Considering moving to Windsor, Ontario

[imtrillifwme]

Sooo I am currently living in the south suburbs of Chicago, Illinois in the USA and am heavily considering moving to Windsor, Ontario in Canada.


I have a few questions :think:


I have been looking up statistics between where I live now and where I am planning on living and I am completely satisfied with everything except for the fact that as far as health care, skill and competency of medical staff in Chicago is ranked 'high' whereas in Windsor it is ranked 'low'. source: h t t p : / / b i t . l y / 1 N N J m g J Hence, I will be looking for an out of town doctor's office... however I am not quite sure what cities surround Windsor.. what are the next-towns-over from Windsor? Which one of them will give me the best medical treatment? How far of a drive or public transport will it take? I would really hate to have to travel a long distance, anything over 45 minutes really, just to get to a doctor's office. I also am aware that Detroit, Michigan, USA is on the border of Windsor, Ontario, however I am not sure of the condition and quality of their medical staff... if anybody has information on any of this please let me know, thanks

Also, how long in advance should I inquire a property manager for a house?
I will be renting...but am nowhere near close to having the funds for the house and moving expenses... how soon is too soon to let them know you're interested, and how late is too late? I am at the beginning stages here, I'm only at the "well the decision is final, but now I need to start making the money and working on things" stage... and YES, I am actually going through, I don't want anyone telling me "you might change your mind" or "something better might come along by the time you're ready" or "your style and taste might change by the time you're ready" or "you need to weigh the pros and cons" please leave me alone with all of that..


Another thing I had on my mind was.. what are the tax rates in Ontario, Canada?

& Last but not least, is the cost of living in Canada really cheaper than in the United States? Or is it about the same? I can't really see it as being "more" considering the prices I've seen of items.. source: h t t p : / / b i t . l y / 1 N i E P B I and also, when I was looking at homes for rent in Windsor, I was converting the currency and seeing that I could get beautiful, furnished homes for, in my opinion, good prices in Ontario. However, I have heard people say that the cost of living in Canada is NOT better than in the USA, which I am extremely confused... I want to know where the "trick" or "loophole" if-you-will is... is it in the tax dollars? If so, I would consider that to be well worth it because of the free healthcare, unless the tax dollars are just so incredibly ridiculously high.. Perhaps it is just a matter of "opinion" to each individual person living in Canada?

Oh, and last but not least (for now!) This may seem rather a silly question, however how much different is the food? Coming from where I am from, how well do you think I would adjust? Excuse my ignorance on this subject, I do not mean to sound rude, snobby, or uneducated, however I'm not sure if food is the "same" if-you-will in both countries.. like I know that menu items are bound to change, but I'm talking about the overall, general food, if that makes any sense whatsoever. If not I'm sorry for the ignorance and burden.


Actually now that I'm thinking about it, sorry for yet another question, but.. how easy is it to get a job offer in Canada? I will either be trying for... brace yourselves.. either being a flight attendant, or a store/fast food cashier. Yes, quite a difference between the two occupations I KNOW... Being as they're very apart, I must ask.. would it be more likely for me to get a job offer as a cashier, being as that... well, it's just a cashier? Or would they figure 'it's just a cashier, why would we not a let a person of our country get hired before her?' I feel as though it can be looked at both ways, so perhaps, again, it is a matter of opinion of the actual worker/people? Also, a quick question about the flight attendant half, I am fluent ONLY in English. I am not fluent in ANY other languages, not even French. I have researched some information on being a flight attendant in Canada, and they said specifically "people who are bilingual are given priority" Priority... yes, PRIORITY, however does that mean that they would not even CONSIDER hiring a person who is only fluent in English? Or if they do it's a long shot and fat chance? I am confused on whether being bilingual is a REQUIREMENT, or just 'suggested' I am going to try to find my source for this one... aaand I cannot find it, sorry guys.

 

[MilesAway]

The nearest big city would probably be London. I believe that's about 2 hours away. I don't see why the quality of medical care would be low. The staff there would be fine for most needs, unless you suffer some major trauma or develop a terrible illness, then you would go to either London or Toronto.

If you're going to be renting, then I'd say you need a few months to find a suitable place.

As far as getting a job offer, that depends on your status in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident, then it's incredibly difficult. Employers have to get an approved LMIA, which involves proving that they could not hire any Canadians for the job. As a cashier, that would be quite difficult. French is an asset to be sure. Getting a job without it is possible, but more difficult.

What is your status in Canada?

 

[imtrillifwme]

The nearest big city would probably be London. I believe that's about 2 hours away. I don't see why the quality of medical care would be low. The staff there would be fine for most needs, unless you suffer some major trauma or develop a terrible illness, then you would go to either London or Toronto.

If you're going to be renting, then I'd say you need a few months to find a suitable place.

As far as getting a job offer, that depends on your status in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident, then it's incredibly difficult. Employers have to get an approved LMIA, which involves proving that they could not hire any Canadians for the job. As a cashier, that would be quite difficult. French is an asset to be sure. Getting a job without it is possible, but more difficult.

What is your status in Canada?

Straight from my email. I do feel as though I filled out the immigration assessment too soon, but that was my plan. I've only just started to consider moving to Canada, and I was just curious if I'd automatically qualify. So this doesn't really burst my bubble all that much, because I plan on filling this out again, at a later time. I am not currently employed and plan to start work where I live now in Illinois within the next few weeks hopefully, so that I can actually AFFORD to move to Canada when I am eligible.

Hello,

Thank you for filling out the Canadian immigration assessment form on Canadavisa . com. The Campbell Cohen Law Firm appreciates the opportunity to assess your eligibility for immigration to Canada. I have carefully reviewed the information that you have provided regarding your work and education history.

Based on that information, I would not be able to represent you for a Canadian immigration application because in my opinion, there is not a strong likelihood that you would qualify for a Canadian Permanent Resident Visa unless you have a permanent full-time job offer from a Canadian employer. With a permanent full-time offer of employment, you may be eligible for immigration to Canada under the Federal Skilled Worker category through Arranged Employment (http : / / www . canadavisa . com / canadian-arranged-employment . html) or under a Provincial Nomination Program (http :/ /ww w. canadavisa. co m/provincial-nomination-program. html).

Canadavisa . com offers a comprehensive Canada Job Search Tool (http :/ /ww w. canadavisa . co m/care er_zon e/cana dian-immigration-job-sear ch. h tm) where you can begin your search for work in Canada.

Once you have obtained a Canadian job offer, please contact our law firm again and we will re-evaluate your candidacy for Canadian immigration.

Until then, I encourage you to learn more about Arranged Employment and Provincial Nomination Programs on ww w. cana davisa. com and through our Canadian Immigration Discussion Forum (ht tp :// w ww .canad avisa. com/can ada-immigr ation-discu ssion-bo ar d/ind ex . p hp).

Additionally, I invite you to join LoonLounge (ht tp : //ww w. loo nlounge . co m/), the Canadian Immigration and Settlement Online community, where you can interact with other people who are interested in immigration to Canada.

I look forward to hearing from you once you have secured yourself a job offer in Canada.

Sincerely,

David Cohen, Attorney at Law
(Canadian Immigration Law)

So really, I'm not even close to the immigration process, or anything of that nature, really.

 

[MilesAway]

So your first step, before looking at apartments or health care, would be to find out under which immigration stream you would qualify. If you don't currently qualify, then you can take steps to meet the requirements.

 

[scylla]

So your first step, before looking at apartments or health care, would be to find out under which immigration stream you would qualify. If you don't currently qualify, then you can take steps to meet the requirements.

I agree. I think you're way ahead of yourself. Start by understanding what the requirements are to immigrate (Canada has several immigration programs) and what it would take for you to qualify. The kind of details you're asking for are things you look into once you have a PR application in progress or have been approved as a PR and are close to a move. You are still many years away from that by the sounds of things.

As explained by MilesAway, expect that getting a job in Canada will probably be next to impossible right now. I would focus on obtaining a few years of work experience in the US (either work experience in a skilled job or in a trade that requires certification) before you again look into either finding a job in Canada or immigrating. If you eventually want to become a flight attendant in Canada you should learn another language - preferably fluently. As an American, you have zero chance of getting a job offer as a flight attendant now - don't even bother applying. If you manage to obtain permanent residency - there may be some chance - but they really are looking for people who speak at least one more if not two additional languages. If you happen to have only a high school education, complete more schooling before trying to make a move here. Ideally get a degree (unless of course you decide to go into a trade like welding or plumbing).

The food in Canada and the US are pretty much the same. Yes - cost of living is higher in Canada due to the health care system. It's not a matter of opinion - the cost of living is flat out higher here than in the US.