Immigrating to Canada from Ireland with family

IAO2017

hey all,

I have a few questions in regard to emigrating to Canada with my family. But first, some background info. I’m 26 years old and married to my hubby who is 30. We have 2 girls; 7 and 14months. I’ve just recently finished my nursing degree and my hubby is in his final year of his marketing degree. We plan to begin the application once he’s fininshed. Now some questions...
1. We’ve been looking and we’ve decided we’d like to stay somewhere in Calgary. Where are the most family friendly locations- school and Créche wise?
2. In regards to child care is it very expensive?
3. How easy would it be to get jobs in both our professions when we get there or would we be better off finding employment first.
4. When would be a good time to start the process. We hope to move May 2021
5. We are of an African descent...would racism be an issue. Would Calgary be a multicultural environment for the kids
6. Is the cost of living there relatively high? In comparison to Toronto or Vancouver? - these are our other options
7. We would be applying for PR and would love to go together as a family. Is this feasible or would one person be better off going first and the rest join

Thank in advance. Any other comments, advice or suggestions are welcome!!!

Update: from reading the comments, seems like Calgary might not be the ideal place to go due to its failing economy, where would be a good place to settle with family in this day and age. And also another question relating to healthcare... is health insurance expensive?

Deagol

IAO2017 wrote: »

hey all,

I have a few questions in regard to immigrating to Canada with my family. But first, some background info. I’m 26 years old and married to my hubby who is 30. We have 2 girls; 7 and 14months. I’ve just recently finished my nursing degree and my hubby is in his final year of his marketing degree. We plan to begin the application once he’s fininshed. Now some questions...
1. We’ve been looking and we’ve decided we’d like to stay somewhere in Calgary. Where are the most family friendly locations- school and Créche wise?
2. In regards to child care is it very expensive?
3. How easy would it be to get jobs in both our professions when we get there or would we be better off finding employment first.
4. When would be a good time to start the process. We hope to move May 2021
5. We are of an African descent...would racism be an issue. Would Calgary be a multicultural environment for the kids
6. Is the cost of living there relatively high? In comparison to Toronto or Vancouver? - these are our other options
7. We would be applying for PR and would love to go together as a family. Is this feasible or would one person be better off going first and the rest join

Thank in advance. Any other comments, advice or suggestions are welcome!!!

Can't offer much advise beyond I spent a couple of weeks in Toronto and it was the friendliest, safest feeling big city I was ever in. Canadians seem super friendly and I doubt racism is a big deal there.

And not to be a grammer nazi but you did say all other comments... if you're going from Ireland to Canada you are emigrating to Canada You will be immigrants to Canada

krissovo

I lived in Calgary for a couple of years before moving to Medicine Hat in 2015 and I can say its a great city. Its is proper cowboy country populated by the most pleasant redneck’s you will ever encounter. It is no way as cosmopolitan as Vancouver or Toronto but it has a great unique identity. It’s also the richest city in Canada by a long way due to the oil and gas industry but still reasonable to live.

1, I lived in Strathcona Park which is a pleasant very family friendly area. Great schools and family facilities and has trails that enable to escape the city boundary.

2, Childcare from what I recall is either daycare (cheap) or preschool (pricey) but neither are anyway close to what we pay in Ireland. $20 cad was I rate I remember for daycare. There are loads of facilities all over the city.

3, As a nurse you should have no problem finding work, salaries for nursing were starting around $50k CAD. My neighbors were both nurses, one did agency work around flexible hours and the other was full time at a surgery. As for marketing I have no idea, Calgary is all about Oil & Gas and the supporting roles to support the many Corporate HQ’s. I was in IT and walked into a job the week after I landed.

4, I didn’t follow a process as such to get in so I cannot help you here.

5, The Canadians are really nice people and Calgary is a multi race city with large Asian populations and from what I recall never witnessed anything close to racism. The African decent population would quite a minority in the city.

6, Cost of living despite being a rich city is surprisingly low but if you can bring home $5>$6k CAD a month you live very comfortably. Decent 3 bed houses can be found for $1400 CAD but budget $1800 if you can for the best school catchments.

7, We have moving countries/cities down to a fine art. I would recommend one of you go over first to establish a base for 3 to 4 weeks and to register locally for taxes, talk to headhunters & recruiters, look at the various neighborhoods & schools to narrow down the search. There are loads of initial accommodation options from short term “corporate” rentals of apartments to Motels with Suites that have basic cooking options.

You will need a car in Calgary, I bought a banger mini van off Craigslist the day I arrived for $1500 CAD which got me around for the first couple of months until I could lease a decent car. Most cars in Canada have cracked windscreens so don’t be put off.

Craigslist is your best friend when starting out, you can build up toy collections and temporary furniture for cheap.

IAO2017

krissovo wrote: »

I lived in Calgary for a couple of years before moving to Medicine Hat in 2015 and I can say its a great city. Its is proper cowboy country populated by the most pleasant redneck’s you will ever encounter. It is no way as cosmopolitan as Vancouver or Toronto but it has a great unique identity. It’s also the richest city in Canada by a long way due to the oil and gas industry but still reasonable to live.

1, I lived in Strathcona Park which is a pleasant very family friendly area. Great schools and family facilities and has trails that enable to escape the city boundary.

2, Childcare from what I recall is either daycare (cheap) or preschool (pricey) but neither are anyway close to what we pay in Ireland. $20 cad was I rate I remember for daycare. There are loads of facilities all over the city.

3, As a nurse you should have no problem finding work, salaries for nursing were starting around $50k CAD. My neighbors were both nurses, one did agency work around flexible hours and the other was full time at a surgery. As for marketing I have no idea, Calgary is all about Oil & Gas and the supporting roles to support the many Corporate HQ’s. I was in IT and walked into a job the week after I landed.

4, I didn’t follow a process as such to get in so I cannot help you here.

5, The Canadians are really nice people and Calgary is a multi race city with large Asian populations and from what I recall never witnessed anything close to racism. The African decent population would quite a minority in the city.

6, Cost of living despite being a rich city is surprisingly low but if you can bring home $5>$6k CAD a month you live very comfortably. Decent 3 bed houses can be found for $1400 CAD but budget $1800 if you can for the best school catchments.

7, We have moving countries/cities down to a fine art. I would recommend one of you go over first to establish a base for 3 to 4 weeks and to register locally for taxes, talk to headhunters & recruiters, look at the various neighborhoods & schools to narrow down the search. There are loads of initial accommodation options from short term “corporate” rentals of apartments to Motels with Suites that have basic cooking options.

You will need a car in Calgary, I bought a banger mini van off Craigslist the day I arrived for $1500 CAD which got me around for the first couple of months until I could lease a decent car. Most cars in Canada have cracked windscreens so don’t be put off.

Craigslist is your best friend when starting out, you can build up toy collections and temporary furniture for cheap.

Thanks so much for your detailed reply..really helps alot!!

the_syco

IAO2017 wrote: »

I’ve just recently finished my nursing degree

First off, Calgary is in a different state than Toronto, but in Toronto, there is a long process to become a nurse, if coming from Ireland. Mate's girlfriend applied 6 months before moving over to Toronto, and six months after she got there, she received notification that they were looking at her application. She ended up leaving Toronto 6 months after that (18 months after applying to become a nurse in Toronto), to be a nurse in England; she had previously worked as a nurse in Dublin for a number of years.

https://www.nurses.ab.ca/registration-and-renewal/applicants
Click the link, and start the process.

krissovo

^^^^^Sounds a bit extreme ^^^^^

Canada has express entry for skilled resources especially for medicine, keep an eye out for an Canada/Alberta jobs fair as they can cut loads of red tape As long as you have some experience and references they will fast track you within a few months. Canada are well aligned to most colleges and universities and the qualifications in Ireland & UK.

circular flexing

the_syco wrote: »

First off, Calgary is in a different state than Toronto, but in Toronto, there is a long process to become a nurse, if coming from Ireland. Mate's girlfriend applied 6 months before moving over to Toronto, and six months after she got there, she received notification that they were looking at her application. She ended up leaving Toronto 6 months after that (18 months after applying to become a nurse in Toronto), to be a nurse in England; she had previously worked as a nurse in Dublin for a number of years.

https://www.nurses.ab.ca/registration-and-renewal/applicants
Click the link, and start the process.

This is true for all of Canada - nursing degree is assessed and then (likely) the applicant will have to take more courses to qualify as a nurse in province. It is a long and expensive process from what I understand - the first stage alone takes 12 months (NNAS) and then it can take a further 12 months for the province to assess the application.

https://www.nurses.ab.ca/registration-and-renewal/applicants/internationally-educated-applicants

circular flexing

krissovo wrote: »

^^^^^Sounds a bit extreme ^^^^^

Canada has express entry for skilled resources especially for medicine, keep an eye out for an Canada/Alberta jobs fair as they can cut loads of red tape As long as you have some experience and references they will fast track you within a few months. Canada are well aligned to most colleges and universities and the qualifications in Ireland & UK.

The standards for nursing are different in each province and are different in turn to Ireland/UK. Immigration forums are littered with people who want to carry on nursing in Canada but once they realised how expensive and long the process was, they found alternate careers.

el diablo

krissovo wrote: »

I lived in Calgary for a couple of years before moving to Medicine Hat in 2015 and I can say its a great city. Its is proper cowboy country populated by the most pleasant redneck’s you will ever encounter. It is no way as cosmopolitan as Vancouver or Toronto but it has a great unique identity. It’s also the richest city in Canada by a long way due to the oil and gas industry but still reasonable to live.

1, I lived in Strathcona Park which is a pleasant very family friendly area. Great schools and family facilities and has trails that enable to escape the city boundary.

2, Childcare from what I recall is either daycare (cheap) or preschool (pricey) but neither are anyway close to what we pay in Ireland. $20 cad was I rate I remember for daycare. There are loads of facilities all over the city.

3, As a nurse you should have no problem finding work, salaries for nursing were starting around $50k CAD. My neighbors were both nurses, one did agency work around flexible hours and the other was full time at a surgery. As for marketing I have no idea, Calgary is all about Oil & Gas and the supporting roles to support the many Corporate HQ’s. I was in IT and walked into a job the week after I landed.

4, I didn’t follow a process as such to get in so I cannot help you here.

5, The Canadians are really nice people and Calgary is a multi race city with large Asian populations and from what I recall never witnessed anything close to racism. The African decent population would quite a minority in the city.

6, Cost of living despite being a rich city is surprisingly low but if you can bring home $5>$6k CAD a month you live very comfortably. Decent 3 bed houses can be found for $1400 CAD but budget $1800 if you can for the best school catchments.

7, We have moving countries/cities down to a fine art. I would recommend one of you go over first to establish a base for 3 to 4 weeks and to register locally for taxes, talk to headhunters & recruiters, look at the various neighborhoods & schools to narrow down the search. There are loads of initial accommodation options from short term “corporate” rentals of apartments to Motels with Suites that have basic cooking options.

You will need a car in Calgary, I bought a banger mini van off Craigslist the day I arrived for $1500 CAD which got me around for the first couple of months until I could lease a decent car. Most cars in Canada have cracked windscreens so don’t be put off.

Craigslist is your best friend when starting out, you can build up toy collections and temporary furniture for cheap.

This analysis is slightly outdated. The economy in Calgary (and Alberta as a whole) are pretty poor right now due to a severe downturn in the energy sector.

the_syco

krissovo wrote: »

^^^^^Sounds a bit extreme ^^^^^

Ontario doesn't have a demand for nurses, so they can be picky. Also, the process is state by state, so if the OP went to Calgary (Alberta), and decided to move to Ontario, they'd probably have to go through the process again!

krissovo wrote: »

It’s also the richest city in Canada by a long way due to the oil and gas industry but still reasonable to live.

Due to it's dependency on oil and gas, it got hit hard in 2016. Was actually meant to goto Calgary, but got warned off by a mate who lived there, and ended up going to Toronto.

Went to Calgary in 2017 for a weekend trip. Entire blocks were dead quite. LL of the AirBnB said that it had gotten very quite in the city, as most of the money from the oil was no longer coming in.

IAO2017

the_syco wrote: »

First off, Calgary is in a different state than Toronto, but in Toronto, there is a long process to become a nurse, if coming from Ireland. Mate's girlfriend applied 6 months before moving over to Toronto, and six months after she got there, she received notification that they were looking at her application. She ended up leaving Toronto 6 months after that (18 months after applying to become a nurse in Toronto), to be a nurse in England; she had previously worked as a nurse in Dublin for a number of years.

https://www.nurses.ab.ca/registration-and-renewal/applicants
Click the link, and start the process.

Yes you’re right! Going through the application seems tedious and takes a while. Is it possible to apply long before I start the express entry process? Or would I have to be in Canada to apply as a nurse there

IAO2017

the_syco wrote: »

Ontario doesn't have a demand for nurses, so they can be picky. Also, the process is state by state, so if the OP went to Calgary (Alberta), and decided to move to Ontario, they'd probably have to go through the process again!


Due to it's dependency on oil and gas, it got hit hard in 2016. Was actually meant to goto Calgary, but got warned off by a mate who lived there, and ended up going to Toronto.

Went to Calgary in 2017 for a weekend trip. Entire blocks were dead quite. LL of the AirBnB said that it had gotten very quite in the city, as most of the money from the oil was no longer coming in.

Do u know what province has a high demand for nurses at the moment? And if I did decide to go there would I be better off starting the application process to become a nurse over there now or do I have to wait till I’m living in Canada?

IAO2017

el diablo wrote: »

This analysis is slightly outdated. The economy in Calgary (and Alberta as a whole) are pretty poor right now due to a severe downturn in the energy sector.

Where would you suggest we look into if not Calgary?

el diablo

IAO2017 wrote: »

Where would you suggest we look into if not Calgary?

Toronto or Vancouver (or Victoria) although the cost of accommodation would be quite a bit higher.

circular flexing

IAO2017 wrote: »

Do u know what province has a high demand for nurses at the moment? And if I did decide to go there would I be better off starting the application process to become a nurse over there now or do I have to wait till I’m living in Canada?

You can start the process in Ireland, you would probably need to travel to Canada to take any assessment exam.

the_syco

circular flexing wrote: »

You can start the process in Ireland, you would probably need to travel to Canada to take any assessment exam.

The added benefit from doing it from Ireland is that you'll have your notes. I think the Ontario nurses group wanted the notes that were taken, to ensure that notes were taken, or something??? I viewed the request as weird, and my mate also saw the request as weird. It was something to do with proof that you actually went to the course.

IAO2017 wrote: »

And if I did decide to go there would I be better off starting the application process to become a nurse over there now or do I have to wait till I’m living in Canada?

FYI; each province has it's own application process, so ensure you know where your final destination is before you start applying.

IAO2017 wrote: »

Do u know what province has a high demand for nurses at the moment?

Before you look at this, perhaps look at what your qualification will be equal to in Canada?