# Moving to Canada need advice



## tappy (Mar 10, 2008)

Hiya everyone this is all very new to me have new done anything like this before so here goes.
My name is Claire and myself, Husband and our 14mth old daughter are thinking of moving to Canada in the next 3/4 years. We have both been thinking about it for many years and orginally thought about Australia but because of family felt that it would be to far. Canada seems to have a much slower pass of life and we are both looking for us and our daughter a more out door life and more community spirit which the UK is very much lacking in.
I am a complemetary Therapist covering a wide range of treatments Sports/Aromatherapy/Manual Lymph Drainage massage, Reflexology, Ear candling, Beauty treatments ad Colonic Hydro-Therapy. I have had my own business for about 12 years now which i have recently moved to my home. But i am thinking of doing a part-time course on child care as i'm not sur if there is much call for what i do in Canada?
My husband i a bulider of all trades but at the momment is trying to get into the ambulance service as an Ambulance Technician as again this may be easier to get a job in?
We are not sure where we would want to live but have and auntie living in Sooke Vancover Island and have been told that Ottowa is also a lovely place to live but is there work in either of these places?
Would also like to no more about the cost of living out there and also the schooling for our daughter.
Probably wey to much information there to respond to but if anyone can help would be great to here from you


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I assume you're coming from the UK. The professions you are considering are most likely to be licensed in Canada - meaning that both of you would have to re-qualify on arrival. That's not as dire as it seems, but you might want to try and locate the Canadian professional associations for the types of therapy you've been doing and for the "ambulance technician" qualification. (This may be a para-medical post.) The professional associations can tell you how easy or hard it will be to transfer your qualifications to Canada.
Cheers,
Bev


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## cottageguru (Mar 22, 2008)

I can only speak for Ontario as that is where I now live. My daughter in law is a paramedic and she has just been saying that there is much more competition for paramedic posts than when she began her training 4 years ago. However there is a shortage of good building contractors particularly in the rural areas. 

Complementary therapies are popular but you would need to look at the occupations lists on the immigration site to find out what is acceptable for immigration to Canada. I haven't looked for a while but think that building trades may rank highly. 

Ottawa is one of my favourite places. A beautiful city with a small town atmosphere. I hear that BC, particularly Vancouver is incredibly expensive to live, so you might think about Ontario which is a dynamic province but a little cheaper to live. The climate is tough - with 5 months of hard winter, but it's well made up for by hot, sunny summers. If you like lots of outdoor activity year round, this is definitely the place to be. 

I've been here for 5 years now and love every single minute!

Heather


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## Kazzy (Mar 23, 2008)

*Would live to live in Canada*

We also would love to live in Canada, it is a very beautiful country with a much etter quality of life i feel, but its not an easy process  here in the UK my husband has 2 fairly small business and we also have a mortgage, that would be our capital for a move to Canada, but what we would like to do is start up 1 of the business` in Canada and uy a property outright, so we would be able to sort ourselves out in that sense. But it dosn`t amount to the 300,000 CAD that is needed (i wouldn`t think) Neither of us has degrees, initials after our names, we just went through normal secondary schooling like most people. We like Nova Scotia - preferably west side (annopolis county regin) if anyone can offer any advice it would much appreciated 

Kazzy


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## cottageguru (Mar 22, 2008)

You are right about the quality of life. It is more relaxed but really suits active outdoorsy types, particularly in the country. 

Having a degree is not as important if your work experience fits one of the areas that is in demand - a high school education gives you quite a few points. Check the CIC web site - all the information is there. 

I don't know much about Nova Scotia but hear Halifax is a good place to live. As I mentioned before, winters can be harsh but the infrastructure is in place to cope with them.

I have a friend who had a business in UK and came out here on a 3-year work permit to start another branch. I'll try and find out which program he used.


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## Kazzy (Mar 23, 2008)

I have a friend who had a business in UK and came out here on a 3-year work permit to start another branch. I'll try and find out which program he used.[/QUOTE]

That would be absolutly fantastic thank you very much! 

I know NS is an outdorssy place, we are not what i call old (just feel it) at 42, and we also have teenage children 18, 19 and 27 so an ideal place for them to spend the rest of thier lives, would give me peace of mind too, knowing that the surroundings for them is the BEST 

Kazzy


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## Kazzy (Mar 23, 2008)

I also have a question about what business class to apply in if my husband is to set up a business in Canada, if its Entrepreneur class what happens if we dont think that it would make 300,000 CAD?? I mean we have experience in business i myself also started up a craft shop had it for 3 years and sold it, and my husbands business is a good one but makes approx 100,000 GBP i know the CIC site is a good site, but ahhhhhhhhh its too much for my little brain!!  cant i just get on a plane and buy a house the other end??? 

I am sorry if i seem thick but i seem to have read and read and getting nowhere fast.

Kaz


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## novascotialife (Mar 27, 2008)

Kazzy said:


> I also have a question about what business class to apply in if my husband is to set up a business in Canada, if its Entrepreneur class what happens if we dont think that it would make 300,000 CAD?? I mean we have experience in business i myself also started up a craft shop had it for 3 years and sold it, and my husbands business is a good one but makes approx 100,000 GBP i know the CIC site is a good site, but ahhhhhhhhh its too much for my little brain!!  cant i just get on a plane and buy a house the other end???
> 
> I am sorry if i seem thick but i seem to have read and read and getting nowhere fast.
> 
> Kaz


Hi Kaz,

We live on the beautiful North Shore of Nova Scotia and gained residency via the Community Identified stream of the NSNP. It took 8 months from the nomination. We had been 18 months down the federal skilled worker route when we swoped routes. We would still be waiting now if we had not bought a house here and been in the community to find out about it. We did not want to apply for work permits etc because we were looking to set up in business, once we had residency. 
We have an 18 and a 6yr old and they both adore it here. We are now living our dream.


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## novascotialife (Mar 27, 2008)

tappy said:


> Hiya everyone this is all very new to me have new done anything like this before so here goes.
> My name is Claire and myself, Husband and our 14mth old daughter are thinking of moving to Canada in the next 3/4 years. We have both been thinking about it for many years and orginally thought about Australia but because of family felt that it would be to far. Canada seems to have a much slower pass of life and we are both looking for us and our daughter a more out door life and more community spirit which the UK is very much lacking in.
> I am a complemetary Therapist covering a wide range of treatments Sports/Aromatherapy/Manual Lymph Drainage massage, Reflexology, Ear candling, Beauty treatments ad Colonic Hydro-Therapy. I have had my own business for about 12 years now which i have recently moved to my home. But i am thinking of doing a part-time course on child care as i'm not sur if there is much call for what i do in Canada?
> My husband i a bulider of all trades but at the momment is trying to get into the ambulance service as an Ambulance Technician as again this may be easier to get a job in?
> ...


Many areas of Canada especialy on the west coast are becoming incresingly expensive and so to is the east coast catching up fast. At the moment the East coast is still very affordable and therefore we are seeing numerous canadians coming in from Vancouver because they can get more property here for their $. If you leave it another 3 years even the East coast could very well be out of reach.
I attend a yearly Complimentary health show in Halifax and it is gaining ground every year. Complimentary therapies are big in Nova Scotia with most being health aware. I live on the North Shore and I am able to access a wide range of these therapies. It is an holiday destination and many people come to learn at the local centres. We also have a large Buddhist centre near by.


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## novascotialife (Mar 27, 2008)

The building trades are sought after here, especialy plumbers. I pay around $25 an hour, but remember it is £ for $. So that's equivalent to £25hr and not £12.


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## steve rimmer (Mar 20, 2008)

*joinery wages*

I just read you pay about $25 an hour I am a joiner with 16 years experience, I have my advanced city and guilds in joinery and carpentery, how much are joiners on in your area and would my qualifications stand over there?
Any help would be great
steve


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## cottageguru (Mar 22, 2008)

> cant i just get on a plane and buy a house the other end???


Actually, yes you can. We bought our house here 3 years before we emigrated and used it on our frequent trips to plan our final escape! It was just a 'starter' house and didn't cost much and we were able to rent it as a vacation home when we weren't using it, to cover the costs.

We've found the cost of living much lower here than in UK, although we too are gasping at the rise in the cost of fuel - now over $1 litre - but realise this is significantly lower than in UK. Some things are similarly priced - groceries are a little cheaper. I rarely return to UK - once in five years - can't comment much on the cost of living, but know that country housing is still very inexpensive. For example a 5 bedroom riverside property on half an acre with boating access into a popular lake is valued at $340,000. This is in rural Ontario 40 minutes from a large town but in a popular tourist area.

If you are able to, travel out and sample a couple of provinces. If you are looking for the country life, you could rent a vacation home and if it is in the low season, you'd find the rates much lower than hotel rooms.


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