Moving to Ottawa

[Buddy80]

Hi all,

My husband, myself and our 11-month old son are in the very final hurdles of getting our PR visa.

Anyhow, we are strongly considering Ottawa. We are going out there next month, staying in a B&B outside of the city. This will be just for a week, to get a feel of the place before making any further plans.

My husband is a Sr Developer and we have heard from contacts in Ottawa, that this is a job which is quite in demand.

Does anyone have any tips or advice?

Kind regards

Kay

[madwomanintheattic]

just wanted to say hi - we're waiting for our medicals (sent updates last month) but not heading for ottawa.

can you only manage a week recce? i'd recommend two weeks minimum tbh...

you can get a lot done in a short space of time - do you know areas where you would be looking at living? i'd recommend speaking to a realtor before you go and asking them to set up a couple of days of viewings, so you can get a really good idea of what your money will get you in different areas... (obviously only applicable if you are buying, not renting lol)
assume dh does not have a job, would recommend he starts ringing round and arranging to visit as many contacts as he can - most jobs seeem to be 'who you know' rather than 'what' in the first instance, and contacts are really important.

in some areas daycare is in very short supply, so if you are intending on working then it might be worth chacking out waiting lists etc...

are you familiar with the britishexpats.com forum? lots and lots of useful stuff in their wiki - and quite often there are users around from exactly the area you want to go to, so info straight from the horses mouth about residential districts/ communting times etc.

also job-hunting tips...

anyways, good luck!

we move to alberta in august btw...

[madwomanintheattic]

communting lol - commuting natch...

[chisigirl]

hi Buddy80

Do you like smallish cities? Do you like the great outdoors? Are you into running, outdoor sports, healthy living? If so, you will probably like Ottawa.

It's not the most exciting of places, though, tbh. Despite the fact that it's changed a lot over the past decade, there are still LOADS of government jobs and it's not exactly a fast-placed, dynamic place to live.

It is, however, very family-friendly. Also, it's a genuinely bilingual city (a rarity in Canada). People switch from English to French and back with relative ease.

[Buddy80]

Hi chisgirl

Thank you for your response.

I have heard that there most of the government jobs require security clearance - quite hard to get if you are on a PR status. I had heard that there is quite a few tech companies in Ottawa - so may try that route for my husband.

How long have you lived in Ottawa? I am glad to hear its family friendly. I live in Berkshire, so not used to city life as it where - so Ottawa could be a nice intro!

[Buddy80]

Hi Madwomanintheattic,

Thanks for this info. Been a member of expats for sometime now.

We had our medicals a couple of months ago - still waiting to hear back! Quite a long wait considering other peoples timelines. Where are you having your medicals?

Well done on finding a place to settle. Do you have work already lined up?

TBH I do sometimes get cold feet at the thought of it all!

[madwomanintheattic]

dh has got 2 year work from aug. we're hoping pr will happen during that period lol (been hanging around in the queue for a few years now). we have complicating circs as dd2 has issues that may need to go to appeal under burden grounds after med. (she has a disability)

meds is going to be tricksy lol, in a way we're hoping we don't get our med requests for another two months lol (i know, weird) until we are in country, as then it will be canadian doc deciding on the basis of what she is actually costing in canada lol, rather than basing it on uk costings and hypothetically what she would get in canada...

either way, we'll know whether we can stay or not in the next two years... maybe...

we lived in alberta for a couple of years a while back (ds1 has dual citizenship as he was born there). we actually still have a canadian property lol - we can't sell it until we know whether we'll get pr... which is making life interesting. nearly there though.

good luck with your recce!

[madwomanintheattic]

i've also been offered my 'old' job back from november lol... but am trying to weasel out of it. nice to have it on the back burner though...

[chisigirl]

Buddy80

I would definitely echo the other advice about trying to do as much as possible before you go as it takes time to set up interviews with employment agencies, real estate agents, etc.

To answer your question, I have never lived in Ottawa but spent many years living 2 hours down the road in Montreal (that makes be somewhat biased!). Also, my parents live in Ottawa so I go there often.

Anyway, have fun with your fact-finding trip. If you need more info, I'd be happy to help.

[Buddy80]

Hi Chisigirl

Thank you for your kind offer. Once we have decided that Ottawa is the area for us, we will really do as much as possible and get a job, etc before coming over.

However, tbh, sometimes I am really not sure I want to go! The process has taken so long to get the visa. This trip will help us decide.

Kay