Hi everyone. I finally read through the 8 pages. hope the seniors are still lurking around here.
Just a bit on myself. i am born and bred in Singapore in my mid 30s, married with 3 young kids.
I am planning to move to Canada, particularly, BC. Mainly because my wife has a family friend there, might be easier to settle down and seek help if necessary. next province of choice is Alberta, probably edmonton or calgary.
which stage am i in the migration process: initial stage. i have not received desired ielts results. just need a final push for writing to 7 (now at 6.5), then my crs score will be about 440+-.
i have a few concerns before making the move, provided i can clear my ielts and receive ITA:
1) Housing. for a start, i think we must rent, loan wont be approved if we don't have an income there, i also understand we need to build our credit rating before the bank will consider loaning us. we don't that much cash to full cash a house. our ultimate aim is of course to purchase. if we were to rent an apartment, be it in Richmont, Burnaby, New Westminster, what's the ballpark figure we are looking at for a family of 5 with 3 young kids? I read that even if 5 of us are willing to squeeze into a room, it would be frown upon. so i guess we need minimally a 2 room or the basement of a house?
2) Kids education. public education is free from 7 years old onwards, which is the sg equivalent to primary school. are Catholic schools considered private? if so, what's the cost we are looking at? what about schools before primary i.e nursery and kindergarten? what's the cost? are there any subsidies?
3) Jobs. i am not expecting getting a position/pay package i am getting in SG, i would be delighted if i could! not that i am a high earner here. What's the pay like if I start right from the bottom? are there any compulsory social security / retirement scheme (like cpf) deducted from employees salary? or the job salary posted are the net amount employees receive? like i see some admins jobs in indeed.ca paying 40k pa or customer service staff in restaurants paying $15/hour.
What's the sustainable salary you reckon to survive in BC? I know this depends on many factors, lifestyle etc. let's assume we can live simple. House brand of everything, simple mpv to ferry the family around (i saw a brand new dodge grand caravan with the entry level trims at 20k+, i can live with a 2nd hand car, i assume for much lesser).
Thanks everyone.
