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| Probably the most important question and possibly the hardest to
answer is "is this the right thing to do"? This, of course, is
the question only YOU can answer and it depends a lot on your
family. If you're single then there are your parents, siblings,
and other close family and friends you may miss who have to be
informed. If your married (or separated) with a family then it's
a totally different scenario. If your kids are old enough to
understand then they have to be fully informed and you have to
listen to them. Both partners need to be 100% committed to the
idea - a half hearted attempt or negative attitude will make the
transition even harder.
This is a deeply personal subject and we experienced it first
hand. Before we had kids we had visited Canada and I wanted to
go for it - my wife wasn't sure and didn't want to leave her
parents. About 3 years later after another visit to a different
part of the country everything changed, we had a son and the
town that was visited was everything we had dreamed of to raise
our kids. The lifestyle available was vastly superior to the way
we were living and obtainable by ordinary people. My wife came
back to the UK and announced that she was 100% behind a move and
we set the ball rolling straight away - the rest they say is
history!!!!
So, once you are all in agreement, then you are past the first
step. The real "fun" starts here!!
You need to consider your options very carefully -which Visa
class do you qualify to apply for and if there is more than one
that fits, which is the best for you? In Canada there are 6
standard classes of visa and then a seventh separate class if
you are applying to live in Quebec. All of the main 6 visa types
are administered by the Citizen and Immigration Canada (CIC)
department which was established in 1994 to handle all the
Citizenship and Immigration procedures. Quebec runs its own
immigration system!
Read each of the types of visa and go through them in great
detail - always err on the side of caution and be conservative
in your assessment of your case. I was applying for the skilled
worker class under the old system (70 points - the latest system
is a pass mark of 67) and assumed that with my wife's sister
living in Canada (married to a Canadian) I would score an extra
5 points and bring my total to 74. After several months of
assumptions I checked it and found that I wouldn't be entitled
to the points and so failed to meet the pass mark. Then we hired
Kerry Martin of Access Migration to act on our behalf and she
eventually secured the permanent residency for us.
The skilled worker class is by far the most popular choice of
application and is currently taking 18 - 24 months for
applications to be processed. (This is always changing so check
www. For the up to date info) The CIC site has an excellent self
assessment tool for you to use - if you pass easily then you
shouldn't have a problem with the application. If you don't
reach the pass mark or are close/don't want to do it on your
own; then I would recommend hiring an Immigration professional
(Lawyer or consultant). Do ensure they are registered with the
CSIC AND in good standing before you hire anybody to represent
you. Both Kerry Martin and Phil Mooney offer free, no obligation
assessments and are qualified consultants registered with the
CSIC. Kerry can only represent UK nationals and Phil offers his
services to clients worldwide.
If you are short of points there are several ways of earning
more - learning second language skills (English or French) is
possibly the quickest method. Gaining work experience will take
the appropriate number of years as will any educational
improvements you may need. Definitely don't submit your
application until it is complete and check it over several times
to avoid submitting an application with mistakes. They will most
likely be found and will then delay your application while they
are sorted out. Always give EVERYTHING that you are asked to
provide and to be honest try to give more - extra evidence of
work history, personal character references, other
qualifications or skills - to give too much info shouldn't
affect the application, not enough definitely will!!
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Okay, you have chosen the visa, compiled the application and
submitted it - what next? Well, depending upon the type of visa
you have applied for you can check the CIC website for the
approximate processing times and see how long you have to wait.
This time could be several years so you can spend it very
proactively and improve your chances of a successful
resettlement.
If your educational levels are in need of a boost you would be
able to complete some fairly high level courses in 2 years. The
major problem is that whatever course you do - make sure it can
be transferred to Canada. The chances are the process will be
lengthy with a fair chance it won't work. The best option would
be to enroll on internet courses with Canadian colleges - then
the resulting qualification is Canadian.
Another option is to learn new skills (typing. Welding,
electrics, auto maintenance) most skilled trades are in very
short supply in Canada and even if it isn't your chosen career,
they pay well and would give you an excellent start in the
Canadian workforce. It is always easier to find the career you
want from a well paid job. It is most unlikely that your trade
skills will transfer directly across to the Canadian system as
there are separate legislative/licensing agencies for most
trades across each Province so expect to have to retrain and/or
sit exams prior to be allowed to work in that profession.
A huge step forward is to identify the area you wish to settle
in and then tie in your (and your partners) skills to see if any
of the local industry is likely to hire you. You can easily
research any of the local companies by using the yellow pages
(link), town/city chamber of commerce and the main job searching
sites and see who is in commutable distance and whether they are
likely to be hiring. If the area of your dreams does not have
the industry that applies to your skills is there anything you
can offer the companies that are there or do you need to change
your plans and move to where the work is?
To be honest, we moved to the area of our dreams and now I have
a lengthy commute to work - this becomes an issue in the winter
and provides a longer work day. Would I change it? No, but I
think plenty of other people would.
All this is in YOUR control before you move and forewarned is
forearmed as they say. It is always better to know what lies
ahead, if your qualifications transfer (do you have to retrain)
will there be a chance of work in my chosen profession. Etc. so
you can plan for it. Once you have moved, you are at the mercy
of the local job market and if your settling funds diminish as
fast as ours did then it won't take long for the panic to set
in!!
Another vital aspect of your move is the budget - the chances
are you will be selling most of your possessions and moving with
your life savings. Choose a conservative exchange rate to work
out your settling funds and make sure you account for all of
your expenses to move (legal fees for house sales/purchases,
shipping/storage, house deposits, replacement of goods you sold
to move, flights, hotels, pet shipping costs, rented
accommodation, insurance.)
This is where your research will pay extra dividends. If you
know the area you want to settle in, housing costs, local taxes,
which are the most likely employers and what they are paying,
then you can fairly accurately forecast your budget. The
following table demonstrates our average monthly outgoings for
an 1800 square foot family house:
Life insurance ($250,000 on each parent) = $60 Pet Insurance
(for a Dog) = $30 Local taxes (approx 1% of house value) = $215
Cell Phone (family plan 2 phones) = $55 Local town bill (water,
recycling, sewage) = $65 Gas (heating + hot water) = $75
Electric (power and cooking) = $70 House phone (long distance +
features) = $80 Cable TV and high speed internet = $110.00 Total
monthly = $760.00
Then add your mortgage/rent (allow $1,000 for a family house)
and living costs (family of four about $250 per week) and it
soon adds up. Your wages will see the Canadian Pension Plan, EI
and federal/Provincial taxes deducted along with any Provincial
healthcare premium that may be applicable. Total deductions will
be around 45% of your salary (depending upon the Province you
move to) so always bear that in mind too. This is a conservative
estimate with everything rounded up but is an honest picture of
the level of outgoings you can expect to see. Add in activity
costs if you have kids - hockey equipment is expensive with the
season ice fees normally in excess of $500.00 and you see the
picture.
This is an illustration based upon our experience and will be
different for each area - believe me, the effort involved with
this research will pay you back and then some!!!
More detailed information and links to great resources can be
found at ht
tp://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/immigration.html
| Dave Lympany
The author immigrated to Canada in 2003 and has constructed a
free information website
http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com about Canadian
Immigration and life in Canada based on his family's
experiences.
Editor, Attorney Immigration Minnesota Review - *Editor's Commentary expresses opinions by the Editor and is not part of the original article but has been added to provide additional information and resources about Attorney Immigration Minnesota and other immigration subjects. |
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