Has anyone moved to canada from the uk?

[mooingmilk]

Hi there,

 

I've had this thought for quite some time now - of moving country mainly thinking for canada for now. I'm not 100% sure yet if I definately want to yet( mainly because of people I would leave behind ) so I'm just really enquiring for the moment as I'm interested how to go about it and how long it usually takes? especially from the people who have gone through this experience.

 

So my questions are :

 

How long did it take to apply and make the move? I hear it takes 2 years ?

Is it better to find a job from uk and if so what is the best way to go about it ?

how easy is it to find 3d visualisation jobs in canada?

and what is the visualisation work like out there at the moment ?

 

I'm actually on holiday in canada soon ( calgary - vancouver ) and might take this opportunity to see if it would be a place i could see my self settling

 

Thanks in advance for any response/ help

[Frosty]

I did...but I was only 2.5 yrs old and I can't remember much

 

Check with the Canadian consolate in your area. I KNOW there is one in London.

 

Additionally, this is the Government of Canada page to assist you.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp

[Ky Lane]

I was going to a few years ago, then got a reality check

 

Nah, 8 months backpacking around the west coast cured me of Canada. Nice place to visit, couldnt live there... maybe... Just gotta find an agency who wants to fly me in/out during summer so I can MTB there

 

I know from an Aussie point of view, if you have skills (I have a masters in digital design) they'll welcome you. Otherwise, it can be pretty involved and you cop a bit of risk.

[Craig Ramsay]

I did it a couple of years back, I moved to Toronto from Scotland and worked for Designstor for about 9 months, unfortunately I had to come back to the UK for personal reasons. If I remember correctly if you want to work and live in Canada permanently then you need to obtain a work permit, in my case this was sponsored by my Canadian employer and they had to prove that they couldn't find a Canadian citizen to fill the vacant position. I think the work permit was valid for 3 years so that gives you enough time to apply for Canadian citizenship, from what I remember that process can take over two years so you want to get on it right away if you can. If Nicholas Moshenko sees this post he might be able to give you more information as he has recruited a couple of people from the UK. I don't think it's an easy or a cheap process for the employer though.

[Jeff Mottle]

how easy is it to find 3d visualisation jobs in canada?

 

I'm actually on holiday in canada soon ( calgary - vancouver ) and might take this opportunity to see if it would be a place i could see my self settling

 

I live in Calgary, and there are not a ton of places to get hired here. A handful of architectural firms really. I don't know of any large visualization companies. There is one actually, but it's a sweatshop, they only hire people on contract and use all pirated software from what I've been told.

 

If you're in Calgary and I'm home, I'd be happy to show you around though.

[Jeff Mottle]

Oh and please post your real name here so I can update your profile. I don't want to have to lock your account.

[moshenko]

Ack! My ears are burning!

 

I've written a bit about the process of hiring a non-Canadian before:

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/30731-cga-job-postings.html

 

Excuse the non-useful bits in there, but I think you might find something worth reading. The bottom line is that Canadian companies are obliged to prove that they cannot find employees locally before entering into a process of hiring a foreign worker. Beyond that, becoming a Canadian citizen is probably a 2-year (minimum) process for someone from the UK.

[Frosty]

Gaining citizenship to Canada requires a few things from what I remember.

 

1) Landed immigrant status for I believe 3 yrs.

2) Applying for citizenship - Paper work and about $200. I waited about 10 months for this to be processed about 5 yrs ago. In the last few years this time increased to about 2 yrs due to a flood of current landed immigrants filing at once to beat a deadline of a another issue. I think the wait time is back down to about 12 months.

3) Write the test. Yes a written test - Canadian politics, geography, laws etc. The first question on mine was what colors are on the Canadian flag..... it was multiple choice!

4) Be sworn in and sing the Oh Canada! You now eat, sleep and breath hockey.

[SandmanNinja]

Ack! My ears are burning!

 

I've written a bit about the process of hiring a non-Canadian before:

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/vb/30731-cga-job-postings.html

 

Excuse the non-useful bits in there, but I think you might find something worth reading. The bottom line is that Canadian companies are obliged to prove that they cannot find employees locally before entering into a process of hiring a foreign worker. Beyond that, becoming a Canadian citizen is probably a 2-year (minimum) process for someone from the UK.

 

Sounds about the same for Australia - I know someone who went thru it.

It's a pain in the bum, expensive, and the onshore company has to show that there is no one else in the entire country that can do that job.

 

Seems like it would be easier to look for work in a EU nation?

[creasia]

I am working in the industry here, but the employee pay scale here in Calgary at least is quite low in our industry compared to the cost of living.

 

I have noticed that there had been a lot of job postings in the UK. If you have steady work there and you are making a decent living, I wouldn't recommend the move. The US seems to be on the downward slide into depression, and that is where all the Canadian money comes from. The housing market here is near impossible to enter into on a 3D artist's salary.

 

Be warned.