New here. Need info on locating to Vancouver in the future

[Calypseclipse]

Hi everyone! I'm new here. I have lots of questions and trying to find the right resources on moving to Canada. My boyfriend and I (Americans) are talking about moving to Vancouver, did a little reading on the city and love it. However, we have never been to Canada before. We are (34f which is me) and he is 44 years old. We feel it's time for a big change.

We have a 5 year plan to get everything ready. First, paying off any debt(s). Saving up enough money to support ourselves if we are still looking for work. We are in the process now if updating our skill set.

My short term goal if things are in alignment to be ready and have the documents in 3 years then move. We plan on selling everything and just bring clothes over plus buy new furniture overseas.

I have my degree in aas network administrator with no certs haven't been a network admin yet but have done help desk support which I now hate. Eventually, I still want to get my certifications (besides how they are so costly) and have them as back up. I've started a new skill ruby on rails and doing a tutorial on it. My goal is to learn it, work on projects and showcase it to employers and work remotely. I have seen some Canadian companies looking for ruby on rails developers. The jobs in the state we live in suck ass. Also, we'd love to go to school out there once we are settled.

Eventually, I want to learn other coding languages. My boyfriend has done a lot of tech work in his life. He recently went back to school, is studying to get some certifications too.

We just need info on how to do this so when the time comes we will be ready. I have never lived abroad before,my boyfriend has via military (he is prior military).

What sites to use/research to apply for residence and for working there? We plan on living there long term.

In Arizona, we don't have a Canadian embassy office here. The closes one is in los Angeles and san Diego, would we need to speak to them on what we need to do as a starting point?

We also plan on hiring a realtor to find us a rental house. If not a house, an apartment would be fine for now. What sites has anyone in Canada used for housing?

We will be bringing over a cat with us, no children.

How much money do we need to save to move to Vancouver? We are wanting the city/nightlife and party, low crime, places not far to the point where you need a car all the time. We read somewhere that Vancouver is very lgbt friendly which is huge for us. We are also polyamorous and swingers/kink we want to find those communities as well.

I did a city comparison of Vancouver and my city Scottsdale Arizona, it's about the same we pay 1500 in rent here.

How much money to save for a moving company?

We don't have US passports, but we can get them. What sort of documentation is needed to bring overseas? Do we need to get us passports now?

As far as credit and student loans, is that or anything else state side needs to be paid off before moving abroad?

If anyone has any websites we can use/read to help us, I'd greatly appreciate it

 

[primaprime]

Have you looked at the official immigration website? All of the information you need to know is there. The consulate's job isn't really to help you, although they might direct you to immigration lawyers.

Unfortunately it's not as easy as getting your passports and finding a job, so planning your move now is putting the cart way before the horse. First, you need to qualify for visas like anyone else. An employer usually needs to invest time and money applying for an LMIA that proves they couldn't hire any Canadians. Few will bother looking at your application because of this.

However, if you have a degree in a USMCA (NAFTA) field, an employer can bypass the LMIA requirement and you can get temporary work permits. Or, you can come as an intra-company transferee if you're a senior executive or have particularly specialized knowledge.

For permanent residence through Express Entry, you don't necessarily need a job lined up, but at your age it will be difficult without French proficiency and a master's degree. You can calculate your score here; put yourself as the primary applicant. The cutoff is currently around 475. You can raise your points by learning French, getting a provincial nomination (check out the BC Tech Pilot), working in Canada first (see above), or going back to school here. Conversely, you lose five points with every birthday.

Since you said you are willing to do so, getting a study permit could be the most straightforward route, although it is also the longest and most expensive. What is your current level of education? At your age, again, you would need to justify how further Canadian education would advance your career in the US. You could work part-time and your partner could apply to work full-time, but you would still need to show you can pay tuition + C$10,000 in living expenses. Afterward you can continue working for up to three years to earn more points.

Realistically, you would need at least C$20,000 saved up to make the move. Vancouver is extraordinarily expensive to live in, and definitely much more so than Scottsdale. If you are flexible and willing to accept a smaller, colder, and more boring locale on the east coast, there's the Atlantic Immigration Pilot which is separate from the other programs and only requires a job offer from a participating employer.

Finally, since you say you are thinking five years down the line, keep in mind the entire system is subject to change after an election (one could happen as soon as December). If you've never even been to Canada, perhaps a vacation would be a good place to start once travel restrictions are lifted, presumably sometime in the next year. For that, you just need to get your passports.

 

[Calypseclipse]

Have you looked at the official immigration website? All of the information you need to know is there. The consulate's job isn't really to help you, although they might direct you to immigration lawyers.

Unfortunately it's not as easy as getting your passports and finding a job, so planning your move now is putting the cart way before the horse. First, you need to qualify for visas like anyone else. An employer usually needs to invest time and money applying for an LMIA that proves they couldn't hire any Canadians. Few will bother looking at your application because of this.

However, if you have a degree in a USMCA (NAFTA) field, an employer can bypass the LMIA requirement and you can get temporary work permits. Or, you can come as an intra-company transferee if you're a senior executive or have particularly specialized knowledge.

For permanent residence through Express Entry, you don't necessarily need a job lined up, but at your age it will be difficult without French proficiency and a master's degree. You can calculate your score here; put yourself as the primary applicant. The cutoff is currently around 475. You can raise your points by learning French, getting a provincial nomination (check out the BC Tech Pilot), working in Canada first (see above), or going back to school here. Conversely, you lose five points with every birthday.

Since you said you are willing to do so, getting a study permit could be the most straightforward route, although it is also the longest and most expensive. What is your current level of education? At your age, again, you would need to justify how further Canadian education would advance your career in the US. You could work part-time and your partner could apply to work full-time, but you would still need to show you can pay tuition + C$10,000 in living expenses. Afterward you can continue working for up to three years to earn more points.

Realistically, you would need at least C$20,000 saved up to make the move. Vancouver is extraordinarily expensive to live in, and definitely much more so than Scottsdale. If you are flexible and willing to accept a smaller, colder, and more boring locale on the east coast, there's the Atlantic Immigration Pilot which is separate from the other programs and only requires a job offer from a participating employer.

Finally, since you say you are thinking five years down the line, keep in mind the entire system is subject to change after an election (one could happen as soon as December). If you've never even been to Canada, perhaps a vacation would be a good place to start once travel restrictions are lifted, presumably sometime in the next year. For that, you just need to get your passports.

Hi. My current education is AAS NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR. I have stem behind me (the tech side) so I'm not wasting money for a master's degree in America. I've seen a lot of tech jobs in Canada. I'm in student loan debt so getting another degree in America is a no right now since I'm pursuing ruby on rails on my own.

I've glanced the immigration site. Right now, we gotta take care of things here. I got the site bookmark to read more. Also since I have some experience working in the gov, maybe I could get an office job in Canada on the gov side.

 

[primaprime]

Your issue remains that you can't simply get any job that's listed online. The employer needs to spend many months and at least $1000 advertising the job and then showing the government why none of the Canadian applicants were suitable compared to you, which will be quite a feat considering unemployment is over 10%. They need to justify how hiring a foreigner will allow them to grow their business. Then you have to apply for a work permit and wait several more months. Because of this almost no employer will bother looking at your applications.

 

[Calypseclipse]

Ah gotcha

 

[canuck78]

Ah gotcha

Being 44 will make it very difficult to immigrate. If you have a lot of debt in US dollars I would consider moving to a different area in the US. Paying off debt with a currency that is worth a lot less doesn’t make sense especially when cost of living is higher than in many areas of the US. You need to spend a lot of time reading about immigration and the cost of living.

 

[scylla]

Hi everyone! I'm new here. I have lots of questions and trying to find the right resources on moving to Canada. My boyfriend and I (Americans) are talking about moving to Vancouver, did a little reading on the city and love it. However, we have never been to Canada before. We are (34f which is me) and he is 44 years old. We feel it's time for a big change.

We have a 5 year plan to get everything ready. First, paying off any debt(s). Saving up enough money to support ourselves if we are still looking for work. We are in the process now if updating our skill set.

My short term goal if things are in alignment to be ready and have the documents in 3 years then move. We plan on selling everything and just bring clothes over plus buy new furniture overseas.

I have my degree in aas network administrator with no certs haven't been a network admin yet but have done help desk support which I now hate. Eventually, I still want to get my certifications (besides how they are so costly) and have them as back up. I've started a new skill ruby on rails and doing a tutorial on it. My goal is to learn it, work on projects and showcase it to employers and work remotely. I have seen some Canadian companies looking for ruby on rails developers. The jobs in the state we live in suck ass. Also, we'd love to go to school out there once we are settled.

Eventually, I want to learn other coding languages. My boyfriend has done a lot of tech work in his life. He recently went back to school, is studying to get some certifications too.

We just need info on how to do this so when the time comes we will be ready. I have never lived abroad before,my boyfriend has via military (he is prior military).

What sites to use/research to apply for residence and for working there? We plan on living there long term.

In Arizona, we don't have a Canadian embassy office here. The closes one is in los Angeles and san Diego, would we need to speak to them on what we need to do as a starting point?

We also plan on hiring a realtor to find us a rental house. If not a house, an apartment would be fine for now. What sites has anyone in Canada used for housing?

We will be bringing over a cat with us, no children.

How much money do we need to save to move to Vancouver? We are wanting the city/nightlife and party, low crime, places not far to the point where you need a car all the time. We read somewhere that Vancouver is very lgbt friendly which is huge for us. We are also polyamorous and swingers/kink we want to find those communities as well.

I did a city comparison of Vancouver and my city Scottsdale Arizona, it's about the same we pay 1500 in rent here.

How much money to save for a moving company?

We don't have US passports, but we can get them. What sort of documentation is needed to bring overseas? Do we need to get us passports now?

As far as credit and student loans, is that or anything else state side needs to be paid off before moving abroad?

If anyone has any websites we can use/read to help us, I'd greatly appreciate it

You are getting WAY ahead of yourselves.

You need to first determine if you will actually qualify to immigrate. This isn't easy and it may in fact not be possible. As others have pointed out, your ages are not working in your faour at this point. If you want to immigrate to Canada, my recommendation would be that you do that very soon. In 3-5 years it's going to be substantially more difficult than it already is today. My other strong recommendation is that you focus all of your research now on what it will take to apply to immigrate to Canada. This is what will determine if your plans are even feasible for a permanent move. If you are truly serious about this, you are going to have to dedicate weeks and many many hours to thorough research. No one in a Canadian embassy is going to help you. This is research you need to do all on your own through the IRCC web site (https://www.canada.ca/en/services/immigration-citizenship.html). If you want help and really feel you can't do it without assistance, you'll need to hire a Canadian immigration lawyer.

Start by calcualting how may points you would have under the Express Entry immigration system. You will need to be the primary applicant since your boyfriend is already too old and will lose too many points to qualify. Express Entry is a points based immigration program where those with the highest number of points are selected from the applicant pool. Right now you need to have 470+ points to be selected, Calculate how many point you would have to see whether you would have any chance of being selected through this program. The calculator is here:

https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/crs-tool.asp

Information on what you need to do to apply through Express Entry is here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/works.html

There are other immigration programs but they aren't necessarily easier (e.g. many require a job offer in Canada).

Finally, not that you and your boyfriend must either be married or common law (have lived together continuously for at least one year) in order to be able to apply through a single application to immigrate. Otherwise both of you have to qualify independently. This will be extremely difficult for your boyfriend even now (nevermind 3-5 years from now).

Good luck.