Informative sites on expatriating to Canada from the States?

[Zhade]

Canadian DUers, perhaps you can help. Like many, I'm planning the move. Any thoughts on some good, informative sites that offer tips on how to expatriate, where to find jobs, etc?

I'm looking specifically for television or satellite broadcasting work (I am currently employed by - sigh - DirecTV as an operator) in BC, probably in Vancouver.

Any ideas? Many thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

(And thanks for giving b*sh a great un-welcome!)

[Maple]

1. Well there is

http://www.monster.ca/

and we have several networks and a whole range of TV stations.

http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Canada/News_and_Media/Television/Networks/

[Zhade]

2. GMTA - I'm actually surfing Monster.ca as we speak.

Not finding a lot, even with "Select All" chosen, but the night is young.

Thanks for the response!

[Maple]

4. You should talk to

HeYHey. He's in media in BC.

[Zhade]

7. Oh! Will do. Thanks very much for the tip.

I could really use help from fellow tv jockeys.

[gjb]

28. VTV in Vancouver. Youth oriented/local content. New and growing fast.

[OneBlueSky]

3. here ya go . . .

Immigrating to Canada
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.html

[canuckforpeace]

5. You may want to contact this guy

Rudi Kischer of the Embarkation Law Group. Found this in an article in the Vancouver Sun, December 4th.

snip He expects his normal client load of 20 to 30 American clients a year to more than double over the next 12 months snip

snip Interest is so strong that Kischer is is holding seminars on the Canadian immigration system over the next few days in Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco snip

snip Kischer said backlogs at Citizenship and Immigration mean it typically takes Americans about two years to navigate their way through the bureaucratic process that results in permanent resident status. snip

[Zhade]

8. Yeah, heard about this but can't find the seminar info!

I will look again, though.

[Not a robought]

6. The two broadcast sattelite companies here

are ExpressVu and StarChoice. I'd hunt around their websites for contact / job postings. Big media here is Bell Globemedia who own Bell ExpressVu, they also post jobs on their site.

Might also want to hunt around www.mediajobsearchcanada.com

Good luck.

[Zhade]

9. Thanks! I appreciate everyone's assistance.

Being in a semi-specialized field like mine for the last decade, I really can't do much else with my degree except what I do now.

The responses so far are very, very much appreciated.

[Mother Jones]

10. There's also Telesat

I don't know if they have any locations in B.C. (can't see why not) Telesat used to be owned by the government but is now privatized.

My husband is also in the satellite networking field (although in Ontario), and since relocating to the 'country' after getting out of the city, we noticed Telesat's Operations centre is out here.

Best of luck to you!

[Alisa]

11. Me too but I need work on the Atlantic coast

I have been slowly preparing to move to Nova Scotia, I have a house (currently rented) near Annapolis Royal and some land south of Yarmouth.

I am a main frame programmer with a fair amount of experience. I already have some pretty good tips on application efforts but I NEED A JOB too!

So, does anyone have any leads?

And I want to thank you too for your great welcome to Bush!

:D

[Mother Jones]

12. One suggestion for you may be to get a job with a U.S

employer that has an office here in Canada.

I work for IBM (in Canada), but have a few colleagues who are moving within the company so they report to a Canadian Manager. Once that is complete (and a few are), they are now initiating a job move here.

Just another suggested route, other than searching various job postings online. Good luck to you.

[Alisa]

13. Interesting idea, thanks

[Hand]

14. Try this place for starters...

NovaKnowledge

They're an IT org for Nova Scotia; the director's a friend of mine and generally knows what's going on around the province.

Good luck!

[Alisa]

15. Hey that's great - I will spend some time on this

site!

Thanks a lot!
Alisa

[Jackie97]

16. I don't want to be rude....

but am I the only person seriously thinking that all the good Americans moving to Canada is not a good idea?

This isn't about patriotism here. This is about leaving the world's most abundant amount of WMDs in the hands of some far right winged nuts and some submissive moderates who don't care enough to find out what's going on.

Not that I don't love you Canadians and all, but I'm a little bit fed up with all the good Americans running up there to resettle instead of fighting for their country down here. I guess that does sound like patriotism, but you all know I'm right about it not being a good idea of leaving the world's most abundant amount of WMDs in the hands of nutty right wingers. Plus, I guess it does bother me that Canada's getting too many of our good Americans. Too many. I love you Canadians and all, really. I feel more in solidarity with you all than I do half of the States right now, but this still bothers me. It's like the two countries are saying "Did that Bush hurt you? Come to Daddy Canada, they'll make it all better".

That that is a slight bit of patriotism. I don't know. I don't really have much left after the election. I feel more in solidarity with half of the United States and the world more than anything else. I'm not into the patriotism thing lately because I'm getting real about the painful realities of my country. However, this stuff about all the good Americans just fleeing up to Canada all the time is really annoying me.

No offense to the person moving. I just had to get that out.

I feel like a hypocrite since I've actually considered moving to another country lately. It's not that I think that Bush will lock me in a concentration camp. It's that I don't want my kids being raised wit xenophobic and certain other attitudes. However, I don't have kids yet, and I'm obviously developing a strong attitude about this "leaving" business.

I'm fearing that right winged ideas are spreading up to Canada anyway. I just read up on why Fox is coming to Canada. It's because a growing number of Canadians are demanding that it come.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/11/18/720235-cp.html

"Even though Fox News hosts have at times mocked Canadians - calling the former prime minister a bum - the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission said Thursday it has found "there is substantial demand in Canada for Fox News."

I'm looking at this and thinking "Yikes!". I can't help but think that if Americans don't do something about this stuff now, that right wingedness might spread. That means that moving to Canada might not be doing yourself any favors in the longrun. I'm not saying that Canada is turning right winged, but I think there might be more than we think up there. Where is this demand for the anti-Canadian Fox News coming from? Somebody up there is right winged. Perhaps it's all Alberta. I don't know.

I guess I'm sending this message to ask good Americans to stop leaving already. We need you here. If we weren't the superpower, it might not be as big of a deal, but we are. I think we still have a responsiblity to the world.

Edit: Sorry that my grammar is so bad. I don't have time to check it right now. On the plus side, you now know that bad grammar isn't what makes Bush drop bombs. LOL.

[Mother Jones]

17. I hear ya Jackie....

and I'm very sympathetic on this issue - to both sides.

You're absolutely right that people need to stay and fight. I took up this cause on Nov. 2nd and urged people to move to swing states if they want to be HEARD.

Do you want to know when I gave up?
After someone told me that they appreciated what I was trying to do, but that they "felt their country had already abandoned them 4 yrs ago."

This just about broke my heart. I conceded and then pleaded with this gentleman to consider a 'virtual' move to a swing state, so that at least his vote will still be counted, and could be more effective in helping his fellow dems.


As far as Canada becoming more conservative - it simply won't happen here. Polls show our population is becoming more liberal (in terms of the issues) if anything. The conservative party just lost their best shot in our last election - in the wake of a massive liberal govt. scandal - and yet were still overwhelmingly defeated. If anything, we're leaning further left, to the NDP party as our future.

[Jackie97]

18. You want to know what's so funny?

The United States also appears to be moving further to the left too. I just took over an hour to research where Americans stand on the issues the other day.

I learned that half to most Americans think going to Iraq was a mistake. I learned that they don't want to go into Iran or North Korea, at least not without UN backing (which was the original opinion for Iraq too). I learned that most of them don't want an embargo against North Korea. I learned that most of them are for more gun control laws (which, I won't say that being against gun control is what we call conservative, but Bush was more against gun control than Kerry was). I learned that the majority of Americans are either for civil unions or gay marriages (mostly civil unions, but that's further than we were years ago). Most Americans want abortion to stay legal.

What in the world made them vote for Bush? Was it because they didn't want to switch presidents during a war? Are they liking their tax cuts that much? Are they not taking the danger of Bush seriously? What on earth made them do that?

I would agree with that one person about the country abandoning us. They didn't abandon us four years ago. The majority of votes went to Gore. I do feel abandoned now by at least 51% of them. Some of them are well meaning, and they try to convince me that they still appreciate my dissenting views so to speak. They just don't see how much of a psycho Bush is. And this stuff of "Our side won, now piss off" is abandonment.

Truth be told, I'd be just as happy if we could just have a great succession. Only two problems.

1) The massive move of thousands of Americans going from one side to the other would result in violence. It would also result in broken families (even worse than it is now). The truth is that you can't go by blue and red states. Thousands of people voted both ways in all of those states. North Carolina came closer to turning blue this year than they ever have before. We have a mostly Democratic local government, but we gave the federal election the Republicans. Plus, most Americans aren't conservative or liberal. Most are so called moderates. Those are the votes we're trying to persuade every election.

2) I don't want to leave even one WMD in the hands of far right wingers.

I think we can still be heard, even if we're not in a blue or swing state. We've managed to get a lot of other Americans sympathetic toward our progressive messages in the past few years despite having a Republican Congress. It's just that our actual votes don't count when it comes to who becomes the president. They count in every other area (or else, we wouldn't have so many Democratic local officials this year), but they don't count on the most important issue. Unless we can get rid of that stupid electoral college, I don't know what to do about that.

Moving to a swing state might not be a bad idea though. I'm already deciding to move to a more "liberal" city when I can.

[Alisa]

19. Your not rude

There are many reasons I've been planning on eventually leaving the US. One of the reasons that this is becoming more pressing for me is that I have two sons - 14 and 11. I am even considering just sending them up first to get them out of harms (draft) way.

While I am very tied up with the political aberrations we have going on here I have also been, for a year, following the Peak Oil issues and it is in Nova Scotia where I want to face that one. In the long run I want my generations to have a chance at a higher quality of life.

There are so many issues facing the world today, wherever I am I will fight for those values I believe in.

I realize that Bush (et al) is making the world unsafe, in so many ways. That is why I wept like a baby when Kerry was walking up to concede the election. I was witnessing another nail in the coffin. The hardest thing for me to leave is those friends I love. I am trying to bring them with me because I have little hope for the US and not much more for the world.

I don't think I've ever said this more plainly before.

[Jackie97]

20. So....

"The hardest thing for me to leave is those friends I love. I am trying to bring them with me because I have little hope for the US and not much more for the world."

I've got that song going through my head "It's the end of the world as we know it. I feel fine".

I realize that some might find this to be an extreme comparison, but isn't it possible that Germans felt the same way in Nazi Germany?

I don't have a problem with people moving to Canada or another country to avoid the draft, but I keep thinking it would be better if we stayed and filled the jails instead. Make all those pro-war Americans pay to feed us in jail. LOL. Most people won't be able to go to Canada to avoid a draft because the US and Canada signed an agreement for Canada not to allow that anymore. I guess your sons will be safe because you'll be moving up there in general, but people suddenly fleeing the States because of the draft are going to be turned back. They can try to seek refugee status, but the Canadian government isn't granting it to most people in that position from what I heard. A person can go up there for a work permit, but I'm sure they worked when they went up to Canada in the 1960s too. The Canadian government will see through that if a draft is called and they suddenly have thousands of Americans suddenly wanting to work there. I keep thinking that unless we want to try to flee to another country, most of us won't have a choice but to stay like Israelis. Israelis already have a compulsory draft, but some are choosing to go to jail first. Unlike the Israelis, we were not raised from day one to believe that we should fight for the existence of our country. We were raised to believe that war wasn't a good thing to be in. I'm hoping that we would have more people willing to say "No" to be drafted. Jailtime is better than death time.

[Alisa]

21. And I don't think your comparison is extreme either

I am a Jew, also a lesbian, and my sons are bi-racial - a trifecta! I originally bought the house in Nova Scotia because I had adopted the boys, with my female partner (around four years ago), and wanted a place to run to (with them) if, strange as this may sound, there was a right wing swing in this country. As openly lesbian parents (we are both listed on the adoption certificate: Michelle and Alisa) we feared the possibility that the government would try to dissolve the adoption at some point.

So, for sure, you can see that I have a tendency to look at things pretty darkly. I am aware of it and try to temper myself but it's hard to fight my gut feelings. No doubt a primary foundation of those feelings stem from my being Jewish and have prospered and grown under the experiences I have had as a result of the trifecta.

Having said all of the above I guess what I want to ask now is about strategy: would I or the boys be more effective in or out of jail? Would the idea of filling the jails become a hindrance to the powers that be? I guess if you're looking at a Germany/Jewish historical in reference to this, then I just have to say that they had a "solution" to the overcrowding problem. Another strategy which I would employ, with any luck, would be to avoid all that and maybe become a resister, an underground railroad, a free agent who could pursue and take advantage of opportunities.

With Peak Oil and economics projected ahead the last place I'd want to be is in jail waiting to be fed.

Thanks for replying I am pulling out a lot of internal stuff (my beliefs) in our conversation.

[HamiltonHabs32]

24. Arrrrgh I hate Fox News

My best friend's father was a Vietnam draft dodger, he came to Canada got a job as a high school high teacher, I guess his family are rich tycoons from Chicago, where most still reside. Anyway my friends Dad lives by Fox News, its alwasy scrolling on the TV and he is the biggest Right wing nut I have ever met. But he came to Canada so that he wouldnt have to go to war....and he is the biggest war monger out there.... he was very vocal when Canada didnt join the Iraq war.

pisses me off.

[ailsagirl]

26. I hear what you're saying

and I understand it completely. However... now that another election has been stolen and Dub and his merry gang of goons are firmly entrenched for another four years, I simply cannot stay here anymore. I live in the SF Bay Area-- have a good job, a nice place to live, etc. etc. but I simply CANNOT stomach what's going on. And, yes, I'm willing to give it all up just to be rid of this corrupt government.

Our democracy has been stolen. They're everywhere. Everything, right up to the Supreme Court, is infested with Dub's cronies.

And, since we're the strongest nation in the world, there's no one to come to our aid. This time, the enemy is WITHIN. Dug in for a good, long stay.

I wish I could feel optimistic but with the media lying and covering up everything that's going on, I just don't.

[enigmatic]

22. I'm an expat from the US who moved to Canada in 2001

If you have questions, let me know.

[kostya]

23. OK, I'll take you up on that offer! Even though you may not

have meant it for everyone. :)
Did you actually emigrate to Canada or do you mean you just live there? (ignore remaining questions if it is the latter)
Did you enter under a Skilled Workers Visa?
How long did the process take in total?
How much did it cost?
Did you get a job there first or after entering the country?

Thanks! - K

[ailsagirl]

25. I'd be curious

to know how you're finding living in Canada.

My parents were born and raised in Canada (Alberta and Ontario) and I have dual citizenship.

I'm definitely moving-- up to B.C.

I was planning on doing it anyway one day but this political disaster in the U.S. has me moving it up by quite a few years.

Any tips? Regrets?

Which province are you living in?

[Hieronymus]

27. Did you find it fairly easy to get settled in Canada?

Have you had good luck with the medical system? That one is important to me.
Good luck to you.:hi: