emigrating?

[M35A2]

locations of choice:
Canada
USA (around texas, arkansas etc area)
Australia
in that order

how would someone like me go about emigrating to say usa? would i have to have a degree or something like that? or would it be as simple as going through the process of getting a work permit, working and then putting in for permenant residence?
just some food for thought for later on... .. (tomorrow!... kidding )

Hello mate.

I'm emigrating to Canada sometime this year. I've already got a confirmed job offer with a Canadian transport company. I'm moving to Alberta. How far have you researched it? I see you are an IT bloke. Have a look at this Canadian government skills shortage list. If your job description is on here then you will be able to apply.

http://www23.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/2001/e/groups/2.shtml

This is the same site but the header page. Have a good dig around.

http://cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp

Basically all you need to do is research all the companies that are recruiting UK workers in your profession in the province that you want to move to. Every province is different, so you will need to check each provinces website to see if they require your skills. Then check to see if your qualifications are recognised, you may have to get them checked via a checking authority in Canada. Then send your resume to all the companies that you are interested in that are willing to recruit a UK worker. You will then need a pre approved job offer from a Canadian company to enable you to apply for a LMO (labour market opinion) This is where the company has to prove that they are unable to recruit a Canadian or Permanent Resident for the advertised position. The company may apply for this themselves or use an immigration agent. You should NOT have to pay for this. Once you have a LMO you apply for a Temporary Work Permit which lasts for 2 years. Depending on the province, after a certain amount of time (usually 6 months) you can apply for Permanent Residence. This is the quickest route and could have you in Canada in around 4 months. The other way is to be nominated for PNP (provincial nomination programme) while you are still in the UK. Once you get to Canada you then apply for your Permanent Residence. This is better as you are half way to getting your Permanent Residence before you even move, but this method is longer and usually applies if you are married with kids. If your single you will more than likely go out on an HRSDC programme which is the first of the two I have mentioned here.

You will also need a Police Criminal Records Check, be able to list 10 years worth of unbroken work history, all your addresses and employers since the age of 18, have a minimum of $10,000CDN in the bank.

Have a good look through this forum for your profession. It's full of information.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/

Research thoroughly. I've been doing this for over a year and got my job offer in November after a 5 1/2hr interview with the company (who came to the UK, you might have to fly out to Canada for yours). I am now just waiting for my better half to sort some things out before we start the process.

Forget the US that's nearly impossible to enter and even if you get in, getting Permanent Residence is a nightmare. New Zealand is another country that I don't think is too bad to get into if you have what they need. They issue Permanent Residence as soon as you land if you are going as a Skilled Worker, and they also do a scheme called "work to residence".

Good luck.

[dee]

DB, back on topic

USA is getting very difficult to get into, gots friends who are currently jumping through the hoops, application process now takes at least 42 months!

Canada is also very difficult, unless you marry, and even that isn't a dead cert entry ticket, you need a job offer which is very difficult to come by as Canadian employment law demands that there be no-one suitable in Canada before they can offer to an expat...

Oz, dunno anything about there, to many spiders

NZ, relatively straight forward if your job appears on the skills shortage list, can take less than a year, beautiful country and they are really into the outdoor life style, is our choice.... just trying to pluck up the courage to find me a job offer, wife is set already as she's a mid-wife and we could go on her occupation alone.

incidentally, just listed this on the bay as we have decided on a smaller town due to having 3 kids

[dieselboy]

I'm CCNA, CCDA and CCIE certified.....don't use any of it now...

ena
# conf t
# int vlan 1
# ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
#no shut
exit

sh int vlan 1
....
...
shutdown

WTF!
i said no shut dammit! lol

[MudSurfer]

Cisco training is one of those limited to a handful of people a year courses isnt it?

From the little i know about the IT world... I know that cisco trained people are normally bl**dy good at there jobs!

I'm CCNA, CCDA and CCIE certified.....don't use any of it now...

[roundhouse]

USA is f difficult to get into and full of idiots. Hard to get through the door in the first place and hard to get any kind of residency, even with a job offer.

Hard for people with skills to get in legally.

All the mexicans just walk across and stay as long as they like and get awarded citizenship if they can stay long enough for the next amnesty law.

And sadly, the US has quite a lot of idiots.

[Hilux]

Oz

Hi its got to be "OZ" Bar-B-Qs, 4x4, Bar-B-Qs, 4x4 oh and Bar-Qs, my daughter wants to go her partner wants to go and they said we can go with them. The only hold up is my mother is 86 and ill and his Grandmother who brought him up is ill as well, so we would have to not a nice way of putting it wait untill they "PASSED ON".

[dieselboy]

hahahaha thats the one!

i didnt know it was an old sketch!

[nero279]

izzard & co - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZNoHdQjyHI

i think this is the original though? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsWd5QC7K5E (some of the comments on this one are pretty good)

[dieselboy]

what is that comedy stand up sketch with harry enfield, and a load others (may be paul whitehouse as well) and they go on and on each one being even more exagerating than the last about how their childhood was cr@p and they worked in a coalmine, and got up 3 hours before they went to bed and was beaten with sticks etc etc..
well funny but i cant find it

[yoshie]

When I was a lad everything was great!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now reality ruins my life

[gwh200]

Metaphorically speaking I suppose I can, but you dont have to very old to remember that, I can remember when only rich people had cars, when hardly anybody had phones and those that did, had numbers like Upper Wallop 397. When people had things called party lines ( telephone )which meant they shared a line with next door. I dont however remember when boys were put up chimneys. eeeee Obadiah, we were lucky, neighbours used to sleep in a paper bag at the bottom of a septic tank

Bogus

when i was akid we had a party line at home.my dad tried to use the phone one day,and inadvertently heard the next door neighbour arranging an illicit liason!!!
his wife as i seem to remember kicked him out not long after,oh glory days!

and sleeping in paper bags in a septic tank !!!!

you were lucky etc etc etc

[dieselboy]

Ohhh What we'd give to live in a paper bag at bottom of septic tank!

We used to live in shoe box in middle tut road! an every mornin our dad would beat us to death!

oh how we longed to be beaten to death in the middle of the road!

when i were a lad, we used to wake up at 4am to get up for 't coalmine at 4:15, miss breakfast and lunch. finnish work at 9pm. get home at9:15 to quickly eat dinner before bed. twas usually frozen water with water on the side. then back 't bed in the cellar by the mouldy stuff in the corner. used that as 't pillow.

[dieselboy]

If you work for a multinational, you can always ask them to transfer you to another office in whatever country you want to move to. That's the easiest possible way - they'll do all the paperwork and probably find you a new place to live.

i used to work for kbr/halliburton (theiving gits) well actually i was contracted to them through a contractor

but now i work in docklands for a small it firm. think its only been running for 5 years. so no chance there.. unless they want to take over another city !

[Sancho]

bogus your funny

sancho, thanks for your advice mate. looks like ive got less than 7 years to get off my back side. i dont want to be stuck here.. ive been thinking, almost everywhere you can go there is booze, women, a roof, cars / trucks and green lanes, provided you have money and a job.
for this cisco training though, my work might get me into a contract where i cant leave for so ever many years. must try to not let that happen..
thanks again

If you work for a multinational, you can always ask them to transfer you to another office in whatever country you want to move to. That's the easiest possible way - they'll do all the paperwork and probably find you a new place to live.

[RodLeach]

eeeee Obadiah, we were lucky, neighbours used to sleep in a paper bag at the bottom of a septic tank

Bogus

Ohhh What we'd give to live in a paper bag at bottom of septic tank!

We used to live in shoe box in middle tut road! an every mornin our dad would beat us to death!