Thinking of moving to Canada

[andyi59]

Hi everyone,

I am thinking of moving to Canada but not sure which place would be suitable for me?

I have got bachelor degree in accountancy and many years of experience in insurance industry and my wife has a degree in nursing.

Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[CanadianGal]

Try Kitchener and Waterloo in Ontario- lived there- many opportunities in insurance and for accountants. Its 2 cities but more like 1. The leading city in tech and alot more. Universities of world class calibre too. College as well. Its close to Cambridge and Guleph and drive down the 401 and you can commute to bigger cities and into Toronto. The Kitchener Waterloo Cambridge area is called the golden triangle. The cities surrounding Toronto and around to Hamilton (part of Lake Ontario) is called the golden horseshoe. Thats where its all happening. Depending on lifestyle , size of city, cost, its up to you where you want to try. But insurance- look at Kitchener and Waterloo (Equitable Life, Economical, and Manulife off the top of my head). Many of my friends have worked at these companies there. Close to the country too. Best of both worlds.
Good luck!!!
Check out realestate costs on mls canada (I can't post urls yet as I am new to this board)-put the city in the box for where you want to search. But hey, you can search anywhere in Canada, so its a good resource! Waterloo is more expensive then Kitchener. Cambridge is cheaper then those two. Guelph by the way is about $30000 more across the board for equivalent house. Lovely smaller city with a university and college. As you go towards Toronto it gets pricier.
There is an airport close to Waterloo and Kitchener and it is starting to do more international flights to take the pressure off Toronto's airports.

[andyi59]

Thanks alot for the info. CandianGal. I will look into those areas.

[CanadianGal]

I didn't mention, but your wife as a nurse, has MANY jobs available. WE NEED NURSES!!! Hospitals in all the cities mentioned(more then just 1), plus many, many positions as head nurse in nursing and retirement homes. If you like smaller towns with commuting distance to KW/ Guelph, etc there are many smaller hospitals and nursing homes in smaller towns. I can pick up any local paper and find nursing jobs for smaller towns as well as for cities. Many lifestyles and good/different places to choose from. Quality of life here is excellent and much less crime then in TO. These cities are cheap compared to Toronto and the immediate greater Toronto(GTA) area cities, but have all the amenities. Smaller towns have excellent shopping too.
I am not sure if you are from Britain, but compared to UK costs you are laughing. I would love to live in England for a few years but I don't think I could take the financial cost(housing, petrol, etc).
Really, if you don't mind winter for part of the year I think Canada offers a great deal to newcomers. Not perfect, but really very good! The only thing that Brits really miss and don't think of, is the pub life they have at home. We have bars but its not a cultural get together happening like in Britain. Shame really!
On the whole, Canadians are very welcoming. I have met many, many Brits who have moved here recently or have been here for years and consider it their home(it is!). They are very happy with the move (and the space). They laugh at how cheap things are here compared to the UK and like how new things are. Born and bred Canadians often admire the UK for the history and absolutely charming towns, etc. But the Brits we notice like that we are a young country (architecture, everything). So go figure!
I had a nurse from Wales and she immigrated just a few years go and she says she is very happy. Not to say nursing is perfect. Our healthcare is under pressure like many countires. But she works in a town outside Guelph and really likes it there. In her case, she married a Canadian she met while visiting here for a wedding.
Any questions just ask.

[andyi59]

Thanks CanadianGal for all the information, really appreciated. Actually i'm from Hong Kong and still need to apply for the skilled working visa so i could be a long process before i can move to Canada. Im sure Canada is lovely, cheaper, more opportunities, better education for children and ofcourse bigger. Atleast i don't have to speak 10 different languages to get a job.

[CanadianGal]

Good luck Andy. Many, many nationalities here.
My husband decided to change careers but for the last 15 years was employed by a company where 80% of the workforce came from all parts of Asia(over 2000 people) as immigrants . He loved it and loved learning all about those countries ways. They spoiled him rotten actually. Many immigrants from Thailand, China, Cambodia, Louw(sorry not sure on spelling just this minute), Vietnam, etc. It has been a learning experience for everyone in many ways! Prejudice can go both ways but most get beyond their initial misgivings or stereotypes.
There are cultural issues/niceties that are different and often have to be worked out to be understood. But I find as ever that those who make the efforts on both sides do best. We all end up laughing about ourselves. Also I would have to comment the sacrifices some people have made to come here and essentially start again is admirable and utterly amazing. Even workaholic Canadians can't compete or work harder and get farther ahead then many immigrants I have met-especially those who face so many challenges to begin with(language/culture, and sometimes racism).
Whenever somebody starts whining about immigrants(mostly those that never get to know them), I have to tell them of a coworker and friend of my husband. Lovely man.
From China he was a manager of 1000 people , his father very high in the gov't(VERY) and he considered himself fortunate that they had a 2 bedroom apartment they shared with his parents and a company car. In fact, he said he was lucky because he would get to choose between 2 items on the store shelf, not 1. His wife wanted a better future and knew she would have better opportunities here. So, she came 3 years before him, got off the jet not knowing a word of english and immediately went into the hardest university degree program at University of Toronto. Software engineering. She learned english while studying(WOW) and graduated top of her class with honours (98%)4 years later. By this time her husband had arrived and it had been a long separation. But she had left their baby daughter in China with the grandparents and husband when she came to Canada. So still a painful separation from their only child. Canada did not recognize his credentials and experience. It pained him to take a menial job because he felt he could not write his parents and tell them how far he had fallen. But he worked hard. This is when he met my husband who was 20 at the time. They both got the same job and worked their way up. My husband took him under his wing and loved learning about China. He taught him how to say words/ what they meant, how to solve everyday problems in a new land, how not to let others get him in mischief (because some guys would tease him and he at a disadvantage, believed them). My, there are some really great stories of one showing the other "THE CANADIAN WAY"! Which is all our friend insisted on knowing/doing. You know he always thanked us for helping and really it was easy and a pleasure for us to do. But I realize now the difference one local can make to an immigrant's experience/transition.
Anyhow....6 years in and the daughter immigrates and they have a son. An adjustment and happy reunion! The wife got an excellent job outside Toronto after graduating, and the husband got into management(and could finally tell the truth to his parents). I believe they own 2 maybe 3 expensive homes now, she is going from strength to strength and he went to another better job being a liason for a major company with factories in China. They flew past what many Canadians have in 10 years or less. I remember the bottem of a house they rented for years missing their child. I remember each cutting the others hair with a bowl around their heads to save extra money. I remember when the daughter arrived(6 years old) and did not know her mother (and the heartbreak for the mom, and the grandparents who had raised her).I am proud of them and happy for them.
He sponsered his parents who came for several years and had medical issues taken care of. They are in their 70's and kept postponing going back to China. After 6months we took them on a daytrip to Meaford(water, hills, pretty). Our friend's parents and siblings didn't like or understand when he left China(couldn't do better), but on this day, his father, the high up gov't official who had a luxurious life in China by their standards, sat on a rock looked at the water, the beauty and the space.... and wept. He said they never should have stopped their children from coming to Canada, and he wished he had immigrated here as a young man. He just couldn't believe what he saw in the city or in the country by a lake. The clean air and the opportunity! It was a great day for our friend. Finally his family understood what the sacrifices were for.
It isn't easy but it is worth it.
Some immigrants like the Vancouver area aside from Toronto for Asian community ties and goods. However even outside of Toronto there is more of that around these days. And if it is not essential(some choose to stay close to Asian communities for comfort) then you can branch out easily. With the British influence in Hong Kong maybe that won't be as necessary(obviously you are fluent in English). Our Asian friends say the parents who never bothered to integrate rely on these pockets of ethnic communities but insist learning the language, becoming Canadian while valuing your heritage is the best way to go about adjusting to Canada.

[andyi59]

Hi CanadianGal,

I was recently searching for information about jobs etc in Canada and came across these websites with informations about immigrants specially from Asia being doctors and engineers in their own country, working in macdonalds and driving cabs. Because their qualification is not recognized in Canada and if they want to practice they have to do it all over again. It really scared me off lol. Is this true?

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by andyi59

I was recently searching for information about jobs etc in Canada and came across these websites with informations about immigrants specially from Asia being doctors and engineers in their own country, working in macdonalds and driving cabs. Because their qualification is not recognized in Canada and if they want to practice they have to do it all over again. It really scared me off lol. Is this true?

In fact, it is true - but in many cases, the real "issue" is one of language. There is usually a way to take some additional classes or exams to get around a qualification that isn't recognized (in Canada, or elsewhere) especially in a profession that is needed. But it's often the language issue that keeps immigrants from being able to pursue the "catch-up" process for a high-level profession.
Cheers,
Bev

[andyi59]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

In fact, it is true - but in many cases, the real "issue" is one of language. There is usually a way to take some additional classes or exams to get around a qualification that isn't recognized (in Canada, or elsewhere) especially in a profession that is needed. But it's often the language issue that keeps immigrants from being able to pursue the "catch-up" process for a high-level profession.
Cheers,
Bev

Thanks alot for the info. Bev. Infact i'm facing the same language issue here but i hope it won't be a problem for me in Canada as i can understand a fair bit of English and hopefully my accounting degree is recognized as well I'm working towards a Canadian qualification right now so hope that would help too.

[M_Toronto]

Get a transfer with your company in the UK - it will save you about C$20k in relocation costs and 5 years admin (I think that the waiting list is about that long). I will also keep your salary whole. We decided to go to Canada and the whole process took 4 months because of transfer. Much easier.