Anybody moving to Canada from Singapore here???

Hi Boedi,

I've responded to your PM.

I like to go canada right now I'm Singapore

Uzzal,

I do not mean to be rude, but your question is counter productive. I can simply say buy an air ticket to any Canadian cities.

But I suppose you are referring to getting the right papers to come over. And for that I say - pls use the search engine to find for the process. As a bonus, I'll put the site here in this reply - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp Do read it.

There's also a guide link provided by Expat-Blog (find for GUIDE). "DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST" and then if in doubt, pose your question(s) to the forum. Otherwise, kindly refrain from submitting the kind of post you have been posting!

Uzzal,

I agree with Phillip....Irrespective where you are, if you want to live and work in Canada :

1st step - Get the PR (Permanent Resident) status
2nd step - Get the Canadian qualification in order to survive in Canadian job market

How do you get your 1st step?
1. Go to immigration specialist to help you...or
2. Apply yourself

went to the website www.cic.gc.ca and do your research....you can't expect somebody to spoon feed you with all informations..you gotta work it yourself..

you are from singapore?

take the advice from above

hello! you may check your eligibility here on this weblink

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/index.asp

there are various provincial nomination programs that you can apply to, the program changes from time to time

British Columbia
http://www.welcomebc.ca/Immigrate/About-the-BC-PNP.aspx

Alberta
http://www.albertacanada.com/opportunit … /ainp.aspx

Nova Scotia
http://novascotiaimmigration.com/immigrate/

Saskatchewan
http://www.saskimmigrationcanada.ca/sinp

Manitoba
http://www.immigratemanitoba.com

the rest
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/ … ly-who.asp

on the side note,

1. what are the cultural differences that u observe as compared to Singapore?
2. For those who landed in vancouver, how long is the landing procedures. I'm heading over in November and our transit time is only 2.5hrs

From Singapore ; NEED advise
Hi just moved to Vancouver on 28th July 2014. need some advise here, I had put in as one month stay in Vancouver on my immigration paper. However my pending to start with my application for PR need longer time here. Now is already one month (Aug end). So will it affect my stay even if i put one month on immigration paper? (check it up on line Canadian immigration and noticed allowed 6 months max). Can someone advise me do I need to inform them about my mistake and who should i call. I am new here in Van and need some help. Was intend to apply for PR. Appreciate if someone could advise me, thanks

Hi Serene, what is your status for the one month stay? Are u on tourist  visiting visa?

2. For those who landed in vancouver, how long is the landing procedures. I'm heading over in November and our transit time is only 2.5hrs


@Kaisin

From what I heard, you'll be ask to step aside to immigration satellite corner within the airport where the border guards will process your forms. All in all it shouldn't take more than 1/2 an hour or so.

As to your other question:
1. what are the cultural differences that u observe as compared to Singapore?


I can't say for Vancouver though as I am not based there. Although my rough guess is that it is metropolis in a way so won't differ much in feel. Besides, its Vancouver - there are many former Hong Kong folks there. And if all is dull, Seattle is an hours or so drive away.

But overall and in general, Canadian work culture is little bit more laid back. So which means if work ends at 4.00pm, it ends at 4... No such thing as sucking up by staying late. You get my drift. And any office quarrels or disagreement ends in the office after which one will pat each others back and have a round of beer at the nearest bar. Make an appointment to go to the bank for financial advice, to see your physician (unless you go to a walk-in which would take hours!), if you live in a new building then sort your rubbish (organics, recyclables and garbage), etc etc

@Serene, some additional information would help...

I'm a Singaporean living in Hong Kong for the past 11 years. Honestly I don't know how to go back to Singapore because it has changed so much and it does not suit my need for a work/life balance. We are ready to settle down somewhere and both my beau and I want to find a place where we can raise a family and work. He is a designer therefore working from home is easy enough while I am working for a music company with an office in BC so I do believe relocation is an option.

I just wanted to know what to expect in moving from two vibrant cities and if I don't drive, will it be quite limiting for me? I do plan to learn to drive but just wondering...

BC is a very large province. Where exactly do you intend to settle in BC? Perhaps that'll help to narrow things down. Here are some of the cities and major urban centres in  Vancouver, Victoria, Abbotsford, Kelowna, Kamloops, or Nanaimo.

Note, Vancouver is the largest economically vibrant city of BC and has an good light rail transit system which was further improved during the recent winter olympics in 2010. It is still in expansion and will only continue to get better. The closes to Vancouver to have a urban rail transit system is Victoria in 2020 (coming soon).

Please be mindful that the 'Canadian Experience' takes precedence. Unless you have specific skill sets(lucky you Philip!), do lower your job expectations. Unfortunately, lot of new PRs(most notably from SG & MY) have the impression that with their home-grown qualifications they will land an equivalent job once they land. This is simply not true. Patience is a virtue. Get a entry-level job and work your way up. Networking is important too. If you are a professional such as doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, etc., you need to be 're-certified'. There's simply no short-cuts. If one is determined to see it through, you will be rewarded!

Being an Asian Chinese, I perfectly understand the 'loss of face' some of you may experience but PLEASE leave that mentality back in your home country(and it stays there!) I was a senior manager back in SG but I lowered my expectations(having done my homewor) before the move some 7 years ago...been there done that.

Be positive, press on!

Hi @skuadron17,

Good points especially on the 'loss of face'. I keep telling others I know back home when they ask me about making this journey to places like Canada/ Australia etc that the ang mohs here couldn't care less about status - what's more important is what value one brings. That's why its so common to see them taking their own sweet time to find out what they want in life. I see many of them changing degree courses or taking their 3rd masters degree or phd or 2nd phd etc because they haven't figured out what they want to do. Not that I condone this but what I am saying it is totally cool to start over when you're late 20s - late 30s. Although, I would say you need to be very very determine and focus.

philipyeo wrote:

Hi @skuadron17,

Good points especially on the 'loss of face'. I keep telling others I know back home when they ask me about making this journey to places like Canada/ Australia etc that the ang mohs here couldn't care less about status - what's more important is what value one brings. That's why its so common to see them taking their own sweet time to find out what they want in life. I see many of them changing degree courses or taking their 3rd masters degree or phd or 2nd phd etc because they haven't figured out what they want to do. Not that I condone this but what I am saying it is totally cool to start over when you're late 20s - late 30s. Although, I would say you need to be very very determine and focus.

One could simply dress casually and nobody(Orang Puteh) gives a hoot about it. The pace here is very slow, their approach to way of life is very casual too. No fuss, no stress unlike the rat race going on back home eh?

skuadron17 wrote:

The pace here is very slow, their approach to way of life is very casual too. No fuss, no stress unlike the rat race going on back home eh?

For the most part, that is true. I see you've adopted the Canadian 'eh' in exchange with our common 'lar'. Bagus! Its not that hard  to be a Canadian after all...

Hello good folks of the forum, My name is Andy and I'm a photographer in my early 30s. I've a been very keen to move outta Singapore despite born and bred here for 3 decades. I've finally set my goal to Canada BC. And I've been to Canada twice by now. But I've so much questions which I don't seems to know where to begin the search. So may I seek the good folks here to advise me please? I would like to know does qualification play an important factor? Saving, family background etc?

I dropped my BA when I was much younger to satisfy my anxiety to join the working society. But I do have a slight regret though. My spouse is having a BA in Arts and Social Science. She used to be an intern family counsellor. Currently we run a student care in a neighborhood area as partners. She's the overall management of the operation of course.

I can see that there are various programs applicable for the migration but I really can't seems to find the right one for myself as a self employed photographer. What would you guys advise on this? And also we are trying for a kid and will that add on to more complications for the application?

Lastly when will be a good time to apply and usually how long does the whole process takes? 6 months? 1 year? Or more? Thank you for the kind good folks here. I really appreciate and look forward for some great advises! Cheers.

Applewerk wrote:

Hello good folks of the forum, My name is Andy and I'm a photographer in my early 30s. I've a been very keen to move outta Singapore despite born and bred here for 3 decades. I've finally set my goal to Canada BC. And I've been to Canada twice by now. But I've so much questions which I don't seems to know where to begin the search. So may I seek the good folks here to advise me please? I would like to know does qualification play an important factor? Saving, family background etc?

I dropped my BA when I was much younger to satisfy my anxiety to join the working society. But I do have a slight regret though. My spouse is having a BA in Arts and Social Science. She used to be an intern family counsellor. Currently we run a student care in a neighborhood area as partners. She's the overall management of the operation of course.

I can see that there are various programs applicable for the migration but I really can't seems to find the right one for myself as a self employed photographer. What would you guys advise on this? And also we are trying for a kid and will that add on to more complications for the application?

Lastly when will be a good time to apply and usually how long does the whole process takes? 6 months? 1 year? Or more? Thank you for the kind good folks here. I really appreciate and look forward for some great advises! Cheers.

G'day Andy,

Welcome onboard! First, to answer your question on qualification...academic credentials are important for sure. Financial stability certainly(but you don't need to be super rich!). Are you a freelance photographer? It would be great you doing employed full-time working for others or self-employed(i.e. own company). So your wife is running the student care full-time and you're just helping out? You both need to establish employment histories as CIC will review them as part of the application.

You can either apply on your own or through migration agency in SG. In the meantime, check out the new EE system introduced in Jan 2015. You should apply under this category.
Skilled immigrants (Express Entry)
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/ … /index.asp

The process has certainly fast-tracked these days. Mine took 4years back in the early-mid 2000s! If you guys are planning to start a family, you really need to sit down and have a serious discussion with your family(we can discuss this via PM if you like).

Cheers mate!

skuadron17 wrote:

Applewerk wrote:

Hello good folks of the forum, My name is Andy and I'm a photographer in my early 30s. I've a been very keen to move outta Singapore despite born and bred here for 3 decades. I've finally set my goal to Canada BC. And I've been to Canada twice by now. But I've so much questions which I don't seems to know where to begin the search. So may I seek the good folks here to advise me please? I would like to know does qualification play an important factor? Saving, family background etc?

I dropped my BA when I was much younger to satisfy my anxiety to join the working society. But I do have a slight regret though. My spouse is having a BA in Arts and Social Science. She used to be an intern family counsellor. Currently we run a student care in a neighborhood area as partners. She's the overall management of the operation of course.

I can see that there are various programs applicable for the migration but I really can't seems to find the right one for myself as a self employed photographer. What would you guys advise on this? And also we are trying for a kid and will that add on to more complications for the application?

Lastly when will be a good time to apply and usually how long does the whole process takes? 6 months? 1 year? Or more? Thank you for the kind good folks here. I really appreciate and look forward for some great advises! Cheers.

G'day Andy,

Welcome onboard! First, to answer your question on qualification...academic credentials are important for sure. Financial stability certainly(but you don't need to be super rich!). Are you a freelance photographer? It would be great you doing employed full-time working for others or self-employed(i.e. own company). So your wife is running the student care full-time and you're just helping out? You both need to establish employment histories as CIC will review them as part of the application.

You can either apply on your own or through migration agency in SG. In the meantime, check out the new EE system introduced in Jan 2015. You should apply under this category.
Skilled immigrants (Express Entry)
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/ … /index.asp

The process has certainly fast-tracked these days. Mine took 4years back in the early-mid 2000s! If you guys are planning to start a family, you really need to sit down and have a serious discussion with your family(we can discuss this via PM if you like).

Cheers mate!

Hi there, thank you for such a warm welcome in the forum. Yes Indeed i'm a freelance photographer, I mainly cover wedding, corporate events, product (*occasionally) etc. The student care is a partnership of 4, My buddy and spouse, my spouse and myself. But operation is handled by my spouse every weekday. We have this running for 4 years now and the response is pretty demanding. We did have thought of open such facilities in BC as well but to sure if they have such demand. I used to help out there and taught elementary science with prudent results I must say. (I don't meant to be boastful just sharing honestly) Previously was quite taxing because i need to handle teaching and photography at the same time by shifting my lessons' schedule but later part was okay. Now i'm full time with my cameras and doing fine not fantastic (due to the small market with overwhelming of "photographers" here). I rely mainly on partnership from big corporate companies such as education institutes, banks and insurance companies etc. and of course referrals from previous jobs.

Anyway that's just some description of my current work. And I realized that we need to have to provide Funds Required
(in Canadian dollars)
1 member of family    $11,931 and 2 family members $14,853. Does that include myself to make 2 family members? And I guess I just need to know more about the crucial stuff where funding is one of them of course. I actually intend to sell away my apartment and I should be able to get CAD 180K and my car I should be able to get approx. CAD 45K and some saving of about CAD 50K. So will these funding be sufficient for me to buy a simple house? And a equivalent car there? (*I'm driving a BMW 3 series) Just wanna know how much I need to downgrade if required etc.

And coming to the business part. Do we need local to guarantee the loan from the bank? I know different banks will have various protocol but wanna ask the general question upon this. Like wise if we are buying house, do we need some kinda guarantor as well? I have read up somewhere that load can go up to 30 years? Correct me if i'm wrong. Thanks man. I hope not too much of a hassle to furnish me these details? I felt so great getting all these details here as if you are over the phone. (rather than static informations which I can't question if in doubt)

Anyway that's just some description of my current work. And I realized that we need to have to provide Funds Required
(in Canadian dollars)
1 member of family    $11,931 and 2 family members $14,853. Does that include myself to make 2 family members?

Yes that includes you too.

And I guess I just need to know more about the crucial stuff where funding is one of them of course. I actually intend to sell away my apartment and I should be able to get CAD 180K and my car I should be able to get approx. CAD 45K and some saving of about CAD 50K. So will these funding be sufficient for me to buy a simple house?

You mentioned you want to move to Vancouver? Well I guess its not much different from Singapore because Vancouver has one of the most expensive home cost in whole of Canada. Partly because it was spoilt by the influx of HK folks in the early 2000 and folks from PRC. Now don't forget you pay 20% here if want to avoid paying insurance on your mortgage loan. If any less than that, you actually pay more when considering the insurance. So your total of 180 + 45 + 50 = 275 would essentially allow you to purchase a home costing 1.375 Million -  which is around the price point for homes in Vancouver, BC. If you don't want to spend all that money on the house and want something cheaper, you'll have to look at Vancouver suburbs that are further away such as Surrey - which would mean longer commute time for you if you had to go to downtown for work or stuff. Anyhow, if weather is not the issue, you should consider other metropolitans as well such as Calgary (good time to buy house now as oil price dropped), Ottawa, GTA (suburbs like Hamilton, Bradford, etc), or Montreal. Or if you are crazy like me, in a god-forsaken place like Halifax (however with your background, I would discourage you to come here)

And a equivalent car there? (*I'm driving a BMW 3 series) Just wanna know how much I need to downgrade if required etc.

Cars are way cheaper here than in SG or MY. So not a problem there. I'll go with a 2nd hand (3 yrs) because I think I can still get a good one. But that's me. If you are going to places other than Vancouver where there's lots of snow, be careful with what you buy as roads tend to get salty during winter (salt is use for melting snow / ice) so the under carriages may be rusted. Check first before buying.  You can get a decent 2nd hand car for $5K (like my first wagon). My second car is new and I got it for CAD 21K - I got a Kia Forte 2014 hatchback - lowest trim but with lots of features. Anyhow, with 14K you can get a decent 2nd hand VW (Passat) which are pretty good too - I think that should be equivalent to your BMW (Canadians love their VW).

As pointed out by Philip, real estate 'value' in Vancouver had gone bonkers. The PRC Mainlanders, most of them with tons of cash in hand, are also one of the contributor factors. Was in Vancouver for awhile before I decided to move over to Edmonton. Job prospects over there are not so rosy too. Both Edmonton and Calgary are better options though I am not so familiar with the Maritimes. Check with Philip, he's the expert there

I am not exactly an expert on jobs in general. I know jobs in my field (information technology, computer software development and software consulting) and I've been monitoring it in Vancouver. There's interesting things happening there such as big companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Telus have set up some operations there. For both MS and Amazon it makes sense since their HQ is just across the border into Washington state - Seattle. Telus is also doing the same in downtown Vancouver http://www.biv.com/article/2015/1/telus … wn-garden/
So ya, except for cost of homeownership, I don't mind heading there if the opportunity arise. But its hard to do so if you think of paying rent for others when you could own your own home! Also ever since the winter olympics, the public transit system has improve tremendously over there.

Minus the cold during winter months, Calgary is an awesome place to be in. They are slowly improving their transit system ever since Mayor Naheed Nenshi came onboard. It has quite a night life and also is pretty close to Banff National Park. And its growing!!!... House price a somewhat more reasonable. Becareful where you buy them. Some places are flood prone. They had a major flood not too long ago.  Even affected the downtown core in some places . I am sure skuadron17 may have heard of it. Basically its expanding too fast for the city to catch up. But I'm sure its only a matter of time. So, always do an inspection first before buying a house. Pay that $500 or whatever value it is to do a good inspection. Get a good buyer agent! Cause you can't do everything on your own and you may miss something! Edmonton is also growing, but btw the 2, I'd personally prefer Calgary. With your kind of job and business, you need some place that there's growth, both in terms of economy and also people - especially young family oriented folks. And these place meets the bill.

Down towards the East, go to GTA - which is your time and trusted Canadian place Toronto and its surrounding suburbs. But if you want a place that's more relax yet a good size and is growing too - Ottawa is better. Plus its close by to Toronto and Montreal. Montreal is nice. I like Montreal, but language is a bit of a problem if you want to stay there longer. Maritimes is a no go because its where young people leave. There's a growing number startup software companies turning up there. Even big companies too set up shop there like IBM, NTT Data, CGI which has each of them have couple of global centers here. That's because the province provided them with hug tax breaks. So there's some young families like mine too based here because of this opportunity. But most of these people are kinda like me - will stay for max of 5 years and then later  move out. Basically its a stepping stone to get into Canada because its easier to get your PR through nominee program for a place like this (where not many other people want to go to).

If you are interested to find out what your prospects are and want to engage in a immigration consultant, just private msg me and I shall provide you the details. There's a buddy of mine who's a former Malaysian that's doing this and he's pretty good at it. He's based in Mississauga but do travel back sometimes and you can do calls with him via Skype if need be.

Hi
I am from Singapore you can move to Singapore and have to set up a business of your own . There is a demand for French teachers in Singapore. You can take private tuition for students learning French too

Best regards
Sanj

Sanjay66 wrote:

Hi
I am from Singapore you can move to Singapore and have to set up a business of your own . There is a demand for French teachers in Singapore. You can take private tuition for students learning French too

Best regards
Sanj

Hi Sanjay,

Your post is intended for whom?

Anyways, Alliance Française de Singapour are very well established in SG. That's where I took my French classes back then. I would suggest going through official accreditation. One would require undergoing at least DELF A1,A2,B1,B2, DALF, C1 & C2 to be considered proficient.

As for private tutors, unless you want to learn just for fun, then by all means. French is one language you need to constantly practice(literally speaking it, not reading) to be fluent.

Cheers!

Thank you for the overwhelming responses. Thanks Philip and skuadron for your advises. I'll look into that. I'll get touch with you folks again. Recently a little busy with work. Will be back asap

Anyhow, if weather is not the issue, you should consider other metropolitans as well such as Calgary (good time to buy house now as oil price dropped), Ottawa, GTA (suburbs like Hamilton, Bradford, etc), or Montreal. Or if you are crazy like me, in a god-forsaken place like Halifax (however with your background, I would discourage you to come here

Hi Philip, may I know what do you mean exactly for my background, it is not encourage to Halifax? Sorry I don't get you? Please PM me thanks.

@Applewerk

check your private msg box.

Stats canada just conducted a survey and Vancouver scored lowest of life satisfaction,
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c … -1.3040517http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/bri … e24039777/http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-626-x/1 … 46-eng.htm

along with other major cities like Toronto

Hi all, I am a Singaporean studying in Newfoundland. Made the decision to come here to study as I wanted to stay in Canada afterwards. I am currently doing a bachelor's degree in Statistics in Newfoundland. PReviously i have done a diploma in biomedical science in Ngee Ann poly. As I am about to graduate, I am worrying about job prospects in Canada. I would like to know if anyone here has any idea how to go about finding intern placement for statistics or anything relevant? i truly understand the importance of a work experience to land a job here. any help would be appreciated!
thanks!

There's a Facebook group called 'Singaporeans in Canada' which you can join and pose your questions too. I also know of a Malaysian who's in actuaries and works with a health insurance company based in Fredericton. Perhaps she can help you out.

Hello everyone!

I was referred to this forum from HWZ after I'd posted about studying in Canada. To be honest, I did not read the full 5 page of threads, only the latest page, so please forgive me if what I share/ask seemed repetitive!

My twin sister and I are looking to work and study in Canada. She would like to continue her practice as a nurse, while I do my degree in International Development Studies. We will then do the swap later to ease the financial constraint. I am currently choosing and sizing down my universities options based on locations and my chances of getting in. My sister would not be able to work at provinces that requires bilingualism in English and French, so that had to be part of my consideration in university choices.

We had approached AIMS for migration consultation and they mentioned that my sister could migrate to Canada (the only country) with her diploma in nursing. We are meeting up with them to see where this leads to! I've read on the forum here that applying on own or through agent takes about the same processing time; 1.may I know what is the estimated processing time now? The thread I read was dated in 2010 - 2012, so I'm wondering if it's the same?

2. Two of my university choices are located in Halifax; so what's Halifax like really? I noted that philipyeo's location is tagged at Halifax, would be great to hear your input!

Truth be told, I've never been to Canada. But if the plan is pulling through, we'll make the recce trip to Canada in May 2016. We are both excited, but also scared at the same time. We have though through this decision countless time and decided to live by Mark Twain's quote "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do."

We would love to hear first hand from people who have been there and done that. If you would, please share with us how you'd felt when you:
-first made the decision to move
-breaking the news to family
-first landed in Canada

Alright, that's all for now. I'm sure I've got more questions, taking it slow.

Hi Grace,

I'd be happy to share my thoughts. I'll p.m. separately and we can take it from there.

Do be patient for my response as I compose my thoughts before typing my answers

Philip

Hi,

If you wish to consider Calgary or Edmonton just give me a shout.

Cheers!

Hi skuadron17,

Yes, I would consider them too! Would love to hear your input!

Hi,

Has anyone tried using any international movers from Singapore to Canada to relocate personal stuff and house items?

Any recommendation is very much appreciated, as we hear a lot of horror stories for international movers.

We are planning to ship our stuff next year to Toronto.

thanks,
john

We actually consider doing that previously but was given pretty high quotes. Anyway if u are thinking of shipping wooden furniture, it might warp, given the temperature change. We sold most of our stuffs through carousell and got back around $4500. Would suggest that you start selling early. I sold a guy my Tshirt and jeans for $500, and a Christmas tree in August haha

Most of the things you have in Singapore , you can get it here for cheaper. We use singpost for 3 30kg parcels at $209 each.

Thanks Kaisin,
Most of our stuff will be clothings for the whole family, bed sheets, sweaters, jackets, books, ladies bags, kitchen wares. all these can go up to 6 to 8 boxes i think.