Moving to Canada from the UK

Moving to Canada from the UK

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dkatwa

570 posts

244 months

Thursday 4th April 2013
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hi LukeD1UK
I moved to Toronto two years ago but had to come back for schooling reasons. Current plan is to get back over there later this year/ next year.
What I found was the following:
1. Car insurance is expensive. For a newcomer, the cost will likely be 3k CAD+, irrespective of car. Might be worth doing an advanced motoring course when you get there. The licence is easy though - just swap your UK one for a Canadian one!
I belong to a professional body (ACCA) and there was an insurance company that gave better rates, but even so, no where near as cheap as UK

2. Get a credit record going. Open a bank account now if you can, get a credit card (likely you will have to put a deposit down equivalent to your credit limit) and start using it. Leasebusters and all don't want to know if you don't have a credit history.

3. Choice of European cars is limited. Possibility of importing from the USA (dedicated companies exist for this) although will cost about 2k CAD

4. Try www.meetup.com as you can find locals with similar interests

good luck with the move!

Edited by dkatwa on Thursday 4th April 14:21

starf

97 posts

159 months

Thursday 4th April 2013
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I moved to Ottawa around 3 years ago, and agree with everything dkatwa has written, with the exception of:

dkatwa said:
1. Car insurance is expensive. For a newcomer, the cost will likely be 3k CAD+, irrespective of car. Might be worth doing an advanced motoring course when you get there. The licence is easy though - just swap your UK one for a Canadian one!
I belong to a professional body (ACCA) and there was an insurance company that gave better rates, but even so, no where near as cheap as UK
I found insurance to be expensive, but not as expensive as this. As mentioned, I swapped my UK licence for a Canadian license, and bought a car almost immediately. In my first year, I paid around $2k for a 2001 Audi. That was fully comp for a 25 year old without any driving history. Of course, I'm sure it varies between the sleepy backwaters of Ottawa and the bright lights of Toronto, but be aware that it's not always prohibitively expensive!

Anyway, Canada in general is a great place to be, I'm sure you'll love it as soon as you get here. Montreal is known as a great city to live in, even if you don't speak French. There is a thread somewhere about Ottawa which covers a good few points.

Perhaps happygoron will be along to add his more recent moving to canada experience...

thegreenhell

15,103 posts

218 months

Friday 5th April 2013
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Insurance doesn't have to be expensive, but you may need to shop around to find an accommodating broker. Mine took into account my UK driving history and I ended up paying less than $1k for full coverage in my first year. To get this I had to present a copy of my old UK paper licence showing zero endorsements, and a copy of my most recent UK insurance documents from before I moved, which showed proof of nine years NCB in the UK. Without that I was looking at around $3k per year as a new Canadian driver. You'll have to physically surrender your UK licence when you swap it for a Canadian one, so make sure you scan it or make copies beforehand for future reference, as you'll need to obtain your Canadian provincial licence before you can get insurance.

If you're starting from zero, as I did, then be prepared to pay what feels like a lot of money to buy a rusty old stbox. You may be able to get a lease, but as a new resident you may need to either build up some credit history first or get employer references, otherwise you'll likely face a large downpayment in advance.

The track driving scene is probably at its best in Ontario and Quebec, as there are very few tracks elsewhere in the country. Over on the East side you have the likes of Mosport, Mont Tremblant, Calabogie and Shannonville all within reasonable distance of the cities you mention. Most of these do 'lapping days' as well as club and race meetings.

happygoron

424 posts

188 months

Friday 5th April 2013
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Hey, I moved to Ottawa just over 4 weeks ago now. Enjoying it here, but unsure if I'll bother getting a car yet. As discussed, it's quite pricey buying and insuring anything interesting and driving in the Ottawa city looks frustrating. However some sort of car transport is a must here, so I'm looking at the sums to see if a combination of normal hiring and a short hire scheme called virtuacar in Ottawa (think it's in montreal too or a similar company is) will be better for me. The leases do look good but credit here is very dependent on history, of which you'll have none, and your residency. As I'm on a 2 year work permit I don't have the option of a long lease. However, I would love a car, so we'll see....

I disagree with he comment on European cars being rare from my observations, plenty of german metal about, ask starf! Nothing French though, which makes me sad.

With regards moving out here I don't know what kind of visa you are going for but they seem to be tightening up the borders here a bit. The Canadian embassy in the UK isn't very helpful at all in my experience, I received my work permit by email whilst standing in the immigration queue in Ottawa! Get your application in early and be prepared to wait with no updates. I don't know what the job market is like over here as I came with a job, but the country seems to have weathered the recession pretty well overall, though I'm seeing the effects of pretty big civil service cuts over the last few years in work. Being able to speak French will help in Montreal too I think.

In general Canada seems a lovely place so far. I caught the tail end of the winter which was more than cold enough so I'm not looking forward to the proper winter, however the summers are great apparently. Living seems a bit more expensive over here compared to the UK, but standards seem a bit higher. The biggest thing I've noticed is the people, never met so many sincerely nice people in my life. I've been here a month and I don't think I've been rude to once which is a stark contrast to the uk!

Any more questions fire away, either on here or drop me an email if you want. And come to Ottawa for a beer when you get here!

thegreenhell, would you mind sharing what insurance company that is with?


thegreenhell

15,103 posts

218 months

Friday 5th April 2013
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happygoron said:
thegreenhell, would you mind sharing what insurance company that is with?
I'm with Allstate. The coverage I have is fully comp for my car and any rental car in my name in all Canadian provinces and all US states (so I don't have to buy separate rental insurance when I rent). From my limited experience of searching for insurance over here, it's as much about finding a good broker to discuss your circumstances and requirements with as it is about finding the cheapest company. Don't just rely on the online quotes you can get from websites like Kanetix.

magicalex

22 posts

135 months

Tuesday 7th May 2013
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Hey dude, I moved to Montreal from Warrington four years ago, my wife is also Canadian and love it here. I`ll warn you though, if you don`t speak French start learning - language is a big issue here more so now than ever.

In general i find the car scene here a lot different from what i was used to back in the UK. Shed motoring for example just doesn't seem to exist as cars seem to hold their values a lot better and obviously there's less of a European or Jap influence. Imports here are highly restricted which is frustrating for somebody who lived and breathed MR2s before emigrating. An mr2 selling for a grand in the uk can go for anything up to $10k here no joke!

I own a restaurant bang in the middle of Montreal and I know the city pretty well so if you need advice by all means drop me a line.

magicalex

22 posts

135 months

Thursday 9th May 2013
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I'm not really much help in that department I'm afraid. My wife & I took up a business opportunity & came here specifically to open our own business and return to her home town so I've been spared the experience of job hunting in a foreign land.

What I would say is don't put off applying for residency, do it asap. From putting the forms in the post to receiving my Residency Card I waited eight months, during which time I technically wasn't supposed to be working at all. Get everything prepared for your application so its all together & ready, the process is really simple but be wary of random "advice" people who haven't actually been through the process will give you, such as "oh you have to be married to apply" or worst of all "if you dont speak French your application will be rejected" both of these statements whilst commonly thrown at you are completely untrue. If it helps I have an excellent Immigration Lawyer who did everything for me that I can refer you to, it costs money but it makes the whole process child's play cos he does all the leg work

Job hunting might be tricky without residency or at least a work permit so I'd start putting a cv together and start contacting companies & making as many contacts as you can. Montreal has a big software industry though especially gaming ones, Eidos & EA have head offices here for example so your experience is definitely useful.

I can't stress it enough though mate, start learning French like yesterday! Language is a huge huge issue here & theres a seperatist French government in Quebec that's trying its hardest to marginalise us Anglophones, so even if you can only say a few simple sentences it will make it easier for you. I'm by no means fluent in French & I have no intention of ever living anywhere else I love it here its an awesome city.

Edited by magicalex on Thursday 9th May 04:17

magicalex

22 posts

135 months

Thursday 9th May 2013
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I dont mind answering any questions as i had literally nobody to ask before coming here so i know what a minefield it can be

Youre right though its completely overwhelming when you look online there is a website called something like Britishexpats.com or something like that (or maybe just expats.com) but honestly i personally just found it to be a a forum for people collectively freaking out or worrying but you know some people need that where as I like to just get my head down and get on with stuff so dont let my opinion sway you. check it out as it is a very resourceful site and im sure many people will swear by it.

You need to be able to supply with your application for residency a documented history of your relationship with your girlfriend that proves you have been in a committed relationship for a minimum of one full year - YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE MARRIED dont let anybody tell you otherwise. For me & my wife it was easy as we`d been friends since 2001 before we actually became a couple in 2007 so we had so much stuff to submit that proved we were a genuine couple that we sent a documented history the size of a phone book with all our forms. Our lawyer actually kept our application as a model to show future clients! His opinion was that this strategy of bombarding the poor civil servant who opens your file with so much info means he or she is less likely to nit pick and potentially hold up the application. I cant prove this one way or the other but its seems logical to me.

If youve been a couple for a year already all be it long distance then you still need to be able to have proof of that, we submitted airline ticket stubs and photocopies of our passport pages showing that we had flown back and forth from here to england to spent time together & that we had taken vacations together in other countries as well - if you can do this too then all the better. It was easier for us as my wife came to live with me in England for a year before we moved back here but literally your looking to send as much information as you can no matter how small, we even printed out & submitted emails that we had sent each other that showed we were a couple despite being in separate countries for a while. We also submitted literally hundreds of photos showing us together, with each others friends and family etc trust me in your situation theres no such thing as send them too much info!

I can also tell you that according to my lawyer the process is quicker if you apply from within Canada than if you do it via a consulate in another country I cant say that this is 100% true but maybe check with the website i mentioned as I was done & dusted within eight months which is pretty good if you ask me!

The process i went down was i came here as a tourist on a six month visa, we got married (because we wanted to not because it was mandatory) then we submitted our application two months later due to some frustrating delays getting police background checks from the UK & Australia (where i travelled for a year in 2001). I returned to England for two weeks when my tourist visa was almost up and then flew back here again - they asked me questions at Heathrow and when I landed in Montreal but I was already in the system as an applicant by then so I didn`t have any issues with border security and I was allowed back in under an extension to my Tourist Visa. I applied for residency as my wife's Conjugal Partner and she is effectively my "Sponsor" for three years which is now up and I'm about to go through the process of applying for Citizenship & have a Canadian passport.

I have to stress though that everybody`s situation is different and what may have been good for me might not be suitable for other people. We shelled out two grand for a lawyer which yes is a st load of money but in the end it gave us peace of mind that we would never have had otherwise so if hiring one is within your means I cant recommend it enough but dont be fooled everything you need to submit is online for you to print out and fill in yourself so you're not at a disadvantage without a lawyer at all.

magicalex

22 posts

135 months

Friday 10th May 2013
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Maybe look in to applying for a work permit or something to start off with, I'm no expert but finding paid work without a social security number and only a tourist visa may be a bit tricky. I say this because I can't hire anybody in your situation even though i rely heavily on casual/part-time employees, that being said not every employer is as concerned about stuff like that. Don't forget my wife and I own the business that employs us both so working on a tourist visa wasn't an issue for me in the slightest as half of that time was spent behind locked doors building the place and for the other half I was for all intents and purposes just hanging out with my wife as far as anybody could tell, we were very very careful and probably a little bit paranoid too!

Another tip i thought of was start looking through the classifieds on Craigslist & there is also a website here called Kijiji.ca which is more popular, its exactly like Gumtree back in England and a lot less ghetto that Craigslist. I get 99% of my staff through there and I know from time to time you will see people offering cash in hand work but more often than not its in exchange for hard labour! Be careful though, if you get caught working and being "paid under the counter" the authorities have the right to send you back to the UK and bar you from returning for a good length of time which would really screw your future plans.

I'm not trying to scare you dude just giving the facts that I'm aware of. I'm assuming your girlfriend is either currently living in Montreal or is from here originally?

Edited by magicalex on Friday 10th May 03:04

magicalex

22 posts

135 months

Friday 10th May 2013
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No problem at all mate, let me know if there's any other info you need.

boobles

15,241 posts

214 months

Friday 10th May 2013
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Nothing to add really apart from wishing you all the best you lucky lucky sod. Would love to move to Canada.

LukeD1uk

Original Poster:

31 posts

145 months

Friday 10th May 2013
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magicalex said:
No problem at all mate, let me know if there's any other info you need.
thanks mate will let you know biggrin

LukeD1uk

Original Poster:

31 posts

145 months

Friday 10th May 2013
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boobles said:
Nothing to add really apart from wishing you all the best you lucky lucky sod. Would love to move to Canada.
I know i will feel very luck when im there, shes an amazing woman and i will be very happy.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Friday 10th May 2013
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Have you properly thought this through? I'm no expert on Canadian immigration but I suspect that it's not quite as simple as you are suggesting here (using a tourist visa to get in, then 'finding a job', settling down and ultimately applying for citizenship).
Are you even legally employable without immigration documentation?
Don't you have to demonstrate that you have the money to finance your stay (which they will assume to be temporary on a tourist visa)?

I know Canada is a breeze to get into vs USA, but it can't be that piss-easy or everyone would do it.
Seriously, is 'having a Canadian friend' enough to get you in, without any specialized skills, family or business connection?

I always start to worry that things are a bit half-baked, when people suggesting they are going to make a move like this, put their car options ahead of how they are physically going to be able to make the move happen.

I'm curious to learn if it really is that easy...

LukeD1uk

Original Poster:

31 posts

145 months

Friday 10th May 2013
quotequote all
Matt Harper said:
Have you properly thought this through? I'm no expert on Canadian immigration but I suspect that it's not quite as simple as you are suggesting here (using a tourist visa to get in, then 'finding a job', settling down and ultimately applying for citizenship).
Are you even legally employable without immigration documentation?
Don't you have to demonstrate that you have the money to finance your stay (which they will assume to be temporary on a tourist visa)?

I know Canada is a breeze to get into vs USA, but it can't be that piss-easy or everyone would do it.
Seriously, is 'having a Canadian friend' enough to get you in, without any specialized skills, family or business connection?

I always start to worry that things are a bit half-baked, when people suggesting they are going to make a move like this, put their car options ahead of how they are physically going to be able to make the move happen.

I'm curious to learn if it really is that easy...
From allot of research yes its that easy, also im not putting my car options above anything. This just happens to be a car forum and i was curious to how it all worked, and just happened to talk to people who have made the move. Also i doubt everyone would be doing it, its a big thing to move to another country.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Friday 10th May 2013
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I'm not so sure. I think you might be over-simplifying things, though I only have one or two British acquaintances living in Canada as a frame of reference - one in BC (a Dietician with a string of letters behind her name) and the other in Mississauga ON (a bit of a layabout, who married a Canuk chick). Both of them had a few hoops to jump through before they were allowed in.
I'm curious what you are going to say to Canadian Immigration when you arrive, as to the purpose of your visit. Maybe I've got it all wrong, but I suspect that visiting as a tourist, with the intention of getting a job and then shacking up with someone I met on the internet or similar might not get you the reaction you are hoping for.
What does your immigration attorney say? I assume you have consulted with one - after all and to use your own words, it's a big thing to move to another country....

Edited to add that I really do wish you every success in this adventure and I'm not trying to be mean-spirited, but there just seems to be something missing in all of this.

If Canada's immigration policy was this lax the country would be inundated with skint, unskilled, non-contributing youngsters looking for a change of scenery from "broken Britain" and beyond.

Edited by Matt Harper on Friday 10th May 22:21

GavinPearson

5,715 posts

250 months

Saturday 11th May 2013
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The OP needs to apply for the Canadian visa from the UK, bide his time and do the job properly.

It would make the most sense to aim to work in Toronto, that way there is no language barrier plus there is a lot of work there or in the Greater Toronto Area.

Once the OP is established then he should look to move elsewhere.

happygoron

424 posts

188 months

Saturday 11th May 2013
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It is my understanding that chances of just getting an open work permit are virtually zero. They are clamping down on foriegn workers too, coming over here stealing canadian jobs. though most people ive met have been first generation immigrants! Without a work permit you won't be able to get a social insurance number, which limits you to cash in hand.

Your best bet is one of the one year working holiday visas for people travelling, but I think that they have a limited number of them which resets in January, so you may be out of luck for this year.

The other option is to get a job out here from in the uk, which was my route, and then my partner got an open work permit attached to mine. Might be pretty hard to do that though depending on your qualifications and field.

Don't be put off though, it's well worth it!

sawman

4,915 posts

229 months

Saturday 11th May 2013
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LukeD1uk said:
Im not applying for a Visa yet, i am getting a work permit so i can work in the country.
while doing that i will accumulate time as a couple.
My understanding of canadian work permits is that they can only be issued relating to a particular position, the offer having been validated by Human Resources, Canada - this ensures that you are not taking a job from a canadian. Or Are you getting a bunac 12 month work permit?

The canadians take a very dim view of folks who try to play fast and loose with their immigration policies, and unless you have all the boxes ticked you can expect to be repatriated as soon as you land.

unfortunately it is next to impossible to get answers to specific questions from the immigration department (esp in London)




Edited by sawman on Saturday 11th May 21:14

happygoron

424 posts

188 months

Saturday 11th May 2013
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Also to add how useless the immigration department in the embassy in London is I had an email this week saying my work permit application has been approved. I've been over here working for ten weeks with a work permit! It is a lot easier at the border if you get all the paperwork sorted though, my partner and I have no issues at all at the border, whereas a friends partner has had no end of trouble trying to get her work permit sorted whilst in Canada.