Canadians trying to entice UK professionals?

[Pace]

>Fed up Brits should come to Canada, says Minister sent to lure workers to emigrate

Canada is putting skilled British workers on a fast track for immigration visas to exploit our soaring cost of living.

Its officials believe superior public services and the ability to weather economic turmoil will lure Britons fed up with fuel and food prices and with the state of schools and hospitals.

Alberta's employment minister Hector Goudreau has been sent to this country to 'target' those tempted by a new life overseas.

It is one of the most audacious recruitment raids since Australia poached a million Britons - known as the Ten Pound Poms after the ship fare they paid - in the 1950s and 60s.

The Canadians want GPs, teachers, nurses, electricians, carpenters, engineers, construction workers, management consultants, and cardiac and diabetic specialists.

Anyone of any age can apply, although workers who fit skills and experience criteria will be fast-tracked for visas.

Last night - on the even of Canada Day, Canada's national celebration - there were fears that the scheme will deepen the crisis in the NHS and other services struggling with severe staff shortages<

Anyone know whether this involves Pilots? what is the situation in Canada regarding Aviation employment both Airline and especially Corporate?

Pace

[Merchant Navy Class]

"The Canadians want GPs, teachers, nurses, electricians, carpenters, engineers, construction workers, management consultants, and cardiac and diabetic specialists."

you answered your question :confused:

[JetA]

Go on the Avcanada.ca web site to read all about aviation in Canada.

That should give you a good overview of the situation.

Before you decide to move to Alberta first find a place to live. That is harder then finding a job.

[ARINC]

Doesn't everyone get a slice of the Oil tax revenue in Alberta too ?

Ps Might be time our winged brethren got a proper job.....in Engineering :E:E

[topjetboy]

Residents in AB see the benefit of oil income by not having provincial sales tax, which in some states is around 6% or 7%.
Canada is an exporter of pilots and has a lot of guys working hard up north as bush pilots waiting for a chance on jets so I'd hazard that pilots aren't on the list for a good reason.

[Canadapilot]

agreed. Funnily enough i'm an Englishman, fully trained CPL/MEIR currently on Instructor Rating. I'm married to a Canadian, and immigration paperwork in the pipeline. In another week it will have been 4 months since i handed it all in, and i'm now allowed to call Immigration to find out if they received it all! let alone when they're going to process it! In the meantime, i'm allowed to work as an Instructor with the right work permit, yet can't even get a bar job to support myself and supplement my wife's income. It's a shame the government don't look closer to home for qualified, young, ambitious people who just want a chance to earn some money and pay their taxes! hmmm is it too late to get into construction?!

[CAT II]

Pace,

It's a well known fact that if you shake a tree in Canada three pilots will fall out... there are a lot of trees in Canada.

[Scooby Don't]

topjetboy - there aren't any states in Canada. There are provinces...

JetA - the Alberta property market took a big dive last year, especially in the Edmonton area, as too many speculators tried to cash in all at once. It hasn't recovered yet, so now is actually a really good time to move to AB.

[woodcoc2000]

In any other industry i would say Canada has more opportunities. The one exception is pilots. Much more competition than here in europe..

[Carrier]

I hope the prospects do their do diligence. They should look first at NotCanada.com | The Truth About Immigration To Canada (http://www.notcanada.com) to see if they will be allowed to use their skills. Then they should go to The Fraser Institute (http://www.fraserinstitute.org) to find out just how little of their pay they will actually receive.

[Neo_RS14]

Wow that's sobering stuff on Notcanada.com....Why are they so eager to recruit abroad, and lure people over, if the place is riddled with such problems?

I guess it's the less populated Provinces that need skilled workers. Workers that are likely only to leave their western european countries if they have a house, job etc secured before they leave...T

The tale that's being told over n over on NotCanada.com is of people coming from developing countries, who get their visas, then just arrive in big densely populated areas such as Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver and look for top paying jobs then, and obviously have no luck.

I'm not denying there are shortages out there, there obviously are...but the situation is a little hazy...seems to be a rather large grey area here.

[goates]

If you have a pulse, you should be able to find work in Alberta. Maybe not flying, but virtually everywhere else has help wanted or job postings up. Most bars and restaurants are always looking. As mentioned we don't have any PST here, only the 5% GST. And thanks to the oil and gas royalties the province is also debt free and will likely have an extra $4 billion next year. The government is also looking at dropping the provincial health care fees too.

The flip side is that it has gotten somewhat expensive to live here and somethings aren't what they used to be. One example is good service at restaurants. As it's quite easy to find a better paying job in the oil industry, places like restaurants have somewhat less selection. Renting can be tricky as well as many property companies are converting apartment buildings into condos, cutting down the number of reasonably priced rental units out there (many of the new condos get put up for rent, but at much higher prices). Almost everywhere has road and other construction, making it a little hard to get around sometimes.

Overall it's a great place to live, but I may be a little biased. ;)

[Panama Jack]

I'm not sure what would entice a British pilot to move to Canada . . . maybe other personnel but aviation is a pretty sad-state industry in Canada, as evidenced by the exodus of local manpower overseas. Then again, most of Canadian immigration is from depressing third-world countries these days-- Bangladesh, India, China, Pakistan, Philippines, Latin America. Looking beyond touristy Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, London seems to fall into this category too.

NotCanada.com hits the nail on the end.

[capson]

Panama Jack...

Then again, most of Canadian immigration is from depressing third-world countries these days-- Bangladesh, India, China, Pakistan, Philippines, Latin America

Thats not very politically correct....:8 :E.....

[Panama Jack]

capson,

You forgot to also include London.

[rigpiggy]

Thanks to NAFTA, pilots are not considered "professionals". But, Hair Stylists are

[Neo_RS14]

Thanks for your insight goates. I've heard of several Brits who've emigrated to Alberta and BC, all of which enjoy their new lifestyles. My mother used to live in Ottawa and has fond memories of living in Canada, and would consider a move over there knowing she meets the emigration criteria. She's more interested in Vancouver, but I hear it's a pretty expensive place to live from Canadians who've lived there. I guess it just depends what kind of cost of living your used too.

[Canadapilot]

Indeed Neo, the cost of living in the UK is higher, although salaries are also a lot higher (for all trades, not just pilots). Calgary is getting very expensive to live in now, although i doubt it compares to what Londoners are used to!
As far as pilot training goes, i'm glad i did all my exams in Canada...the UK pilots may get paid more but look at the debacle they have to go through...the JAA wants well-trained pilots and wants to take all their money (eg. $1400 just for the IFR examiner), whereas Transport Canada just wants well-trained pilots!

[goates]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure we don't come close to London for living costs. Compared to other places in Canada it is getting expensive here. One way around this is to live in one of the smaller towns around Calgary, especially if you don't work downtown.

Definitely do some research into jobs and a place to live first before showing up in the country. Many seem to just think of Vancouver or Toronto when they think of Canada, and those places aren't where most of the demand is anymore. The company I work at has plenty of immigrants and we're hiring more all the time, but companies in Toronto are laying people off.

Job power tipping to the West (http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c9d3ccd8-05c5-4b54-bda2-c9953529fa3c)

As mentioned, however, there isn't as much demand for pilots.

[Neo_RS14]

Yep, the prices for pilot training here, exam fees etc, is extortionate. I'd like to train in the States or Canada ideally, not just to opt for the cheaper fees but for the beauty/variety of the landscapes, way of life etc...

Yes London is extremely expensive to live, but as you say, when salries are higher etc, things balance out a bit. I'm from the south west myself but my parents are from London originally. Although I'm actually living in the North East at the moment...a much cheaper part of the country.

Yeah there's no worries about me turning up without everything already sorted, I'd never leave that to chance, that's ridiculous IMHO.

It does seem to be more happening in the Central-west areas for sure.