Need info about moving to Edmonton

Re: URGENT Info.

Hi Grace,

I was just going through your reply to bubbly, and as always you give out a lot of useful info for future immigrants, but I did not get you on the highlighted point, does it mean in these areas, it is sort of okay if you do not have the "Canadian Experience", if not can you explain in detail?????????

Thanks and Regards

 

Hi Raechel,

How are you ? Hope your immigration plan is progressing fine

Yes, that is what I meant ! The smaller places give more opportunity for newcomers, compared to the bigger, popular towns. This is purely our experience & may not suit every category of job.

My husband got a call from a small establishment in Red Deer within days of updating his CV online. It was also a 'telephone interview' it seems, which we didn't know then. Still he cleared it, they quoted the terms & after some thought he refused them. His main reason being the company is small [ less than 30 staff ] & he cannot grow professionally.
Few more similar offers from other places I mentioned earlier, he totally rejected .
Being a very ambitious man, he didn't want to stifle his career in a smaller circle where the challenges at work will be minimal .

A similar scenario a former colleague of his went through by opting for Toronto --- a place with loads of opportunities but equally competitive, instead of the others like Oakville, London, Waterloo , Burlington etc. Over a year & like us, he is still struggling working in a paint shop or something. But his wife wisely picked up an offer from Kitchener, got a few months of experience & now is happily employed & settling down in Toronto itself [ ING Bank ].

If we do the compromise initially regarding lesser pay, smaller establishment and not so popular city, it will save lot of time / frustration / struggle & make it easier & happier experience in this beautiful country.

 

Hi Grace,
I have found your posts very useful in this forum. have some doubts about Edmonton too. We are also planning our PR for canada from US. I have also heard toronto is very good but very competitive. This is why we are looking at other cities as well. Edmonton is also on our list.
I have some question,Grace. Hope you are fine answering:
1.any idea if Edmonton has any specific immigration plans like we have quebec plan etc....
2. how long could the PR process take us? We may apply from US itself.
3. is it easy to get jobs in other cities too? I am particularly worriedfor my husband. For me, I am fine as long as I find a job suiting my skills(company does not matter).

thanks grace.

 

Hi Neha,

I've read your query earlier in the other thread, but I have absolutely no idea how things work when applying from USA. We applied/moved from the Gulf, so don't know what programs are available, what is the procedure etc. Still I will answer what I know

1. I've heard of something called AINP [ Alberta Immigration Nominee Program] from the responses of other posters who are in US. This link may help you get the info. you need. Alberta, Canada - Immigration : Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)

2. Same answer dear, no clue because no experience applying from US. Maybe others who have moved successfully from US or presently in US in the process of moving here can help you with this doubt .

3. JOBS -- that is always the huge concern for everyone, isn't it ! In one word, I would say 'luck' . If you're lucky, you get it, whether big city or smaller place. Otherwise we just do our best and await the rest from God. Which field is your husband in ?

This link will give you a clearer picture of other programs offered in other provinces.
Canada Provincial Programs - Canada immigration services and canada immigration forms & applications

Hope my reply helps you in some way

Good luck.

 

Hi Grace,

Thanks a lot for your reply, I am doing well and how are you?

That is good news, so at least if we land in a smaller city, we will have some job, hopefully once we gain the canadian experience we can try out the bigger cities.

Grace, do you think we should directly land in one of these smaller place like Oakville, London, Waterloo , Burlington etc... and look for a job at one particular place, or land in places like Toronto and look for jobs in smaller places around cities like Toronto.

I don't mind living in a small city , my priority is a JOB.

Yes, my PR processing is going on smoothly, I got my IELTS results ( score 8) a couple of months back. So that is also done. Now I am planning to start French next month, hopefully it should make Job search in Canada a wee bit easy.

Every now and then the agent calls me asking for different documents, once he ask for a xerox copy, later asks for a notarized one, now what I do is whenever he asks for documents, I send 2 copies, a simple xerox as well as a notarized one, so lately he did not ask for much of the document.

Hope everything works out fast, according to the agent,it should be done by Oct - Nov, which means winter, and some are advising me not to land in Canada during winter, I dont know, seems it is a bit difficult for new immigrants if you land in winter, as canadian winter is supposed to be more severe than winter in Europe. What do you think?

BTW how is the weather, is it over, or are you people still having the winter.

Do take care and thanks a lot.

 

You are most welcome Raechel, and we are doing fine too.
Which field is your work in ? I would suggest landing in a big city[Toronto] & while applying do so for all the jobs available for that province[Ontario] & not just that city. If you land in say Oakville, you are limiting your chances because Toronto definitely has more vacancies [which may fill up fast by word of mouth too] & they generally prefer hiring someone who is available immediately for interview. Also by being physically present in the bigger city, you can personally meet the agents/recruiters, indulge in the most essential networking & increase your chances of clinching the job ! And if you do get a call from the smaller city, that is essentially because they cannot find someone to fill that position within that city.. that's why they've called you
This is entirely our experience & reasoning Raechel, and we are also re-thinking our decisions now and planning our next step.

Whew ! IELTS completed is certainly a huge relief. :clapCongrats !
And good for you, you're learning French too, will certainly benefit no doubt at all. It seems like you have a fairly good agent, who is doing his part of the work periodically without any lapses. So in another 6 months you'll be in Canada Are you coming with family too ?

Yes,every single person told us the same thing about landing in winter -- but it is all just excuses I would say. We landed in late Dec./early Jan. :cool2:and we didn't feel any inconvenience whatsoever. As long as you wear the appropriate clothing, nothing to be unduly worried about. Here, people don't sit in their homes & hibernate just because it is winter -- they go about their jobs, life goes on...
In fact I would say winter is the best time to come as the customs, immigration offices, the PR offices, Health card & SIN card processing all gets done in a breeze. Hardly anybody will be there unlike summer rush, so no waiting in long queues, all your documents are processed fast & in your hands within 10 days !!

Yep, winter is officially over here over a month ago. But still we have frosty nights and windy chilly mornings. The days are warm, sunny & fresh ; just last week we had the spring showers. More warm days ahead .

Have fun learning French & preparing your travel plans.
All the best !

Warmly,
Grace.

 

Thank you dear Grace.Good to know that you are doing fine.

If you ask me about my profession, I am basically from accounts background, In between I have also worked in office administration. Presently working in customer relations. Generally speaking, I should be looking for accounts job, however I am not so confident working with canadian accounting system. Initially I cannot be choosy and I love all these jobs, so I am sort of open for any job I can handle.

I have earlier tried my hand at learning french online from BBC.com, but for people like me, a teacher should constantly grill you to get some output. So finally I decided to go for the real French classes.Now my DD is having her vacation, so I have to be around, once her classes starts in June, I hope to start my French too.

About my agent I am not sure, I have already filed my papers quite some time back, first he said once I get the file number only I need the IELTS, then when I filed the papers, he said lately IELTS is mandatory for getting file number. I submitted the IELTS Score in feb '10, still I have not got the file number. According to him I will get the file number by end of May, and after that all original papers has to be submitted. I wonder how he is going to get me PR by Oct/Nov, but he sounds very confident, so I am just going by his word, Keeping my fingers crossed.It seems he has got PR for some other clients within this specified time frame.

Thanks for that tip on landing during winter, if by gods grace everything works out according to my agents promise, I will see to it I land in the peak of Winter, I am coming with Family, my DH and 6 year old DD.

I got your point about staying in Toronto, and looking for job in cities nearby, anyway I have some time before taking the final decision, will definitely consult you before taking the final plunge. You have been there, so will be in a better position to guide.

Some people told me to opt for London-ON,they say it is a good place, around 2 hours drive from toronto, it seems living cost and rental rates are lower than Toronto and nearby areas. But I am not sure about the job market, in such a place. Grace do you have any idea about this place? My priority is Job and good schools, and of course would love to settle around a place where there are people from Indian Community.

Good to hear that winter is over and you are getting the spring showers. Here we are in the peak of hot and sultry summer, eagerly waiting for monsoon rains.

Do take care and thanks a lot.

 

Hi everyone,
How are you all? after a long time I have visited this thread...Raechel,congrats on passing your IELTS:thumbsup and Grace3, keep up your good work by helping and guiding IL people.You are doing great work.

I am still waiting for my PR cards...2 months passed and I don't know how much time will it take?
Any idea how much time does it take to get PR cards if you have applied under AINP process?

My DH already started looking for job... he gave 2-3 interviews but didn't work.

 

Hi Grace,

Nice to see u r reply. Actually i googled & got a link and here it is
Cost of Living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
actually needed the info. for deciding mainly for negotiation and knowing Cost of living. Job
is the main criteria, we have started to look for jobs in alberta. If something comes up it
has to be decided before the end of this year. That is the reason for collecting lot of info.
We r mainly planning for a long term bcoz i can work in canada. but in USA it is really hard in
getting a job and permit. We r not sticking to edmonton or calgary its ok even if it is other
cities mentioned.

I have few more questions:

1) I am trying to get pregnant,and if everything goes well does health insurance covers all the
cost r do we need to get some supplemental insurance?

2) some r really scaring me with regard to the weather that sunlight will not be there for abt
8 months which might create lot of health related issues. any suggestions with regard to this.


thanks once again for u r reply.

 

Hi Mona,

Good to see u after a long time and hope you are doing well.

So how are things moving at your end, have you got settled or still trying to get hold of things .

Do post your initial day experiences, so that we can get some idea of how things work out there.

Best of luck for your DH's job and take Care.