Help and inspiration please !!

[devon girl]

Hello over there!! We are a family from Devon coming over on my husbands work visa, hoping for a better quality of life and a hopeful future for our boys ( aged 7 and twins of 4 3/4)
We are going through an immigration lawyer at present and hopefully my husband will be over in April having interviews.
This site has been a great help (especially michael44. very informative chap) and an inspiration. It has confirmed to me that we are making the right decision (planning on applying for PR as soon as we arrive)
We are searching ares all in the Golden Horseshoe area (this obviously is a vast area) but could someone confirm that we will have a good quality of life on our wage, that of an electrical / mechanical engineer (industrial). We are assured that it is paid well but i am getting the wobbles!!
Many many thanks and would love to here from you.

Devon girl

[devon seven]

hi over here,
thinking of doing the same as you and looking at the same area,would like some advise on the migration agency to start the ball moving?

[CanadianGal]

Check out the golden triangle area too. Cheaper homes, smaller cities-less sprawl. Many companies.
Here is the link to the government website for the Labour Market-job descriptions/skill/requirements, wages/salaries, employment prospects. You can type in local areas/regions to see prospects.
This is good for all professions folks, so anyone can check out their profession, or a profession they are considering.
Labour Market Information (LMI)

[devon girl]

Originally Posted by devon seven

hi over here,
thinking of doing the same as you and looking at the same area,would like some advise on the migration agency to start the ball moving?

hello thanks for joining us.....after reading thios site there seems to be alot of paperwork involved(as with most countries) so we used colin singer emmigration lawyer. he approached my husband on a job search engine due to the fact that his job is one that is needed over there. his team come over randomely we met he was efficient and very explanatory and so far so good!(not cheap but saves us alot of hassle.)We are doing this hopefully for a better lifestyle but mainly for our boys( housing yob culture wages etc etc) good luck to you.

[devon girl]

[quote=CanadianGal;11573]Check out the golden triangle area too. Cheaper homes, smaller cities-less sprawl. Many companies.
Here is the link to the government website for the Labour Market-job descriptions/skill/requirements, wages/salaries, employment prospects. You can type in local areas/regions to see prospects.
This is good for all professions folks, so anyone can check out their profession, or a profession they are considering.


many thanks for reply.Hubby will be earning (to start)60-70000$ would we live comfortably on that in your current climate?.appreciate you can only give a generalisation , we have a healthy deposit for a house eventually(having read your previous stuff i see you recommend renting for a good while.)In an ideal world i guess our priorities are to be near water ,safe environment,outdoor life,good schools,small town environment with city an hour or two away!!!!!!!!when you look on the sites of each town ,city they all sound terrific(obviously)so the decision of settling specific somewhere is so tricky we need to get it right for the children so we can settle them as soon a poss.sorry for blithering on put it down to excitement and nerves!!!!cheers!

[CanadianGal]

I don't mind you expressing yourself! :-) Of course you must have a million questions. It is a big change afterall.
Well my hubby has a base salary 0f $65000 and is a solebreadwinner. I am a stay at home mom of a 6year old daughter. We do fine. We did not have as big of a deposit on a house as you likely have-so that puts you in better position. I do recommend the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge areas. Guelph is about $20-30000 more expensive for a home across the board. Nice city though(small, parks). All these cities are cheaper then the cities closer to TO. You can commute into TO or surrounding cities from these locations or just find work in this area(who wants to commute the 401 anyway!). Lots of great small towns, villages and country life outside the golden triangle. Cheaper to the north. Stratford is nice to the west.
I really recommend this area as a good base for jobs, with excellent shopping, sports clubs, facilities, hospitals, schools, etc. For me, I have lived in Waterloo and Guelph, Fergus, Elmira and outlying towns. It would be really good to check out Fergus/Elora(both touristy-pretty so pricier), Elmira, St. Jacobs(horse and buggy Mennonites mixing with the rest of us). So close to the city (like 5-20 minutes), but small town living. Farther out-still commutable and much cheaper. Any questions just ask! From what you say, stay away from the citites/sprawl of the 401 corridor in and out of TO. Not what you are looking for.Expensive too.
Meanwhile there are obviously many smaller cities and towns within commuting distance of cities(jobs) close to TO north of the cities along the 401-so you have many, many choices. Good luck!
PS. The array sports offered in Kitchener Waterloo for people(esp. kids) is incredible. I mean any manner of dance schools(lots of styles), karate, skating(learn to skate, figure skate, speedskate, synchro), hockey, soccer, basket ball, fencing, archery, diving, horseback riding, gymnasticstennis, swimming(and synchro teams), skiing, on and on....Many at a high level if a child wishes to pursue very competitive levels. Not to mention other extra cric clubs for kids. Like chess clubs, etc. The arts/music scene is strong. Many wonderful and different classes and summer camps for all ages. Galleries, festivals of all natures. Boy Scouts, Beavers, Girl Guides, etc
Actually, MANY festivals in Ontario. You have to choose what you would prefer each weekend in the summer in particular.
In smaller towns they have alot of free skating sponsered by businesses which is quite nice. They also have karate, hockey, skating, soccer, dance, music, 4H clubs, etc. Fall Fairs, Queen of the fair....

[devon girl]

Originally Posted by CanadianGal

I don't mind you expressing yourself! :-) Of course you must have a million questions. It is a big change afterall.
Well my hubby has a base salary 0f $65000 and is a solebreadwinner. I am a stay at home mom of a 6year old daughter. We do fine. We did not have as big of a deposit on a house as you likely have-so that puts you in better position. I do recommend the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge areas. Guelph is about $20-30000 more expensive for a home across the board. Nice city though(small, parks). All these cities are cheaper then the cities closer to TO. You can commute into TO or surrounding cities from these locations or just find work in this area(who wants to commute the 401 anyway!). Lots of great small towns, villages and country life outside the golden triangle. Cheaper to the north. Stratford is nice to the west.
I really recommend this area as a good base for jobs, with excellent shopping, sports clubs, facilities, hospitals, schools, etc. For me, I have lived in Waterloo and Guelph, Fergus, Elmira and outlying towns. It would be really good to check out Fergus/Elora(both touristy-pretty so pricier), Elmira, St. Jacobs(horse and buggy Mennonites mixing with the rest of us). So close to the city (like 5-20 minutes), but small town living. Farther out-still commutable and much cheaper. Any questions just ask! From what you say, stay away from the citites/sprawl of the 401 corridor in and out of TO. Not what you are looking for.Expensive too.
Meanwhile there are obviously many smaller cities and towns within commuting distance of cities(jobs) close to TO north of the cities along the 401-so you have many, many choices. Good luck!
PS. The array sports offered in Kitchener Waterloo for people(esp. kids) is incredible. I mean any manner of dance schools(lots of styles), karate, skating(learn to skate, figure skate, speedskate, synchro), hockey, soccer, basket ball, fencing, archery, diving, horseback riding, gymnasticstennis, swimming(and synchro teams), skiing, on and on....Many at a high level if a child wishes to pursue very competitive levels. Not to mention other extra cric clubs for kids. Like chess clubs, etc. The arts/music scene is strong. Many wonderful and different classes and summer camps for all ages. Galleries, festivals of all natures. Boy Scouts, Beavers, Girl Guides, etc
Actually, MANY festivals in Ontario. You have to choose what you would prefer each weekend in the summer in particular.
In smaller towns they have alot of free skating sponsered by businesses which is quite nice. They also have karate, hockey, skating, soccer, dance, music, 4H clubs, etc. Fall Fairs, Queen of the fair....

you should work for the tourist board! fab info!!!! how long have you been out there?and what are horse and buggie mennonites!!!one more question (for now.ha!ha!) any tips on shipping stuff out?should i try and sell everything or bring some special things?i know not to bother with electricals. again many thanks.....have a good day.

[CanadianGal]

I am born and bred Canadian! Ancestry-Scottish.
Mennonites are found in many areas near Waterloo. The small town of St. Jacobs is 5 minutes away and their site has links to descriptions of Mennonites and their way of life. Also a link about Waterloo region. St. Jacobs Country Or do a search on Mennonites (old order). They live a simple way of life.
Check out Moving to Waterloo Region
Shipping -you'll have to ask others I am afraid. Cost of shipping vs buying new once here. Gotta run just now-have fun.