Thinking of moving to Canada?

Question

I am American and have a 3 year old son. My fiance is African and speaks fluent French and English. We currently live in Asia, but are planning to move by the end of the year. By that time, we will be married.

I am currently an elementary school teacher and have a bachelor's degree in Sociology. He owns a small business in international trade.

I have started researching, but would appreciate some personal opinions, advice, and experiences. Any information is welcome. Thanks.

Answer 1

Montreal Quebec would be ideal for u and ur family. They have strong economic growth, low crime rates, friendly people, great food, great atmosphere, and tons of interesting activities to offer families who are young ans well as active. It is also relatively cheap, and easy to go where u need to go without a car. Montrealers are crazy drivers. Mcgill University stands 11th in all the world for best education. As well Montrealers are not ignorant to the past nor the present the city is very educational t the young as well as the old. It is billingual as well, and alive always bustling with ppl walking day or night...also it is the city of festivals. this year alone they are holding 53. You will fall in love with Montreal quickly. I went for 2 weeks and with all it has to offer I am relocating. I am from Manitoba pls do not mover here this province is dying economically and ppl who live here are struggling financially.

Answer 2

Teachers have a hard time finding fulltime jobs in Canada, which is why so many are forced to go overseas to teach now. It isnt a skill shortage in Canada.

For your husband to immigrate to Canada as an entrepreneur he has to have proof of a certain amount of money he will be investing in a business in Canada.  It used to be about $250,000.00 Cdn - I dont know what it is now.

Before even thinking about it you have to apply for Immigration Canada and be accepted for working and living in Canada, one person has already posted the links for you.

This is the first step.

Also it can expensive to immigrate to Canada, it isnt as simple as just getting on a plane, landing here and looking for work and a place to live.  Not to discourage you, but you dont seem aware of the requirements and steps you have to go through.

Answer 3

If you go to mls.ca, click on new brunswick(eastern canada), click on Moncton area, enter size of home etc, price leave 0 and take 10 minutes to see what you can own here. With New Brunswick being bilingual, you and your husband will have no problem fitting in . Your job skills are needed, costs are low, you are a 4 hour drive to Maine border, minutes from some of the nicest beaches, good schools, hospitals and not the worst of winters, summers are gorgeous. Government of canada has a National job bank on their website so you can check on work in area. Best wishes , and congrats on your upcoming wedding.

Answer 4

The previous poster, whose spelling was truly awesome, was right in suggesting that Manitoba or Saskatchewan would be good if you like snow.  :)  

There are a lot of places in Canada that need more elementary school teachers, but, just like in the States, they are not necessarily places you'd like to live or teach.  It's always harder to get teachers for the kids who truly need great teachers.  

One thing about Man, SK, Alberta is that you would likely be able to get a job immediately if you were willing to teach in a remote-ish location, especially on a First Nations reserve. These jobs can be quite stressful (although many find them very rewarding as well) so they are often available.

Be aware that your husband's French may be looked down upon in Quebec, where they are *very* xenophobic -- you can look up the history on this one, but trust me, there's still a lot of racism there -- and they might not like that his French is an African dialect.

This might be different in Montreal where it is a lot more multi-cultural.  Your husband, however, might prefer Toronto, where there are many countries with strong African communities for him to maintain your son's roots with that community. Also bear in mind that most places in Canada offer French Immersion schools, so your son could grow up learning both languages -- however, some public school boards are overwhelmed so places like Edmonton and Vancouver now have huge waiting lists for French Immersion spots.

(This is another good reason to consider Manitoba or Saskatchewan!!)

It is going to be more difficult for you to find an elementary job in any city with a university, because grads tend to stay in the city where they went to university.  Bear in mind that, unlike America, Canada has relatively few universities and they are all in major cities (with a very few exceptions). So basically all of the university grads are clustered in medium or large cities.  As I said previously, this shoudl make it a lot easier for you to get a job in a smaller place.

My last advice is to stay away from Calgary.  Trust me.  

As for being foreigners moving there, I think there are visa-requirement exclusions for teachers who have found jobs, but I'm not sure; google or the canada.ca website can help you with this.  There will certainly be school boards that are willing to 100% sponsor your visas, but again, they might not be places you are willing to move if your husband needs to travel frequently.  There aren't, for example, a lot of intercontinental flights in and out of Yellowknife.  :)

Welcome to Canada!  I hope you are very happy.

Answer 5

The first site you need to check is the Canadian immigration site.  You may be eligible to apply for one of the special provincial sponsorship programs.  You need to determine your best route for immigration.  The process can be a lengthy one.  Provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick welcome immigrants and are very friendly environments.

I have included for you the link for the educationcanada.com network.  Most Canadian school boards that need teachers advertise on there.  This is the best time of year to look for a teaching job in Canada - school boards are hiring now for the upcoming school year.

Best of luck with your plans.  I hope this is of some help.

Answer 6

Raising a child, teacher I sugest you move to a small town not to far from the city. If you like snow go to Manitoba and Sascatewan. There not to buisy like toronto, Ontario, But not too quiet like the yukon.