Edmonton, Alberta settlers Join here

[fdk511]

Thanks so much, God bless you

Not a problem. Another site you can review is www.navut.com.

All the best.

 

[ttrajan]

Engg companies are laying off people now. Oil price also coming down. Not good time for new engineers. No new oil and gas projects in alberta. Looks like next year will be very bad as well.

 

[satwant1502]

Engg companies are laying off people now. Oil price also coming down. Not good time for new engineers. No new oil and gas projects in alberta. Looks like next year will be very bad as well.

Is this ur guess? or reality?

 

[fdk511]

Is this ur guess? or reality?

SNC -Lavalin (a major EPC contractor) has announced it will lay-off about 1000 folks in Canada out of a worldwide cut of 4,000. Total and Statoil have backed out of some major projects in Fort McMurray.

Engineering and related jobs are still showing up on your typical job-boards - but it would be a valid conjecture that the number of people competing for a particular position will be higher. Does that mean you won't land a job? Not necessarily. But can it take longer? There is a higher probability that it might take longer to land a position.

For new immigrants, a foot-in-the-door approach in the North American market to gain North American experience will warrant settling for jobs which might be in your field but lower in the rung.

I have only been in Canada since 2011, but have heard from folks in the EPC industry who experienced the brunt of the economic meltdown in Alberta b/w 2007-2010 when a lot of people got hit by the slowdown in the economy.

 

[jdn]

Engg companies are laying off people now. Oil price also coming down. Not good time for new engineers. No new oil and gas projects in alberta. Looks like next year will be very bad as well.

It is said like oil price is coming done since new reserves of oil found in Canada and US . There seems to be new technology to extract oil from Sand which they have successfully implemented leading to North America a new hub of oil production . I am expecting a boom in the market due to the new scenario . Would like to get more information from Experienced formates regarding the speculation of Job market in the coming years.

 

[fdk511]

It is said like oil price is coming done since new reserves of oil found in Canada and US . There seems to be new technology to extract oil from Sand which they have successfully implemented leading to North America a new hub of oil production . I am expecting a boom in the market due to the new scenario . Would like to get more information from Experienced formates regarding the speculation of Job market in the coming years.

It's actually more of a Catch-22 situation here: hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) is the somewhat controversial technology that is among the factors which has led to the gradual decrease in oil prices (not sure if this is the new technology you are referring to). Canadian oil has the US as its biggest customer - in order to sell to other countries they need pipelines (google Keystone XL and Northern Gateway if interested) which have been dogged with controversies and other setbacks.

BUT as oil prices drop, some projects in the unconventional oil sector in the Sands become economically unfeasible - and the knock-on effect on the economy (at least in Alberta) will be heartfelt and very real. My opinion: until Alberta has a way to ship the oil to the ports from where it can be sent to other customers around the world, the lower oil price (which is great btw when you are filling up) will lead to constraints in companies looking to expand and may curtail hiring.

Alberta does have the distinction of being the province driven primarily by the energy sector. Reliance on only one sector is not the best recipe for sustainable economic growth. The petrochemical industry here runs second fiddle to the oil industry when it comes to attracting talent since they are not always able to match the $100/hour rates of engineers/tradespeople. And turnover in petrochemical industry is quite high for power engineers/millwrights etc since they all want the higher hourly rate awarded by the oil/gas companies (wouldn't you?). The net result is a concentration of people in only one sector and if this sector implodes, the entire house of cards will come tumbling down.

Others may feel free to chip in with their opinion, but I would be cautious in declaring a "boom". If you find a job and it meets your circumstances/needs, then take it.

 

[ttrajan]

My company also laid off more than 500 people during this year. Not good time for oil and gas industry people now.

SNC -Lavalin (a major EPC contractor) has announced it will lay-off about 1000 folks in Canada out of a worldwide cut of 4,000. Total and Statoil have backed out of some major projects in Fort McMurray.

Engineering and related jobs are still showing up on your typical job-boards - but it would be a valid conjecture that the number of people competing for a particular position will be higher. Does that mean you won't land a job? Not necessarily. But can it take longer? There is a higher probability that it might take longer to land a position.

For new immigrants, a foot-in-the-door approach in the North American market to gain North American experience will warrant settling for jobs which might be in your field but lower in the rung.

I have only been in Canada since 2011, but have heard from folks in the EPC industry who experienced the brunt of the economic meltdown in Alberta b/w 2007-2010 when a lot of people got hit by the slowdown in the economy.

 

[Umair]

Landing:
Landed on Edmonton Airport from Mumbai-London-Edmonton route through Jet airways –Air Canada and landed @ 6.10 pm Edmonton time on 24th July 2014.
At the Passport Control:
At passport control, informed officers that we have come to do our 'landing'. The officer checked our Disembarkation Card and our passport/s & visa and directed us to "Newly Landed Immigrants' Counter". BTW,We collected our baggages after the passport control .
At the Immigration / Custom Counter:
Lady officer greeted here and asked us to show COPR & PP .She filled up our PR application ,asked us the address where we are going to stay and noted down on COPR as well. She asked us about goods to follow in future and we said no. Here she didn't ask for the POF or carrying goods list. COPR copies were attached to our respective passports and she said “Welcome to Canada and now you are PR of Alberta and Canada as well. Please save your COPR copies well until you get your PR cards as this is the only document on which you can travel back in case of Emergency before your PR card arrives.”She later on guided us towards exit and wished us again with smile. At the exit, my friends had come for pick up and drove us to his house where we stayed for 15 days.
Weather:
Temperature was @ 15 degree and for another couple of days it remained rainy and humid. The nicest thing about weather I found was the day was too long and I remember I played Cricket match @ 9.30pm with full sunlight!!Sunset time here from May to August end is @ 10 pm which is so good to see. In last two months temp. has been fluctuating from 0 to 25 deg.cel.with a day when we had -2 degee and some flurries for couple of hours.But overall the weather here remains pleasant and in the range of 10to 25 deg cel.
2nd day:
My friend took me to Service Canada first in Millbourne mall and got the SIN no. COPR and PP copies are required here so pl.ensure to carry those with you. Went to registry and applied for health card which I received after 10 days. Also opened up a/c in TD bank, submitted d/d for deposit and was informed that it will take 10-15 days for clearance. Got that d/d cleared on 17th day of arrival.( So make sure that u keep enough cash with you as you can see it takes 15-20days for d/d to be cleared.)
Accommodation:
Let me tell you that like jobs, accomdation is also in high demand here so one need to book the apartment, houses in advance .It took me around 10days to find out an apartment so if you are planning to land in Edmonton and have relatives or friend ,ask them to see and book one. Sometimes you even need to pay some application fees also.1 bhk would cost you @ 1000 $ and 2 bhk should be @ 1200.You can even get a bachelor suite with a big room and kitchen if u have a small family or only couple staying.
In Edmonton,Millwoods,Millbourne,South gate are the preferred areas for Immigrants. You will find many Asians particularly Indians and also have lots of grocery,veg. shops,restaurants around such areas. Please avoid downtown-Jasper,north,strathcona,Boney doon area in your initial days of staying as these areas are not safe and sometimes costlier as well.
Also for renting an apartment or house you need to have a cosigner who can sign the leasing documents and need to provide SIN no. or credit history for verification. Most of the apartments will be given to you in2nd week of the month as even if the landlord gets it vacated from the previous tenant, they take a week time to get those apartments clean up, paint, electronics appliance check up and cleaning, carpet cleaning etc.Apartments are mostly equipped with Dishwasher,cooker,refrigerator and shared laundry machines.
Job Search:
You can't ask for anything more when you have just come in Canada, applies on your third day of landing, gets an interview call on fifth day and gets an offer in second week.
YES!!It has happened and I can proudly say that I got selected in a first interview I faced in Canada and that too in my very own field!! The story doesn't end here. I had applied for the post which was in a lower category than what I was eligible for and got a job which was even in higher rank than what I had worked previously. While interviewing, my employer found me more capable of doing the job than they had advertised and offered me the position which I had not even imagined..!!and that is why Canada is called a place of opportunities..On the fifteen day of my landing, I got recruited and started the job with an immediate effect.
Driving License:
One of the things where I did a mistake was about my driving license. Before coming to Canada, I was in Middle East and had a driving license. When I approached the driving registry, they told me that I can drive in Edmonton up to three months and can even buy a car so I was thinking to buy a car and start driving. The issue happened when I wanted to buy a car and approached insurance companies. On this point, I came to know that buying car was not an issue but the real problem was to get an insurance without Alberta driving license. Nobody was ready to give me an insurance without the license so I had to go back to the basics and started preparing for the knowledge test. I wasted around a month thinking that I will be buying a car soon but could not due to the insurance issues. Later on cleared the knowledge test and my road test is due in a couple of days. My Job is only 5 kms from where I am staying and Bus services are good here with reasonably good frequencies. You can get Bus services almost everywhere in Edmonton.
City & Cost of living:
Overall Edmonton city is peaceful. Not very much crowded, people are nice, friendly and helping. It's very green in summer times and full of parks, gardens, picnic spots, walking trails.Edmontonains enjoy their summertime to its fullest and hence organize lots of festivals, sports & entertainment activities in summer times.
Other thing is Edmonton has jobs.I don't know about other places but right from the first day I applied for Canadian Immigration,I was sure about my decision to land in Edmonton and It has paid me back and proved that I was not wrong.Many of my friends,relatives who stays here in Canada or US had repeatedly told me not to choose Edmonton but I can say now that It has got lot of Jobs and those who are in technical field ,production,mfg..don't give a second thought on your landing..You are welcome in Edmonton..!!
Cost of living is higher compare to Middle East countries and even more than US but higher wages makes it in check. You will pay taxes altogether @ 20-25% of your take home salary.
Let me end what I had to say here as the mail has become too long.If anybody wants more info. about Edmonton or Landing, Job hunt, send me pm and I would love to help you guys.
Regards,
Edmonta

Thanks for Sharing your experiences. and wel Come to Edmonton.

 

[jdn]

Landing:
Landed on Edmonton Airport from Mumbai-London-Edmonton route through Jet airways –Air Canada and landed @ 6.10 pm Edmonton time on 24th July 2014.
At the Passport Control:
At passport control, informed officers that we have come to do our 'landing'. The officer checked our Disembarkation Card and our passport/s & visa and directed us to "Newly Landed Immigrants' Counter". BTW,We collected our baggages after the passport control .
At the Immigration / Custom Counter:
Lady officer greeted here and asked us to show COPR & PP .She filled up our PR application ,asked us the address where we are going to stay and noted down on COPR as well. She asked us about goods to follow in future and we said no. Here she didn't ask for the POF or carrying goods list. COPR copies were attached to our respective passports and she said “Welcome to Canada and now you are PR of Alberta and Canada as well. Please save your COPR copies well until you get your PR cards as this is the only document on which you can travel back in case of Emergency before your PR card arrives.”She later on guided us towards exit and wished us again with smile. At the exit, my friends had come for pick up and drove us to his house where we stayed for 15 days.
Weather:
Temperature was @ 15 degree and for another couple of days it remained rainy and humid. The nicest thing about weather I found was the day was too long and I remember I played Cricket match @ 9.30pm with full sunlight!!Sunset time here from May to August end is @ 10 pm which is so good to see. In last two months temp. has been fluctuating from 0 to 25 deg.cel.with a day when we had -2 degee and some flurries for couple of hours.But overall the weather here remains pleasant and in the range of 10to 25 deg cel.
2nd day:
My friend took me to Service Canada first in Millbourne mall and got the SIN no. COPR and PP copies are required here so pl.ensure to carry those with you. Went to registry and applied for health card which I received after 10 days. Also opened up a/c in TD bank, submitted d/d for deposit and was informed that it will take 10-15 days for clearance. Got that d/d cleared on 17th day of arrival.( So make sure that u keep enough cash with you as you can see it takes 15-20days for d/d to be cleared.)
Accommodation:
Let me tell you that like jobs, accomdation is also in high demand here so one need to book the apartment, houses in advance .It took me around 10days to find out an apartment so if you are planning to land in Edmonton and have relatives or friend ,ask them to see and book one. Sometimes you even need to pay some application fees also.1 bhk would cost you @ 1000 $ and 2 bhk should be @ 1200.You can even get a bachelor suite with a big room and kitchen if u have a small family or only couple staying.
In Edmonton,Millwoods,Millbourne,South gate are the preferred areas for Immigrants. You will find many Asians particularly Indians and also have lots of grocery,veg. shops,restaurants around such areas. Please avoid downtown-Jasper,north,strathcona,Boney doon area in your initial days of staying as these areas are not safe and sometimes costlier as well.
Also for renting an apartment or house you need to have a cosigner who can sign the leasing documents and need to provide SIN no. or credit history for verification. Most of the apartments will be given to you in2nd week of the month as even if the landlord gets it vacated from the previous tenant, they take a week time to get those apartments clean up, paint, electronics appliance check up and cleaning, carpet cleaning etc.Apartments are mostly equipped with Dishwasher,cooker,refrigerator and shared laundry machines.
Job Search:
You can't ask for anything more when you have just come in Canada, applies on your third day of landing, gets an interview call on fifth day and gets an offer in second week.
YES!!It has happened and I can proudly say that I got selected in a first interview I faced in Canada and that too in my very own field!! The story doesn't end here. I had applied for the post which was in a lower category than what I was eligible for and got a job which was even in higher rank than what I had worked previously. While interviewing, my employer found me more capable of doing the job than they had advertised and offered me the position which I had not even imagined..!!and that is why Canada is called a place of opportunities..On the fifteen day of my landing, I got recruited and started the job with an immediate effect.
Driving License:
One of the things where I did a mistake was about my driving license. Before coming to Canada, I was in Middle East and had a driving license. When I approached the driving registry, they told me that I can drive in Edmonton up to three months and can even buy a car so I was thinking to buy a car and start driving. The issue happened when I wanted to buy a car and approached insurance companies. On this point, I came to know that buying car was not an issue but the real problem was to get an insurance without Alberta driving license. Nobody was ready to give me an insurance without the license so I had to go back to the basics and started preparing for the knowledge test. I wasted around a month thinking that I will be buying a car soon but could not due to the insurance issues. Later on cleared the knowledge test and my road test is due in a couple of days. My Job is only 5 kms from where I am staying and Bus services are good here with reasonably good frequencies. You can get Bus services almost everywhere in Edmonton.
City & Cost of living:
Overall Edmonton city is peaceful. Not very much crowded, people are nice, friendly and helping. It's very green in summer times and full of parks, gardens, picnic spots, walking trails.Edmontonains enjoy their summertime to its fullest and hence organize lots of festivals, sports & entertainment activities in summer times.
Other thing is Edmonton has jobs.I don't know about other places but right from the first day I applied for Canadian Immigration,I was sure about my decision to land in Edmonton and It has paid me back and proved that I was not wrong.Many of my friends,relatives who stays here in Canada or US had repeatedly told me not to choose Edmonton but I can say now that It has got lot of Jobs and those who are in technical field ,production,mfg..don't give a second thought on your landing..You are welcome in Edmonton..!!
Cost of living is higher compare to Middle East countries and even more than US but higher wages makes it in check. You will pay taxes altogether @ 20-25% of your take home salary.
Let me end what I had to say here as the mail has become too long.If anybody wants more info. about Edmonton or Landing, Job hunt, send me pm and I would love to help you guys.
Regards,
Edmonta

Congrats .. Very informative . May God bless you .

I am also in the Manufacturing field and planning to land in Alberta . Looking forward to see u there by next year .

 

[Kghimire]

Oil price is major concern for Alberta/Canada government as this is the major source of revenue. Lower oil price is mainly due to overproduction from Gulf countries which indeed hurt North American Oil production. Extraction of oil from Sand is little bit complicated and resource consuming thus thrives best with higher oil prices. As a consumer, its good to have 98 cents/liter of gas for your car but governments and companies are loosing money which might ultimately hurt manufacturing and job markets in the long run.

Middle east don't want to loose their market share thus pumping more oil and making it cheap, and cheap oil means North American companies will not make enough $$$$$.

It is said like oil price is coming done since new reserves of oil found in Canada and US . There seems to be new technology to extract oil from Sand which they have successfully implemented leading to North America a new hub of oil production . I am expecting a boom in the market due to the new scenario . Would like to get more information from Experienced formates regarding the speculation of Job market in the coming years.

 

[ttrajan]

Yes it will have impact on other industries also soon.

 

[dadof3kids]

It's a bit scary to hear that the economy of Alberta is going down, as I originally planned to move to Edmonton next year.
Does anyone know that the layoff thing is just for some certain oil and gas companies or it's a trend for the economy overall in Alberta?

Perhaps I need to think about Toronto as an alternative now.

 

[zeem]

I along with spouse and infant r planning to land in March 15 InshaAllah at Edmonton.

Please tell me :

1/ How is the weather in March ?
2/ What is appropriate clothing for then ?


BR,
Zee

 

[ttrajan]

March will be also cold, temp between 0 to -10c. You will require Winter clothing leather jacket, cap, hand cloves and shoes during March.

 

[fdk511]

It's a bit scary to hear that the economy of Alberta is going down, as I originally planned to move to Edmonton next year.
Does anyone know that the layoff thing is just for some certain oil and gas companies or it's a trend for the economy overall in Alberta?

Perhaps I need to think about Toronto as an alternative now.

I never said the economy is going down - but might be slowing down! Not to split hairs, but there is a big difference.

My intention was to point out that the economy in a province or region which relies only on one industry as a growth indicator may be affected if that industry starts to see price fluctuations. No one here can predict the future, but can only use past trends to make projections (anyone remember the $200/barrel of oil predictions) - so whether you find a job in Alberta or Toronto can be as much of an attribution to luck as it can be to proper planning.

My opinion has also been driven by the EPC/O&G/Petrochemical environment, and not IT or business related industries.

Finding jobs in an environment which is already competitive simply means that you must be mentally and logistically prepared to face the wait before landing a meaningful offer. Having lived in Edmonton for the past 2+ years, my observation has been that the jobs in the Toronto area for engineers have been limited in opportunities, and those opportunities which have been available offer a limited payscale range.

By all means land in Edmonton - if you plan ahead, you might be able to setup a few interviews before landing. Refer to job boards like indeed or linkedin to compare options/available openings in your field in either Edmonton or Toronto to establish where you would have a higher probability of finding a job.