[Nm90210]

Hi Everyone!!

My husband and I are both 30, motivated & hardworking! My husband is a fully qualified electrician with more than 12 years experience(inc his apprentiship). I am a retail manager for an upmarket U.K high street brand with 7 years of management behind me(with this company).
Work has been very scarce over the last year for my husband & even though he has work it not consistent & its only ever month on month off. He is getting increasingly disheartened.... We have decided to move to Canada & we are attending an Expo re this in Dublin tomorrow. We have no mortgage, no children, no loans so essentially no ties to Ireland except our beloved families & my job which I love & I earn a v competitive salary with fantastic benefits so I will be upset to leave it...
We do not know what part of Canada we would like to move to as we have no friends & family there & to be honest we do not know too much about the country to make an educated decision. We just want to work & feel we have alot to offer. Where would you advise us to research? Is there much oppurtunities for retail managers over there?

 

[belcher]

What works does your hustband normally do? Condtruction, maintentemce, domestic... Ect?

 

[Nm90210]

Thanks for the reply! My husband has 4 years apprentiship experience & 7 years as a fully qualified electrician so 11 years in total. He is mainly an industrial electrician. Also btw I have no idea why it says I am an expat from Sudan!!!???

 

[belcher]

Your husband would do well in alberta or similar

 

[sylvos]

Hi there my husband is too an electrician and we have just applied for our PR visas. We are looking at Saskatoon/Regina area - loads of jobs. Your husband will go in as a 4th year apprentice and then after one year he will have to sit the red seal exam and finally be recognised as an electrician. The hourly rate roughly for a 4th year would be $36.40 and go up to $40 when his first year is over. We going over in May to Toronto and if we can arrange any interviews for Regina we will fly over there too. Alberta is the mines and although its great money - he will be working all days consecutive ones like 10 days on and 4 days off. If you like I will give you my mobile number by message and I will tell you all my info after May 12th or before if you like.
My husband has worked with some of the big electrical contractors in Ireland - does your husband have the same experience? We both aged 36 and 37 years old with no children too but three mortgages - two rental and one our home.
Best of luck in your decision - I hope I was of help.
S

 

[Nm90210]

Thanks so much for the reply Sylvos! Yes from the Expo yesterday it was Saskatoon/Regina which sounded most promising - my God the money there is unreal! How are you going about getting your PR-are you going through an agency? Yes my husband worked for the likes of Intel & Mercury he was also with S.R Technics before they went bust... Will you plan on working too when you get over-what field are you in? Thats the worry about Satskatchewen I dont know what type of oppurtunities will be available for me!
I will pm you my email address & my mobile now. Thank you so much for the sound advice-are you planning on staying on in Canada in May. Toronto is supposed to be a fab city xxx

 

[belcher]

I would not tell people those wages, they are the top of the line for a sparky, the average wage for a qualified sparky is around 25... Big difference

 

[G-Mo]

I would not tell people those wages, they are the top of the line for a sparky, the average wage for a qualified sparky is around 25... Big difference

This is true!

 

[LindaDoyle]

I dont want to be the one to burst anyones bubble but be very careful what you believe. It is true that there are plenty of jobs here in Canada and we are living not that far from Saskatchewan having moved from Co. Wexford to Winnipeg last July. We decided to do a reccie in the Feb 2011 and were very impressed with Winnipeg and what it had to offer. The cost of living in both Saskatchewan and Winnipeg would be considerably lower than Alberta but the wages are not what you seem to be saying above. Especially without the red seal, your OH will only be considered an apprentice over here until he passes the red seal, it doesnt matter what Irish experience he has. Yes, he will get a job but he wont be making the dosh until he has that Red Seal ticket. My OH is an automotive technician and had his own garage up until November 2011 and is fully qualified back home but here that means nothing and he too has to pass the Red Seal so that he can move up the ladder in terms of wages. You must be very careful not to believe everything you hear because Im only telling you because we also thought that the wages were gonna be considerably higher. We are both working and he earns 24.00 dollars per hour plus benefits but if there are no cars booked in, he doesnt get paid. I really dont want to burst your bubble but seriously make sure you research everything before you give up jobs, etc. And a reccie is a must in my opinion. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you wish. We have a huge Irish social networking thing going on at the moment and lots of us helping one another out. Good luck.

 

[Jrge]

Hi there my husband is too an electrician and we have just applied for our PR visas. We are looking at Saskatoon/Regina area - loads of jobs. Your husband will go in as a 4th year apprentice and then after one year he will have to sit the red seal exam and finally be recognised as an electrician. The hourly rate roughly for a 4th year would be $36.40 and go up to $40 when his first year is over. We going over in May to Toronto and if we can arrange any interviews for Regina we will fly over there too. Alberta is the mines and although its great money - he will be working all days consecutive ones like 10 days on and 4 days off. If you like I will give you my mobile number by message and I will tell you all my info after May 12th or before if you like.
My husband has worked with some of the big electrical contractors in Ireland - does your husband have the same experience? We both aged 36 and 37 years old with no children too but three mortgages - two rental and one our home.
Best of luck in your decision - I hope I was of help.
S

Could you provide any link(s) to support this information?

Thank you.

 

[sylvos]

Thanks everyone for your advice, we won't be doing anything rash until we know exactly what our jobs and the salaries would be. I'm an accounts manager so I am well clued into the figures side of things. The rates I quoted where from a HR Manager in a top Electricial Company in Regina who more or less told my husband he had a good chance of a job. He would start as a 4th year apprentice and then once he passes his exam after 1 year he would be qualified again.
Thanks again

 

[belcher]

He can sit the red seal in another provence and be qualified with no apprenticeship time, well atleast i know i dont have to. I would assume it would e the same

 

[sylvos]

Thanks for that belcher. The company that we interested in has excellent benefits and real chance for advancement so that's why my husband will to go in as a 4th year. We are not in a really bad financial position and are kinda looking at the move as a working holiday. If it works out we will stay if not we will go back home. I have good contacts at home so I'm not too worried about work if we return as for my husband well he never knows where he will be in 6 months time so really there will be no difference in now or in a years time!!!!

 

[aaron_mcg29]

Im in the same situation. I am a plumber / gas fitter by trade and i too was at the expo in the rds. I went with me c.v's and qualifications cert and got an interview with a company from Saskatchewan. I got a phone call yesterday to say that i have been accepted and i am meeting them today to discuss other things. I am highly qualified but in the same situation bit of wrok here and there,few months on,few months off. Its very frustrating. It seems that no matter how well you do your job the boss wants someone to do it cheaper,so yer basically on edge even from the 1st day of work. Its too hard to live like that with bills and morgage payments to be made. My wife is in a good paying job as a book-keeper so it'll be hard for her to leave that job but i think personally it'll be the best thing for both of us. I hope im proved right. Best of luck to both of you.

 

[sylvos]

Ah the very best of luck today Aaron I hope it all goes well. Can you send my a private message later and let me know how you get on. My brother in law is also a plumber so I would be keen to find out more. As I'm an accounts manager I will be in d same position as your wife, good job here but we really need two working to cover our bills. We want a better quality of life as opposed to making lots of money. Its too stressful here not knowing from one job to another when he'll be.
It would be great to find out more of what they said to you about living over there. I have sent off our CV's to that company I mentioned earlier so fingers crossed we are both successful as I was told to send in mine as they always looking for accounts/admin staff.
Best of luck again!!!

 

[Gary79]

I dont want to be the one to burst anyones bubble but be very careful what you believe. It is true that there are plenty of jobs here in Canada and we are living not that far from Saskatchewan having moved from Co. Wexford to Winnipeg last July. We decided to do a reccie in the Feb 2011 and were very impressed with Winnipeg and what it had to offer. The cost of living in both Saskatchewan and Winnipeg would be considerably lower than Alberta but the wages are not what you seem to be saying above. Especially without the red seal, your OH will only be considered an apprentice over here until he passes the red seal, it doesnt matter what Irish experience he has. Yes, he will get a job but he wont be making the dosh until he has that Red Seal ticket. My OH is an automotive technician and had his own garage up until November 2011 and is fully qualified back home but here that means nothing and he too has to pass the Red Seal so that he can move up the ladder in terms of wages. You must be very careful not to believe everything you hear because Im only telling you because we also thought that the wages were gonna be considerably higher. We are both working and he earns 24.00 dollars per hour plus benefits but if there are no cars booked in, he doesnt get paid. I really dont want to burst your bubble but seriously make sure you research everything before you give up jobs, etc. And a reccie is a must in my opinion. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you wish. We have a huge Irish social networking thing going on at the moment and lots of us helping one another out. Good luck.

Hi,
I have a job offer in Ontario and the wages for a qualified electrician there are around $25 an hour,after the red seal exam has been completed.We are planning on going over in april/may to have a look as we have never been there before and when we do go for good,we will be selling up here completely and bringing our 3 kids too so we want to get it right!
There are a few different things we are looking for definite answers to though because it seems the more research we do online,the more confusing it gets as we get so many different answers. . . . .

- How long approximately will it take for me to get a 2 year work permit including the time it takes the company to get its labour market opinion?

- Is a work permit the best way to go or would applying for permanent residency be a better option and how long would that process take?

-What are the different costs for either applications?

-Can my partner work while we are in Canada on my work permit?

-Is one type of visa better than the other in terms of the kids education and in relation to health care?

-Can I change jobs while working in Canada on a work permit?

Thanks for your help !

 

[LindaDoyle]

Hi,
I have a job offer in Ontario and the wages for a qualified electrician there are around $25 an hour,after the red seal exam has been completed.We are planning on going over in april/may to have a look as we have never been there before and when we do go for good,we will be selling up here completely and bringing our 3 kids too so we want to get it right!
There are a few different things we are looking for definite answers to though because it seems the more research we do online,the more confusing it gets as we get so many different answers. . . . .

- How long approximately will it take for me to get a 2 year work permit including the time it takes the company to get its labour market opinion?

- Is a work permit the best way to go or would applying for permanent residency be a better option and how long would that process take?

-What are the different costs for either applications?

-Can my partner work while we are in Canada on my work permit?

-Is one type of visa better than the other in terms of the kids education and in relation to health care?

-Can I change jobs while working in Canada on a work permit?

Thanks for your help !

hi, Im just rushing out to work so I will give you a better answer if nobody else comes along first. First thing, the company Im presuming have an LMO. if not they will need to apply for one and the waiting time for this depends, sometimes 6 - 12 weeks, different provinces are taking different lengths of time. Then you can get the work permit at port of entry and this will be for one year or two years depending on what the LMO says. We got a two year work permit. When we came through the airport the customs asked me was i planning on working too so I got an open work permit and Im allowed to work anywhere where OH is tied to the job that got the LMO. However you can change jobs if you get another LMO which I know lots of people do. but unfortunately LMOs are not being given as often and easily as they used to be. i dont know anything about health care in ontario. We have the Manitoba Health Card which covers us for our doctor bills and we have company benefits which cover our prescriptions and dentists. The kids will get a permit in their own right to enable them to attend school. if you have a job offer on the table and an LMO you would be mad to go down the route of PR first, that takes sooo long. If you come here with your LMO and get your work permit at port of entry you can apply for PNP employer driven after six months (check the PNP for Ontario cos not sure if you have to be six mths working for same employer) but in Manitoba you do. The work permit will cost you 150.00 dollars at port of entry and you will have to pay for your OHs permit too and the kids so thats the way to go.
I will try send you anything else i think of later. good luck, hope this helps.

 

[G-Mo]

- How long approximately will it take for me to get a 2 year work permit including the time it takes the company to get its labour market opinion?

There is no guarantee you will get a 2 year permit, its up to the discretion of the Immigration Officer on duty who processes you. Could get anywhere from 1-3 years. The process to get an LMO is about 6-14 weeks, once the LMO is approved, you can get your work permit on landing at the point of entry.

- Is a work permit the best way to go or would applying for permanent residency be a better option and how long would that process take?

PR takes 6 - 9 months, but, once you have it, you have it. You can live and work anywhere you want and work for anyone you want (including yourself).

- What are the different costs for either applications?

I believe Word Permit is $150 per person. Excluding any fees for a representative, off the top of my head, PR cost about $500 for you, $550 for the spouse and $150 per kid.

- Can my partner work while we are in Canada on my work permit?

Yes.

- Is one type of visa better than the other in terms of the kids education and in relation to health care?

I think if you are on a work permit, the children need study permits, but not 100% sure. Health Care is the same.

- Can I change jobs while working in Canada on a work permit?

No, and yes. If you want to change jobs, you will have to find another employer who can get an LMO for you. If you otherwise leave or are let go and don't have another employer with another LMO you have to leave the country.

 

[LindaDoyle]

yes, you can sit the red seal in any province and it can be transferred. But as I said before until you have red seal you will not be getting the higher wage. Unless I am totally wrong and have been living in this country for last six months under the wrong illusions.

 

[Gary79]

There is no guarantee you will get a 2 year permit, its up to the discretion of the Immigration Officer on duty who processes you. Could get anywhere from 1-3 years. The process to get an LMO is about 6-14 weeks, once the LMO is approved, you can get your work permit on landing at the point of entry.



PR takes 6 - 9 months, but, once you have it, you have it. You can live and work anywhere you want and work for anyone you want (including yourself).



I believe Word Permit is $150 per person. Excluding any fees for a representative, off the top of my head, PR cost about $500 for you, $550 for the spouse and $150 per kid.



Yes.



I think if you are on a work permit, the children need study permits, but not 100% sure. Health Care is the same.



No, and yes. If you want to change jobs, you will have to find another employer who can get an LMO for you. If you otherwise leave or are let go and don't have another employer with another LMO you have to leave the country.

Thanks a million for that Linda.
Will probably have a lot more questions soon!Let us know if you think of anything else that might help us.

G-Mo,Thanks also,
I see your location is Toronto and as that's the area we're heading for we will probably have lots of questions for you!