| Moving
To Canada |
| Making
A Plan |
| by Thelma O’ Connor |
| By now you
may feel you know Canada well, from surfing the internet, or from travel
books and news items you’ve read.
You’ve applied
for your Permanent Resident (PR) visa and know it could take up to 2 years
to receive it. You’ve been waiting what seems like an eternity and
you don’t feel like waiting any longer. So you’ve decided to throw caution
to the wind and leave early to start your new life in Canada.
If this sounds
like a plan you’re making, then you’re not alone. It would appear there
is a strong desire and a growing trend among people who have submitted
their visa applications, to get to Canada as soon as possible, even if
they do not have their PR visa in hand. |
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Although the
excitement of making your move, up to six months earlier than anticipated,
can be a strong motivator to sell all your worldly goods and go, making
your move prematurely could potentially be a costly mistake.
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Citizenship
and Immigration advise people not to make any major life changes, such
as leaving jobs or selling property, prior to receiving visas. Until you
actually have the appropriate visa in hand, there is no ‘100% guarantee’
that you will be approved for immigration. |
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| In some cases,
individuals purchase property in Canada before securing their visas. Property
ownership does not guarantee a visa, and if your application is rejected,
you risk investing a large sum of money in a property you are unable to
inhabit on a full time basis.
The waiting
period can be agonizing, but the experience of many immigrants shows that
it is a good idea to devote at least one or two years to properly preparing
and planning for your move. This waiting period is the perfect time to
make one or two exploratory trips to Canada, which may be a more cost effective
and less risky alternative than an early departure without a visa!
Exploratory
trips will give you a chance to acquire first-hand knowledge about living,
working and doing business in Canada, knowledge which will certainly benefit
you when the time comes to proceed with your permanent move. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| Here are some
suggestions for things to do while you are in Canada on an exploratory
visit.
* Plan your
trip well to maximize opportunities to make contacts, which will prove
valuable on your return visit and when you finally move to Canada.
* Understand
the vast size of Canada and be realistic about what you are comfortably
able to achieve in the time available to you.
* Plan one
summer and one winter trip to familiarize yourself with the weather conditions
in your intended settlement destination.
* Arrange meetings
with industry/companies to get an overview of the business and employment
opportunities in the region you are interested in. Don’t forget to bring
along copies of your resume (CV) and make sure it’s in a suitable Canadian
format!
* Meet with
service providers such as realtors, settlement services consultants and
immigration lawyers. |
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| This will
give you an opportunity to meet ‘face to face’ and to compare service
costs to those at home. A trusted local Canadian contact may prove invaluable
to you during the long process when you need support and local advice.
* Explore education
facilities, visit schools for the children and universities/colleges for
the teenagers/adults.
* Study the
Basic Licence Driver’s Handbook, and familiarize yourself with the rules
and the experience of driving on Canadian roads.
* If possible,
meet with former immigrants. This will give you an opportunity to hear
their stories and advice. This can often be facilitated through settlement
service providers.
* Practice
your language skills, if English is not your mother tongue. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| Escape
From America Magazine - The Magazine To Read To If You Want To Move Overseas |
| - Began Summer
1998 - Now with almost a half million subscribers, out eZine is the resource
that expats, and wantabe expats turn to for information. Our archives
now have thousands of articles and each month we publish another issue
to a growing audience of international readers. Over 100 people a
day subscribe to our eZine. We've been interviewed and referenced
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Radio, C-Span, BBC Click Online, Yahoo Magazine, the New York Times, and
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~ Overseas Jobs ~ Expat Resources ~ Offshore Investments ~ Overseas
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~ Two things have ushered us into a world without borders... the end of
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? commerce. Ten years and over one hundred issues! We're just
getting started - Gilly Rich - Editor |
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| Make enquiries
about language assessments and find out what ‘free or fee-for-service’
language classes are available.
Resist the
urge to ‘fast track’ your arrival in Canada! Don’t leave home without a
visa. But if you are considering doing so, ask yourself seriously:
are we properly prepared for our move to Canada? Do we have realistic expectations
of what we will face? Are we knowledgeable about the area we will relocate
to? Do we know what the job market is like? If you answered no to any of
these questions, then you are not properly prepared and it would be more
beneficial to you to devote your energy and resources into finding out
the answers before making any drastic changes to your life or departing
early for Canada.
Thelma O’ Connor,
B.A. emigrated to Canada in 1995 and now runs Canada Wise, a settlement
and information service for newcomers. Contact Thelma on Tel: (403) 226-4999
To see her
web site on relocating to Canada Click
Here |
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Index ~ Canada
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