# Canada Here We Come!



## springotter (Jul 18, 2008)

Hi there!

I am Cat from Manchester, UK and my partner and I are hoping to apply to immigrate to Canada as soon as possible. I have researched various websites, but am after a little bit of advice. Having read the various friendly replies to threads on this forum, I am hoping someone can help me! What is the total cost involved? I have read about the basic application fees, but am wondering what other costs (police reports, etc) are likely to be? Are there any tips when applying through the skilled workers programme? Would anybody who has been through the process recommend the use of a migration consultant? They seem pretty expensive and I am wondering if the cost would be well spent. Is the process as complicated as many sites make out or can anyone who has researched the process and is willing to spend time completing the necessary forms get through the application successfully? Any advice would be gratefully received! Good luck to all who have already made the jump (I am so jealous!!)


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## elmotto (Jul 19, 2008)

*Canada here we come.*

Hi there
Are you hoping to go permanently or would a temporary work permit be better ? One takes several years the other can take several weeks if you have a clean record and don't need a medical (nurses, Dr's etc)

I have just successfully gone through the temporary work permit route and although complicated at times it saved me the £4500-£8000 i was quoted from immigration specialists. That said other people have really rated them.

The Canadian high commission website offers a vast amount of info and you need to determine which route you want to take.

It took 6 weeks to get our work permit but my husband had already secured a job and had a positive Labour Market Opinion. 

Good luck
Louise


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## springotter (Jul 18, 2008)

Many thanks Louise, will look into it


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## Canadadreaming (Aug 15, 2008)

For 2 adults, 3 young Kids under the skilled worker programme I estimate it cost about 2.5K all up. Costs of application fees are clear on the website, police certificates £35 each; Landing Cards are clearly shown on the website. Medicals £900.Photos about £50.
However, we made some trips to Canada to check it out, I have not included this.


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## lovebug (Sep 7, 2008)

hi, i'd just like to know if you need to find a job BEFORE applying for a temporary work permit, or if you can apply for the work permit and then go to Canada and find a job. any advice would be much appreciated ! thanks !


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## Pricefamily4 (Sep 22, 2008)

lovebug said:


> hi, i'd just like to know if you need to find a job BEFORE applying for a temporary work permit, or if you can apply for the work permit and then go to Canada and find a job. any advice would be much appreciated ! thanks !


I've not made the jump yet but are seriously looking in to it. I have to say the main advise on this site is to get a job first rather than look for one out there, as it can be frustrating and ruin your experience as a whole. someone pointed me to workopolis . com (or might be.ca) but that has thousands of jobs on there.


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## elmotto (Jul 19, 2008)

lovebug said:


> hi, i'd just like to know if you need to find a job BEFORE applying for a temporary work permit, or if you can apply for the work permit and then go to Canada and find a job. any advice would be much appreciated ! thanks !


I am not 100% sure but i think you need a job first and there are plenty here to be had. We are now in BC and we're having a ball. Everywhere seems to be advertising and there are two ways to do it. Go through a company who do everything from find you a job, get you the visa and help you relocate ( obviously you pay for this and the price and service varies on what you want and where in Canada you want to go) or you can e-mail your CV to companies and search the internet then when you have enough interviews lined up arrange to fly out for the interviews. If an employer wants you they can speed up your work permit application. (we did this and saved £8000 but maybe another company wouldn't have been so expensive anyway) 
Where are you looking at relocating to? Download the forms on the high commission web page and read all the related info -there's plenty.
Good Luck


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## lovebug (Sep 7, 2008)

thanks to both of you for your speedy replies. i have looked at workopolis and there sems to be lots of jobs. we were looking at going to toronto or montreal. does anybody have any tips with regards to these 2 cities ? thanks again !


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## Pricefamily4 (Sep 22, 2008)

Do you speak french? as montreal is on the French side of Canada (I hope or i'm going to look really stupid, lol). And I think if your visa is there you need to pass a french and english test although this could be just rumour, best to check with someone there.
My wife and I are looking at Toronto all the way round to Hamilton as it appears on the net to be only 8-10 hours flight back to blighty if we need to get back in an emergency (Dad has a heart condition). Also I have a friend from ON and she says that it is like a friendly London, lol but we are going to go on holiday before we make a move out there and see for ourselves. I've already been to Alberta and visited BC while I was there. I loved edmonton, calgary and vancover but I want to see what it is like in Toronto before I make up my mind.


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## rob mc (Sep 20, 2008)

*move to canada*



springotter said:


> Hi there!
> migration consultant as it can be quite costly,try the canadian embassy web site
> I am Cat from Manchester, UK and my partner and I are hoping to apply to immigrate to Canada as soon as possible. I have researched various websites, but am after a little bit of advice. Having read the various friendly replies to threads on this forum, I am hoping someone can help me! What is the total cost involved? I have read about the basic application fees, but am wondering what other costs (police reports, etc) are likely to be? Are there any tips when applying through the skilled workers programme? Would anybody who has been through the process recommend the use of a migration consultant? They seem pretty expensive and I am wondering if the cost would be well spent. Is the process as complicated as many sites make out or can anyone who has researched the process and is willing to spend time completing the necessary forms get through the application successfully? Any advice would be gratefully received! Good luck to all who have already made the jump (I am so jealous!!)


hi cat im moving from stockport to canada in oct 2008 this might help -medical records £50 pp -police records-£30 pp -a medical if needed £180.yry the canadian embassy web site its quite helpful


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## lovebug (Sep 7, 2008)

Pricefamily4 said:


> Do you speak french? as montreal is on the French side of Canada (I hope or i'm going to look really stupid, lol). And I think if your visa is there you need to pass a french and english test although this could be just rumour, best to check with someone there.
> My wife and I are looking at Toronto all the way round to Hamilton as it appears on the net to be only 8-10 hours flight back to blighty if we need to get back in an emergency (Dad has a heart condition). Also I have a friend from ON and she says that it is like a friendly London, lol but we are going to go on holiday before we make a move out there and see for ourselves. I've already been to Alberta and visited BC while I was there. I loved edmonton, calgary and vancover but I want to see what it is like in Toronto before I make up my mind.


hi, i do speak french & so does my husband so that's ok. we're just really confused because people are telling us all sorts of things about how difficult life is there & how u only get 2 weeks vacation per year. toronto really appeals to me, but then again, my knowledge is limited to my research on the internet ! i think that the best idea is to go there on holiday and then decide. does anybody know if life really is that difficult there ?


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## SczzyBoy (Jan 1, 2008)

*Weird about costs*

Guys,

I came here through a defined employment scenario so my company gave me a letter stating that I had a job when I got here. I filled in the forms and submitted the requisite job info (University quals and such). I then paid $150 at the border to get it finalised and got my permit. It's for a year so now I'm doing it all again to extend it but it should be a breeze. Anyone who quotes UKP4,500 or more is ripping you off. I also did no police reports, health checks or credit checks - no idea where that info came from. 

Just spend the time on the forms and get your reason for moving to Canada sorted and they are great. The border peeps are excellent. My one tip is that, when you get to the visa line, try to go to a border guard of the opposite sex! No idea why but it seems to help.


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## Thaddeus (Dec 4, 2008)

*Coming to Montreal*



Pricefamily4 said:


> Do you speak french? as montreal is on the French side of Canada (I hope or i'm going to look really stupid, lol). And I think if your visa is there you need to pass a french and english test although this could be just rumour, best to check with someone there.
> My wife and I are looking at Toronto all the way round to Hamilton as it appears on the net to be only 8-10 hours flight back to blighty if we need to get back in an emergency (Dad has a heart condition). Also I have a friend from ON and she says that it is like a friendly London, lol but we are going to go on holiday before we make a move out there and see for ourselves. I've already been to Alberta and visited BC while I was there. I loved edmonton, calgary and vancover but I want to see what it is like in Toronto before I make up my mind.


Indeed, especially to obtain almost any employment here in Montreal you will need at least basic French skills. Outside of Montreal, pretty much anywhere else in Quebec, good French skills are a must. Visitors can get by pretty well as being English-only as most Montreal Island locals are bi-lingual. The Government offers essentially free French classes for new immigrants as long as they have Permanent Residency status. While it is kind of hit-or-miss as I'm told (still haven't had my interview yet) for Permanent Residency, but French is usually tested. Having proficiency in French carries a lot of points in the immigration process especially here in Quebec. Not having basic French skills will make it much harder to come to Quebec. And regardless where you live in Canada, one should have at least basis proficiency in both English and French.


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## mrees007 (Jan 8, 2009)

Thaddeus said:


> Indeed, especially to obtain almost any employment here in Montreal you will need at least baisc French skills. Outside of Montreal, pretty much anywhere else in Quebec, good French skills are a must. Visitors can get by pretty well as being English-only as most Montreal Island locals are bi-lingual. The Government offers essentially free French classes for new immigrants as long as they have Permanent Residency status. While it is kind of hit-or-miss as I'm told (still haven't had my interview yet) for Permanent Residency, but French is usually tested. Having proficiency in French carries a lot of points in the immigration process. Not having basic French skills will make it much harder to come to Quebec. And regardless where you live in Canada, one should have at least basis proficiency in both English and French.


Im looking at Vancouver and Toronto.... do you need French there (as a must)?

Where do people recommend to go in Canada?

Whats city is more "British"?

And where is the nicer weather?


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## Thaddeus (Dec 4, 2008)

mrees007 said:


> Im looking at Vancouver and Toronto.... do you need French there (as a must)?
> 
> Where do people recommend to go in Canada?
> 
> ...


While you should find a lot of employment there, in the long-run anyway you'll want to know some French. Especially if you are in the service sector, or mid-level management or abouve, I suspect you will find French as a frequently requested skill to have in Vancouver. I find French typically a requested skill to have for good jobs in Toronto, simply as these big Cities have companies that deal Nationally (and beyond). A good way to test how much this is an issue is doing a job search in your field for that area, as employers will request proficiency in French if they desire it. But you can certainly live in Vancouver not knowing French. Hope I helped clear it up.


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## mrees007 (Jan 8, 2009)

Thaddeus said:


> While you should find a lot of employment there, in the long-run anyway you'll want to know some French. Especially if you are in the service sector, or mid-level management or abouve, I suspect you will find French as a frequently requested skill to have in Vancouver. I find French typically a requested skill to have for good jobs in Toronto, simply as these big Cities have companies that deal Nationally (and beyond). A good way to test how much this is an issue is doing a job search in your field for that area, as employers will request proficiency in French if they desire it. But *you can certainly live in Vancouver not knowing French*. Hope I helped clear it up.


Can one live in Toronto without French?


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## Thaddeus (Dec 4, 2008)

mrees007 said:


> Can one live in Toronto without French?


You certainly can. I don't think it should be so much an issue with immigration to be English (anglo)- only in Toronto or Vancouver. Not nearly as much as not knowing French in Quebec. While I've interviewed for jobs in the greater Toronto area (GTA) that my lack of French skills wasn't a deal-breaker, even after getting a job in an English-speaking firm it appears you'll want to take the initiative to learn French. The way the job market is changing, there appears to be few skills I see listed on good salaried jobs in Canada outside of being bilingual to some degree that will make you easily and readily re-employed across the board. If you have Permanent Resident status the Government pays for you to take French or English classes. It seems like the thing a large employer might offer as well.

As I mentioned, I am in Montreal, came as English-only by an English-speaking employer. While I've had a very hard time finding any Government-funded language program to admit me as a Temporary Resident, I finally did get lucky, got admitted, and have started French classes this Winter. I'll definitely need to show some French abilities when I get interviewed by immigration later this year as well as finding a new job here.


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