[Paul]

Just wondered if anyone had previously considered or actually lived in Canada rather than NZ and what made you eventually choose NZ.
From own research obviously climate in NZ is probably more akin to what we are used to in UK although outdoors type life seems similar, bigger open spaces etc, less obvious crime in general, cheaper property in general.

One concern about Canada is length of time application process can take (3years!) and also difficulty breaking into job market. Pluses seem to be closer to UK for family etc,
Will probably visit both before we make any decisions as to our future plans. Personally think the winters will be too hard in Canada (my wife hates the cold!)

Apologies if this is against forum etiquette but anyone know of similar sites to this for Canada. pm if more appropriate

Any thoughts?

Thanks

[veronica]

If your wife hates the cold then perhaps canada is not the place to go. when we were there the temp was -36...and the winters aren't short either.

[Rob K]

Most of Canada is colder than anywhere in NZ.

But, some parts of Canada are actually quite pleasant, especially the west coast of British Columbia (around Vancouver).

Our experience from living there was of winters with no snow in town (though lots of rain), but lots frosting the mountains above town. A nice thing to do there on a warm, sunny spring day: go for a walk in t-shirt and shorts, and within a couple of hours be standing knee-deep in the white stuff. Golf and ski on the same day, as the leisure-aficionados there say...

However, you need a lot of $$$ to buy property in most of Canada's warm spots. Vancouver is more expensive than Auckland by a long way.

My observation of climate, as a Canadian now here in NZ for almost a year (and having been on both the North & South Islands) is: NZ overall has a much more moderate climate. Not only are winters warmer, but summers are cooler. A fairly well-kept secret (on this list too, apparently) about Canada is that in most parts, summers can be very hot and humid. Like, 40 degrees for days on end. Again, it's much better on the west coast and a few other areas.

If climate is a major issue, then NZ is hard to beat vs Canada. If you like gardening especially, as here in NZ you can grow citrus fruit, olives, avocadoes, etc. These are rare to non-existent in Canada.

Anyways, just don't want to let any inaccurate clichés about permafrost, igloos, etc, interfere with anybody's immigration decisions...

There's more info about this topic in a fairly recent thread: http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=4386

Cheers,

Rob

[doctor]

I have been making extensive research for the last 1 year regarding NZ v Canada. Infact, I contacted an immigration consultant who promised me Canadian PR in 9 months. After submitting documents and MONEY to the so called Immigration consultant, he changed his version, now says that it will take long, long time. Whatever, I dropped the idea of Canada and now in the process of applying to NZ (sent in my ITA). The only reason I considered Canada is because of my profession as it will be relatively easy for me to find a position in Canada whereas in NZ, it may take a while for me to find a reasonable job as the medical system is slightly different in NZ. A big disadvantage with Canada is , it is very close to U.S.

[Rob K]

My wife emigrated to Canada, and we have all emigrated to NZ. We did all this on our own, without any immigration consultants.

Both countries presented their own problems and delays, but nothing we couldn't overcome with a bit of assertiveness, persistence, and patience. We did it without having any connections within government, or any other kind of insider advantages etc. Just the abovementioned things.

Perhaps an immigration consultant might make a difference if there is a huge language barrier to overcome (as in, can't speak or understand the language at all). But even then, your money might be better spent on a translator or interpreter.

Canada in particular can throw some ridiculous delays in front of an applicant. Some things that should be done in a few minutes can languish on the bottom of someone's desk pile for months, for no good reason. We experienced this several times, but it was nothing that a few pointed phone calls with very carefully chosen words and requests to speak with supervisors etc, couldn't fix.

The experience has been better with NZIS, although there too there's been a few seemingly needless delays, extra expenses, etc. But, nothing with the NZIS has ever needed more than a call or 2 to straighten out. For what it's worth, the NZIS has been much more friendly and sympathetic to deal with than Immigration Canada, from our experience.

Both countries seem, from our experiences, to be relatively straightforward and we've not come across any kinds of corruption, overt or otherwise, from either country. So, I can't see what an immigration consultant is going to gain for you, other than doing the mundane paperwork etc for you. In theory it can't move you up the queue, nor does it seems to do this in practice (maybe it does where corruption is prevalent).

About not wanting to be so close to the US: I'm curious to know what it is that scares people away from Canada because it borders America.

I think I understand the geopolitical issues involved, and that there is a general negative sentiment out there and on this list about current US actions etc. Are people concerned that living in Canada will increase their risk of harm from this?

I spent almost all of the first 38 years of my life in Canada, in both the eastern and western regions, and always very close to the US border (where most Canadians live because of climate, mainly). I didn't ever feel threatened by my proximity to America, even when I felt personally opposed to their political and economic policies. Our last 6 years in Canada were spent in a small mountain town, just an hour's drive north of the border. But, it felt like a world away the entire time, especially on 9/11 and since.

If anything, I would guess that the UK has been more strongly affected by its political proximity to the US since 9/11, than Canada has by being closer geographically. That might change with time, but for now I think it's somewhat ironic that a Brit moving to Canada might actually be sheltering themself from American "harm".

More than anything else, it's probably less about what country you're in, than on exactly where in a country you go. We felt very sheltered from the effects of 9/11 where we were, but relatives in Toronto actually fled their offices early that day in a panic, fearing a similar attack on them.

Whatever your fears about the USA might be, it is hard to argue that it is a very physically beautiful country. Many Canadians - most probably, including Sandrine and I, have travelled across America and really enjoyed the spectacular and diverse beauty there. Plus, most Americans we met were very kind, and we felt safe as we travelled. Again, it's probably because of where in the country we were (smaller towns, rural areas, etc). Anyways, it's a fact that living in Canada gives you a chance to have a lifetime of travelling opportunities that don't require a plane or ship. In NZ, you need to fly or sail away even just to see Australia. I reckon NZ has enough on its own to satisfy a lifetime of interests, but perhaps many on this list would not see it the same way.

NZ, as we've learned, is highly infiltrated with all of the best and worst of Americanization. In Christchurch and Palmerston North, we've been much closer to all of the commercialism, and aware of the geopolitical hysteria, than we were in our little bubble in the mountains of western Canada. But, we are starting to figure out where in NZ one can find similar (or even greater) peace and tranquility. Hopefully for us, we'll be able to find such a place here in NZ and then finally make a home for ourselves here.

Cheers,

Rob

[David with a dream]

enjoyed reading that post Rob, very intresting. :nice1

[Paul]

Thanks Rob - great post (and previous posts, sorry should have searched better!). Certainly more food for thought :nice1

A review of houses in each country on website certainly shows some very nice houses for relatively little $$$ in Canada and as you say the are double glazed, centrally heated etc.......... Take your point about prices in Vancouver though

We have some friends emigrating to Vancouver area and they said exactly the same as you about the lack of snow and more temperate climate compared with rest of Canada. He fortunately has a job offer and so is being "fast tracked" via a province scheme I believe(still taking 1 year +) :eek: