To be thinking of moving to Canada

[PowerToTheMeeple]

I’m in the midst of retraining to be a nurse. I’m just coming to the end of my first year and I’m about to swap onto the masters course, so I’ve still got two years of studying to go. We moved in with his mum last year and are currently saving to buy a house, with the view to move out 6 months after I’ve qualified. DH currently works in a call centre environment.

Recently we’ve talked about emigrating and we’re both quite keen on the idea. I’m able to do a placement abroad for a couple of weeks next year and I’m considering going to Canada to do this. We’ve had a look tentatively online and we quite like Nova Scotia, had a look at what’s currently for sale and the type of jobs available. Would we be mad to consider this after I’ve qualified? We’ve 3 DC and ideally we wouldn’t want to wait too long after I’ve qualified to move out there. Has anyone moved to Canada or got any helpful advice? We’re in the very early stages at the moment of thinking, but like I say we are both very keen and don’t know where to start! AWBU?

My friend is married to a Canadian and it still took him 3 years and thousands of pounds to move there.

Do it !!
Apart from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿.... Canada 🇨🇦 is the best country in the world 🌍
( Actually think that life in Canada 🇨🇦 is a million times better than Bonnie Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 but it’s sacrilegious to say that ..Scots are so fiercely proud 😀)

You’ll not regret it ... much better quality of life for your family x

I don't think you can just "move to Canada".
You have to apply - it takes a while.

Yes, I understand that there is an application process involved and that it’s not a simple case of ‘just moving’, but I’m wondering whether we’d be mad to even consider it.

If you're planning on getting a visa on the basis of having a job, you need to look into the restrictions on working your dh may face.
It was several years back, but my dsis did the same and her dh could not get a job for over a year.

I moved to Canada, only lasted 3 years there due to the winters being too long and brutal beyond belief. I found Australia much more to my liking.

Check the weather in Nova Scotia - sounds from things I've read that it's colder and wetter than the coldest , wettest parts of Scotland. Not for me.

Do it! But try and visit over winter time and see if you can cope with it. I moved over here about 5 months ago and love it so far, but have visited when it was full on winter and that was an eye opener!

People should say where they live, it's a big country.

What is the economy like in Nova Scotia in general? Would there be work for your DH? What about opportunities for your children?
Maybe try Isle of Wight first and see how you get on with Island life?
🤣

I’m Canadian, live in Ontario, but I would say Nova Scotia is really lovely, decent economy, relaxed lifestyle. They do get a lot of snow in the winter, without a doubt, so be ready for that. Temperatures are fairly moderate, as Canada goes.

I live in Ontario, near Toronto. Nova Scotia is beautiful, btw!

I am a Brit who married a Canadian who has lived in Ontario for the last 5 years. I have never been to NS so can’t comment on that part however the things I do know -
-there are a lot of maritimers in Ontario and Alberta because they can’t get work “down home”

• have you actually thought about how you would do it visa wise? You could look at express entry/CEC/PNP etc. If you or DH are under 30, the IEC visas may be an option for you?

-you might have to do additional training once here to become a registered nurse. I know british trained nurses here in Ontario have to go through about a years worth of training before they can actually register in Ontario because their training here is more extensive than it is in the uk (4 years instead of 3 for a BSc and they all have to do adult, child and mental health). This may be different in NS as it’s provincially regulated but do check it out. -as long as one of you has a visa, the other one and the kids you will have no problem bringing as they generally do not like to split families up. -housing is super cheap in the maritimes -go there in February and make sure you know what you are getting yourself into with the weather (would advise this for any part of Canada tbh. -nurses wages (in Ontario anyway) are very decent. -do the “come to Canada” quiz to see if you’d be eligible. Google it. -join Facebook groups - I found some of the most knowledgeable people about immigration on Facebook groups. -Good luck! YANBU to consider it as long as you do your homework first.