# Where to live near the Ocean and which Visa to apply for? HELP UGGGGH !



## AdvBill (Nov 11, 2020)

My partner and I really love the ocean, we love boating and spearfishing, I realise the water is very cold haha. Is there Halibut to spear?

Also Im an IT Manager/Project Manager with an IT Degree, my partner is a Senior Ecologist both in the field with flora and fauna and in Project Management making sure data for Bio Diversity is kept and stored correctly in GIS etc. She hold a Doctorate in Zoology. 

1.We want to avoid any need to be speaking French, are there any cities we need to avoid?

2.Which Visa should we apply for to become citizens eventually, the Work Permit or the Express one?

3.How do they mark the English exams, are there examples online on how good our English will need to be? 

4.I will get no age points as Im 46yo, however the wife is 39 and should pickup some points, Im not sure how many are needed as the website doesnt say?

A bit confused, please help


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

You need to focus on British Columbia... primarily English speaking with some Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese) and East Indian (Punjabi, Hindi) communities in Vancouver. There are some French speaking places and educational opportunities (the law requires that childrens' primary/secondary school education and government services [both provincial and federal] must be freely available in English and French) but those are outnumbered by other communities.

Vancouver is located right on the ocean with mountains within easy reach... have you heard of Robson Bight - it's located off the north east coast of Vancouver Island... you can go kayaking out of Telegraph Cove and watch the whales in the summer time.

The ocean water _is_ cold, even in the summer time, so I'd recommend a full drysuit (or wet suit, if that's more your style) when you go SCUBA diving... there's LOTS of places to go diving all along the coast from Vancouver up to Prince Rupert (I got my PADI ticket in '09 and am longing to go diving again).

Not so sure about spear fishing... I know that harpoons are often used for halibut fishing but I don't know if this is what you seek. The halibut fishing itself is good in the northern coast (my dad went fishing up in Haida Gwaii in September 2001 and was forced to stay in camp for a few extra days because the plane down to Vancouver that he was supposed to be on on the 11th was grounded... he was not disappointed about having to spend a few extra days fishing)... you can fish off the south coast as well but mainly for cod and salmon and the like.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

AdvBill said:


> 1.We want to avoid any need to be speaking French, are there any cities we need to avoid?


I've lived in Canada most of my life and speak less than five words of French so this shouldn't even be a consideration for you.




> 3.How do they mark the English exams, are there examples online on how good our English will need to be?


Based on your post, you'll cruise it. For you it will be an inconvenient hoop that you'll be forced to jump through, nothing more.


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## AdvBill (Nov 11, 2020)

colchar said:


> Based on your post, you'll cruise it. For you it will be an inconvenient hoop that you'll be forced to jump through, nothing more.


Thank, you but I tried the calculator and even if we got PERFECT English Scores we only got o 470 points, I think you need 480 :-(. So saddened by this.

Yes BC was where I was aiming, Im a hunter as well as a part time Ecologist due to the Mrs being a full time Dr in it. Through her might be an oppurtunity, she is very much a Senior, has had many of her own and collabrative papers posted. 

But Im feeling an impending sense of doom for what was the next adventure in my life. 

As for spearfishing, people spearfish at th the very bottom of NZ in the Fiords which are fed by the southern ocean, about 10 degrees, they only wear 7mm dry cell suits (scuba suits are not suitable, they hold the water in and heat it up with your body temp). You can also get 9mm suits, extra vital organ and obviously hoodies. I was watching a spearfishing trip out at the Vanc Island today, looked really fun. I like only eating meat I can catch, hunt or collect.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

I know that for spear fishing from the shore, you're not allowed to hunt for salmon or a number of other species of fish (of which sturgeon are included)... mainly the spear fishing of salmon is only permissible by members of the various First Nations and even at that, it's limited to amounts for personal consumption (they're not supposed to sell what they catch through spear fishing)... you might be interested in this document from the provincial government that outlines where you can fish and what methods you can use in which areas.

Here are the provincial hunting regulations, also published by the provincial government - for the sake of convenience, you can assume that the map in these regs also applies to any references in the fishing regulations.

Shellfish are in abundance along the south coast - clams (Razor and Littleneck) and oysters and Dungeness crab (waaaay better than Atlantic species, IMNSHO) are available to harvest (if you have the ways and means to get to the oyster beds or a known clam beach) or purchase on the docks (for the city slicker who can't get out on the water). You can't go after abalone ([I'm ethnically Japanese and like eating it at new year... once spent NZD 75$ for a tin of it at the airport in Auckland to take home to my parents to have for New Year - it was a steal at that price as my auntie usually pays NZD 110$/tin])... the federal government has made it illegal in BC to harvest/possess as they're trying to increase the stocks.

The provincial government is _very_ diligent about monitoring the waters around the province and if/when there's a Red Tide outbreak, the appropriate signage goes up in public spaces to warn one and all of the dangers lurking in the water and advise against the taking shellfish until the bloom has subsided to acceptable levels.

Spot prawns also come in around this time of year (more towards the beginning of October) and are delicious as well.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

AdvBill said:


> Thank, you but I tried the calculator and even if we got PERFECT English Scores we only got o 470 points, I think you need 480 :-(. So saddened by this.
> 
> ~> snip<~


470 is a good score and will likely get you an invitation to apply - there is no set-in-stone ideal minimum score as the minimum CRS score varies from draw to draw. The higher you can score, the better your chances - the absolute lowest scores we've seen have been in the region of low to mid 450. Again, if you can score above say 455-460, you have a decent chance... also remember that the ITA are doled out in a first come, first serve basis so those in first with a qualifying CRS as of the date of the draw will receive one before the Johnny come latelys who have only recently entered the pool (say the minimum CRS is 470 and there are 293 invitations left once everyone with 471 and above have been issued one... if you're #293 in the queue, you're in but if you're unlucky enough to be #294 in the queue, you'll have to wait until the next draw where you qualify, at which point you'll be at the front of the line).


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

AdvBill said:


> Through her might be an oppurtunity, she is very much a Senior


What does that mean? Are you referring to her age?


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## AdvBill (Nov 11, 2020)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> the absolute lowest scores we've seen have been in the region of low to mid 450. Again, if you can score above say 455-460,


Got it. So is there a date every year it resets, so I can try to time it best. It appears we are only mid 470s on good english test results. It is our age. Which is kind of illogical if you want well educated (6y min) and well experienced people, they will be late 30s minimum. None the less it is what it is.

As for Oysters, if you ever in NZ try to time it around "Bluff Oyster" period, better if you are in South Island. These oysters are not ordinary Rock Osyters, they are the Mclaren of Oysters, VERT fat, large,very creamy. Best raw (although I refuse to eat oysters cooked). As for Abolone, we call them Paua here (is a Maori word), Maori is our native settler polynesian and whilst 12-14% of population have some Maori blood, in the eyes of most Kiwis they make up minumum of 50% NZ culture, hence why their Language is formally recognized as one of the 2 New Zealand Languages and why we have 2 versions of our National anthem. Maori used polished abalone shell for many decorative things but particularly the eyes on carvings etc. Both Paua and Sea Urchin (Kina) are slightly different this far south. YUM ! I mostly collect Scallops as Paua are rare up north due to over exposure and poachers (this still occurs where they are just holding on) but they are known up far north and down around Wellington etc. Paua pearls are pretty. Pāua - Wikipedia

. Kina are everywhere and will take over a dead reef too quickly, it is the fish, mostly a type of Snapper, but not the sort used in the states, I forget their Genus and name, anyway like many coral fish, they keep sea urchins in check by having no flesh around the mouths, able to chew them open at will. One well known reef where we would expect sharks to be the Apex predator, Snapper (tamure in maori) have taken over this role. The fish will easily take down larges bait fish and injured ones the bigger snapper swallow it hole. It is a very nice eating fish and the contention between recreational and commercial sectors. Personally I could take 14 but we take 4, 2 good sized dinners each.


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## AdvBill (Nov 11, 2020)

colchar said:


> What does that mean? Are you referring to her age?


Haha no, that would get me fired. Her position in the Industry. Her Title says Senior but that means BS as do Titles imo. Im a Project Manager but often I do every single role in Software Development projects, if they dont tell me this will be the case up front I leave, if they do I negotiate double my countract rate from $1k a day to $1500. 

As for her, its just a combination of her work in the field (which is really for people with only a Bachelors or are lucky to never twisted ankles etc, as chasing skinks is often on 1km high hills that are loose scree) and her work in corporate offices, combining IT with Science. She would be considered a Senior GIS Project Manager, but the amount of science papers she has authored/co authored leaves her as a Senior in her field of Biolody (Zoology/Ecolohy).


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Unlike the Australian immigration system, Express Entry is a continuous intake program... no intake quotas per se and no open or closed periods. 

For the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP), those are run by the individual provinces and territories and they have their own rules and regulations apart from the Express Entry program. You _do *not*_ need to partake of a PNP in order to enter the Express Entry pool but _you *do*_ need to have an active Express Entry profile to be eligible for an Invitation to Apply (ITA).

The office of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration appears to have a draw every few weeks or so... I don't think that there is any assigned frequency but they are continuously held throughout the year.

You can check and see what the previous rounds looked like as far as when they happened, which program(s) they included (the draws cover a range of immigration categories and not all draws include the Federal Skilled Worker program), what the minimum CRS was and how many ITA were allocated (again, having a 470-ish ranking is going to put you in with a decent chance of being allocated an ITA sooner rather than later... it's just a matter of getting yourselves into the pool and waiting for a draw that reaches lower than your CRS rank).



My husband (a Yorkshire born/raised bloke) loves oysters and shellfish in general so we'll have to keep Bluff Oyster time in mind if/when we get down to NZ (which we intend on doing one of these days).

I used to hate the taste of oysters when I was a kid (odd texture and not great taste) but I've come to enjoy eating them raw or baked in bread crumbs... whenever we get back to Vancouver (we live in the UK), we try to get our hands on as much fresh seafood as we can.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

AdvBill said:


> Haha no, that would get me fired. Her position in the Industry. Her Title says Senior but that means BS as do Titles imo. Im a Project Manager but often I do every single role in Software Development projects, if they dont tell me this will be the case up front I leave, if they do I negotiate double my countract rate from $1k a day to $1500.
> 
> As for her, its just a combination of her work in the field (which is really for people with only a Bachelors or are lucky to never twisted ankles etc, as chasing skinks is often on 1km high hills that are loose scree) and her work in corporate offices, combining IT with Science. She would be considered a Senior GIS Project Manager, but the amount of science papers she has authored/co authored leaves her as a Senior in her field of Biolody (Zoology/Ecolohy).



She is not a 'senior' in her field. There is no such designation. I am an academic (albeit in another discipline) and terms like that simply are not used.


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## AdvBill (Nov 11, 2020)

colchar said:


> She is not a 'senior' in her field. There is no such designation. I am an academic (albeit in another discipline) and terms like that simply are not used.


They designate roles by this term here. Im not making it up. But doesnt matter if you believe me or not. Her academia title doesn't change, but her "work" title does depending on experience and academic exploits (which some prefer just to talk about, but that was not for her). Much like any industry. 

This isnt a pissing contest though . Thanks for your positive input however. She turned down professor roles as it confined her too much about teaching and not enough about doing in the field. After that she moved into a more government national focused role in Biodiversity data collection, ie Where she is now not stuck doing Herpetologist field work but has at least a decade working in the field under every manner or fauna and flora. But she also enjoys transferring data in the field to globally accessed data on every living entity and where they can be accessed. Obviously it depends on your clearance as some flora and fauna is very tightly monitored for poachers etc. That is her technical role. Id say its 2/3 of what she does now. There is a graduate programme there for people just starting out, most have a single PHD minimum.


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## AdvBill (Nov 11, 2020)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> I used to hate the taste of oysters when I was a kid (odd texture and not great taste) but I've come to enjoy eating them raw or baked in bread crumbs... whenever we get back to Vancouver (we live in the UK), we try to get our hands on as much fresh seafood as we can.


Yes I understand people not liking them. I grew up knocking them off the rocks and eating them. But sadly poachers have ruined them in Auck area.

Bluff oysters are another taste all together. Less fishy and more creamy, literal.

I can understand people not liking Kina. Id imagine not all sea urchins around the world are safe to eat...

Which calculator should I use?

Or should I go by this and add my points up? We do not add points for each other, do I just use the column that says Partner/Spouse and add points from that column if better? If I add our points together its well over 600 so I presume it is just one score per column, but a lot of them repeat similar questions about education for example.





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Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Criteria – Express Entry - Canada.ca


Express Entry – Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Criteria




www.canada.ca





When it says competency in Languages, how do I calculate my score in this and is it an individual score not points each, again? Which cities are most known for requiring french? I was looking at either Vancouver or Toronto. Toronto has a lot more IT jobs.

How do I find each states PN website?

Also what is the term for a job offered under sponsorship? (i think it starts with an L).

Hope that makes sense. I really appreciate your help.

I have to admit I used a calculator but it was an agency one. 

Edit: well it must be adding our points as 2 people, because the maximums would not be enough for an individual to score 450+


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

AdvBill said:


> They designate roles by this term here. Im not making it up. But doesnt matter if you believe me or not. Her academia title doesn't change, but her "work" title does depending on experience and academic exploits (which some prefer just to talk about, but that was not for her). Much like any industry.


I know that people are often titled 'senior whatever', but the way in which you used the term "she is a senior" makes no sense here. Nobody would say that. They would say "her position is senior whatever" but they would never say "she is a senior". Say that about someone here and the assumption is that they are a senior citizen (ie. over the age of 65).


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

You'll have to do a Google search to find the PN for _t_he province of your choice... the Provincial Nomination Program is run at the provincial level (provincial government sets the rules and regulations for their individual program and no one province can influence another in regards to how eligibility is determined or nominations are issued) so there's no one clearinghouse site that has all of the various programs in one place.

I'm also sure that if you look on the Express Entry website, you should be able to find a listing of direct links to the various provincial and territorial PNP programs.

(pro tip: Australia, India and the USA have "States" while Canada has Provinces... to avoid the ire of the average Canadian, _do not_ refer to our beloved provinces as states - it's a sensitive area with us lot... we're our own independent country and it irritates the pants off of us [not unlike how people basically lump NZ/Australia together] to have our bits referred to in US terms)

Do you mean an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment)? That’s applied for by a Canadian employer, costs a small ransom to apply for and can take a long time to get approval from the GoC.


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## AdvBill (Nov 11, 2020)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> Do you mean an LMIA (Labour Market Impact Assessment)?


Yes that is what I meant. Thank you. It is another option.

What is the official website for express entry?

Actually New Zealand uses Provinces as well. Like Auckland is actually a Province and a City, Hamilton is the capital of Waikatio, CCH is the capital city of Canterbury etc. NZ is more aristocratic English than Australia, which makes sense from the backgrounds of each city.

People here say NZ people are more like Canadians and Aussies like USA folk. Both are similar politically. In Aus you have state leaders but a Prime Minister like Eng/NZ, so its a bit of a mix. In NZ each City has a Mayor over each City/Province and a PM over the country. Fairly similar I guess, but politically quite different.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Express Entry

As for which cities are more likely to require one to be able to speak French... outside of Quebec, there are Francophone communities across Canada and government services at the provincial and federal levels are are available in both languages and there really isn't that pressing of a need to know how to speak French unless you worked for a government agency and even then, depending where one's job is based, there still may not be an absolute requirement to be bilingual (my cousin works in an office of a federal government department in Vancouver and doesn't ordinarily communicate in French on the job)... having the ability to speak French can be considered an asset to some employers, but then so can a wide number of other languages, especially in BC (i.e. you're more likely to hear East Asian and/or Indian languages [Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi] than French).

This table briefly outlines the general distribution of the Francophone communities across the country... in regards to the entry for BC, don't fear that Vancouver is listed... Maillardville isn't a) within the city limits of Vancouver (~23km east of downtown) and b) unless you lived within say 5-10 km of the community, you'd not likely have any reason to go there (I lived in the Metro Vancouver area for 40 years before leaving for the UK and I can't easily recall ever actually stopping there... driving through en route to other places, yes but actually getting out and interacting with the community, not so much) and a perusal further down that Wikipedia page shows that <2% of the community actually speaks French.


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