Doesn't time fly!

Well, it's been roughly 4 months since we put our PR application on hold to wait until the new year to prepare for the next quota run of PR occupations.

Well it's almost the new year! Eeek!

As we ramp things up through January, I'll post details of what we're doing, but in the mean time I thought I'd make a long overdue post containing some photos from our reccie trip earlier in 2011 (lots of photos to follow. If it creates a page that takes ages to load, pop a comment on the post and I'll see if I can improve things).

So.....

Photos from Okotoks, Alberta where some very kind friends put up with us for two weeks (we are in your debt - you know who you are):

Okotoks Easter egg hunt. Hundreds of kids turned out to collect little plastic eggs to exchange for a massive bar of chocolate (and I mean massive - a pound in weight). Our kids loved it - obviously!

The Okotoks mascot.

Our eldest daughter got to try out school for a day.

A walk along Sheep River.

The footbridge over Sheep River - Strike a pose!

The "Okotoks Glacial Erratic", or Big Rock to you and I. Actually big rock translates to Okotoks in the native language. Apparently Native Americans (or whatever their official name is) used it as a navigation aid when moving through the area.

 
Okotoks residents share the town with more deer than you can shake a stick at.

Off to the Rocky Mountains

No photo or description of the Rocky Mountains could ever do them justice. Take a look at the bus in the bottom right of this photo to get an idea of the scale, but also know that this was taken in what could be described as the foothills. The scale gets much grander as you go on.

As you drive further into the Rocky's, you see these wildlife bridges that allow the animals to move around without having to physically cross the highway.

Walking on a frozen Lake Louise.

On the back road between Lake Louise and Banff without a care in the world, oblivious to the dozen or so cars that had stopped to take his photo.

Downtown Banff. We had a delicious dinner at Tony Roma's...... until our youngest threw up all over the place.......... twice. The poor Australian waitress was so understanding and kind, and insisted on cleaning everything up. I'm sure our photos are on the wall in case we ever try to go back :)

On top of Sulphur Mountain with Banff behind me, and a frozen Lake Minnewanka (tee-hee) in the top right hand corner.

Looking back at the cable car station and cafe on the top of Sulphur Mountain.

Calgary

The Rocky Mountains as seen from the top of Calgary Tower. To be honest we didn't think Calgary Tower was worth it. $48 (if memory serves me correctly) for 2 adults and 2 kids (daughter number three was free), plus about $8 for parking. Nothing but the view and the gift shop up there (plus a restaurant, but we didn't eat there), and it's not even the tallest building in Calgary any more - I think there are four or five taller buildings.

The Calgary Olympic park (or whatever it's official name is), from when the Winter Olympics were held in I think 1988. I remember watching Eddie the Eagle soar (ahem) from the end of those ski jumps on TV when I was younger. I think it's pretty cool being able to go skiing in the city.

The Alberta flag.

Fort Calgary. There was a full scale replica of the old wooden RCMP fort from 1870 ('ish - I think). Sadly it burned down and all that is left is a wall, a gate and a shed. But what I did learn from a very helpful employee on reception there was that this........

...... didn't exist until 1968. Before that Canada had the Union Jack as it's flag.

Heritage Park in Calgary. We only got to visit the transport museum, but there is also a historic town there (a bit like Beamish in the UK so I'm led to believe), but it was closed for restoration. That was the main problem with our trip really. We were in Canada when just about every attraction was transitioning from winter to summer mode so most were only partially open or closed all together (the Calgary Olympic park was deserted).

This felt a bit surreal. Having a picnic outside Heritage Park in weather easily warm enough for just a t-shirt (15 or 16 degrees Celsius).... next to a frozen lake.

And then......

Our ride home. Booooooooooo!

Okay, that's enough photos. I think you can get a feel for what we saw. In addition to all of the above, we also tried to live as realistically as possible, shopping at supermarkets, using local amenities, checked out the local school (or at least Lydia and our eldest daughter did), and I think we got a pretty good feel for what life would be like.

We experienced snow, but it was only really cold for the first two or three days we were there. We should plan another reccie for the deepest depths of winter, but I'm not sure how practical that would be as we'd probably be stuck indoors most of the time (but perhaps that's a Canadian winter experience we should take in). Something to think about I suppose.

Anyway, I'm starting to ramble on so I'll leave it there and I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Resources

One place we've found a fantastic source of information is the British Expats Canada forum:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=56

If you are considering a move to Canada, you will find lots of people there in the same or similar situation. There are plenty of people there who can offer advice and point out relevant information.

Before you post read the sticky threads on the front page, and also take a look at the wiki as that will give you a good deal of information and answer the most common questions.

IELTS Results are in

We have the results back and thankfully both of us have the scores needed to achieve maximum points on language portion of the PR application.

I won't tell you who scored the most as that is a sore point with Lydia...... Opps! :)

The certificates are good for 2 years, so it's no big deal that the quota for nurses has already been filled for this year.

Also, our police certificates have arrived and it seems we are both nice law abiding people.

IELTS: Done!

In order to apply for permanent residence in Canada, you have to prove that you can communicate in English or French.

To prove that you can communicate in English, you have to pass the International English Language Testing System (or IELTS) test. IELTS is pronounced ‘I’ followed by ‘elts’. Lydia and I sat ours last Saturday, and it was fine but I’d hate to have taken it if English wasn’t my first language and it was less than perfect. I’d often thought about doing the French version and seeing how many immigration points my limited French would get me, but if it’s anything like the English version I can forget it.

Immigration Canada requires you to sit the general version (there is also an academic version), and it comes in 4 modules:

1. The listening test – You listen to a number of recordings and answer a number of questions on each one (fill in the blanks, multiple choice etc…).

2. The reading test – There are a number of written articles for you to answer questions on (multiple choice, match the heading with the paragraph, say a statement about the article is true, false, or isn’t relevant).

3. The writing test – For us, this came in the form of writing a letter of complaint (minimum of 150 words), and a small essay about a given subject (minimum 250 words).

4. The speaking test – You sit in a room for 10  to 15 minutes and answer questions on a given subject.

One thing that worried me was that the person running the tests kept saying spelling is important. I can’t spell for toffee. The F7 (spell check) key is my God! I’m not sure if you have to spell perfectly or it doesn’t mater if you’re almost there and understood (e.g. centre or center), I guess I’ll soon find out.

Spelling aside, the listening and reading tests were fine, but I found myself pushed for time on the writing test, not to mention finding it difficult to pad my complaint letter out to 150 words (I am very much to the point whenever I complain about anything :) ), and the speaking test was just a bit strange. It wasn’t really a conversation and it was very ‘scripted’ on the examiners side. To be fair she did warn that it would seem somewhat unnatural.

It turns out only the principal applicant needs to take the test (that’s Lydia in our case), but we’d booked the test before we realised that, and it was too late to cancel without losing the fee (£115). I’m not really bothered as it was nice to get out by ourselves to take the test (no offence kids), and if it turns out Nursing isn’t on the list of wanted occupations next year, but my occupation is, at least I will have a valid language certificate ready to go.

I have no idea if we actually passed of course, we will find out in roughly a week.

It's Official......

...... 500 complete (I assume that means all is in order) RN nursing applications have been received this year.

It only took 11 and a half weeks for that to happen. We aren't really feeling down about it as we'd pretty much come to realise it would happen, so we now have to stay focused and make sure our application lands on the correct desk on day one next year.

The ups and downs

One thing is clear; this is going to be a roller coaster of a ride.

After the initial euphoria of realising that we may have an easier route than looking for a company to sponsor a work permit, reality hits hard.

If you have an occupation on 'the list' you can apply for permanent residence in Canada directly from the UK without having a job offer in hand. The problem is that only the first 500 applications are accepted for each occupation per year. The latest figure was released yesterday (September 6th) and since July 1st (when the quota was last reset), there have been 410 applications from registered nurses.

We won't be in a position to send our application until October 8th, so our chances have to be slim at best. There could easily be 80 applications en-route as I type this. If we apply after the limit has been reached our application will be turned down. We will keep an eye on the number, but it isn't looking good.

So... more than likely it looks like plan A is back on - finding a company that will sponsor me for a work permit.

New Directions

Well, a lot has changed since my last post.

We have found a major flaw in our logic that decided my wife's qualification and work experience as a nurse didn't count for a Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) application for permanent residence because her registration had lapsed. The list says 'Registered Nurses', but because she is no longer registered, we dismissed that as an option.

Well is was kindly pointed out to us on the British Expats Canada Forum that as long as her registration was valid for one year out of the last ten (and she was working during that period), then we would qualify for the FSW route.

So, job hunting is on hold.

To get this thing moving on its new tack, a language exam has been booked (even though we are English, we have to prove we can read, write and understand our native tongue), and the application for police certificates will be in the post tomorrow. Next steps are to get references from the hospital Lydia used to work at, and also from her child minding clients as proof of her employment history.

It seems the certificate for the language tests will take the longest to get to us (7 or 8 weeks from now assuming Lydia passes), therefore we want everything in place by then so we can get the whole application in the post the next day.

Speed is what counts with this. Canada will let in 500 nurses per year through the FSW route, and as of August 22nd, 252 applications had been submitted since July 1st. With luck that large number was a rush of applications after the quota was reset and things will slow down going forward, but we don't want to take that chance.

Anyway, that's enough for now and I'll keep you posted.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!

.... no ... wait, it's the other way around :(

I've tried to seek employment through a few IT agencies, but they seem to flatly refuse to deal with any candidate who will need sponsorship for a work permit, rather than propose me to clients and find out if their client is willing to consider someone in my position.

Recently I got in touch with a manager at an agency through a LinkedIn connection. I explained my position and she said they'd be happy to work with me and passed on my details to a recruitment consultant on her team.

I was quite excited by this and exchanged a few emails with said consultant and sent my resume in. I then got an email saying her company couldn't sponsor me for a work permit (of course not as I wouldn't end up working for her company!), and that she couldn't work with me until I had a valid work status.

I said I understood that and hoped she had clients who would consider sponsorship, but not wanting to be pushy and burn bridges I thanked her for her time and wished her all the best. She said she would keep my resume on file in case she found a client who could work with me.

Frustrating, but if this process were easy, I suppose Canada would already be full :)

To do, to do, to do....

.... so much to do.

Apart from the trivial matter of finding an employer who will sponsor me for a work permit (I'm being sarcastic when I say trivial), there are so many things that need to be done in order for us to move.

The biggest is sell the house. The process of obtaining a work permit may take time, but so will selling our house with the way the market is at the moment. In order to sell we have to do a lot of work to our humble abode, and we want that done now so if I do get a job offer, the house is ready to go on the market immediately.

Unfortunately getting it ready is going to take time and money, and that's money I'd rather not spend, so I'll be spending time in DIY hell to keep costs down. Jobs include:

• Decking in back garden (done)
• New lawn in back garden (done)
• New flooring in living and dining rooms (done)
• Decorating (75% done)
• Resurface driveway as cheaply as possible (current one has broken up badly and you don't want to put people off before you get them in the door)
• and many more

A friend of the family has done most of the decorating and the flooring for free, refusing payment when we insisted (thank you John), and believe me, that has helped a great deal indeed.

You could question why we are spending the money, and that we should let it sell in the condition it is. Well unfortunately we are no longer in the middle of a housing boom and we have to make the house as appealing as possible to potential buyers. Add to that the fact that we will probably have to price it to sell in order to complete quickly, which is annoying, but sadly a fact.

It's clear I'm good at procrastinating as I should either be customising my resume for the job adverts I saw today, or fitting skirting boards in the living room.

On that note I suppose I'd better sign off and do something useful :)

Chris

So, a little backstory....

About 6 years ago, my wife Lydia and I were thinking about a move to the Calgary area of Canada.

If I am honest, it was more me than Lydia, but she was coming round to the idea (however she may post here to disagree), to the point where we were in touch with a contact in the Alberta Children's Hospital about how applicable here nursing qualifications were. At the time we had a daughter, and enough points to qualify (no targeted list of occupations back then).

Anyway, to cut a long story short, Lydia became pregnant with daughter number two and Canada slipped way down our priority list to the point where we thought nothing more of it.

Fast forward 3 years and some friends a few doors away announced that they were moving to Canada. I asked where and they said the Calgary area. I pointed out the coincidence and talked with them about their move at great length. A hectic few months of them selling as many of their possessions as possible, and they and their two kids were off on a temporary work permit (inter company transfer).

A little over two years later, and daughter number 3! we decided to go and visit whilst daughter number 3 could still fly for free. We couldn't really afford it, but it would be totally out of the question if we had to pay for 5 tickets. Off we flew in mid April of this year (2011) for 2 weeks in Okotoks - http://www.okotoks.ca/home.aspx A little bit of snow for a few days (a teeny weeny bit by Calgary standards I suppose), and a good bit of nice weather.

We saw some sights, local and farther afield (Lake Louise, Banff, Sulphur Mountain - the rockies are something else!), and tried to live a little as locals, shopping at the supermarkets, seeing what Okotoks had to offer, seeing Alberta Children's Hospital up close when daughter number 3 needed a visit to the emergency room ($650 for walking in the door - ouch!). Daughter number 1 even got to go to school for a day! That would never be allowed in the UK.

Our friends will remain anonymous unless they reveal themselves here, but I can't thank them enough for the opportunity to visit. We fell in love with the idea of moving to Canada.

So, to bring you up to the present, we discussed it at length and decided to go for it.

A few things have changed since I last researched the process. There is now an occupation list for permanent residence applications. We easily have enough points, but my occupation is not on the list, although annoyingly it was 12 months ago! Lydia's nursing occupation is, but her registration here in the UK has lapsed. That means a temporary work permit and see how things go from there (not a simple task to find an employer to sponsor one in my field).

So there you are, out backstory in a nutshell.

About this blog

My wife and I are putting the wheels in motion for a move to Canada. Alberta to be more precise, and to be even more precise that that; the Calgary area.

This blog will attempt to document our progress towards that goal. Hopefully we will succeed, but we are realistic and understand that we have no God given right to a life in Canada, so if we don't succeed, at least we will have tried. After all, one of the reasons we are doing this is that we don't want to reach retirement and say "I regret not giving Canada a shot."

So, operation Objective Canada is a go.