Hi Folks

We're new to posting on this forum.

My OH and I along with our 9 year old son, BIL, SIL and their 3 kids of 12,13, and 15 years of age have been looking into a new start in Canada for a while now, read the books, trawled the internet, visited shows, spoke to immigration agents, discussed it with relatives etc, etc. We are now at the stage where we do it or forget it I would appreciate if any forum members could give us some feedback on the questions below, TIA

I am a time served light vehicle mechanic with trade certificates and 16 years experience, this is the skill I am hoping will allow our family entry to Canada via a TWP initially then hopefully progressing on to PR through one of the government schemes. I have been told mechanics can make $25 an hour in Canada, is this achievable ? Are mechanics only paid for work carried out or a basic 40 hour week ? Would I have to take Red Seal test before applying for any job ? If there are any forum members who have gained PR from working as a mechanic, I would be very interested to hear of their experience.

My BIL is a time served certificated dental technician with around 10 years experience, as above he is hoping this skill will gain his family entry to Canada. Again, if there are any forum members who are dental techs in Canada we would be interested to hear of your experiences, earning potential, job opportunities, etc.

Both familys are looking at hiring a consultant to deal with applications as it seems there are so many options to consider

Financially, both familys will have a budget of around CDN $120,000 each, would this be enough to build a new life in Canada including a deposit for a modest house, furniture, cars, living expenses for the first few months ?

We are planning to keep our house in the UK and rent it out, does anyone know how this would work, ie, am I able to transfer profit to my Canadian bank account of would I have to leave it to mount up in the UK ? Would I have to pay tax on it in both the UK and Canada if I was able to bring the money over ?

We have not decided on any particular area as such but weather wise we don't want the winters to be to extreme which I dare say rules out Manitoba and Saskatchewan. I guess it will depend on the demand for our skills in a given province. We are hoping both familys can be based close to each other but realise this may be a tall order due to the sheer size of Canada and the different job markets. We are planning a recce trip around Sept, Oct once we have an idea where we may end up.

We, like most other people who consider a move of this scale are fed up with the way the UK is going with crime (in particular, yob culture), healthcare, education, opportunities for the kids, taxes, taxes and more taxes need I go on ! We are quite happy with the feed back we've been given on these subjects in Canada Hence as I said at the beginning, its decision time !!!

Once again, thank you for your help