We promise not to call it America's Hat
December 3, 2015 6:12 AM Subscribe
My wife and I, both Americans, are considering the possibility of moving to Canada; her as a full time student and me as an accompanying spouse who would need to look for work. Looking for resources, experiences, etc on how easy or hard it would be, specifically for me to find a job.
My wife would be doing a 2-year professional Masters program. My understanding is that if she gets a full-time student visa, I would be eligible for an "open" work permit if I came too.
Assume that my wife will have the necessary funds and/or loans to pay her tuition etc, but I would need a job within (3? 6? months) to pay our living costs. Assume that we would likely be in one of the bigger cities.
I have a Masters degree but not in a very useful field to do anything besides low-pay adjuncting. I do have ~4 years experience in higher ed administration / data management, but not anything super fancy. Looking over the skilled worker guidelines, it looks like I could qualify somewhere in the 0/A/B group.
QUESTIONS:
Where can I start wading through whether this is financially feasible? Would it be significantly harder for me to find a job than if I moved to a new American city? Will we even be allowed into Canada without the full 2 years of living expenses?
With an open work permit, do I have the same "access" as Canadians to the jobs, or would an employer still have a harder time hiring me or have to prove that they couldn't hire a citizen instead?
-How likely or difficult would it be for us to stay after my wife finished school if we wanted to? Would she be able to pursue getting a job after graduating? (In other words, should we view this as a strictly 2-year experiment if we did it?)
-will it be useful for the purposes of me getting approved as a spousal worker, to learn some French? Assume I have access to taking university courses, so I could probably get to basic conversational status with work, but I certainly wouldn't be fluent.
What other resources/books/etc can I start reading besides (obviously) Canada's immigration webpages? So far they are helpful in terms of HOW to apply, but I am looking more for how likely it is that I could actually find work.
My wife would be doing a 2-year professional Masters program. My understanding is that if she gets a full-time student visa, I would be eligible for an "open" work permit if I came too.
Assume that my wife will have the necessary funds and/or loans to pay her tuition etc, but I would need a job within (3? 6? months) to pay our living costs. Assume that we would likely be in one of the bigger cities.
I have a Masters degree but not in a very useful field to do anything besides low-pay adjuncting. I do have ~4 years experience in higher ed administration / data management, but not anything super fancy. Looking over the skilled worker guidelines, it looks like I could qualify somewhere in the 0/A/B group.
QUESTIONS:
Where can I start wading through whether this is financially feasible? Would it be significantly harder for me to find a job than if I moved to a new American city? Will we even be allowed into Canada without the full 2 years of living expenses?
With an open work permit, do I have the same "access" as Canadians to the jobs, or would an employer still have a harder time hiring me or have to prove that they couldn't hire a citizen instead?
-How likely or difficult would it be for us to stay after my wife finished school if we wanted to? Would she be able to pursue getting a job after graduating? (In other words, should we view this as a strictly 2-year experiment if we did it?)
-will it be useful for the purposes of me getting approved as a spousal worker, to learn some French? Assume I have access to taking university courses, so I could probably get to basic conversational status with work, but I certainly wouldn't be fluent.
What other resources/books/etc can I start reading besides (obviously) Canada's immigration webpages? So far they are helpful in terms of HOW to apply, but I am looking more for how likely it is that I could actually find work.
Where in Canada are you thinking of moving? Some of the answers may vary depending upon location.
posted by veggieboy at 7:29 AM on December 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by veggieboy at 7:29 AM on December 3, 2015 [5 favorites]
French is only necessary if you're in Quebec but outside Montreal.
If you're not in Quebec and not working for the government, you don't need French at all. Sadly.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:37 AM on December 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you're not in Quebec and not working for the government, you don't need French at all. Sadly.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:37 AM on December 3, 2015 [2 favorites]
A lot of towns and cities have a "new Canadians centre" or something similar. You could try calling one of those in the area you are moving as they would have a good perspective of the reality for people moving to that community.
If you're thinking about central Ontario drop me a line. It's not my area of law but I could probably put you in touch with some folks.
re: french - really depends where you are. But I'll second St. Peepsburg.
posted by LegallyBread at 7:40 AM on December 3, 2015
If you're thinking about central Ontario drop me a line. It's not my area of law but I could probably put you in touch with some folks.
re: french - really depends where you are. But I'll second St. Peepsburg.
posted by LegallyBread at 7:40 AM on December 3, 2015
Response by poster: Locations: most likely Vancouver or Toronto, could also be Halifax, Montreal, Edmonton... basically the list of biggest cities.
posted by nakedmolerats at 7:41 AM on December 3, 2015
posted by nakedmolerats at 7:41 AM on December 3, 2015
Any specifics on what kind of work you will be looking for? Right now, the city and your industry is really going to change the answers.
posted by Nightman at 7:53 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Nightman at 7:53 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
CIC keeps changing the rules but with our change in Government it is likely your wife would be able to stay after her course and find a job and eventually apply for PR. With a work permit there is no difference to the employer in hiring you vs a citizen, some employers like government agencies can only hire citizens but that is not very common.
You don't need the French (it is nice to have, but won't affect your visa). It would only affect your employment if you can pass all the necessary tests proving fluency.
Canada is much more expensive to live in (in terms of apartments and food) than the US, but at the same time it is a lot cheaper to be poor here (thanks to supports and free healthcare). So, when you say 6 months of living expenses, for Toronto or Vancouver I would expect about $10,000 as a minimum if you don't have the bank of Mom and Dad to fall back on (you may have trouble being accepted for cheaper apartments because as internationals you are a bigger risk for the Landlord and thus less desirable, and rent under $1000/month in Toronto and Vancouver is almost impossible to find). You should be able to get an idea of the budget for living by looking at local rent ads - kijijiji in Toronto vs Craigslist (and rule out the bottom 30% of price ones and the "utilities" cost can sometimes be as high as the rent in winter in some apartments), looking at the local grocery shop prices, transportation costs, and internet/ mobile phone prices (ouch).
You should contact the Universities to see if they offer graduate housing or other supports. Have you considered going to school here yourself? It is generally a way to network into jobs, especially in the humanities. Good luck!
posted by saucysault at 8:01 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
You don't need the French (it is nice to have, but won't affect your visa). It would only affect your employment if you can pass all the necessary tests proving fluency.
Canada is much more expensive to live in (in terms of apartments and food) than the US, but at the same time it is a lot cheaper to be poor here (thanks to supports and free healthcare). So, when you say 6 months of living expenses, for Toronto or Vancouver I would expect about $10,000 as a minimum if you don't have the bank of Mom and Dad to fall back on (you may have trouble being accepted for cheaper apartments because as internationals you are a bigger risk for the Landlord and thus less desirable, and rent under $1000/month in Toronto and Vancouver is almost impossible to find). You should be able to get an idea of the budget for living by looking at local rent ads - kijijiji in Toronto vs Craigslist (and rule out the bottom 30% of price ones and the "utilities" cost can sometimes be as high as the rent in winter in some apartments), looking at the local grocery shop prices, transportation costs, and internet/ mobile phone prices (ouch).
You should contact the Universities to see if they offer graduate housing or other supports. Have you considered going to school here yourself? It is generally a way to network into jobs, especially in the humanities. Good luck!
posted by saucysault at 8:01 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: The work I'd be looking for would probably be similar - administrative or information-management. I work for a university right now, in lower-level administration (that is, I'm not a manager/executive etc. but I have a bit more experience than general office assistant... if that makes sense)
posted by nakedmolerats at 8:47 AM on December 3, 2015
posted by nakedmolerats at 8:47 AM on December 3, 2015
Census Canada will be hiring in 2016; you might also want to look at Library jobs - the pay is much better than the US (usually $25-30/hour) and although many are PT positions they also usually hire overqualified individuals; and you should look at the non-profit sector.
posted by saucysault at 9:02 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by saucysault at 9:02 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]
I can't speak for the immigration question, but having worked for a university as a coordinator in my past, I can address questions you may have about that.
To find out about positions available at universities (including admin/support), look at every college and university in that city. I can't speak to the others, but in Toronto you can go directly to University of Toronto, York, Ryerson, Seneca, Humber college, OCAD, and George Brown. They rarely advertise on job boards. Check frequently and apply for any that you might qualify for and be mindful of keywords used in each posting.
posted by A hidden well at 9:56 AM on December 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
To find out about positions available at universities (including admin/support), look at every college and university in that city. I can't speak to the others, but in Toronto you can go directly to University of Toronto, York, Ryerson, Seneca, Humber college, OCAD, and George Brown. They rarely advertise on job boards. Check frequently and apply for any that you might qualify for and be mindful of keywords used in each posting.
posted by A hidden well at 9:56 AM on December 3, 2015 [3 favorites]
n=1, I didn't have luck finding jobs in HE or at non-profits in the GTA with good but international experience. US experience might go further. Jobs in the np sector here are competitive. Lots of people who do get those wind up juggling two part-time jobs.
If you have solid database / data management experience, that will go much further, in the private sector. Suggest honing a data management oriented resume and LinkedIn profile and loading it up with the right keywords, also registering with as many agencies as possible, specifically looking for those jobs. Be clear about your target jobs, Jack of all trades stuff will get you nowhere. Memail coming in a bit.
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:31 PM on December 3, 2015
If you have solid database / data management experience, that will go much further, in the private sector. Suggest honing a data management oriented resume and LinkedIn profile and loading it up with the right keywords, also registering with as many agencies as possible, specifically looking for those jobs. Be clear about your target jobs, Jack of all trades stuff will get you nowhere. Memail coming in a bit.
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:31 PM on December 3, 2015
I'm in Toronto. I was born here so I can't speak to the current intricacies of getting in.
In terms of jobs, I would not take a French course but I would take a course in advanced Excel/Access/etc if available.
posted by sadmadglad at 5:52 AM on December 7, 2015
In terms of jobs, I would not take a French course but I would take a course in advanced Excel/Access/etc if available.
posted by sadmadglad at 5:52 AM on December 7, 2015
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French isn't particularly necessary
posted by Ftsqg at 6:30 AM on December 3, 2015 [1 favorite]