# Nova scotia



## cayman1965 (Jul 18, 2010)

We are looking to move to nova scotia sometime in the next few years . I am a nurse so we would go over on my profession. We want to know more about the general costs of healthcare for when you have retired, ie how much it would cost and what is included. Also would like to know more about the areas around Halifax and dartmouth areas for property etc, thanks, 
Dave and Michelle


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

cayman1965 said:


> We are looking to move to nova scotia sometime in the next few years . I am a nurse so we would go over on my profession. We want to know more about the general costs of healthcare for when you have retired, ie how much it would cost and what is included. Also would like to know more about the areas around Halifax and dartmouth areas for property etc, thanks,
> Dave and Michelle


Canada has universal health care run/managed by the individual Provinces. I don't know the specifics of the Nova Scotia plan but I suspect similar to Ontario, where I live. As a retiree I experience no medical costs, even drug costs are covered. The things not covered such as dental, private/semi-private hospital rooms are still covered, in my case, by my employer's supplemental health coverage.
Sorry but can't help you with the property question.


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## cayman1965 (Jul 18, 2010)

Auld Yin said:


> Canada has universal health care run/managed by the individual Provinces. I don't know the specifics of the Nova Scotia plan but I suspect similar to Ontario, where I live. As a retiree I experience no medical costs, even drug costs are covered. The things not covered such as dental, private/semi-private hospital rooms are still covered, in my case, by my employer's supplemental health coverage.
> Sorry but can't help you with the property question.


Thank you for your quick reply, it's good to know that about the health care. As. Retirees in order to live a comfortable life we have been quoted $4-5 thousand a month? Would that be a reasonable quote? Thank you, michelle


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

cayman1965 said:


> Thank you for your quick reply, it's good to know that about the health care. As. Retirees in order to live a comfortable life we have been quoted $4-5 thousand a month? Would that be a reasonable quote? Thank you, michelle


Assuming you have no mortage/rent/big consumer debt payments then $4-5k per month would be more than sufficient.


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## cayman1965 (Jul 18, 2010)

Auld Yin said:


> Assuming you have no mortage/rent/big consumer debt payments then $4-5k per month would be more than sufficient.


Thanks, we plan to be mortgage free and debt free, and working for a good ten years before we hit real retirement age, my husband is a police officer in the uk so retires at a young age of 51 years!!
That means he will want to work when we come over, however due to current government plans to mess with the police pension then we plan to possibly come over much earlier than anticipated.
He was thinking of training in a trade, any ideas what they might be interested in? Electrician, trucker, etc. Michelle


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

cayman1965 said:


> Thanks, we plan to be mortgage free and debt free, and working for a good ten years before we hit real retirement age, my husband is a police officer in the uk so retires at a young age of 51 years!!
> That means he will want to work when we come over, however due to current government plans to mess with the police pension then we plan to possibly come over much earlier than anticipated.
> He was thinking of training in a trade, any ideas what they might be interested in? Electrician, trucker, etc. Michelle


As you can (at present) come on a Skilled Worker visa due to your profession there is no reason for your husband to do anything to satisfy immigration requirements. I think he should train in a job that really excites him rather than something he feels he has to do. Trades such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters etc, require long apprenticeships whereas truckers do not.


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## cayman1965 (Jul 18, 2010)

Auld Yin said:


> As you can (at present) come on a Skilled Worker visa due to your profession there is no reason for your husband to do anything to satisfy immigration requirements. I think he should train in a job that really excites him rather than something he feels he has to do. Trades such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters etc, require long apprenticeships whereas truckers do not.


Thanks for the information, my husband has thought of becoming a truck driver as he does enjoy long days of driving. We will definightly look out for work prospects sooner rather than later. Many thanks for your advice.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

cayman1965 said:


> Thanks for the information, my husband has thought of becoming a truck driver as he does enjoy long days of driving. We will definightly look out for work prospects sooner rather than later. Many thanks for your advice.


Could I just bring something to your attention. Nursing qualifications in Canada can differ somewhat from those in the UK. You should look into it before you get too far into the immigration process.


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## cayman1965 (Jul 18, 2010)

Auld Yin said:


> Could I just bring something to your attention. Nursing qualifications in Canada can differ somewhat from those in the UK. You should look into it before you get too far into the immigration process.


I have applied before to live in BC but due to family commitments we could not go even though I had a job and immigration papers. As for the nursing, I just have to sit the state boards which are relatively easy to study for and take the exams.we would only apply once a job has been offered, thank you again for your information, it is really helpful


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## kimo (Feb 12, 2011)

*$$$$$$$$*



cayman1965 said:


> Thank you for your quick reply, it's good to know that about the health care. As. Retirees in order to live a comfortable life we have been quoted $4-5 thousand a month? Would that be a reasonable quote? Thank you, michelle


If you are mortgage and debt free, you should be able to live like a king and queen on $4-5000 a month, but then alot depends on your spending habits. Most people I know don't make that much, have mortgages, car payments, kids and everyday bills, but still have money for vacations etc. But then I live on Vancouver Island not in Nova Scotia, so don't know what cost of living is like there.


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## gringotim (Jan 5, 2011)

*More than enough*



cayman1965 said:


> Thank you for your quick reply, it's good to know that about the health care. As. Retirees in order to live a comfortable life we have been quoted $4-5 thousand a month? Would that be a reasonable quote? Thank you, michelle


We also live on Vancouver Island, 45 minutes north of Victoria, and not familiar with cost of living in Nova Scotia, but can't be much different. have done some quick calculating of our expenses for last year as i keep track of almost every ongoing expense. We are mortgage, kid and debt free, and when I add up things like property taxes, ($500k house), house insurance, car insurance and gas for 2 - 2010 cars, power, phone, internet, cable, it averages just over $900 month, of course there is still food, clothing(which you don't buy evey month) etc, but I think whoever quoted you $4-5000 a month must live a very extravagant live style.


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## Addicted to NZ (Sep 17, 2010)

Auld Yin said:


> Canada has universal health care run/managed by the individual Provinces. I don't know the specifics of the Nova Scotia plan but I suspect similar to Ontario, where I live. As a retiree I experience no medical costs, even drug costs are covered. The things not covered such as dental, private/semi-private hospital rooms are still covered, in my case, by my employer's supplemental health coverage.
> Sorry but can't help you with the property question.


Hold on a second here on potential drug cost -

"In Canada all drugs given in hospitals fall under Medicare, but other prescriptions do not." - That means anything a Doctor prescribes for you will be out of your pocket.

"The provinces all have some programs to help the poor and seniors have access to drugs, but while there have been calls to create one, no national program exists." - That means if you get cancer or some other illness that requires some new kind of drug for treatment and is not on the approved list.....you will be paying out of pocket again. Provided you even qualify for help by the province (in the first place), then you have to hope the drug is covered.

If moving to Canada, I highly suggest you get extra medical coverage.


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## kimo (Feb 12, 2011)

Addicted to NZ said:


> Hold on a second here on potential drug cost -
> 
> "In Canada all drugs given in hospitals fall under Medicare, but other prescriptions do not." - That means anything a Doctor prescribes for you will be out of your pocket.
> 
> ...


My wife and I, both born and raised in Canada, have regular BC medical plus extended medical (Blue Cross) through our employers and we still have to pay for prescriptions, its not as much as someone without coverage, but is still usually $15 - $30 everytime, of course if the prescription doesn't work, you can't get a refund, so they get you either way, but as has been mentioned on here before, not everywhere in Canada has FREE healthcare, despite what some posters keep saying. Every province has different rules. Seniors might get everything for free in some provinces, but here in BC for example, my 82 year old mother lives on her $1100 per month pensions, but still has to pay something for prescriptions, in 2010 it was over $800 out of her pocket.


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## sidecarbunky (Mar 28, 2011)

*expenses*



cayman1965 said:


> We are looking to move to nova scotia sometime in the next few years . I am a nurse so we would go over on my profession. We want to know more about the general costs of healthcare for when you have retired, ie how much it would cost and what is included. Also would like to know more about the areas around Halifax and dartmouth areas for property etc, thanks,
> Dave and Michelle


hi I have lived here in nova scotia for 27years now,heath care is not expensive,medication can be ,you need a health insurance plan,dental is costly also either pay yourself or have a dental plan.
$4000-5000 per month hmmmm,unless you have a very costly lifestyle you will not need nearly this much money.choose a location outside of the city.
Nova Scotia is a great place to live,if you can stand the winters!,tough up a little and dont be a winer,you will do fine


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## dreama (Nov 24, 2010)

I lived in Dartmouth and my mother lives in Halifax. You can find nice properties on either side of the harbour, however I do very much love Halifax. Dartmouth does not really have a specified downtown area, but Halifax has a very vibrant downtown and a gorgeous waterfront (sewage plant issues aside). You will easily live on your income in either city, and while housing is not cheap, it is nowhere near as much as the other big cities in Canada like Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver. 

There are a lot of out of work tradesmen in Nova Scotia, and they often find themselves working in Alberta seasonally just to make ends meet. I would think trucking would be the better option for your 
husband. There are certainly no shortage of trucks on the highway.

Having worked for the Department of Health in Halifax inspecting long term care facilities, I do know that Nova Scotia has a shortage of nurses, but mostly in the small towns, so much so that they have been recruiting nurses from the Philippines. I'm not sure about the city hospitals. 

Good luck!


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## patient man (Feb 14, 2010)

I f your wife is planning to nurse in NS she will have to have her qualifications checked by WES in Ontario at a cost of $ 300 and she will have to apply to CRNNS initally at a cost of $460 and then contact Wes who will require all the Unis she has attended to send original transcripts directly, depending on where she studied can cost up to £35 she will then send copies of her certificates to Wes. To register it can take up to 8 months she will have to sit the CRNNS exam which I believe is $1200 and also apply for a temp licence which only lasts 2 months at a further cost until she passes her exam.

The average income in NS for a couple is around 47000 per year and live a good lifestyle according to statistics, a lot of people earn nowhere near that and still manage.


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## NewCanuck (May 29, 2011)

Just read about a Nova Scotia goal of doubling the number of immigrants.

Looks like this might be of interest.


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## Nova scotia here we come (May 9, 2011)

What would be the average deposit for a house in nova scotia.

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## patient man (Feb 14, 2010)

Nova scotia here we come said:


> What would be the average deposit for a house in nova scotia.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


anything between 5/10% although you can buy a house before residency and you will have to pay 35% down or if you land as pr without jobs 35%


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## Nova scotia here we come (May 9, 2011)

What's the cost of electricals In NS

TV'S etc

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## patient man (Feb 14, 2010)

Nova scotia here we come said:


> What's the cost of electricals In NS
> 
> TV'S etc
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using ExpatForum


 http://www.sears.comcan


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## blisticdude (Mar 18, 2014)

*info needed on nova scotia PNP*

hi friends
i need to know that after filling the "NSNP-100-Application-Form" is it needed to fill all the checklist of cic documents in advance before getting the sponsorship? if yet is it necessary to show police clearance certificate, show liquid funds, and pay fee of cic in advance?


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