# Moving to Canada from Ireland



## AnneIreland

My husband and I and are three children, age 11, 8 and 5 are considering a move to Toronto, Canada next year from Ireland.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Where to live, schools, jobs (my husband is a Mechanical Engineer/Construction Project Manager), way of life, standard and cost of living (couldn't be as much as in Dublin) etc.

This would be a huge move for us so negative as well as positive feedback would be great.

Thanks.

Anne


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## Auld Yin

AnneIreland said:


> My husband and I and are three children, age 11, 8 and 5 are considering a move to Toronto, Canada next year from Ireland.
> 
> Any advice would be much appreciated. Where to live, schools, jobs (my husband is a Mechanical Engineer/Construction Project Manager), way of life, standard and cost of living (couldn't be as much as in Dublin) etc.
> 
> This would be a huge move for us so negative as well as positive feedback would be great.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Anne


The answer of where to live comes down to your personal preferences. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has a larger population than the Irish Republic, so do you want urban, suburban or rural? All areas have good schools, recreational facilities and transporation. I don't know about the cost of living in Dublin but Toronto is towards the top of Canadian cities. The standard of living is very good with Toronto ranked 15th in the world for quality of life.


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## AnneIreland

Thank you for answering me. Ideally we would like to live about 45mins outside the city in a family orientated area. Good transportation links to the city would be important.

At the moment Dublin is the 15th most expensive city in the world to live and Toronto is ranked 54th so I think that answers my question on cost of living.

What is the typical school day in Canada - do children ususally walk to school or do they use the school bus ? Don't know any Canadians - are they a laid back people or do they tend to be workaholics ?

How would you rate quality of life in Canada compared to Scotland - we know Scotland very well and have many friends living there.


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## Auld Yin

AnneIreland said:


> Thank you for answering me. Ideally we would like to live about 45mins outside the city in a family orientated area. Good transportation links to the city would be important.
> Toronto is on Lake Ontario and suburbia is to the north, east and west. The main transport link into the city is what's known as the GO Transit system. The main line, which has the most trains, runs east to west (or west to east if you prefer) right through the city centre. On this line you have the suburban cities of, from east to west, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington and Hamilton. I live in Pickering so it takes 40 minutes by train plus the time to get to the station( for me 10 minutes). All these towns have good schools, community activities, shopping and close proximity to the lake and water activities
> 
> At the moment Dublin is the 15th most expensive city in the world to live and Toronto is ranked 54th so I think that answers my question on cost of living.
> 
> What is the typical school day in Canada - do children ususally walk to school or do they use the school bus ? Don't know any Canadians - are they a laid back people or do they tend to be workaholics ?
> Walking or bussing depends on distance from the school but both are done. Canadians are regarded as laid-back by other expats here but are considered as working too long hours.
> 
> How would you rate quality of life in Canada compared to Scotland - we know Scotland very well and have many friends living there.
> In my opinion and for me there is no comparison. I have never regretted settling here. Canada has been very good to me and I hope vice versa. Hopefully you know winters can be harsh here but compensated for by Spring/Summer/Fall. You must embrace the winter and with kids get involved in winter activities such as skating, skiing, snowmobiling etc.


I am happy to answer, as best I can, any other questions for you.


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## 11thProvExpat

Oakville and Burlington are both very nice, low-crime, family-oriented cities. However, if you are driving into downtown Toronto the commute can be pretty frustrating. It will take you over an hour on a good day. The QEW backs up pretty bad through Oakville so if you drive you would want to live East of the Ford Plant (Ford Dr). The Go Train from Burlington to Union station in Toronto is about 50 minutes. From Oakville it's about 40. 

The commute from Mississauga would be much easier and you can catch the TTC into downtown which is cheaper than the GO Train. Mississauga is densely populated but there is a lot of good shopping there. Areas such as Erin Mills and Streetsville are particularly nice.

Another option is Brampton. You don't want to live close to the airport but some of the newer areas (especially NW) are very nice. A lot of families, new homes, new schools. The GO train from Brampton will take you about 40 - 50 minutes.

Best of luck to you.


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## aoibhinn

AnneIreland said:


> My husband and I and are three children, age 11, 8 and 5 are considering a move to Toronto, Canada next year from Ireland.
> 
> Any advice would be much appreciated. Where to live, schools, jobs (my husband is a Mechanical Engineer/Construction Project Manager), way of life, standard and cost of living (couldn't be as much as in Dublin) etc.
> 
> This would be a huge move for us so negative as well as positive feedback would be great.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Anne


Hi Anne
Lots to think about, we moved from Meath just this July, us and two kids (5 & 3)
If you have the mind set that what you buy for a Euro compared to what you buy for a dollar, I would consider Canada feels expensive, the Jury is still out. I have no idea what Toronto is like as we live in a small community in the country, but here is a run down from an Irish perspective and not in any particulr order
Tax
Remember everything you see has no tax on it, i.e. Electrical good, cars, CD, DVDs etc, so always allow to add 13% on top
Driving
Drivers license; You have two choices Irish or UK, they have three levels over here, G1 (provisional) G2 (excludes highways) and G (full), If you come over with your Irish license, you MUST get a letter from you County council confirming how many years driving you have had (it may help) without this you definatly start off having to apply for the G1 (cost $85) and cannot drive on your own, you must pass a theory test, which requires studying their codes as questions are related to their points system etc, and then a driving test. This gives you a G1, if you are lucky enough they might accept you letter and let you go apply for the G2 (still $85), you then need to pass the theory test, then a highway test for the full G($75), if you can transfer your Irish to a UK or Northern Irish license, then do it, make sure they state the same starting date as your Irish (how you do that I do not know), then you can do a straight swap for a G ($125), but either way ask how many years they are crediting your new license with, politly argue for the full term, if they say less (this helps with Insurance). Ask them for a “drivers absract” (record, $12), might be next door, note during this time you can drive a hire car on your Irish/UK license
Car Insurance
You thought Irish insurance was expensive, think again, firstly, you may not be able to drive without a Canadian license, your years of driving affects your insurance, the longer you been driving the better, also get letters from your insurance company/s confirming how long you have been claims free, longer the better, get these signed by your solicitor as being “presented to them as original”, get this stamped by the Irish Consular in Dublin (€20 each), nothing else will do.
To sum this up, my husband with a Uk license swapped to a G, he had certified 9 years claim free, is using his companies insurance company and is still paying $2,200 per year, in 3 years it will come down to approx $1400, quotes went as high as $4000 per car, for a car worth $7000!, back home is was $600 for a $36,000 car, and I can only drive for 30 days on my Irish, after that I stay at home, until I pass
Buying a car
Firstly you cannot buy a car without a Canadian license (see above), allow for the tax not shown, 13%. Talk to people about buying privately, it really is “let the buyer beware”, you can buy private car which has a loan on it and that loans becomes yours, there are checks for this, but talk to people first, then their is a “ certified cert” (like NCT) and a separate “Emissions test (like the NCT), dealers generally give you all of this. Car tax is low, about $74 per year or part thereof, dealers will also try to sell you a warranty as no one keeps log books with service records! Your choice we did, 
Weather
See others for the winter, summer (especially in GTA) can be hot, talking about 27+ and because of the lakes, the humidity can be high and that makes it feel even hotter, and that also creates the wildest lighting storms, like you have never experienced in Ireland, but imagine this, we looked out and saw a typical Irish grey cold looking day, shivered, stepped out and felt warm! mad
Phones
Phones are expensive, check them out carefully, unless in your plans, you pay for outgoing and incoming calls, texts etc, be aware that in a free text plan, outgoing international texts are extra, voice mail can be extra, out of your local area (say north west Dublin) is charged as long distance, and extra, they block numbers so you have to pay if you want to know who it is, anything you took for granted in Europe you may be paying for over here, the sales guy admitted that in the 1st world Canada is one of the most expensive in the world. If you have a good phone, and want to use it, make sure it is unlocked before you leave, to do it here is expensive and takes time here, and use phone cards or skype for ringing home
Utilities
You should get a letter from the ESB and/ or Bord Gais confirming you standing as a good payer, that may offset having to pay a $285 security deposit
Banks
Depending upon who you use, you may be charged monthly for your account, for each cheque, for each debit (on line or counter), banks put limits on new comers, i.e. we found after that we would have to make two bank transfers ($1.50 each) to pay our rent as it exceeded our limit
Electrics
This is covered by others, basics it's all 110v over here, so none of your TV, DVD player etc works, PC's should do, check, ours did, just need the right plug, we bought the cheapest DVD player here ($28) and luckily it plays all our kids stuff
Schools
Forgive me but I am presuming you might use a Catholic school, ours require our children's birth cert, baptismal cert and record of immunisation, you can check with the Toronto Catholic board

GTA is busy, been there once, I have driven the M50, UK M25, the highways here seem fuller but move! We have met other Irish and they would not move back, more importantly their kids would not move, they enjoy their life more, you are encouraged to give them sports by tax credits on what they play and do. Don't be mistaken the same stuff still happens, the odd shootings, tornado's, strikes etc, but right now it feels good

Apart from all of that we still love it, the kids love it, in our area there are clean small play parks, none are vandalised!! with slides, climbing frame etc, my husbands journey home is 20 minutes (was 60-90) and at a max 80kph (50 mph!). We are struggling until I can work as a nurse, but hopefully it will all work out, if you want more let me know


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## AnneIreland

aoibhinn said:


> Hi Anne
> Lots to think about, we moved from Meath just this July, us and two kids (5 & 3)
> If you have the mind set that what you buy for a Euro compared to what you buy for a dollar, I would consider Canada feels expensive, the Jury is still out. I have no idea what Toronto is like as we live in a small community in the country, but here is a run down from an Irish perspective and not in any particulr order
> Tax
> Remember everything you see has no tax on it, i.e. Electrical good, cars, CD, DVDs etc, so always allow to add 13% on top
> Driving
> Drivers license; You have two choices Irish or UK, they have three levels over here, G1 (provisional) G2 (excludes highways) and G (full), If you come over with your Irish license, you MUST get a letter from you County council confirming how many years driving you have had (it may help) without this you definatly start off having to apply for the G1 (cost $85) and cannot drive on your own, you must pass a theory test, which requires studying their codes as questions are related to their points system etc, and then a driving test. This gives you a G1, if you are lucky enough they might accept you letter and let you go apply for the G2 (still $85), you then need to pass the theory test, then a highway test for the full G($75), if you can transfer your Irish to a UK or Northern Irish license, then do it, make sure they state the same starting date as your Irish (how you do that I do not know), then you can do a straight swap for a G ($125), but either way ask how many years they are crediting your new license with, politly argue for the full term, if they say less (this helps with Insurance). Ask them for a “drivers absract” (record, $12), might be next door, note during this time you can drive a hire car on your Irish/UK license
> Car Insurance
> You thought Irish insurance was expensive, think again, firstly, you may not be able to drive without a Canadian license, your years of driving affects your insurance, the longer you been driving the better, also get letters from your insurance company/s confirming how long you have been claims free, longer the better, get these signed by your solicitor as being “presented to them as original”, get this stamped by the Irish Consular in Dublin (€20 each), nothing else will do.
> To sum this up, my husband with a Uk license swapped to a G, he had certified 9 years claim free, is using his companies insurance company and is still paying $2,200 per year, in 3 years it will come down to approx $1400, quotes went as high as $4000 per car, for a car worth $7000!, back home is was $600 for a $36,000 car, and I can only drive for 30 days on my Irish, after that I stay at home, until I pass
> Buying a car
> Firstly you cannot buy a car without a Canadian license (see above), allow for the tax not shown, 13%. Talk to people about buying privately, it really is “let the buyer beware”, you can buy private car which has a loan on it and that loans becomes yours, there are checks for this, but talk to people first, then their is a “ certified cert” (like NCT) and a separate “Emissions test (like the NCT), dealers generally give you all of this. Car tax is low, about $74 per year or part thereof, dealers will also try to sell you a warranty as no one keeps log books with service records! Your choice we did,
> Weather
> See others for the winter, summer (especially in GTA) can be hot, talking about 27+ and because of the lakes, the humidity can be high and that makes it feel even hotter, and that also creates the wildest lighting storms, like you have never experienced in Ireland, but imagine this, we looked out and saw a typical Irish grey cold looking day, shivered, stepped out and felt warm! mad
> Phones
> Phones are expensive, check them out carefully, unless in your plans, you pay for outgoing and incoming calls, texts etc, be aware that in a free text plan, outgoing international texts are extra, voice mail can be extra, out of your local area (say north west Dublin) is charged as long distance, and extra, they block numbers so you have to pay if you want to know who it is, anything you took for granted in Europe you may be paying for over here, the sales guy admitted that in the 1st world Canada is one of the most expensive in the world. If you have a good phone, and want to use it, make sure it is unlocked before you leave, to do it here is expensive and takes time here, and use phone cards or skype for ringing home
> Utilities
> You should get a letter from the ESB and/ or Bord Gais confirming you standing as a good payer, that may offset having to pay a $285 security deposit
> Banks
> Depending upon who you use, you may be charged monthly for your account, for each cheque, for each debit (on line or counter), banks put limits on new comers, i.e. we found after that we would have to make two bank transfers ($1.50 each) to pay our rent as it exceeded our limit
> Electrics
> This is covered by others, basics it's all 110v over here, so none of your TV, DVD player etc works, PC's should do, check, ours did, just need the right plug, we bought the cheapest DVD player here ($28) and luckily it plays all our kids stuff
> Schools
> Forgive me but I am presuming you might use a Catholic school, ours require our children's birth cert, baptismal cert and record of immunisation, you can check with the Toronto Catholic board
> 
> GTA is busy, been there once, I have driven the M50, UK M25, the highways here seem fuller but move! We have met other Irish and they would not move back, more importantly their kids would not move, they enjoy their life more, you are encouraged to give them sports by tax credits on what they play and do. Don't be mistaken the same stuff still happens, the odd shootings, tornado's, strikes etc, but right now it feels good
> 
> Apart from all of that we still love it, the kids love it, in our area there are clean small play parks, none are vandalised!! with slides, climbing frame etc, my husbands journey home is 20 minutes (was 60-90) and at a max 80kph (50 mph!). We are struggling until I can work as a nurse, but hopefully it will all work out, if you want more let me know




Hi Aoibhinn

Thank you so much for the message. It was great to get an Irish perspective on things. It would be next summer before we would be making a move, don't have our visas yet but any employment agencies my husband has spoken to both in Ireland and Canada are pretty sure we will get them as he is a skilled worker and there is a huge shortage in Canada in his field.

We are also living in Meath, Ratoath and love it here but the recession has hit hard. My husband is now working in the UK, travelling over on Monday and back on Friday and we have had enough of it already. He just wants to be in a good, secure job and be able to come home at a decent hour every evening. Want a good standard of living, low cost (don't want to be millionaires) just have some extra cash every month to do things with the kids and on the weekend. Do you think, from the little time you have been there, that this is achievable ? I know from your letter that things like insurance, phones seem to be expensive but overall do you find food, clothing, etc. chepaer ?

Have some questions for you, hope you don't think I am being too nosey ! Did you have jobs sorted before you went out and if so how did you go about this ? Are you renting a house and how much would we be expected to pay ? Where we live will obviously depend on where Noel gets a job, but we were hoping to only have one car so good transportation would be important. 

Catholic schools would be our first choice, but wouldn't be the be all and end all if they didn't go to one. What is the typical school day, do kids usually walk or use the school bus ? Have they uniforms, school dinners etc. ? Is education free ?

My younger two, aged 5 and 8 would have no problems moving, but my 11 year old is not too keen but I think he would adapt. How do you find the Canadians ? are you living in a housing estate where kids play outside or do you live in the country ?

Would love to hear your thoughts on the above when you get a minute. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me - best of luck with everything.

Noel and Anne Egan


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## Aoife24

Hi Anne

Just wondering if you have made the move? 

We are considering going in 2010 May. Love to hear where you are planning to go and how you are finding it all?

We are using an immigration lawyer, 

Aoibhinn, whereabouts did you settle, we are looking at Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.

Love to hear everything you have to say.

thanks








AnneIreland said:


> Hi Aoibhinn
> 
> Thank you so much for the message. It was great to get an Irish perspective on things. It would be next summer before we would be making a move, don't have our visas yet but any employment agencies my husband has spoken to both in Ireland and Canada are pretty sure we will get them as he is a skilled worker and there is a huge shortage in Canada in his field.
> 
> We are also living in Meath, Ratoath and love it here but the recession has hit hard. My husband is now working in the UK, travelling over on Monday and back on Friday and we have had enough of it already. He just wants to be in a good, secure job and be able to come home at a decent hour every evening. Want a good standard of living, low cost (don't want to be millionaires) just have some extra cash every month to do things with the kids and on the weekend. Do you think, from the little time you have been there, that this is achievable ? I know from your letter that things like insurance, phones seem to be expensive but overall do you find food, clothing, etc. chepaer ?
> 
> Have some questions for you, hope you don't think I am being too nosey ! Did you have jobs sorted before you went out and if so how did you go about this ? Are you renting a house and how much would we be expected to pay ? Where we live will obviously depend on where Noel gets a job, but we were hoping to only have one car so good transportation would be important.
> 
> Catholic schools would be our first choice, but wouldn't be the be all and end all if they didn't go to one. What is the typical school day, do kids usually walk or use the school bus ? Have they uniforms, school dinners etc. ? Is education free ?
> 
> My younger two, aged 5 and 8 would have no problems moving, but my 11 year old is not too keen but I think he would adapt. How do you find the Canadians ? are you living in a housing estate where kids play outside or do you live in the country ?
> 
> Would love to hear your thoughts on the above when you get a minute. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me - best of luck with everything.
> 
> Noel and Anne Egan


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## aoibhinn

Aoife24 said:


> Hi Anne
> 
> Just wondering if you have made the move?
> 
> We are considering going in 2010 May. Love to hear where you are planning to go and how you are finding it all?
> 
> We are using an immigration lawyer,
> 
> Aoibhinn, whereabouts did you settle, we are looking at Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax.
> 
> Love to hear everything you have to say.
> 
> thanks


Hi Aoife 

We are currently living in a place call Rockwood Ontario Its about 50 mins south west of Toronto Airport in the countryside.It is rural village which has about 12000 people in surrounding areas. Its a nice area No crime, good for my two kids 5 and 3 . Let us Know if you need anymore help.


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## Aoife24

That sounds good Aoibhinn! Did it take you long to decide where to live?

Are you homesick much? Anything you miss? Do your children like it? Mine are 6months and 3 so pre-school. Did you feel your quality of life improved much? Does your husband work in Toronto city? And finally how do you find the schools and ofcourse the weather

Sorry for all the questions!!!!! I'm nervous about dragging the kids half way across the world if its not the right move, although with my husband out of work here there is not alot to stay for at the moment!

Have you made friends with other mums? That's a big fear of mine that I might get sidelined at home if I don't get part time work straight away...

anyways great to hear your kids love it and are happy )


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## emerm

Hey everyone,
Myself and my fiancee are hoping to make the big move in may, to vancouver. its great to read all the great advice about life over there. I was wondering does anyone know if there is still much work in construction,particularly plumbing over there.Thanks!


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## jacktoboggan

*Still looking for some info??*

Hey Anne
I can provide you with a plenty of facts and opinions about living in Canada, well living in and around toronto to be exact. I moved here 19 years ago so i do have a bit of experience. Since nothing comes free I would like you to give me similar info about living in Ireland. Deal?????
Jack


AnneIreland said:


> My husband and I and are three children, age 11, 8 and 5 are considering a move to Toronto, Canada next year from Ireland.
> 
> Any advice would be much appreciated. Where to live, schools, jobs (my husband is a Mechanical Engineer/Construction Project Manager), way of life, standard and cost of living (couldn't be as much as in Dublin) etc.
> 
> This would be a huge move for us so negative as well as positive feedback would be great.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Anne


----------



## jacktoboggan

emerm said:


> Hey everyone,
> Myself and my fiancee are hoping to make the big move in may, to vancouver. its great to read all the great advice about life over there. I was wondering does anyone know if there is still much work in construction,particularly plumbing over there.Thanks!


Hi Guys
The good news is that plumbing is a trade that always seems to be in demand in Canada. Bad news is that you need a licensce to access top wages. So if you move make sure to start working towards your licence asap. In Ontario this gets frequently done while working.Apprenticeship program is what its called
How much work is out there. It can be easily checked by using websites of local newspapers, employment jobsites etc. 
jobbank.gc.ca is one of them, run by government of canada.
Cheers Jack


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## spandza

Hi Anne,

We moved here to Edmonton Alberta from Australia 8 yrs ago. Edmonton is great to bring a family up in compared to the urban sprawl and lifestyle in Melbourne. My husband is a structural designer and with all the work here he will never have to worry about a jib again as opposed to the last three years in Oz where he was away for two weeks at a time and home for a weekend. We arrived with two kids and now have three. Alberta is the only province where there is no PST so automatically it is cheaper with just GST. I pay approx $60-$100 per child to have them in school per year in the catholic system. Schooling I believe is cheaper here too as opposed to Toronto where it becomes more of a private school system as the children go into high school. We rented a car every weekend for $30 initially and our credit card covered our insurance, my husband got his Canadian license fairly quickly and I drove on an international for a year which I got from Oz before I came. Sometimes we would hire a car on a weekly basis for $99 pw. It's all workable ad doable but certainly vehicle history and extracts etc help as well as financial. Hope this helps. Sharon


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## Auld Yin

I believe is cheaper here too as opposed to Toronto where it becomes more of a private school system as the children go into high school.

I apologise but I must set you right here. All education in Ontario (Toronto) is free unless one chooses the private school route.


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## spandza

Auld Yin said:


> I believe is cheaper here too as opposed to Toronto where it becomes more of a private school system as the children go into high school.
> 
> I apologise but I must set you right here. All education in Ontario (Toronto) is free unless one chooses the private school route.


Thanks for the correction - my apologies.


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## scallions

spandza said:


> Hi Anne,
> 
> We moved here to Edmonton Alberta from Australia 8 yrs ago. Edmonton is great to bring a family up in compared to the urban sprawl and lifestyle in Melbourne. My husband is a structural designer and with all the work here he will never have to worry about a jib again as opposed to the last three years in Oz where he was away for two weeks at a time and home for a weekend. We arrived with two kids and now have three. Alberta is the only province where there is no PST so automatically it is cheaper with just GST. I pay approx $60-$100 per child to have them in school per year in the catholic system. Schooling I believe is cheaper here too as opposed to Toronto where it becomes more of a private school system as the children go into high school. We rented a car every weekend for $30 initially and our credit card covered our insurance, my husband got his Canadian license fairly quickly and I drove on an international for a year which I got from Oz before I came. Sometimes we would hire a car on a weekly basis for $99 pw. It's all workable ad doable but certainly vehicle history and extracts etc help as well as financial. Hope this helps. Sharon



Hi Sharon, 

Can I ask you a quick question please? I hope Anne doesn't mind me butting in on her question? My husband and I are hoping to move to Canada ASAP - the only thing standing in our way is saving up the settlement funds before we can make the application. He is an Architectural Visualiser/Illustrator and I see that your husband is working in Structural Engineering. Can I ask you what the work in that area is like as a freelancer? I'm mindful that your husband may not be working as a consultant/freelancer, but even if he had a general idea of how you may get on as a freelancer.

I'd really appreciate any info you have on this. The information I've read on this thread so far is excellent!

Many thanks. M


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## spandza

scallions said:


> Hi Sharon,
> 
> Can I ask you a quick question please? I hope Anne doesn't mind me butting in on her question? My husband and I are hoping to move to Canada ASAP - the only thing standing in our way is saving up the settlement funds before we can make the application. He is an Architectural Visualiser/Illustrator and I see that your husband is working in Structural Engineering. Can I ask you what the work in that area is like as a freelancer? I'm mindful that your husband may not be working as a consultant/freelancer, but even if he had a general idea of how you may get on as a freelancer.
> 
> I'd really appreciate any info you have on this. The information I've read on this thread so far is excellent!
> 
> Many thanks. M



Unfortunately I don't feel I can answer your question on the market for freelancers in your husband's field. Their are agencies that cater for all engineering/architectural positions were you would be put on contract. One agency comes to mind is called Roevin which have offices all over Canada. Best thing to do is call them and see what they can do. Hope this helps.


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## scallions

spandza said:


> Unfortunately I don't feel I can answer your question on the market for freelancers in your husband's field. Their are agencies that cater for all engineering/architectural positions were you would be put on contract. One agency comes to mind is called Roevin which have offices all over Canada. Best thing to do is call them and see what they can do. Hope this helps.


Great - thank you


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## Auld Yin

scallions said:


> Hi Sharon,
> 
> Can I ask you a quick question please? I hope Anne doesn't mind me butting in on her question? My husband and I are hoping to move to Canada ASAP - the only thing standing in our way is saving up the settlement funds before we can make the application. He is an Architectural Visualiser/Illustrator and I see that your husband is working in Structural Engineering. Can I ask you what the work in that area is like as a freelancer? I'm mindful that your husband may not be working as a consultant/freelancer, but even if he had a general idea of how you may get on as a freelancer.
> 
> I'd really appreciate any info you have on this. The information I've read on this thread so far is excellent!
> 
> Many thanks. M


May I ask what type of visa do you hope to apply for?


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## scallions

Auld Yin said:


> May I ask what type of visa do you hope to apply for?


Hi Auld Yin, 

We're hoping to apply with my husband as principal applicant on a self employed visa. I could apply as Principal Applicant through the Professionally Skilled Worker (I'm manager of a small community organisation - with post grad education), but the self employed route sounds easier. Would you agree with this or do you think applying on the PSW visa is better?


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## Auld Yin

scallions said:


> Hi Auld Yin,
> 
> We're hoping to apply with my husband as principal applicant on a self employed visa. I could apply as Principal Applicant through the Professionally Skilled Worker (I'm manager of a small community organisation - with post grad education), but the self employed route sounds easier. Would you agree with this or do you think applying on the PSW visa is better?


The self-employed requirements are quite strict so I assume you've researched and your husband qualifies. What is the NOC number that you believe qualifies you?


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## scallions

Auld Yin said:


> The self-employed requirements are quite strict so I assume you've researched and your husband qualifies. What is the NOC number that you believe qualifies you?


Hi Auld Yin - I'll have to have a look again as I don't remember the number, but he definitely qualifies.


----------



## scallions

it's 5241


----------



## aoibhinn

AnneIreland said:


> Hi Aoibhinn
> 
> Thank you so much for the message. It was great to get an Irish perspective on things. It would be next summer before we would be making a move, don't have our visas yet but any employment agencies my husband has spoken to both in Ireland and Canada are pretty sure we will get them as he is a skilled worker and there is a huge shortage in Canada in his field.
> 
> We are also living in Meath, Ratoath and love it here but the recession has hit hard. My husband is now working in the UK, travelling over on Monday and back on Friday and we have had enough of it already. He just wants to be in a good, secure job and be able to come home at a decent hour every evening. Want a good standard of living, low cost (don't want to be millionaires) just have some extra cash every month to do things with the kids and on the weekend. Do you think, from the little time you have been there, that this is achievable ? I know from your letter that things like insurance, phones seem to be expensive but overall do you find food, clothing, etc. chepaer ?
> 
> Have some questions for you, hope you don't think I am being too nosey ! Did you have jobs sorted before you went out and if so how did you go about this ? Are you renting a house and how much would we be expected to pay ? Where we live will obviously depend on where Noel gets a job, but we were hoping to only have one car so good transportation would be important.
> 
> Catholic schools would be our first choice, but wouldn't be the be all and end all if they didn't go to one. What is the typical school day, do kids usually walk or use the school bus ? Have they uniforms, school dinners etc. ? Is education free ?
> 
> My younger two, aged 5 and 8 would have no problems moving, but my 11 year old is not too keen but I think he would adapt. How do you find the Canadians ? are you living in a housing estate where kids play outside or do you live in the country ?
> 
> Would love to hear your thoughts on the above when you get a minute. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me - best of luck with everything.
> 
> Noel and Anne Egan


Hi Anne

Sorry I am only getting back to you now, we did live not far from Ratoath, in answering your first point, it is achievable to have a good standard of living here, yes we beleive so as long your committments back home are nil or low, we struggle at the moment beause we still havnt been able to sell our cars (since July) and have to supplement the rent on our house, all on one job. But the kids going ice skating every week, my daughter does ballett, we hope to go skiing a few times, the kids will start swimming soon and soccer in May. If you intend to have no house and cash in the bank, then things should be good, look up mls.ca for buying or renting, look for the hidden taxes, rates etc. We do find things cheaper, even allowing for the tax which is always added on after.
My husband had a job before we came here, he is an mechanical estimator, work is quiet at the moment, but supposed to get very busy in March, when the local authorities have money to spend, which should mean a lot of work starting later. He found his job by chance at a job fair at the Red Cow, sent his CV, took about 6 months to secure the job. We are currently renting a house in Rockwood at $1600 per month, a bit high for a 3 bedroom, it backs onto fields/ conservation area etc it's about 2400 sqft with a basement of the same size! you have to be aware that houses over here have basements which do not feature in the square footage and in the case of bungalows it doubles the house size, people tend to use them as dens, i.e. Office, kids play area, home gym etc. We picked this as it was close to work 20 minutes and came furnished which is unusual, i.e. Check what comes and allow to buy furntiutre. We currently get by on one car, but it is hard especially in the winter, some days I have to drive my husband to work, back for the school bus, drop the other one at the creche, then pick him up from work. Only large towns have good transport, so be careful, prices have just gone up, and people like any where complain that the service is not good enough.
Schools, education is free up to college, then it is very expensive, where you go depends upon where you live, our child is bused free to a Catholic school 15 Kms away, no uniform until teens, bus collects her at 8.10, home by 3.40, school dinners, yes if you order and pay. Canadians, hmm very helpful, conservative, need to know you before they befriend you, i.e. Only one of our neighbours has invited us in for tea (6 months and counting). We do live on an estate (sub divison over here) kids on our estate, do play outside (weather permitting, i.e. -15C tomorrow!), it's an old estate, so there are not many young families.

Hope the visa goes ok, some visas can take a time to get through. 

Aoibhínn


----------



## aoibhinn

Aoife24 said:


> That sounds good Aoibhinn! Did it take you long to decide where to live?
> 
> Are you homesick much? Anything you miss? Do your children like it? Mine are 6months and 3 so pre-school. Did you feel your quality of life improved much? Does your husband work in Toronto city? And finally how do you find the schools and ofcourse the weather
> 
> Sorry for all the questions!!!!! I'm nervous about dragging the kids half way across the world if its not the right move, although with my husband out of work here there is not alot to stay for at the moment!
> 
> Have you made friends with other mums? That's a big fear of mine that I might get sidelined at home if I don't get part time work straight away...
> 
> anyways great to hear your kids love it and are happy )


Hi Aoife

We are here about six months now and its all good. I haven't had time to be homesick with the kids they are keeping me busy and with skype and facebook i am seeing and talking to people . 
We are missing sky /tv cos its crap here, but then again that's a good thing. Kids love it cos there is so much to do with them and its all geared for kids. My kids are 5 and 3 , My three year old is in pre school twice a week for three hours a day nice break for me its 112 dollars a month .
Quality life is much better here i am not working at moment but hoping to get back into nursing on part time basis. My Husband works 20 mins up the road, no traffic lights to be seen leaves at 7.35 back home 5.25pm far cry from both our jobs commuting to Dublin from Meath at 6.40am back for 7.00pm. My husband work outside Toronto. But where we live has become like a commuter village /town for Toronto, the gta is probably 45 mins away. 

Weather is very cold but grand if you dress appropriately. We like to ski so we are happy at moment to see snow, but only draw back is the east coast does not have big mountains and skiing is short for us. We have a local slope 20 mins away which is great for the kids to get started.

Flights home for us is from Toronto all year round and from May until Oct from Hamilton direct to Dublin. It would be nice if we had a direct flight home in the winter.

Aoibhinn


----------



## aoibhinn

aoibhinn said:


> Hi Aoife
> 
> We are here about six months now and its all good. I haven't had time to be homesick with the kids they are keeping me busy and with skype and facebook i am seeing and talking to people .
> We are missing sky /tv cos its crap here, but then again that's a good thing. Kids love it cos there is so much to do with them and its all geared for kids. My kids are 5 and 3 , My three year old is in pre school twice a week for three hours a day nice break for me its 112 dollars a month .
> Quality life is much better here i am not working at moment but hoping to get back into nursing on part time basis. My Husband works 20 mins up the road, no traffic lights to be seen leaves at 7.35 back home 5.25pm far cry from both our jobs commuting to Dublin from Meath at 6.40am back for 7.00pm. My husband work outside Toronto. But where we live has become like a commuter village /town for Toronto, the gta is probably 45 mins away.
> 
> Weather is very cold but grand if you dress appropriately. We like to ski so we are happy at moment to see snow, but only draw back is the east coast does not have big mountains and skiing is short for us. We have a local slope 20 mins away which is great for the kids to get started.
> 
> Flights home for us is from Toronto all year round and from May until Oct from Hamilton direct to Dublin. It would be nice if we had a direct flight home in the winter.
> 
> Aoibhinn


Have I made alot of friends with other mums, no very hard, have met mums at playgroup but without me approaching them to have play date/coffee in my house i would be still waiting to meet people.It depends on where you live i think and you will have to make a effort and I think most people are general happy for the company. I have missed work in the beginning but I wanted to get the kids settled in first.I think once I get some work I will met friends thats the plan anyway.


----------



## FidgeFodge

aoibhinn said:


> Hi Aoife
> 
> We are here about six months now and its all good. I haven't had time to be homesick with the kids they are keeping me busy and with skype and facebook i am seeing and talking to people .
> We are missing sky /tv cos its crap here, but then again that's a good thing. Kids love it cos there is so much to do with them and its all geared for kids. My kids are 5 and 3 , My three year old is in pre school twice a week for three hours a day nice break for me its 112 dollars a month .
> Quality life is much better here i am not working at moment but hoping to get back into nursing on part time basis. My Husband works 20 mins up the road, no traffic lights to be seen leaves at 7.35 back home 5.25pm far cry from both our jobs commuting to Dublin from Meath at 6.40am back for 7.00pm. My husband work outside Toronto. But where we live has become like a commuter village /town for Toronto, the gta is probably 45 mins away.
> 
> Weather is very cold but grand if you dress appropriately. We like to ski so we are happy at moment to see snow, but only draw back is the east coast does not have big mountains and skiing is short for us. We have a local slope 20 mins away which is great for the kids to get started.
> 
> Flights home for us is from Toronto all year round and from May until Oct from Hamilton direct to Dublin. It would be nice if we had a direct flight home in the winter.
> 
> Aoibhinn



Did you end up moving to Hamilton? That is where I presently am after moving from Toronto.


----------



## aoibhinn

FidgeFodge said:


> Did you end up moving to Hamilton? That is where I presently am after moving from Toronto.


Hi There 
No not in Hamilton,We live in Rockwood about 40 mins away.


----------



## dub man

hi aoibhinn im living in trim originally blanchardstown am hoping to go to calgary in first week in aug im married with three kids 14 10 and new born i have a job lined up in roofing a big step i know my big fear is my wife and the 14 year old not liking it im currently employed but as you know the down turn in construction i could be layed off anytime as the time getting closer starting to feel the pressure do you know of anybody out in calgary


----------



## aoibhinn

dub man said:


> hi aoibhinn im living in trim originally blanchardstown am hoping to go to calgary in first week in aug im married with three kids 14 10 and new born i have a job lined up in roofing a big step i know my big fear is my wife and the 14 year old not liking it im currently employed but as you know the down turn in construction i could be layed off anytime as the time getting closer starting to feel the pressure do you know of anybody out in calgary


Hi dub man sorry only getting back to you now, sorry dont know anyone there but as you can see from my threads it can certainly hard at the beginning when you first move.Its taken us nine months to meet people we would call friends now. Its summer here now and its great and kids are loving it


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## Rahulma

I moved from Brazil to Canada back couple of years ago.

I settled down in Ottawa- ONTARIO. Ottawa is among the best cities to live in Canada and we had very recently a global ranking where If my memory serves me well Ottawa was ranked at the top 15 best cities to live worldwide

Check this article: (very recent)

Ottawa ranked as best Canadian city to live, Toronto sits at number 85: MoneySense survey - 680News

Also, Ottawa offers a great quality of life. People tend to live close to work and traffic is not bad compared to Toronto, not a chance. On top Ottawa has the highest household income in all Canada. Check statistics Canada for more info on that.

I would say Ottawa is ideal to raise a family like yours. Whatever your choice will be, bare in mind, that cost of living depends on how much you will make and also quality of life is something that have to consider too. I moved from Sao Paulo which is a big big city, lots of traffic, violence (as any big cities) , 

Ottawa is less expensive than Toronto in everything and it has the highest household income in Canada (I know I am repeating but there is something that I am trying to say here)

Just for you info I go by bicycle to work because there are tons and tons of "bike paths"; lots of Parks, and commuting is not bad if you rely on the bus system.

Well it is a personal choice; if you want to settle in a new place and if you have the option, I would definitely try to live where I could enjoy life most (meaning what are the important things that you and your family think that a city has to offer ?) 

Whichever city you choose in Canada, I wish you all the best


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## charmed1234

hello everyone.

can someone help me how long does it take for a visa to come me and my family are moving out there and dont know were to go i have 3 kids 2/ 3/ and 14 and my sister she has health problems and i am asking is the it free out there or do you have to pay so if anyone can let me it would be a great help.

thank you


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## Auld Yin

charmed1234 said:


> hello everyone.
> 
> can someone help me how long does it take for a visa to come me and my family are moving out there and dont know were to go i have 3 kids 2/ 3/ and 14 and my sister she has health problems and i am asking is the it free out there or do you have to pay so if anyone can let me it would be a great help.
> 
> thank you


My first question is, what type of visas do you have/have applied for? Has your sister had her medical examination? 
FYI, health care in Canada is "free" to an extent but doesn't cover drugs and dental care. If/when you arrive you are not covered for the first three months in most Provinces.
You say you don't know where to go. Surely that would depend on where you find work. What do you do for a living?
Are you sponsoring your sister? She can only be sponsored under special circumstances.


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## SczzyBoy

*Caught this late*



dub man said:


> hi aoibhinn im living in trim originally blanchardstown am hoping to go to calgary in first week in aug im married with three kids 14 10 and new born i have a job lined up in roofing a big step i know my big fear is my wife and the 14 year old not liking it im currently employed but as you know the down turn in construction i could be layed off anytime as the time getting closer starting to feel the pressure do you know of anybody out in calgary


dubman,

I live in Calgary and have for the last several years on recurring work permits - now going for CEC application as they keep changing the Skilled Worker conditions which sucks. If you want to meet up for a coffee while you are here then let me know in a message and I'll give you my contact details. Always good to meet new arrivals.

I'm single with no kids but should be able to give you a feel for longer term Calgary life. This is my home now and I plan to remain here as long as they never throw me out! 

SB.


----------



## joec

*what to do???*

Hi Anne im feeling in the same position as yourself.Myself& husband are thinking of making this move but are terrified.My husband is a plumber and has been for the last 14 years 6 of them have been self employed, im a special needs assistant and also a beauty therapist.We are completely feed up with life in ireland and feel there is nothing for our children in this country they are 3 and 6.i dont know where to start with all of this?any help would be much appreciated,cheers!


AnneIreland said:


> My husband and I and are three children, age 11, 8 and 5 are considering a move to Toronto, Canada next year from Ireland.
> 
> Any advice would be much appreciated. Where to live, schools, jobs (my husband is a Mechanical Engineer/Construction Project Manager), way of life, standard and cost of living (couldn't be as much as in Dublin) etc.
> 
> This would be a huge move for us so negative as well as positive feedback would be great.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Anne


----------



## Auld Yin

joec said:


> Hi Anne im feeling in the same position as yourself.Myself& husband are thinking of making this move but are terrified.My husband is a plumber and has been for the last 14 years 6 of them have been self employed, im a special needs assistant and also a beauty therapist.We are completely feed up with life in ireland and feel there is nothing for our children in this country they are 3 and 6.i dont know where to start with all of this?any help would be much appreciated,cheers!


Well you're one of the lucky ones. With your husband being a plumber, he is on THE LIST and all going well with the application/medicals/police checks you could all be in Canada within 6-9 months. The very first thing you have to do is read carefully the Canadian Government site on immigration. Welcome to Citizenship and Immigration Canada
The application form(s) can be downloaded from here.
Obviously you must decide in which part of this VAST country you wish to live. Decide if you want rural or city life. It helps if you have friends/relatives here to help you become acclimatised/settled, but it's not essential. Many come without this help. 
You can ask questions of us here and we'll be pleased to offer you some help/advice/knowledge. It is a mammoth, intimidating, frightening experience to move all your family such a long way. You will think sometimes that you're the only people to have done this, but remember millions have done it before you and most successfully, including, believe it or not, some Irish.


----------



## aoibhinn

joec said:


> Hi Anne im feeling in the same position as yourself.Myself& husband are thinking of making this move but are terrified.My husband is a plumber and has been for the last 14 years 6 of them have been self employed, im a special needs assistant and also a beauty therapist.We are completely feed up with life in ireland and feel there is nothing for our children in this country they are 3 and 6.i dont know where to start with all of this?any help would be much appreciated,cheers!


Hi Joec
I am also from Meath, we made the move just over a year ago.We have just been home for july.Nothing has change since we left and we are really enjoying it here , from prevoius threads I have two children 6 and 4 and they love it here and there is so much for the kids to do here. And it is all about the kids and the quality of life. We have our house in ireland with a big mortgage and we dont have the money we use to but its still worth. If you want to know anything the threads are great and they steer you in the right direction. take care


----------



## emmagail

Heading over in September -paid balance of the flights today......
My wife is Canadian so it will just be a matter of time to wait for my Permanent Residency. We have 2 daughters 5 & 3 who are all excited about the move. All we will have going is about 10k and with that we will need 1months rent & 1month deposit and a set of wheels - it wont be possible for me to get a UK licence though and the insurance will be about 5k (jeep as I am very nervous driver)
Will I be able to pay my insurance monthly as in Ireland or will it all have to be up front? How long before I can get full credit history? I was going to apply for my PR in Buffalo NY as its supposed to be quicker - does anybody know if this is just an urban legend?
thanks

Can't wait to get there!!


----------



## Auld Yin

emmagail said:


> Heading over in September -paid balance of the flights today......
> My wife is Canadian so it will just be a matter of time to wait for my Permanent Residency. We have 2 daughters 5 & 3 who are all excited about the move. All we will have going is about 10k and with that we will need 1months rent & 1month deposit and a set of wheels - it wont be possible for me to get a UK licence though and the insurance will be about 5k (jeep as I am very nervous driver)
> Will I be able to pay my insurance monthly as in Ireland or will it all have to be up front? How long before I can get full credit history? I was going to apply for my PR in Buffalo NY as its supposed to be quicker - does anybody know if this is just an urban legend?
> thanks
> 
> Can't wait to get there!!


So do you and your daughters have visas? Do either you or wife have jobs? If not, $10k will not go very far. I hope you have some family here to help you out. 
I don't think you can go to Buffalo to activate a PR visa until you've applied for PR status. Ay that point, you can.
There are some insurance companies with monthly payment programmes.


----------



## emmagail

being Irish, we can enter the country for a year without needing any visas - the children are canadian citizens by birth as their mother is Canadian born and bred


----------



## Auld Yin

emmagail said:


> being Irish, we can enter the country for a year without needing any visas - the children are canadian citizens by birth as their mother is Canadian born and bred


What makes you think that being Irish you can enter Canada for one year without visas? Your wife and children, being Canadian born, can certainly enter the country unheeded, assuming they have Canadian passports. I believe you need to be sponsored, presumably by your wife. You cannot work without a SIN card and you will not get that unless you're in the country legally. 
If I'm wrong then I apologize.


----------



## franer

*lookin to move to canada*

my name is fran im from dublin ireland and i was reading some of the forums i would just like to know whats so good about canada compaired to dublin ireland,i know from what i am reading the car insurances and phones but what so good 
thanks Fran


aoibhinn said:


> Hi Anne
> Lots to think about, we moved from Meath just this July, us and two kids (5 & 3)
> If you have the mind set that what you buy for a Euro compared to what you buy for a dollar, I would consider Canada feele s expensive, the Jury is still out. I have no idea what Toronto is like as we live in a small community in the country, but here is a run down from an Irish perspective and not in any particulr order
> Tax
> Remember everything you see has no tax on it, i.e. Electrical good, cars, CD, DVDs etc, so always allow to add 13% on top
> Driving
> Drivers license; You have two choices Irish or UK, they have three levels over here, G1 (provisional) G2 (excludes highways) and G (full), If you come over with your Irish license, you MUST get a letter from you County council confirming how many years driving you have had (it may help) without this you definatly start off having to apply for the G1 (cost $85) and cannot drive on your own, you must pass a theory test, which requires studying their codes as questions are related to their points system etc, and then a driving test. This gives you a G1, if you are lucky enough they might accept you letter and let you go apply for the G2 (still $85), you then need to pass the theory test, then a highway test for the full G($75), if you can transfer your Irish to a UK or Northern Irish license, then do it, make sure they state the same starting date as your Irish (how you do that I do not know), then you can do a straight swap for a G ($125), but either way ask how many years they are crediting your new license with, politly argue for the full term, if they say less (this helps with Insurance). Ask them for a “drivers absract” (record, $12), might be next door, note during this time you can drive a hire car on your Irish/UK license
> Car Insurance
> You thought Irish insurance was expensive, think again, firstly, you may not be able to drive without a Canadian license, your years of driving affects your insurance, the longer you been driving the better, also get letters from your insurance company/s confirming how long you have been claims free, longer the better, get these signed by your solicitor as being “presented to them as original”, get this stamped by the Irish Consular in Dublin (€20 each), nothing else will do.
> To sum this up, my husband with a Uk license swapped to a G, he had certified 9 years claim free, is using his companies insurance company and is still paying $2,200 per year, in 3 years it will come down to approx $1400, quotes went as high as $4000 per car, for a car worth $7000!, back home is was $600 for a $36,000 car, and I can only drive for 30 days on my Irish, after that I stay at home, until I pass
> Buying a car
> Firstly you cannot buy a car without a Canadian license (see above), allow for the tax not shown, 13%. Talk to people about buying privately, it really is “let the buyer beware”, you can buy private car which has a loan on it and that loans becomes yours, there are checks for this, but talk to people first, then their is a “ certified cert” (like NCT) and a separate “Emissions test (like the NCT), dealers generally give you all of this. Car tax is low, about $74 per year or part thereof, dealers will also try to sell you a warranty as no one keeps log books with service records! Your choice we did,
> Weather
> See others for the winter, summer (especially in GTA) can be hot, talking about 27+ and because of the lakes, the humidity can be high and that makes it feel even hotter, and that also creates the wildest lighting storms, like you have never experienced in Ireland, but imagine this, we looked out and saw a typical Irish grey cold looking day, shivered, stepped out and felt warm! mad
> Phones
> Phones are expensive, check them out carefully, unless in your plans, you pay for outgoing and incoming calls, texts etc, be aware that in a free text plan, outgoing international texts are extra, voice mail can be extra, out of your local area (say north west Dublin) is charged as long distance, and extra, they block numbers so you have to pay if you want to know who it is, anything you took for granted in Europe you may be paying for over here, the sales guy admitted that in the 1st world Canada is one of the most expensive in the world. If you have a good phone, and want to use it, make sure it is unlocked before you leave, to do it here is expensive and takes time here, and use phone cards or skype for ringing home
> Utilities
> You should get a letter from the ESB and/ or Bord Gais confirming you standing as a good payer, that may offset having to pay a $285 security deposit
> Banks
> Depending upon who you use, you may be charged monthly for your account, for each cheque, for each debit (on line or counter), banks put limits on new comers, i.e. we found after that we would have to make two bank transfers ($1.50 each) to pay our rent as it exceeded our limit
> Electrics
> This is covered by others, basics it's all 110v over here, so none of your TV, DVD player etc works, PC's should do, check, ours did, just need the right plug, we bought the cheapest DVD player here ($28) and luckily it plays all our kids stuff
> Schools
> Forgive me but I am presuming you might use a Catholic school, ours require our children's birth cert, baptismal cert and record of immunisation, you can check with the Toronto Catholic board
> 
> GTA is busy, been there once, I have driven the M50, UK M25, the highways here seem fuller but move! We have met other Irish and they would not move back, more importantly their kids would not move, they enjoy their life more, you are encouraged to give them sports by tax credits on what they play and do. Don't be mistaken the same stuff still happens, the odd shootings, tornado's, strikes etc, but right now it feels good
> 
> Apart from all of that we still love it, the kids love it, in our area there are clean small play parks, none are vandalised!! with slides, climbing frame etc, my husbands journey home is 20 minutes (was 60-90) and at a max 80kph (50 mph!). We are struggling until I can work as a nurse, but hopefully it will all work out, if you want more let me know


----------



## Brenda76

*Hi we are moving to Vancouver on 22nd October , my husband and two boys 10 and 5. We are currently looking for removal companies and any recommendations from people who have done the move. 

Really enjoyed reading your blog , great information in it and will keep it to refer back in the future.

How have your kids settled into school? Have they made friends easily?

Thanks again.
Brenda
*


aoibhinn said:


> Hi Anne
> Lots to think about, we moved from Meath just this July, us and two kids (5 & 3)
> If you have the mind set that what you buy for a Euro compared to what you buy for a dollar, I would consider Canada feels expensive, the Jury is still out. I have no idea what Toronto is like as we live in a small community in the country, but here is a run down from an Irish perspective and not in any particulr order
> Tax
> Remember everything you see has no tax on it, i.e. Electrical good, cars, CD, DVDs etc, so always allow to add 13% on top
> Driving
> Drivers license; You have two choices Irish or UK, they have three levels over here, G1 (provisional) G2 (excludes highways) and G (full), If you come over with your Irish license, you MUST get a letter from you County council confirming how many years driving you have had (it may help) without this you definatly start off having to apply for the G1 (cost $85) and cannot drive on your own, you must pass a theory test, which requires studying their codes as questions are related to their points system etc, and then a driving test. This gives you a G1, if you are lucky enough they might accept you letter and let you go apply for the G2 (still $85), you then need to pass the theory test, then a highway test for the full G($75), if you can transfer your Irish to a UK or Northern Irish license, then do it, make sure they state the same starting date as your Irish (how you do that I do not know), then you can do a straight swap for a G ($125), but either way ask how many years they are crediting your new license with, politly argue for the full term, if they say less (this helps with Insurance). Ask them for a “drivers absract” (record, $12), might be next door, note during this time you can drive a hire car on your Irish/UK license
> Car Insurance
> You thought Irish insurance was expensive, think again, firstly, you may not be able to drive without a Canadian license, your years of driving affects your insurance, the longer you been driving the better, also get letters from your insurance company/s confirming how long you have been claims free, longer the better, get these signed by your solicitor as being “presented to them as original”, get this stamped by the Irish Consular in Dublin (€20 each), nothing else will do.
> To sum this up, my husband with a Uk license swapped to a G, he had certified 9 years claim free, is using his companies insurance company and is still paying $2,200 per year, in 3 years it will come down to approx $1400, quotes went as high as $4000 per car, for a car worth $7000!, back home is was $600 for a $36,000 car, and I can only drive for 30 days on my Irish, after that I stay at home, until I pass
> Buying a car
> Firstly you cannot buy a car without a Canadian license (see above), allow for the tax not shown, 13%. Talk to people about buying privately, it really is “let the buyer beware”, you can buy private car which has a loan on it and that loans becomes yours, there are checks for this, but talk to people first, then their is a “ certified cert” (like NCT) and a separate “Emissions test (like the NCT), dealers generally give you all of this. Car tax is low, about $74 per year or part thereof, dealers will also try to sell you a warranty as no one keeps log books with service records! Your choice we did,
> Weather
> See others for the winter, summer (especially in GTA) can be hot, talking about 27+ and because of the lakes, the humidity can be high and that makes it feel even hotter, and that also creates the wildest lighting storms, like you have never experienced in Ireland, but imagine this, we looked out and saw a typical Irish grey cold looking day, shivered, stepped out and felt warm! mad
> Phones
> Phones are expensive, check them out carefully, unless in your plans, you pay for outgoing and incoming calls, texts etc, be aware that in a free text plan, outgoing international texts are extra, voice mail can be extra, out of your local area (say north west Dublin) is charged as long distance, and extra, they block numbers so you have to pay if you want to know who it is, anything you took for granted in Europe you may be paying for over here, the sales guy admitted that in the 1st world Canada is one of the most expensive in the world. If you have a good phone, and want to use it, make sure it is unlocked before you leave, to do it here is expensive and takes time here, and use phone cards or skype for ringing home
> Utilities
> You should get a letter from the ESB and/ or Bord Gais confirming you standing as a good payer, that may offset having to pay a $285 security deposit
> Banks
> Depending upon who you use, you may be charged monthly for your account, for each cheque, for each debit (on line or counter), banks put limits on new comers, i.e. we found after that we would have to make two bank transfers ($1.50 each) to pay our rent as it exceeded our limit
> Electrics
> This is covered by others, basics it's all 110v over here, so none of your TV, DVD player etc works, PC's should do, check, ours did, just need the right plug, we bought the cheapest DVD player here ($28) and luckily it plays all our kids stuff
> Schools
> Forgive me but I am presuming you might use a Catholic school, ours require our children's birth cert, baptismal cert and record of immunisation, you can check with the Toronto Catholic board
> 
> GTA is busy, been there once, I have driven the M50, UK M25, the highways here seem fuller but move! We have met other Irish and they would not move back, more importantly their kids would not move, they enjoy their life more, you are encouraged to give them sports by tax credits on what they play and do. Don't be mistaken the same stuff still happens, the odd shootings, tornado's, strikes etc, but right now it feels good
> 
> Apart from all of that we still love it, the kids love it, in our area there are clean small play parks, none are vandalised!! with slides, climbing frame etc, my husbands journey home is 20 minutes (was 60-90) and at a max 80kph (50 mph!). We are struggling until I can work as a nurse, but hopefully it will all work out, if you want more let me know


----------



## aoibhinn

Brenda76 said:


> *Hi we are moving to Vancouver on 22nd October , my husband and two boys 10 and 5. We are currently looking for removal companies and any recommendations from people who have done the move.
> 
> Really enjoyed reading your blog , great information in it and will keep it to refer back in the future.
> 
> How have your kids settled into school? Have they made friends easily?
> 
> Thanks again.
> Brenda
> *


Hi Brenda 

How exciting for all of you? We are doing really well here, and kids are enjoying it. They have settled in well both now at school and making friends. As far as removal companies we got three quotes and then went with crown they have offices around country. They came and assessed what you were taking and based on the amount they could tell you if you needed a full container /half or just crates.It Takes averages 6 weeks to get to Canada and once here maybe up to week or two to get it delivery to you address. My husband company paid for it so we took everything apart from big furniture cos we lived in furnished house when we first came. If you like to know any more details I can send you email address. 

All the best


----------



## realta

*me too*

Hi, I am a 24 year old female from ireland, i have an honours degree in psychology and english and want to move to canada. i was wondering if anyone had an idea where would be best for me to look into? ive started to look into this just today and its all very confusing


----------



## JoanWrightinCanada

AnneIreland said:


> My husband and I and are three children, age 11, 8 and 5 are considering a move to Toronto, Canada next year from Ireland.
> 
> Any advice would be much appreciated. Where to live, schools, jobs (my husband is a Mechanical Engineer/Construction Project Manager), way of life, standard and cost of living (couldn't be as much as in Dublin) etc.
> 
> This would be a huge move for us so negative as well as positive feedback would be great.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Anne


Hi Anne:
My husband I moved from NE UK to Canada in 1970. We lived in Toronto for a year and then moved north of the city - about 70 k. The lifestyle is totally difference and assuming your husband can get a job (it's still tough here but not as bad as the UK I hear) you should have a nice lifestyle. If you like big city life then Toronto could work, but I don't like living in a city (hence our move next year when we retire to Mexico) but there are many suburbs around Toronto where you can buy a house at a decent price (but rising all the time) but again, not as expensive as the UK. So as long as you have the right frame of mind, your move will work. Just don't ever say "back home we do it this way....." Canadians hate that. We were lucky in that we got jobs right away but my husband (even with all his qualifications and experience) was downsized 5 years ago and couldn't get another job and had to take early retirement. Don't know your ages, but the job thing is going to be the trickiest. Try and line up a job first if you possible can. Good Luck!


----------



## dirtyghettokid

this has been a very helpful thread, which sounds strange coming from a canadian! 
i'm sitting here at home in north co. dublin right now and it's very windy and rainy and depressing...... i'm 3 years out of work, but luckily my husband has been able to hang onto his job. after nearly 12.5 years here, i am ready to go back home to southern ontario! having spent so long out of the country, i wouldn't have an idea on how to go about certain things - that's why this thread has been very helpful!

immigration is not a problem for me (i am dual citizenship canadian & irish)
i currently hold a full irish driving license - i never held a canadian one. someone on this thread said to exchange for a UK one - how would that be possible?
i really don't fancy doing a driving test again 
is the G2 test difficult though anyway?



aoibhinn said:


> As far as removal companies we got three quotes and then went with crown they have offices around country. They came and assessed what you were taking and based on the amount they could tell you if you needed a full container /half or just crates.It Takes averages 6 weeks to get to Canada and once here maybe up to week or two to get it delivery to you address. My husband company paid for it so we took everything apart from big furniture cos we lived in furnished house when we first came. If you like to know any more details I can send you email address.
> 
> All the best


this is a concern of mine - shipping my stuff back to canada. while you say your husband's company paid for it, do you know if it was expensive? would you recommend the shipping company?
i'm only going to be shipping clothes, books, & stuff like cds, computers & photography equipment. i just don't know what the best way of going about it is.

and to the irish posters who have left ireland - if you are happy enough in canada - stay! you don't want to be coming back now at a time like this


----------



## JoanWrightinCanada

*response to Canadian in Ireland*

I can understand why you would want to come back. From what I see and hear about the UK, the future is totally depressing and even though it's been quite rough here, absolutely nothing in comparison. Including the weather. I think the exchange of your licence is quite simple, I don't think you need to take a road test, just a written test (after getting a book so you can brush up) and I don't think you would have any problems. If you can drive in the UK you can drive anywhere! I think your comment on shipping must have been a response to someone else. We shipped 3-4 steamer trunks but that was in 1970 and I can't remember who we used. It wasn't expensive and the whole process was quite easy. I'm sure there must be ads in the yellow pages for international shipping. Good Luck! Welcome Home!



dirtyghettokid said:


> this has been a very helpful thread, which sounds strange coming from a canadian!
> i'm sitting here at home in north co. dublin right now and it's very windy and rainy and depressing...... i'm 3 years out of work, but luckily my husband has been able to hang onto his job. after nearly 12.5 years here, i am ready to go back home to southern ontario! having spent so long out of the country, i wouldn't have an idea on how to go about certain things - that's why this thread has been very helpful!
> 
> immigration is not a problem for me (i am dual citizenship canadian & irish)
> i currently hold a full irish driving license - i never held a canadian one. someone on this thread said to exchange for a UK one - how would that be possible?
> i really don't fancy doing a driving test again
> is the G2 test difficult though anyway?
> 
> 
> 
> this is a concern of mine - shipping my stuff back to canada. while you say your husband's company paid for it, do you know if it was expensive? would you recommend the shipping company?
> i'm only going to be shipping clothes, books, & stuff like cds, computers & photography equipment. i just don't know what the best way of going about it is.
> 
> and to the irish posters who have left ireland - if you are happy enough in canada - stay! you don't want to be coming back now at a time like this


----------



## Auld Yin

dirtyghettokid said:


> this has been a very helpful thread, which sounds strange coming from a canadian!
> i'm sitting here at home in north co. dublin right now and it's very windy and rainy and depressing...... i'm 3 years out of work, but luckily my husband has been able to hang onto his job. after nearly 12.5 years here, i am ready to go back home to southern ontario! having spent so long out of the country, i wouldn't have an idea on how to go about certain things - that's why this thread has been very helpful!
> 
> immigration is not a problem for me (i am dual citizenship canadian & irish)
> i currently hold a full irish driving license - i never held a canadian one. someone on this thread said to exchange for a UK one - how would that be possible?
> i really don't fancy doing a driving test again
> is the G2 test difficult though anyway?
> 
> 
> 
> this is a concern of mine - shipping my stuff back to canada. while you say your husband's company paid for it, do you know if it was expensive? would you recommend the shipping company?
> i'm only going to be shipping clothes, books, & stuff like cds, computers & photography equipment. i just don't know what the best way of going about it is.
> 
> and to the irish posters who have left ireland - if you are happy enough in canada - stay! you don't want to be coming back now at a time like this


You'll be pleased to know that today in Southern Ontario it is very sunny with clear blue skies, no wind and a temperature of about 10c, but it is very comfortable out with just a sweater.
As a Canadian citizen your husband and children (if any) can accompany you under the Family/Spousal plan. Sponsoring your family: Spouses and dependent children
It is my understanding that you cannot exchange an Irish D/L for a Canadian one. You would require to exchange it for a UK D/L which is then exchangeable for a Canadian one. How you exchange Irish to UK I do not know but apparently it is feasible/possible. Try and Google for it. The Driving Test in Ontario is relatively easy and with driving experience you should easily pass it.
Look up International Moving Companies in your Yellow Pages and get quotes from at least three. Ask them for names of people they have moved to Canada or references. Don't necessarily go with the cheapest.


----------



## dirtyghettokid

thanks your your replies. haven't decided whether i'll sponsor my husband or whether he will apply through skilled workers program...

i took my driving test here nearly 5 years ago and i did some lessons beforehand. can you take a refresher lesson before the test there? i'm going to have to read all the rules of the road for ontario, because guaranteed it's going to be different from here. (at least there's no bloody roundabouts in ontario hahahaha)

i've asked on a local forum here about shipping (because loads of irish are moving to canada) but i haven't got any clear answers on who specifically to use (that's .. well trustworthy!) one guy did say it would be about €600 for 10 boxes..
the logistics of moving my stuff back is what's stressing me out the most. i'm broke as it is... wish i could just shrink it all and put it in a plastic bag and bring it with me hahaha


----------



## JoanWrightinCanada

*Reply to moving from Ireland*

I checked with my husband and unfortunately, you will have to retake your test, but heck, if you can drive there, you can certainly drive here. It is much easier, and if you go out during a weekday, middle of the day, the traffic will be much lighter. You can either arrange your test directly through the MOT (Ministry of Transport) or go through a driving school and take a couple of refresher lessons, not too expensive, maybe $20 each. And your right, we don't have those darned roundabouts here - they kill me. I went back to England years ago and even though I got my licence there originally, nothing would make me drive back there, but here, I would (and have) driven everywhere, right across the country and down to the southern U.S. so don't worry about a thing.

The shipping thing is the most complicated - I'm going through the same thing right now as we're moving to Mexico next year when I retire and have to ship some of my stuff there, but I went on line to one company and they have an on-line form you can tick off the items you intend to take and they're all weight-estimated and you can click at the end and it gives you a ball park figure of how much it would cost with those items, soyou can them add or remove at will. I'm sure the international movers must have the same thing over there. If you want to email me directly by the way, please do so at [email protected]. Any time, no problem.

How old is your husband again, and what's his trade (my husband is/was an Instrument Technician)

Good Luck!




dirtyghettokid said:


> thanks your your replies. haven't decided whether i'll sponsor my husband or whether he will apply through skilled workers program...
> 
> i took my driving test here nearly 5 years ago and i did some lessons beforehand. can you take a refresher lesson before the test there? i'm going to have to read all the rules of the road for ontario, because guaranteed it's going to be different from here. (at least there's no bloody roundabouts in ontario hahahaha)
> 
> i've asked on a local forum here about shipping (because loads of irish are moving to canada) but i haven't got any clear answers on who specifically to use (that's .. well trustworthy!) one guy did say it would be about €600 for 10 boxes..
> the logistics of moving my stuff back is what's stressing me out the most. i'm broke as it is... wish i could just shrink it all and put it in a plastic bag and bring it with me hahaha


----------



## dirtyghettokid

JoanWrightinCanada said:


> I checked with my husband and unfortunately, you will have to retake your test, but heck, if you can drive there, you can certainly drive here. It is much easier, and if you go out during a weekday, middle of the day, the traffic will be much lighter. You can either arrange your test directly through the MOT (Ministry of Transport) or go through a driving school and take a couple of refresher lessons, not too expensive, maybe $20 each. And your right, we don't have those darned roundabouts here - they kill me. I went back to England years ago and even though I got my licence there originally, nothing would make me drive back there, but here, I would (and have) driven everywhere, right across the country and down to the southern U.S. so don't worry about a thing.
> 
> The shipping thing is the most complicated - I'm going through the same thing right now as we're moving to Mexico next year when I retire and have to ship some of my stuff there, but I went on line to one company and they have an on-line form you can tick off the items you intend to take and they're all weight-estimated and you can click at the end and it gives you a ball park figure of how much it would cost with those items, soyou can them add or remove at will. I'm sure the international movers must have the same thing over there. If you want to email me directly by the way, please do so at [email protected]. Any time, no problem.
> 
> How old is your husband again, and what's his trade (my husband is/was an Instrument Technician)
> 
> Good Luck!


thank you for this post!
i'm 30 / graphic designer and my husband is 32 and is a qualified toolmaker & an aircraft maintenance engineer (he has a degree and a trade qual also)

what site are you using for those calculations? it would be helpful just to get an idea!

as for the driving test, do you have to reverse around a corner and do handbrake hill starts?


----------



## Auld Yin

dirtyghettokid said:


> thank you for this post!
> i'm 30 / graphic designer and my husband is 32 and is a qualified toolmaker & an aircraft maintenance engineer (he has a degree and a trade qual also)
> 
> what site are you using for those calculations? it would be helpful just to get an idea!
> 
> as for the driving test, do you have to reverse around a corner and do handbrake hill starts?


Roads/streets in Canada are very unlike those in the UK and are easy to drive on. They are generally much wider and for the most part do not twist and bend like those where you are. You will not require to reverse around a corner. For the life of me I cannot visualize why one would have to. Nor will you require to do handbrake starts. FYI, most cars in Canada are automatics. If you bought a new car with a stickshift there's a good chance you would have to wait for delivery.


----------



## JoanWrightinCanada

*reply to Ireland*

I think it was White Movers of Mexico check it out. I will see if that was the one that had the electronic list. Actually not sure if that was the one. I will do more research and let me know. email me at my email address, instead of through this, or give me your email and I will send you whatever info I can. 

Your husband should contact our airport, Pearson International, hopefully he might get something there. I work for a labour union here (CAW-Canada) and we have some members at the airport. I will see if any of them are the mechanics, and if so, will see if I can get a name or some contact info for your husband.

A lot of graphic designers set up privately here, the one we use at work works out of her home, so that's something to think of for the future. Maybe work for a company first to find contacts etc., and then move on.






Auld Yin said:


> Roads/streets in Canada are very unlike those in the UK and are easy to drive on. They are generally much wider and for the most part do not twist and bend like those where you are. You will not require to reverse around a corner. For the life of me I cannot visualize why one would have to. Nor will you require to do handbrake starts. FYI, most cars in Canada are automatics. If you bought a new car with a stickshift there's a good chance you would have to wait for delivery.


----------



## JoanWrightinCanada

*moving from Ireland*

me again. I found the site I used, that has a calculator. It is PriceBreakShipping | international moving | international shipping | shipping Goods | shipping international | container shipping | custom cratings | shipping homes | moving They also emailed me back and have been quite helpful.





Auld Yin said:


> Roads/streets in Canada are very unlike those in the UK and are easy to drive on. They are generally much wider and for the most part do not twist and bend like those where you are. You will not require to reverse around a corner. For the life of me I cannot visualize why one would have to. Nor will you require to do handbrake starts. FYI, most cars in Canada are automatics. If you bought a new car with a stickshift there's a good chance you would have to wait for delivery.


----------



## dirtyghettokid

thank you very much for that link joan. you've been very helpful. i'll take a look at that and see how i get on!




Auld Yin said:


> Roads/streets in Canada are very unlike those in the UK and are easy to drive on. They are generally much wider and for the most part do not twist and bend like those where you are. You will not require to reverse around a corner. For the life of me I cannot visualize why one would have to. Nor will you require to do handbrake starts. FYI, most cars in Canada are automatics. If you bought a new car with a stickshift there's a good chance you would have to wait for delivery.


cheers for the info. i have driven in canada alot while on holidays back home in the GTA - but on my irish driving license. the roads are a hell of alot better there than over here definitely. 

if i were to buy a car there i would go for a manual. there's plenty of manual civics floating about - i frequent the car enthusiast forums in the GTA  i couldn't afford a brand new car anyway.


----------



## leavingonajetplane

this has been a really interesting read....

thanks folks


----------



## RobMc

Hi,
Not sure if you are still trying to ship goods, perhaps other browsers may benefit. I got a very competitive quote from Transocean.ie (Gary Moore) to ship half a 20ft container to Toronto. Note, I already have it boxed myself from a previous trip, so it only required being put on pallets here for delivery to wwarehouse in Toronto (3 weeks).
Best,Rob Mc


----------



## dirtyghettokid

RobMc said:


> Hi,
> Not sure if you are still trying to ship goods, perhaps other browsers may benefit. I got a very competitive quote from Transocean.ie (Gary Moore) to ship half a 20ft container to Toronto. Note, I already have it boxed myself from a previous trip, so it only required being put on pallets here for delivery to wwarehouse in Toronto (3 weeks).
> Best,Rob Mc


cheers, i will keep them in mind. was it dear? 
i would have about a "vw caddy" size load of goods to ship (to toronto)


----------



## RobMc

It sounds like I have a bit more than you to ship. The quote comes to about $2k, when you add up the US, CDN and Euro costs. I will have to pay a slight bit more to have it put on pallets here and also to collect it when I get to TO. Oman are another option but these came it a lot more expensive but were doing door to door, full service.

Best of luck.


----------



## dirtyghettokid

ok, sounds pretty reasonable. thanks a million for that!


----------



## aneres

aoibhinn said:


> Hi Aoife
> 
> We are currently living in a place call Rockwood Ontario Its about 50 mins south west of Toronto Airport in the countryside.It is rural village which has about 12000 people in surrounding areas. Its a nice area No crime, good for my two kids 5 and 3 . Let us Know if you need anymore help.


Hi Aoibhinn, my partner has just got a job and we are planning out move soon we need to be within an hours drive from the airport, would you have any information on nice family orientated areas, i would like to live in a small / mediumsized town. We have 4 kids ages 12(twins), 6 & 2. Any information on housing schools would be much appreciated thanks


----------



## aoibhinn

aneres said:


> Hi Aoibhinn, my partner has just got a job and we are planning out move soon we need to be within an hours drive from the airport, would you have any information on nice family orientated areas, i would like to live in a small / mediumsized town. We have 4 kids ages 12(twins), 6 & 2. Any information on housing schools would be much appreciated thanks


Hi Aneres

Delighted to here of your move . Off out, but would gladly speak to you over the phone / skype we are home next week for a holiday if you want we could talk then, some suggestions are Georgetown,Acton, Guelph and maybe Milton but its can be very built up but near to airport. Off out but check those out. Let me know if you want to chat cos we can arrange that. Take Care


----------



## kiwijbob

looking for shipping companies you may of used and any tips on what to leave behind?


----------



## SczzyBoy

I only had a small amount - 1 pallet = 1 cubic metre so nothing special. Generally they charge by this amount.

On what to take:

Clothes - only ones that fit - you won't lose weight in Canada so no taking that jeans that are two sizes too small.
If you have a laptop - take that but check the power to make ssure it supports 110v. Make sure you have electronic copies of everything.
Essential paperwork - passports, visas, university trasnscripts, qualifications, copy of original long form birith certificate, all other certificates that you have that mean something.
Personal memory stuff but do you really need that fertility idol from that trip to Bali from the back of the attic? Work out what is really important.
Furniture - what furniture do you really need to ship? I left everything and I have no regrets. I bought much, much better stuff for cheaper here. Even the entry level stuff is very good.
KItchware - if it fits bring it. Generally it's small. If you are missing a plate or two from a set then bin the entire set.
Do NOT bring any electrical except what I mentioned earlier. Ensure your phone contacts are backed up and ensure your mobile contract expires pretty soon. You can get a new mobile pretty quick and they will transfer your numbers. MEssage everyone to update their phone.
For kids - they don't need 10 tons of toys - be strong and take the tantrums but limit the toys.

That's about it. My rule was - if it's not active or a memory then it obviously didn't need to come. Also, remember - shipping is a slow process so don't pack anything you may need need in the first 3 months. Hence paperwork goes in hand luggage. Pay extra on the flight for overweight luggage if necessary for find a company who will ship a small box quicker, e.g. courier it.

Be strong.


----------



## Jennianne

I agree we brought six boxes and 4 suitcases for a family of 4 and i shipped them by air took 3 days to go from scotland to edmonton alberta!! We sold all our furniture and lots of toys etc at carboot sales electricals a def no no my hairdryer wont even work!!


----------



## SczzyBoy

*Shipping*

3 days? Mine took over 2 months. Slow but at least I could fly like a normal passenger. I was also lucky in the company was paying for a furnished apartment so had no worry regarding anything until I moved into the rental I'm still in 3 years later.


----------



## soozyq

Jennianne said:


> I agree we brought six boxes and 4 suitcases for a family of 4 and i shipped them by air took 3 days to go from scotland to edmonton alberta!! We sold all our furniture and lots of toys etc at carboot sales electricals a def no no my hairdryer wont even work!!


Hi Jennianne, Just wondering if you would recommend the company you used for moving your boxes and was it expensive to send by air?


----------



## kiwijbob

thanks for that info, I was hoping to ship two pallet loads myself as a 
part container load with a freight company. Am trying to be ruthless with 
what we want to take and I have to agree with most of what you said.
The one question I have re electrical equipment, I know my laptop, mobile 
phone will work fine but I plan on taking the large flatscreen TV we own, 
it'll cost too much to replace it when we can just ship it with our stuff and 
use a Step Down Voltage Converter for the 110 volts in Canada.

anyone have problems with the Goods to Follow list?


----------



## SczzyBoy

@kiwijbob, I have to laugh. I just realised that I never submitted or even filled out a goods to follow list. I just shipped a pallet of stuff as personal effects completely seperate from me. I can't remember what I ticked on the customs form but no-one ever mentioned goods to follow at any stage. Weird.


----------



## Jennianne

I would but u have to take the boxes to them and pick them up at the airport. I was 364 GBP for 6 large boxes. The company is called air sea scotland only takes 3 days because they are flown over not shipped by boat. Air sea scotland used air canada cargo




soozyq said:


> Hi Jennianne, Just wondering if you would recommend the company you used for moving your boxes and was it expensive to send by air?


----------



## hownowbc

*Civil Engineering and Project Management in Ca.*

Anyone out there know what the (civil) engineering side of things is like (for a very experienced, plus 30 years, professional)?
BC


----------



## Coulesy

Hi,

This thread is full of really useful information!

A friend and I are planning on moving to Brampton this fall. Does anyone have any information/opinions regarding the city? We're 24/25 so just wondering about the scene for that age group. (no kids, no attachments!!)

Also, regarding visas... I read that you can stay for six months as a visitor, then apply to extend your stay if you want to. Does this mean you can move over without a visa?

We're moving into my friends' relatives until we accumulate enough money to begin renting an appartment. We're planning on working any job really, bar work, waiting etc. Just going for the whole experience of exploring a different country and culture.

Any information greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Shane


----------



## SczzyBoy

*Careful!*

Greetz,

No idea on Brampton.

On the VISA - yes you can stay as a VISITOR. You CANNOT work legally unless you have a work permit. And, they really don't like you if they catch you. Also, you won't get residency which means no healthcare. No Health care means $500 up front to attend ER (trust me - I paid twice before I got my health card). They reimbursed when I got the card.

My advice - don't do it without a residency and work permit.

S.


----------



## Auld Yin

SczzyBoy said:


> Greetz,
> 
> No idea on Brampton.
> 
> On the VISA - yes you can stay as a VISITOR. You CANNOT work legally unless you have a work permit. And, they really don't like you if they catch you. Also, you won't get residency which means no healthcare. No Health care means $500 up front to attend ER (trust me - I paid twice before I got my health card). They reimbursed when I got the card.
> 
> My advice - don't do it without a residency and work permit.
> 
> S.


I readily endorse SczzyBoy's comments.


----------



## GalwayGirl28

Hi 
Myself,my partner and my 8 year old son are considering a move to Canada next year. Im not sure on even where to look to live! I am looking for low cost living but with a reasonable good life style. I have just got a degree in Architectural Technology and have a basic knowledge of Revit and my partner is a Mechanic. My son is in Gaelscoil and my fear is that he will not adapt to the change but the fact is that I cannot get work here and my partner is only earning enough to just about get by. He leaves the house at 8:15am and is not back until 8 or so every night. 
The quality of life here at the moment sucks!! We have decided that he is going out first for 3 months to see if we can manage on his wages until I get a job. Any advice in this matter would be great. I don't want this to be a big mistake...
Nichola


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## soozyq

GalwayGirl28 said:


> Hi
> Myself,my partner and my 8 year old son are considering a move to Canada next year. Im not sure on even where to look to live! I am looking for low cost living but with a reasonable good life style. I have just got a degree in Architectural Technology and have a basic knowledge of Revit and my partner is a Mechanic. My son is in Gaelscoil and my fear is that he will not adapt to the change but the fact is that I cannot get work here and my partner is only earning enough to just about get by. He leaves the house at 8:15am and is not back until 8 or so every night.
> The quality of life here at the moment sucks!! We have decided that he is going out first for 3 months to see if we can manage on his wages until I get a job. Any advice in this matter would be great. I don't want this to be a big mistake...
> Nichola


Hi Galway Girl,
I have recently moved to Southern Alberta (from Galway) with my partner who moved for a job as an Architectural Technologist. We are in a smallish city south of Calgery. You are more likely to have more job opportunities in a larger city such as Calgery, Edmonton etc. I am also a Technologist but I am finding it difficult to get a job where I am. 
Alberta in general is a good location in that there is lower taxes (each province has a different tax rate). 
The cost of living here seems to be relative to the wage. I'm only here a short while and so far I feel we have made the right move. 
We moved on a temporary work visa based on a job offer for my partner (i got an open work visa based on this). 
Send me a private message if you need any pointers.
Susan


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## Auld Yin

GalwayGirl28 said:


> Hi
> Myself,my partner and my 8 year old son are considering a move to Canada next year. Im not sure on even where to look to live! I am looking for low cost living but with a reasonable good life style. I have just got a degree in Architectural Technology and have a basic knowledge of Revit and my partner is a Mechanic. My son is in Gaelscoil and my fear is that he will not adapt to the change but the fact is that I cannot get work here and my partner is only earning enough to just about get by. He leaves the house at 8:15am and is not back until 8 or so every night.
> The quality of life here at the moment sucks!! We have decided that he is going out first for 3 months to see if we can manage on his wages until I get a job. Any advice in this matter would be great. I don't want this to be a big mistake...
> Nichola


No-one wants to emigrate and find it's a big mistake. What visa is your partner using for his 3 month visit? What type of mechanic is he? The only mechanics on THE LIST Are Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanics. If he's not on of those then he will require pre-arranged employment and all the paperwork associated with that. He cannot work in Canada without the appropriate visa. Your occupation is not one of those in demand in Canada but there may well be openings within the Architectural profession.
I assume your son's Gaelscoil is a school based much On Irish history and language. There may be something of that type here but it would probably be fee-paying.


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## GalwayGirl28

Auld Yin said:


> No-one wants to emigrate and find it's a big mistake. What visa is your partner using for his 3 month visit? What type of mechanic is he? The only mechanics on THE LIST Are Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanics. If he's not on of those then he will require pre-arranged employment and all the paperwork associated with that. He cannot work in Canada without the appropriate visa. Your occupation is not one of those in demand in Canada but there may well be openings within the Architectural profession.
> I assume your son's Gaelscoil is a school based much On Irish history and language. There may be something of that type here but it would probably be fee-paying.


Hi Auld Yin
My partner is a car Mechanic but can turn his hand to anything!! I have no idea about visa's or anything yet. I just got him to agree that we need to do something, so I told him I'd do some research on moving and this is the first thing that popped up!! I knew we would need visa's but I wasn't sure what type.
My son's school is an all Irish speaking school. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks Nichola


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## GalwayGirl28

soozyq said:


> Hi Galway Girl,
> I have recently moved to Southern Alberta (from Galway) with my partner who moved for a job as an Architectural Technologist. We are in a smallish city south of Calgery. You are more likely to have more job opportunities in a larger city such as Calgery, Edmonton etc. I am also a Technologist but I am finding it difficult to get a job where I am.
> Alberta in general is a good location in that there is lower taxes (each province has a different tax rate).
> The cost of living here seems to be relative to the wage. I'm only here a short while and so far I feel we have made the right move.
> We moved on a temporary work visa based on a job offer for my partner (i got an open work visa based on this).
> Send me a private message if you need any pointers.
> Susan


Hi Susan
Oh god dont tell me its hard to get work there too, in ireland they have not even herd of Revit!!! Our main goal is to find a good friendly family area for our son. Is Alberta a city or County?? I was hoping for a small town maybe outside a city with a low crime rate. How have you found the move?? Was there a lot of paper work? How much time should I allow for the paper work??
Nichola


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## GalwayGirl28

Hi susan 
Sorry to annoy you but how much rent would I expect to pay pcm in calgary for a decent house with 2/3 bedrooms???


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## Auld Yin

GalwayGirl28 said:


> Hi Susan
> Oh god dont tell me its hard to get work there too, in ireland they have not even herd of Revit!!! Our main goal is to find a good friendly family area for our son. Is Alberta a city or County?? I was hoping for a small town maybe outside a city with a low crime rate. How have you found the move?? Was there a lot of paper work? How much time should I allow for the paper work??
> Nichola



This is how it works. Your partner, or yourself, will need to find pre-arranged employment. This entails finding an employer willing to apply to the Canadian Government for permission to hire him/you. If permission granted (it isn't always) then the employer will be issued a LMO (Labour Market Opinion) under which you will be able to apply for a 2 year TWP (Temporary Work Permit). If successful from start to finish it could take up to six months.


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## soozyq

GalwayGirl28 said:


> Hi Susan
> Oh god dont tell me its hard to get work there too, in ireland they have not even herd of Revit!!! Our main goal is to find a good friendly family area for our son. Is Alberta a city or County?? I was hoping for a small town maybe outside a city with a low crime rate. How have you found the move?? Was there a lot of paper work? How much time should I allow for the paper work??
> Nichola


Hi Nichola,
I am am finding it difficult to find a job as I am in a smaller city. Calgary is a lot bigger (over a million I think) and there are alway A.T jobs advertised there. 
Alberta is a province so similar to a county. It is vast so unless you have prearranged employment in a small town, you are better being in a city as you would struggle to find work in your area and communting between town and city would be pretty difficult unless you want a few hours drive a day. The public transport is not great outside the cities. 
What type of visa are you thinking of? It took us 6 months for a temporary visa and that was with a job offer and yes tons of paperwork. Take a look at this website as you will find all the types of visa you can apply for.
Susan


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## soozyq

I have no idea about rent in Calgary sorry.


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## Auld Yin

To get an idea of Calgary's rental costs go to Kijiji Calgary Classifieds: Free Local Classified Ads for Calgary, Alberta

You can do the same for any Canadian city.


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## GalwayGirl28

Hi
You know Im not sure Canada is for us. If the work is hard to come by then it would be leaving one dead end for another.
Thanks Anyway


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## soozyq

There seems much more chance of getting work here than in ireland at the moment. There are loads of jobs advertised you just have to research the areas you'd like to live. There are good opportunities here as the economy is still quite strong. We wasted 2 years of hoping Ireland would get better and should have moved here sooner.
Best of luck,
Susan


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## GalwayGirl28

I dont know susan there is a lot of red tape. I dont even understand the visa system. Did you apply on your partners visa or did you have one on your own?? I dont even understand "The List" Auld Yin was talkin about, I have a lot more research to do on it. Your happy though?? Prices just seem very high for living though....


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## soozyq

I got an open spousal visa (common law so don't need to be married) based on my partner's job being of a high enough skill level, incidentally my partner's job is as an Architectural Technologist. It means that while my partner's visa is limited to the one company, I can work in almost any occupation or for any company.
We had to apply for seperate visas (i.e fill out seperate application forms and we each had to pay the visa fee) but they were sent in together as one application package.
It does take a little while to get the paperwork in order, but that is no different from moving anywhere, and it is by no means impossible. We had a very smooth time of it getting our paperwork in order & getting the applications made.
If it is something you want to do I'd reccommend doing some research and find out what your options are - I was confused to begin with but it is actually quite a straightforward process.
We are very happy so far and the cost of living here is a lot lower than in Ireland. Some things are more expensive but on the whole, it is cheaper. We are paying about half as much in rent as we were paying on our mortgage in Ireland.
'The List' is the skilled occupations list which you will find details of on the website I sent you the link for. This list gives the occupations which are in demand in Canada. Architectural Technologists are on the list if you wanted to go down the route of applying for a skilled workers visa. There is lots of other information on that website which really helped us.
Susan


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## Jennianne

hi we live 20 mins west of Edmonton, Alberta in a small friendly town we have 2 boys 9 and 6. we too are here on work visas my hubby works in construction. I can say that Alberta are only giving out 1 year work visas at the moment or they were in sept when my hubby got his. try Edmonton Apartments for Rent, Edmonton Houses for Rent at RentEdmonton.com or Calgary Apartments For Rent | Calgary Apartment Rentals | Edmonton Apartments & Rentals - RentFaster.ca for rental we r paying $1100 a month for a 2 bed condo unfurnished but with gas water sewage and garbage included


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## SczzyBoy

GalwayGirl28 said:


> Hi Auld Yin
> My partner is a car Mechanic but can turn his hand to anything!! I have no idea about visa's or anything yet. I just got him to agree that we need to do something, so I told him I'd do some research on moving and this is the first thing that popped up!! I knew we would need visa's but I wasn't sure what type.
> My son's school is an all Irish speaking school. Any help would be appreciated.
> Thanks Nichola


A note on the Gaelscoil - you'd be hard pushed to find a gaelscoil in Canada. There's not really that much call for it or even learning the Irish language. Most Irish who've come over here and stay adopt the Canadian educational system and that has two primary languages - English and French. Remember that you must NOT put his or your first language as Gaelic if applying for visas. Ethnicity is fine when you are on the ground here but the Border Guards and immigration might take a slightly dimmer view.

Just my two cents and I wish you luck in your endeavours. Read the CIC website in detail - I found it useful to draw diagrams of each process to make it clear to myself.

Sczzy


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## GRINGOMAC

Hi, we came to Canada in 1990, age thirty four with two tots. I was a motorcycle mechanic. My wife was in banking. We moved to Vancouver, coming to Canada was one of the best things we ever did! The hardest thing about it really is leaving your family and friends as they are a comfort when you need a shoulder or a hand or a baby sitter. 
When we came it wasn't as sophisticated as today. Although when we arrived at the airport at three in the morning trying to remember all the things we packed in the 20 ft container for our landing papers at immigration was difficult, I also listed stuff that was to follow, like my two motorcycles at my parents house which I hadn't taken.
Our sons have integrated well with the every thing here. We decided not to attach ourselves to the 'Irish' community as there can be too much backbiting and crapola like that.
Canadian life is pretty wonderful here, I have to laugh when I read of some guys in Ireland and England complain of driving long distances when folks here will drive to Edmonton rather than fly and return a few weeks later and think little of it. 
Yes, it will take some getting use to living here. Canada has become home to so many other people from other countries who are finding their way too!
Catholic schools are not free everywhere, we had to pay in Vancouver. Taxes are different in different provinces, Alberta is less. The price of gas,petrol, insurance, medical are all different. Car Insurance is generally no fault. Vancouver is a great place to bring up kids, in winter it tends to be wet not buried in snow or minus 30.


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## stretnik

I have to disagree with you on the aspect of purchasing a Car in Canada, you say that you cannot buy one without an Ontario Licence... totally untrue.... you CAN buy a Car but you cannot leave the Forecourt without Insurance, big difference if you hand over Cash and THEN find out after the fact.


For anyone as frustrated as I have been, here's the simple truth, you can use your Irish Licence for a short period if visiting but you have to apply for an Ontario Licence , end of.... here is the process, I did this two Days ago...

Go to the Driving Centre, apply for a G1, it consists of a written test and Eye test, the written, 2 Pages, printed on both sides, 20 questions on Signage and 20 on the other on the Laws, Ie, what a G1 Licence holder can do, where they can drive, laws re Alcohol consumption , now, having already held a Full Irish Licence, I didn't want to wait a year before I could drive on Motorways or carry more than one Passenger so I was told that, if I got a letter from the neccessary Authorities at home, My Insurance Company and the Irish Driving Licence Dept outlining how long I'd been driving on a full IRL Licence and claim free Ins details, I could book a Driving test skipping the G2 Licence and get a full G and acknowledgement of my Years of driving experience.

Don't Google it, if you want to hold on to your Hair, contact the Authorities, don't listen to "know all friends" GO TO THE SOURCE !!

Another Heads up, I found out recently, you MUST have a Credit Card in order to Rent a Vehicle, irrespective of how many Licences you possess!! Based on Enterprise Car rentals, I was amazed, I had 1000 Dollars I was willing to give as a deposit... NO, you need a Credit Card.

Kev.


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## LeoJ

Hi there - loads of useful info there - myself husband (carpenter) and 3 kids - 8,almost 6 and 2 and a half, want to move but we don't know if we can even afford the move. We are unemployed in Ireland and savings have run out. How much would the move cost. Also is it realistic to think everything could be arranged within 6 months with my husband going out a month ahead of us. Any help or advice is appreciated.


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## dealdish

*canada*

hi we are living in saskatchewan and find it cheap to live.pr me if u need any advice.we are from wexford


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## LeoJ

Saskatchewan is one of the places my husband is interested in. Am getting great advice - thanks. Am still looking for the cheapest way to relocate - I have asked a few others about a sponsored Visa and if the employer would help with relocation. Am I pushing my luck?
Thanks


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## thorny

LeoJ said:


> Saskatchewan is one of the places my husband is interested in. Am getting great advice - thanks. Am still looking for the cheapest way to relocate - I have asked a few others about a sponsored Visa and if the employer would help with relocation. Am I pushing my luck?
> Thanks


What does your husband do?


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## LeoJ

He's a carpenter with 20 years experience in new build and refurbishment. He also has a construction management degree. Any help at all is appreciated. thanks


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## Kelly1310

Hey guys! Myself and my husband are thinking of moving to Canada from Ireland. We are both 27. I am a hair stylist and a make up artist, but at the moment I am studying child care, which I will be finished in a month. My husband has no qualifications but has been and still is working for coca cola! We are interested in the London area but all our research has not given us any good idea of good areas and area's to avoid! We also have a 6 year old son, who loves his sports! Any info on schools and areas would be greatly appreciated!!


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## Christina1975

*Hi*

Hi,

Just wondered how you are getting on in Canada.

I myself am living in Ratoath in Meath also and considering moving to Canada.
I am a single mom to a little boy and as I am sure you know, there is no work over here at the moment. I used to work as an Accountant.

Did it take you long to get organised with a home, employment, schools etc.
I read Aoibhinn's reply to you regarding the bills and transport tips which were very good, but would you have any other information etc?

Did it take you long to get sorted with visas etc?
I dont really know where to begin with a move and a little afraid of making the first move even though I know its for the better.

Any help you could give would be much appreciated.

Thanks,


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## aoibhinn

Hi Christina 
I would say first thing is to find some company that would sponsor you as an accountant. My husband got sponsored and they moved us we have a temporary residents visa which we've renewed and have applied for a permanent residence. The other route is apply for immigration not sure how long that can take.


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## GRINGOMAC

If you are intending to bring a motorcycle, it has to be 15 years old or older otherwise you will have to wait. It should be available in Canada is Honda, Yam etc. as odd motorcycles are difficult to get registered as in my case Anyway crate it rather than sending it loose, I made my own crate taking the front wheel and lights off it and reducing it's length and width gave it a calculable cubic footage. If you are bringing a computer, you will have to change the power supply, not too difficult with a laptop but a mainframe you will have to change the transformer. prices of stuff in away is similar like 2 bucks for bread is similar to 2 Euros but you get better value as 2 euros is about $2.70. We live in Vancouver so costs are more for moving stuff over here but living on the we't coast is magnificent and the weather is more like home in that it rains a lot. Canadians are a hard working bunch but they like to play hard and they are fine and fun loving people too! They barbecue in the middle of winter too. Just don't ask about the craic or you will get a funny look!
Seriously if you are willing to work hard you will make it here, just one thing though, no manana time here, be on time or early and you will have work, be late and you will be out on your ear!


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## GRINGOMAC

You can direct questions at the Canadian Embassy in Dublin but applications are sent through the Canadian Embassy in London these days. When I came out as a mechanic, I had to go back to school to get my papers, not easy when you are trying to keep a house and kids afloat..


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## Barbara-Andrew

Hi Gringgomac

My hubby will have to do the same after six months, any idea where we can find the books so he can start studying now before we get there, after over 25 years as mechanic. he is waiting for his AIT to be approved and this will come through soon. He got a job offer in Edmonton and Saskatchewan. the latter is very remote area though and does not need to sit the test again as they accepted his journeyman papers. Only the job in Edmonton we feel is the better option for us as a family.


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## GRINGOMAC

Usually a community college or a specialist college will be your port of call. But in my experience if he has an employer willing to sponsor him into the country just on his 25 years experience alone he should really go with that. I wish I had gone that route myself now in hindsight! When we moved over we had two young children under 5 and my wife wouldn't agree to letting me loose among the Albertan's! Work was available all over the North West, oil fields and in underground mining, now there is also the new oil line to the coast in the planning stages. 

Working in the Northern parts of the sub Arctic regions or oil fields very often is a difficult choice for him and more than likely he would fly in work a month and then fly out again. Journeymen mechanics get paid very well here from $35 an hour and up but the further north you go wages go up too all though the cost of living goes up too.

Where as going back to school and starting over is for a younger man. Don't get me wrong, going back for a few weeks or months per year is a way to update your skills especially in the air conditioning, and welding trades where inter provincial tickets are required. It always surprised me that Canada as large as it is that each province has different trade qualifications and so there are inter provincial exams where you have to qualify in order to work in that particular province in a particular field. So for an employer to accept his experience without those tickets is to your advantage. 

Canada has been good to us, hard work has taken its toll, but it is still a young country, larger than the USA in size with a population of under 40 million. The problem really is that you grow soft working in Ireland, coming out here is exciting and terrifying all in one. But you grow, we have lived here now for over 20 years and our kids are sprouting their own seeds and life is good. There is a health care system unlike the US where you can have an operation and not lose your house and everything you have worked for. Depending on your employer they may have a contributory dental and optical plans in place otherwise you will pay for those yourself! Make sure that you have health coverage for all your families needs before you leave though as hospital care if needed in an emergency could be costly. So look into Blue cross or whatever before you take your leap of faith. One other thing once you arrive everything tends to hinge your credit worthiness, keep up your monthly payments especially minimums on your credit cards. Get a Sears card or a similar c/c buy something big and pay it off slowly or completely your choice. You have to get a credible credit card to help build your credit worthiness. You could have a million in the bank but you really have to have a credit score to get by here!

Really, if all else fails you can always return to Ireland but you may find like many of us you have matured in a way, have become different in subtle ways you never thought of! You gain an independence become more enriched with the new surroundings. You just have to have an open mind, leave your doubts at the airport or better still in Ireland, take a deep breath and step forward into your new life.

You can do it

Ireland was where I was born where my family lived for 800 odd years but Canada is where I rest my head.


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## riraw

*moving to Calgary*

hello Soozyq
I am in a huge decision making process here. I have a job offer arranged and everything is ready for me in Calgary. I am in Dublin and job situation and everything else has been very bad here in Dublin.
i guess no one really knows but do you feel that it was the right move for you?
I guess what I really want to know is that it is not going to be any harder once I get there.
I have a good bit of saving and am worried about how permanent this move can be as I do not have a permanent residency and only a temporary work permit.... will it be hard to become permanent there?
I do appreciate any advise you can offer
thanks
Mary


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## Giddybiddy

aoibhinn said:


> Hi Christina
> I would say first thing is to find some company that would sponsor you as an accountant. My husband got sponsored and they moved us we have a temporary residents visa which we've renewed and have applied for a permanent residence. The other route is apply for immigration not sure how long that can take.


Hi Aoibhinn, Myself and husband and 2 kids girl 2 and boy 6 months are looking into moving out to canada, were thinking of edmonton as my sister will be moving there in a few weeks, my husband is thinking if he goes out for a few weeks he might find work and get a sponsored visa, so i have a few questions for you,
did you have to get a seperate visa or did you get out there by proxy as a spouse,
are you able to work?, i'd like to go back to work after we settle, would i need to apply for a work permit?,
Are we crazy even thinking about this big move with such small kids?
as you can imagine there is just no prospect of work here at the moment and my husband has just finished his honours degree in architectural technonogy, i don't want my kids growing up thinking its normal too be on "the dole", we want to give them the best start and better oppertunities,
thanks


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## thinkering

Giddybiddy said:


> did you have to get a separate visa or did you get out there by proxy as a spouse,
> are you able to work?, thanks


Generally, your work permission options may depend the NOC level of the job offered to your partner. Some provinces also have pilot programs for partner work permits, so look at both federal rules and the provincial ones.


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## Giddybiddy

thinkering said:


> Generally, your work permission options may depend the NOC level of the job offered to your partner. Some provinces also have pilot programs for partner work permits, so look at both federal rules and the provincial ones.


Thank you for replying thinkering, We have just started the research so i will look into the NOC a lot more, from what i gather he is skill type 2 and level A or 1, Not that it makes much sense to us yet, If there is any other things you can think of job wise please let me know, we are so clueless as to where to start.


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## shinny

Barbara-Andrew said:


> Hi Gringgomac
> Hi Barbara-Andrew
> Did your husband get the AIT and how long did it take. As my husband has gone with an immigrating company in Ireland to go to Alberta. He got a job offer, sent off his forms for the AIT and now just waiting. He is a mechanic too and also 25 + years experience.
> Regards Shinny


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## Barbara-Andrew

Hi 
Yes his AIT was approved on Friday last. took a good 3 months but in the meantime my husband got another permanent job offer with lmo approved within 4 days of application so we are in Saskatchewan now. Here they did not need the ait as he is a skilled trade worker. Journeyman mechanic. hope it all work out for you and you get sorted quicker than us as we could not wait any longer. This company needs another mechanic and has an lmo ready to start asap, my son also getting his apprenticeship done through them. very small town but pay is good.


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## shinny

Hi 
Great news for you, thanks for replying its good to get some information from someone who has gone or is going to Canada. 
Ah yes we are in Australia so we got in touch with recruiting agency company in ireland they sort outall the visas and what not. My husband is a construction plant ffitter also our son is hoping to do an apprenticeship as an electrician. We are not sure how long the visas are for. Our visa here in Australia is a 4 year visa. We didn't know that Saskatoon would just take you as a skilled worker. But Alberta does so we only hope it won't take too long to get the AIT approval and then we should be in alberta in October. Thanks again for the information and good luck. 
Shinny


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## GRETZKY427

Hi, my wife and i from South Australia looking at moving to Toronto next year feb (my whv expires on the 28th feb so have to be out of australia by then)

Im in in IT - 3yrs with a retail background - 8.5yrs, my wife in finance (credit) - 8yrs, we are looking at settling in either Mississauga area or Etobicoke area.

We are using this as a fresh start, plus something different a we are still a young couple.

We are hoping we can get a 2yr visa despite going over with 12mth health insurance but funds for addition if needed, taking $10k-$12k combined plus we will already have 4mths accommodation pay for (wanting to pay for this prior to us landing) or atleast we will book motel/hotel for 2-3wks and look for apartments from there, potentially much easier.


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## Maple Canada

Hello Anne,
Welcome to Canada. I am sure you can't go wrong. It was an old expression "America is a land of opportunity". I am not sure whether it is applicable or not?. But Canada certainly a land of real opportunities. Good luck


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## Vindee2013

Hi all, I'm new to this site and hoping someone might be able to help... Myself (35) and Hubbie (37) are toying with Canada at the moment. We are from the Midlands in Ireland with two boys (almost 8&5 years old). 
We have been trying to get sponsorship to Perth, Australia for so long now that we feel, having tried our best, we should give AUZ a miss, and accept it just isn’t going to happen. DH was over there this time last year and unfortunately came back without the needed sponsored visa position.  Had great interest while there, but as he was only there for a few weeks and returned home, the interest soon dwindled.

We now reckon that we should have been trying for Canada maybe all along, but at the time we didn't know anyone or anything regards North America and we have great support and knowledge when it comes to Perth, AUZ... but its just not happening for us.

DH cousin and her family recently immigrated to Toronto and Skypeing with them has us rethinking our preferred destination. She really thinks, with DHs profession that we should be looking towards Canada. 
My DHs professional background is with Timber Frame Construction (General/Project Manager) for approx. 15 years and my background is 12-13 yrs Graphic Designer, with recent qualifications in web design also. DH is working at the moment TG in the medical devices industry, whereas unfortunately I was made redundant Jan ’12, and finding it impossible to gain employment. I returned to the books, and am freelancing also as best I can with two young boys at home with me… 

Saskatoon, as well as Toronto area, are the only two places we have looked at to begin with, but where exactly we should be looking yet is an open book. I know ye probably don’t know personally but would either of the two locations mentioned above suit both our professions for gainful employment? Far out question I know, only starting out regards Canada and have no idea where to begin or know of the visa issues... but sure God loves a tryer!!! Apologies if this message is all over the place but just thought I'd put it out there and go from there...


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## shinny

*canada*



Vindee2013 said:


> Hi all, I'm new to this site and hoping someone might be able to help... Myself (35) and Hubbie (37) are toying with Canada at the moment. We are from the Midlands in Ireland with two boys (almost 8&5 years old).
> We have been trying to get sponsorship to Perth, Australia for so long now that we feel, having tried our best, we should give AUZ a miss, and accept it just isn’t going to happen. DH was over there this time last year and unfortunately came back without the needed sponsored visa position.  Had great interest while there, but as he was only there for a few weeks and returned home, the interest soon dwindled.
> 
> We now reckon that we should have been trying for Canada maybe all along, but at the time we didn't know anyone or anything regards North America and we have great support and knowledge when it comes to Perth, AUZ... but its just not happening for us.
> 
> DH cousin and her family recently immigrated to Toronto and Skypeing with them has us rethinking our preferred destination. She really thinks, with DHs profession that we should be looking towards Canada.
> My DHs professional background is with Timber Frame Construction (General/Project Manager) for approx. 15 years and my background is 12-13 yrs Graphic Designer, with recent qualifications in web design also. DH is working at the moment TG in the medical devices industry, whereas unfortunately I was made redundant Jan ’12, and finding it impossible to gain employment. I returned to the books, and am freelancing also as best I can with two young boys at home with me…
> 
> Saskatoon, as well as Toronto area, are the only two places we have looked at to begin with, but where exactly we should be looking yet is an open book. I know ye probably don’t know personally but would either of the two locations mentioned above suit both our professions for gainful employment? Far out question I know, only starting out regards Canada and have no idea where to begin or know of the visa issues... but sure God loves a tryer!!! Apologies if this message is all over the place but just thought I'd put it out there and go from there...


Hi Vindee2013 not sure who you were directing your question to, but i thought I'd give you an idea as we are hoping to go to canada in october. Of what I've seen on this forum alot of people are moving all parts of Canada Saskatoon, Calgary,Toronto,Alberta. there is a web page about what occupations trades. you check on this list and see if your trade or occupation is needed in Canada which is a big list. Some people apply to jobs in canada and try and get sponsorship from a company willing to employ you with sponsorship. I do know there is a new recruiting company in ireland called Diamond Global not sure of there address but not in northern Ireland. you could contact them and see what job opportunities they have yourselves in canada. We are moving to Alberta, some people on here have got sponsorship for saskatoon with this LMO which is labour market opinion i'm quite sure that means LMO i had problems trying to figure out the different letters. 
Thats all i can think of at the moment hope you can get things started without any hassles. 
Regards 
Shinny


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## Vindee2013

Thanks Shinny for that, will be checking out Diamond Global for sure. And best of luck to you and family on your move...  Dee


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## MotherKnowsBest

Wow. I currently live in BC and my children and I have been trying to find information on moving to Ireland. Now that I've read most of these post I wonder if that would be such a great idea anymore. 
From what I've researched Ireland is suppose to be about the same as Canada cost wise. For those of you who have already moved here do you find that statement to be true or are you finding a major difference cost wise? 

Have lived my whole life in Canada and the crime and drugs in the bigger cities is the reason we moved to a smaller city, yes there is crime and drugs here but most is hidden behind closed doors which means your children aren't as exposed to it here as there. This small town isn't very friendly to outsiders though and really need to move to a more friendly atmosphere.

Since moving here the biggest crime we've had is someone robbing a bank and that was 7 years ago, although the news is always reporting something about our old neighborhood in the Lower Mainland. Most deaths up here are accidents like bear attacks or avalanches. Transportation sucks as well.

Would really like the opinion of someone who has lived in Ireland as to whether that would be a good move or not.


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## Brose2013

Hi all, I am also new to this website and really have never used forums before so not sure if im am using the correct etiquette apologies if I am not. Like many others on this forum, my hubby and I are hoping to immigrate next May to Canada, Calgary Alberta, we are hoping. I suppose because this is all very new to us our questions are very basic:
Is it a good idea to go with a visa company that arrange everything for us or should we organise all of this seperately ? Would it be a good idea to use a company we find at an EXPO in irealnd? how do these companies charge for their service?

We are at the begining really and as both of us are over 30, (hubby 31 me 33) hubby is a spark and i have qualified as a soical care worker and worked in admin previous to this....really we are kinda clueless!!!

is life in canada, more cheerful than ireland at the moment? is their prosperity and opportunities?

Thanks in adavance for any kind advise ... 

Rose


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## Mike mounty

I'm a spark emigrated 2000 from Wales.
I'm industrial and installation. 
They say industrial and construction. They think construction is the bees knees. 
So much so you have to site the test it's all code (regs to u and me) after I proved my qualifications at the ministry of education ( I was in Toronto) they gave me a temp construction license for 3 months until I was able to try the exam. ( 100 multi choice)
Get an updated code book and study. Better still do a course at a local college. I got the industrial license. But the one they wanted when I emigrated was the construction. Hope this is helpful.


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## Donavann

Well we made the shift just over a 3 years ago.We have just been house, for this summer.Nothing has change since we remaining and we are really experiencing it here from previous discussions, i have three kids and they really like it here and there is so much for the kids to do here.


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## Blue-star

Half the reason we want to relocate is to give our boys a better life. My husband and I work so hard (80-100 hrs a week between us) and hardly see anything for it. I know we will still have to work hard but if there is more there for the kids it's got to be better!!


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## Donavann

Donavann said:


> Well we made the shift just over a 3 years ago.We have just been house, for this summer. Nothing has change since we remaining and we are really experiencing it here from previous discussions, i have three kids and they really like it here and there is so much for the kids to do here.


we made the shift just over a 3 years ago.We have just been house, for this summer.


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## Wexford_Ireland

Blue-star said:


> Half the reason we want to relocate is to give our boys a better life. My husband and I work so hard (80-100 hrs a week between us) and hardly see anything for it. I know we will still have to work hard but if there is more there for the kids it's got to be better!!


Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but 40 to 50 hour weeks are becoming the norm. In my industry 50 hours is average and most of that is unpaid overtime.



IT salary cuts slow but over half of employees still expected to work unpaid overtime - Clarion Resourcing


> Over half of respondents (55 per cent) are expected to work longer than their contracted hours with one fifth putting in more than 10 hours extra per week. Seven per cent work as many as 16 hours per week, over and above stipulated terms.


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