of that!

We have a 3 year work permit but I think we got lucky as he thought he would only get two. I've read of other people only getting one. It also depends what duration is listed on the LMO e.g. they may only grant 1 year and require you apply again the following year. A colleague of mine back in Ireland tried to get into Quebec. She's a french native and her partner is Irish but they were unsuccessful. I got the impression it was far more difficult to get into Quebec than into the other provinces. 

With regard to applying or Permanent Residency we haven't gone down that route (yet) as we're not sure whether my husband's employer will let us stay here. I have read that you can apply for PR under the Experience Class (after working more than 2 years in Canada) which we would probably do if my husband's skill isn't listed on the skilled worker list. It does help if you have lived and worked in Canada before when applying for PR.

Best of luck if you do decide to move over here. Like I said I can only comment on BC which is a beautiful part of Canada and Victoria is a great place to bring up kids. Great outdoors lifestyle and lots of activities and programs for kids. Huge positive is that we don't get the really cold winters that Canada is known for. We did get some snow last year but less than my family had to deal with in Dublin. It only lasted for a few days, just long enough for the kids to enjoy it. If we do want snow and skiing then Mount Washington is about 3 hours drive from here. We're hoping to check it out this winter. 
For me the only downside, it's a long way to see my mum ;-(


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## twinkle33 (Jul 16, 2011)

Hi
Oh thanks so much for the reply. It wasnt until I posted it that I thought hang on, the cost of living in Donegal is a lot different to Dublin you fool!!!
I lived in Quebec before but it was about 12 years ago and I was a student then so we lived a very different and cheap lifestyle!! The winter was lovely and we had snow for about 6 months and we really made the most of it skiing and ice skating etc so I have no problem with the winter and would probably head for a place with a bit of snow!
There are a few companies advertising for workers here so I imagine they have already gone through the process of trying to find workers in Canada. I remember Quebec being difficult on the immigration side of things even getting a student visa - but oh how I would love to go to Montreal! I teach French so think there would be way more opportunities for me in Canada than in Australia, and I think the heat would annoy me with small kids to be honest! 

I imagine you do miss ur mum alright but in the grand scheme of where people are ending up at the moment its not too bad - imagine going to New Zealand. You would be lucky to get home every two years. Distance is a consideration for me because as much as you think you are going to be ok you never know what the future holds and to be able to get home in the space of 24 hours is v important.

Again thanks for the reply. Im glad you have settled in and are enjoying it all!


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