I want to move to Canada, how?
 

Well. Me and my wife want to change scenery, while it is possible.

Our children are still small, babies actually and now if ever it would be possible to live in another country.

DOes anybody know how I can get more information about moving to canada.

Where do I get a job, how is health insurance handled over there, schooling (does it cost),....

Help me somebody :)

(will ask more later, now I have to go change a diaper)

Here is a good place to start.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.html

If you have a trade or profession, there is a real manpower shortage in Canada, especially Alberta.

Although I don't have the details offhand, I know CIC (Canada Citizenship and Immigration) have fast tracked some employment areas. That information should be available in the website.

Health care is funded largely through taxes and available to all legal residents. Primary and secondary schooling is also tax funded.

PM me your e-mail and I can hopefully answer any questions.

As long as you can handle the winters, there are many worse places to live.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1156691916.jpg
Tim

I'm not sure how unreasonable we are being on visa requirements for Finns nowadays, but i would suggest checking out the Charlotte, NC area if you can stand the weather...lol

Well I lived in Canda for over 15years and worked there as a Professional during that time, by the time I left I had a pretty decent job and home. Why don't you contact your local Canadian Embassy in regards to the criteria required to move there.

Pluses:
1) Very multi-cultural
2) Great diversity in the population
3) Very safe esp. important if you have kids \ family
4) Very clean
5) Good schools and university and health care system
6) Unemployment is relatively low
7) Some neat places to visit and vacation

Cons:
1) The weather, cold, damp and grey most of the year
2) Very high taxes
3) Cost of living is high (reminded me when I lived in England)
4) Economy is dependent on the U.S economy
5) Less availability of high paying jobs (not sure what your profession is)

Having said that I would never trade the years I lived in Canada, I really enjoyed it but I was really ready for a change. The weather really was starting to bum me out as I am a very outdoors person, and the weather there dictates your lifestyle and movements. I guess if you ski, then that makes Winter more "bearable". Spring is simply beautiful.

Taxes \ income tax are large I was paying close to 48cents on the dollar! Property tax was also very high.

Health care is like England, in that your taxes contribute and pay for it (along with the Gov't subsidies) - health care is not "private" like the U.S. If you need an emergency operation, you can join a long waiting list or cough up the $$ and jump to the front of the line like in the U.S

Schooling is free until Grade 12 (age 18) unless you want your kids to go to a high end Private school. Universities are your typical pay for tuition fees.

My recommendations for a location:
1) Toronto area (Ontario is a pretty neat province)
2) Vancouver (BC is also a neat province too)
3) Calgary \ Edmonton

Hope that helps
Yasin

I hear the border is not very well patrolled. Find a quiet spot to cross, take enough water and food to last a few days.

Once you get to one of the big cities, stop at any ER room for any needed medical care, and then spend some time registering for all possible public assistance. Make sure you visit a Catholic church, they speak your language, and can point out the shortcuts to welfare. Hanging out at any large box store will get you tax free work, all you have to do is remain an 'independant contractor'.

If you feel like having any more children (or want to secure your stay in Canada), have a child, and you and your family are then entitled to stay to support the new little citizen. Make sure you start voting as soon as possible, the church will supply you with a list of amenable candidates to elect.

Enjoy your stay!

Can you take Pat with you?

We'll take Pat - as long as you keep welfare wannabe singpilot.

I checked into it a couple of years ago: 2-year wait, but they'll make exceptions if you come in with BIG money to invest in local business.

You can''t just say "eh" alot? I thought that was all you needed.

Hoser...

Re the weather: the west coast (Vancouver) really is very fine. No snow in the winter, long and balmy summers. You can ski or sail after work (both, I imagine, important to a Finn) - and still live in a very cosmopolitan metropolis.

Indeed global warming has been working in Canada's favour.

And taxes are not as bad as they once were - and there is considerable scope for creativity.

We were both kick-staring new careers a few years ago and decided on Vancouver after also looking closely at France and Italy. Today we believe we made the right choice.

Feel free to PM me for more information on the relative merits of these three places.

My ex's dad from China just bought his way into Canada. I think it ran around $300k USD. I think he did paperwork and waited about a year and he's headed to Vancouver next month to live.

Pretend that you are a deserter from the US military. They will greet you with open arms.

Tim,
Amazing picture of Lake Louise!

That's cheating, you almost live there.

Tim

How short were you? Maybe we can help:D

You mean taxed:D

and bring a big handgun!!!!!!! that will surely allow you to meet new and interesting law enforcement!

It depends what your profession is. Real estate varies across the country with British Columbia being the most expensive. Maybe fellow canucks can give more insight.

I live in Calgary, there are jobs all over the place, if you are a professonal, can speak English OK and are willing to work.....well, it is the place to be.

Downside is that it is a crazy place right now, service sucks as you can't find people, house prices have gotten close to the prices in Vancouver or Toronto (starter/reasonable house about $350k right now)...

PM me for more information.....

Dennis

Well, the middle west has always wanted equal footing . . . :cool:

Re: immigration

2 - 4 years. Based on a points structure. Going through this with my future daughter-in-law (just fiancee at this point) but we see a trip to Beijing to attend a wedding in our future (big points for marrying a Canadian national). Maybe her parents (Party officials) can arrange that cruise on the Yi River when we go.

Ian

Crime is 20% Higher in Canada than Finland

Plenty of work up North. Aplly and if you get an offer that is a pretty good in I would imagine. I have gone up North very often over the past year and the job market is excellent. The price of living is high and the wages can be (but not always).

If I was moving to Canada from abroad, I would probably move to Montreal. It's a great place to move to as an "entry point" until you get settled long term.

-Large, multicultural city
-Strong job market
-Reasonable housing costs

Downsides:
-Traffic. Not just busy... but really, really nutty drivers. (Excellent subway and commuter train system though)
-Weather. Really cold winters

As for folks who make blanket statements about weather, I think they're missing the mark. The country is just too big... the weather is dramatically different from one region to another.

If you don't like the weather, just wait 10 minutes... it'll change.;)

Montreal, while somewhat a shadow of its former self, is still one of the greatest cities in the world, IMHO. Of course it depends on what you're into, but it's got most things covered. And the economy is on an upswing, which is nice. Toronto is very multicultural. The city itself tends to be mostly working and upper class, with all the middle class moving out to the burbs (yours truly). Both Montreal and Toronto have an extremely large weather range - very cold winters (regularly hits -30 in Jan/Feb) with plenty of snow, very hot summers (regularly hits +30 in July/Aug). Vancouver is a very beautiful city, with an amazing downtown waterfront. Much more temperate climate, rarely dips below 0 in winter. Toronto and Vancouver are stupid expensive for housing, Montreal is more moderate but climbing. Montreal has easily the best transportation system and least traffic of the 3 (though admittedly I've only visited Vancouver, not lived there).

Halifax is apparently also a great city - smaller (300K I think?) with more moderate cost of living. Calgary as someone said is a boomtown and housing prices are going through the roof. Edmonton is better, but also colder. Winnipeg is a really cool city as well, though they get nasty winters. Lots of history there.

Taxes are high, maybe not as high as Finland, but I get the impression that you don't get as much for your taxes here as you would in northern Europe.

Overall, I think you would probably find Canada similar. Canada and Scandinavia have generally always ranked very high on the UN index for overall quality of life. Much higher than the rest of Europe and the US.

Funny thing about Halifax is that the housing is almost as expensive as Montreal... especially true if you're renting. Halifax is a cool city, but for my money I'd just as soon be in Montreal for roughly the same cost.

Depends on what you're looking for too. We've mostly been talking about cities, but maybe you're looking for a log cabin up in the Northwest Territories where you can skin your own animals in front of a fireplace? Or maybe a small, reclusive prairie town where you can marry your cousin, her cousin and an aunt... and the neighbors won't seem to mind?

Seriously though, do you have anything in particular in mind? What kind of industry do you want to work in? Do you an want urban or rural setting? Do you want to be on the seacoast or inland?

I would love to move to Quebec!!! I absolutely love that place. I actually prefer it to Montreal.

I have not been to Vancouver yet, but I've heard a lot of great things about it.

Jake made some good points - the soul of any culture usually lies in its rural areas, and Canada has many different shades of rural communities, from your basic farming towns to forest dwellers to hunters, whatever your game is.

Arvin, thanks - we've forgotten about Quebec City. The first European settlement in the "new world", it's not only a beautiful old-world style town with cobblestone streets and a remarkable history, it's also a modern, vibrant provincial capital with a great night life.

Yep, Quebec city is fantastic. Very beautiful and great people... it is truly the "heart" of Quebec. It could be tough to move there if you don't speak french, whereas Montreal is so multicultural, you could speak Klingon and get by.

Even if you speak 'real' French nobody will understand you in Quebec, practice some 'quebecois'

just from visiting, i like montreal and toronto, with montreal getting a slight edge... never been to vancouver but think it would end up on top of my canadian cities list.

you sure you just can't change the scenery to the same (large) extent by moving around the u.s.?

Hey, Parisians & Quebecois both understand me just fine....And I speak with a slight American accent.

Unless you are worried about being murdered:

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_percap-crime-murders-per-capita

I am still open for all suggestions, lotsa reading to be done.

Now I know that there is a 2 year wait for a work permit..

Thank you all, I will try to PM some of you for more information :)

There would be a wait for a Work Permit if you have to go through the HRSDC.

But if you qualify as a Skilled Worker and you have a job offer in writing, then you can disregard the HRSDC process, and apply immediately for a Work Permit.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/skilled/index.html

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/index.html

Lower British Columbia rocks!.. :)

I tried doing a "test" there and I think I scored 89 out of something. It said that I would be a skilled worker allright.

In any case, if any of you canadians have a jobs available in near future, I would be glad to know :)

I understand that Thunder Bay, ON, is one of the largest Finnish speaking cities in the world.

What is your skill set? We are hiring about 35 IT people, need SAP module expertise, particularly in SD and BW....if you have those or any other IT skills, please contact me asap....

Dennis Kalma
VP IT....

Zendalar....if you decide to move over to this side of the pond.....make sure you bring your '72 Targa...there's not many of them around here anymore! :)

Heh :) Thanks, thought of that :)

Hopefully there are no emission / noise restrictions, since my car a Megasquirt and straight through mufflers.

This move, will propably happen some time in near (i hope) future.

Zendalar,

Hannu and Ritva came over from Finland with their young family to Annapolis Royal, about 15 years ago. Initially, they had just stopped in Nova Scotia for a short visit, while headed to the US to check out job markets and fell in love with this place. When they returned to Finland to pack, they had changed their plans.

There's lots of good advice above, (and some not so good). If you are bringing a trade with you, I suspect things will be easy.

Good luck.

Les