17 replies to this topic

[Shaun Kelly]

Well I have seriously been considering immigrating to another country, it appears that there is a great need for Nurses in some of them but its all a bit confusing and seems like hard work.  Apparently the economic state in Ireland is poor at the moment and a lot of the irish are looking for work.  I have been in-touch with an agency that deals with Guernsey and I could have an interview in may if I'm interested.  Looking at Canada the standard of living is much higher than most of my options and I can earn $66k CAD a year which is twice as much as what I'm being paid here.  The issues that I find with Canada though are that I have to take an exam to register as a nurse, my profession is not in high demand according to the official federal workers section so i would have to be guaranteed a job with no time span for Canada to consider my application for permanent residence.  And there are a lot of associated costs with Canada which means I would have to plan any transition over about a year and be sure its the right choice.  Australia and NZ are crying out for nurses and there are a lot of agencies that assist in the immigration process and the government have lifted certain restrictions which would make it easier for me to register as a nurse with them, for example in Australia nursing is a degree only profession where as in the UK it was diploma and degree (now degree), and because of their demand for nurses they are willing to register UK diploma educated nurses who are registered already in the UK.

The Netherlands - Well I have spent two lots of 10 days over there in the last 5 years and love the country, its a beautiful country, has a good standard of living and you don't need dutch to be able to communicate.  However to work as a nurse they will expect a fluent level of dutch and thats only fair for the patients too.  I estimated it may take me three years to get to that standard of dutch where i would be able to communicate effectively to fulfill requirements of a Job.  Another option would be to give up the nursing temporarily or permanently to get a job that will accept english only speakers.  If I chose the temporary option then i would only be able to realistically work and live in in the netherlands for about a year as I would have to get a nursing job to remain up to date with current standards and practice.  If I chose the permanent option then I would be potentially wasting three years of education and in the future if I wanted to go back into nursing I would have to retrain which could take 18 months.  The one thing that has struck me about the netherlands in a negative way though is that the level of income tax is between 30-40% of a persons wage, which I think is quite high.  From looking at Canada there's seems to be two levels of income tax federal and provincial and I was getting confused how much I would actually be paying, but I estimated that I would be getting paid substantially more than I am now even after tax.

As you can see there's a lot for me to consider and it something that should be planned thoroughly before taking the leap, so i would appreciate and advice or assistance from anyone and to find out whether anyone else has immigrated in the past?

[Femke]

Wouldn't it be easier to immigrate to Canada as it is part of the Commonwealth?

[Shaun Kelly]

Femke, on 29 March 2011 - 12:13 AM, said:

Wouldn't it be easier to immigrate to Canada as it is part of the Commonwealth?

You would think so, but I don't think it is.  I think all the same restrictions would apply to a British citizen as anyone else in the world.  Canada appears to have a multi teared system, and based on skill alone I don't appear to qualify as nursing doesn't seem to be in such high demand according to the government website.  Two other options are that I could get a province to sponsor me or I could get a close relative or partner to sponsor.  The latter option appearing to be the most likely, yet I don't have family in Canada or a partner.

The easiest options for me are R of Ireland and Netherlands as I don't need work permits as I'm a EU citizen and I could realistically gain irish citizenship as I'm 3/4 irish (even though i don't need to).  But the netherlands as a nurse would require a good level of dutch (which i don't have at present) and R of Ireland's economic status is unstable at the moment and unemployment is quite high.

Canada and the Netherlands seems like the two options I would like to pursue both options having benefits and draw backs, but for me the only draw backs with the netherlands are the language barrier and high level of tax and property rental.  The draw back with Canada it would take a whole lot more planning and would cost a fair whack of money.  It would probably take me a year or more to plan.  The netherlands, with a job offer, I could literally be their in the next 5 hours via eurostar or 50 minutes if I flew.

[Shaun Kelly]

Well after further research, the skilled federal workers scheme does state that nursing is in high demand.  The scheme only accepts 1000 applications per occupation and nursing for this year up until July has already reached its cap.  I could still apply if I can gain registration with a nursing board and have the a confirmed offer of a job or I could wait until july apply and if accepted go to canada with no job offer but find work when i'm there.  The first option seems the most sensible but I don't mind doing other work as long as it paid well.  With the the latter option I would be expected to have around $12,000 to be able to support myself whilst there.  I'm not sure how long this much money would last me but im guessing at a push maybe 6 months if I budgeted very well.  What to do, what to do?!

[Robulosity]

For a "meh" 1 bedroom appartment in Winnipeg you're looking at up to 600$ a month, Internet would be about 40$ (if you dont get TV service) , Foods likely the more expensive (you're looking at about 80$-120$ per week if you want to eat decent meals) + about 80$ a month for a cell phone.  If you have to pay for your own electricity it varies

[Shaun Kelly]

Thanks Rob that info is quite useful, and with $12k based on those figures I think its possible to stay for at least 6 months without a firm offer of a job.  I really need to make a decision on whether its something im going to persue and I already getting anxious and stressed about it and im not even fully committed.  I think of the choices it will be Canada, but I need to work out where to start in planning and set some dates, i'm already thinking maybe summer 2012 as I think it would be a bad idea coming str8 in to a winter as will probably put me off wanting to stay there.

[Stupendous Man]

Canadian provincial and federal taxes are tied in together when you file your annual income tax. Depending on what province you live in, depends on how much provincial tax you pay.
As a nurse making about 60 to 70,000 a year, you're looking at a base income tax rate of 22%
You can however use things like medical expenses and rental costs to reduce your amount payable at the end of the year.

[Stupendous Man]

Also look at this
http://www.cic.gc.ca...ssess/index.asp

[Robulosity]

Stupendous Man, on 30 March 2011 - 10:59 PM, said:

Canadian provincial and federal taxes are tied in together when you file your annual income tax. Depending on what province you live in, depends on how much provincial tax you pay.
As a nurse making about 60 to 70,000 a year, you're looking at a base income tax rate of 22%
You can however use things like medical expenses and rental costs to reduce your amount payable at the end of the year.

You may want to give him the totals INCLUDING EI & CPP, which he'd still have to pay if he's planning on citizen ship which is going to be another 4-5.0% a year

[Shaun Kelly]

My sister has wisely suggested that I take a holiday in Canada before deciding to emmigrate so that I can get a feel for the country.  Im think i should go this year in sept or nov, not sure yet but have been looking at flights and such.

[Peter]

Hi Shaun, Canada is a great Country. I moved here ( from germany ) in 2004 and I love it the only downside is that the immigration process can be very stressful and lengthy. You should also look into provincial programs, if you decide to come to canada, as they are faster and easier if you qualify for them

[Caleb]

It would be the same everywhere though, don't you think?

[Robulosity]

Not really, each country has its own set of rules and regulations, some just happen to be harder than others.. Canada is harder to get into most times than the U.S is from my understanding, one thing I do think should be a requirement in all cases is a basic understanding at the least of the nation you want to immigrate to's national langauge)

[Caleb]

By that I mean, it's never easy to immigrate anywhere, and there's always strings attached. You can never become a citizen without a lengthy process.
The only country I know that it's easier to get into is Israel, because it seems all you need to do is be Jewish (or convert) and they're happy to let you in.

Ireland I suppose would be the easiest option, but doesn't their economy suck right now? The US has so many more problems with Immigration than Canada and depending on who wins the election, it may be easier for a nurse to immigrate. I know the NDP want to hire thousands of more nurses. Since it looks like there will be a minority government, no matter who's in power will have to compromise to the opposition in order to keep the government from falling again. Since both the Liberals and NDP want more nurses, even if the Conservatives win again, I'm sure that health care professionals will win regardless

[Peter]

It is not a question about easy or not. If you are qualified you shouldn't have a problem and from what I see he is more then qualified to immigrate to canada as long as he is within the quota of that year. I have been here for 7+years and even though I have children ( born in Canada ) I have to leave now to re-apply trough another program because my application of permanent residency has been declined, after such a long time. This would not have happened to me in the US or Australia. But the canadian immigration law is protecting the canada from an overflow of immigrants which is a good thing.

[Isabel]

My mother immigrated here as a nurse from the Philippines. She had no real problems immigrating, neither did my father.
I guess it really depends on your situation and who you deal within Immigration Canada

[Robulosity]

There's also Green Flag Countries for people wanting to Immigrate to Canada to.  Granted there's maybe 4 people I would help get Canadian citizen ship

- Paulo (and his mom)
- Thiago
- Solieman

[Beka]

As an immigrant myself, I can tell you it is never easy to move your home. There are personal issues as well as legal.
I would suggest doing as much research as possible. Also never underestimate the importance of a social network. If you move somewhere and do not know anyone, it will be so very hard for you.