[ShankarG]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Having lived/worked in UK and then returned to India, I would say yes....
Process to procure visa I have found to be quite OK - it is nowhere near as Kafkaesque as the US immigration system.

Originally Posted by v1p3r

If you're leaving India for the first time, the UK is by far the easiest country to move to. It ...

Hi, I have an opportunity coming up in UK for a role within my organization. Need to understand the actual norms with regard to taking parents there.

Can you / some one share their experience of taking parents to UK on a Tourist visa? I understand one is allowed to stay up to 6 months at a stretch on a tourist visa in UK, return to India, reapply and travel again for the 2nd time.
Is this workable and does it actually happen? Can the tourist visa be issued without any cooling period ? Also, is there any other visa category for dependent parents for UK ?

Thanks

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by ShankarG

I understand one is allowed to stay up to 6 months at a stretch on a tourist visa in UK, return to India, reapply and travel again for the 2nd time.

No. There are a specific number of days per year for tourist/business visa. In US it was 180 days, in Italy it was 90 days. There will be cooling period, due to the fact they are non-immigrant visas.

[ScarySkulls]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

Hi I used to work in manufacturing engineering services sector for about 14 years and for last few months I've moved to an OEM.

I was wondering does it make any sense to migrate to Canada [Given the current covid and related situation] ?

I have relatively good working experience at England(2.5 yrs), Ireland (3 months) and Singapore (3 months) as onsite assignments.

I am satisfied with my current salary, but not with the work culture. Also I enjoyed my work-life at UK and Ireland while I was there.


I am married and have 2 kids, wife is well educated too, but currently unemployed to look after kids for some years.

Any advise from experts ?

I have been here 12 years now.

1) It's an amazing country and work-life balance should match your experience in Ireland.

2) Without knowing too much about your current role, OEM related jobs are hard to come by as we do not too much of our own manufacturing. You likely will not get same role and salary in the initial few years. It will be a slog, unless you get lucky. Eventually, once you become a Canadian citizen, I suppose you can try USA also for work.

3) Kids - great place to raise kids and the sooner you get them here, the better. Lots of opportunities for them and very little quota system.

For my family, it was the best decision we ever took. We came here when the competition was low, opportunities were plentiful and it was smooth sailing no matter what we wanted to do. It's a growing country, so opportunities are still there if you are flexible (especially small business opportunities).

At the same time, I do recognize that it is not for all. I have met people with work experience from ISRO and people who have worked in India's nuclear submarine program etc. and they struggle day in and out here.

Happy to take follow up questions.

[ninjatalli]

Folks,
Not sure if this is the right thread but posting here nevertheless.

How does one evaluate which are the good colleges for a particular area of focus (for masters programs)? After nearly ~15 years experience, the bug is extremely on me to continue my learning journey (been itching for a few years). Asking here assuming some of the folks out here would have gone through the education route in the past.

Edit: I'm interested in programs like these Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability (ECGS) - link

[Asish_VK]

Originally Posted by ScarySkulls

I have been here 12 years now.



Happy to take follow up questions.

Thank you for taking time and replying.

Good to know your decision to migrate was a success.
I was more worried about the availability of jobs due to the pandemic situation.
Leaving a secured job which I have already and going abroad in current situation and the fear associated with searching and finding a new job pulls me back.

Anyways, I will be keep exploring the possibilities further.

[ScarySkulls]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

Thank you for taking time and replying.

Good to know your decision to migrate was a success.
I was more worried about the availability of jobs due to the pandemic situation.
Leaving a secured job which I have already and going abroad in current situation and the fear associated with searching and finding a new job pulls me back.

Anyways, I will be keep exploring the possibilities further.

I understand, a bit of chicken and egg problem. Do you have remote work option in current job?

Also, do you currently have a PR in hand, but have not moved? If yes, just do your "soft landing" and then come back again at a later date once the COVID situation has improved and companies go back on the hiring cycle.

If you don't have a PR in hand, apply immediately. You'll have a good year or so of runway ahead of you. With vaccinations on the rise, the situation should be much better in 2022.


Replying to some PM's here since the answers may be beneficial to many -

Hi ScarySkulls,

Your message fell into my eyes as a Godsend regarding Canada immigration. I have been toying around the thought for a while. I'm in my early 30s, married and got a kid of 5 years old, and I am seriously considering immigrating to a foreign land for various reasons and Canada has always been on the top of my list.

The question is where do I start? Should I start off by applying for immigration and then do a job search? The ideal way I see it is, to apply for a job matching my skills (I'm from Data Analytics and I hope that has good opportunities), and once I get through, move in with a work visa along with family.

How do I start off? I would love some word of advise.

Cheers,

1) Early 30's is a great time to come as I typically see people in this age category adapt much quickly to the unique challenges here.

2) Applying for immigration and moving here first will likely get you more success for the job finding process. It will also give you much needed time to stick to whatever you are doing while the COVID situation passes.

3) Work visa option is also there, but I doubt the success rate with it now unless your skills are super niche and in-demand here - something that is becoming harder and harder to come by as Canada has been handing out immigration by the truckloads for the last few years.

Hi there,
I have just turned 40 and the idea of emigrating to Canada hit me last year. Should have thought about it earlier but sooner rather than later! With crs scores skyrocketing I took to learning french from last year after having exhausted all avenues of boosting my score. FSW draws have been paused for a while but am willing to do whatever it takes to get there.
Wanted to check with you how is the economy looking like with all the covid related restrictions? Are minimum wage jobs harder than come by than earlier? I am a management professional with many years in mncs but have made peace with the fact that I will have to work my way up once I get there.
Any pointers on the general situation will be really helpful!
Thanks in advance

1) You have the right mindset for the move to here as initial years will definitely be a slog as I mentioned earlier.

2) Minimum wage jobs shouldn't be any harder. A lot of these are front line jobs and businesses are mostly open and need front line people.

3) Learning French is amazing and will 100% benefit you once you are here. I wish I had done it way back when I more time on my hands. Would have opened doors to federal government jobs that much more + also given me a chance to live in a vibrant city like Montreal (majorly french). Anyway, the night is still young and I may do it....

[Asish_VK]

Originally Posted by ScarySkulls

I understand, a bit of chicken and egg problem. Do you have remote work option in current job?

Also, do you currently have a PR in hand, but have not moved? If yes, just do your "soft landing" and then come back again at a later date once the COVID situation has improved and companies go back on the hiring cycle.

If you don't have a PR in hand, apply immediately. You'll have a good year or so of runway ahead of you. With vaccinations on the rise, the situation should be much better in 2022.

Hi there,

Thanks for the answer.
Answer to your questions are:
No I don't have a PR. My current job don't have Work from home option too.

I have been asked to share my resume for a job in Canada, which needs French too. If I somehow manage to get an offer from this firm, will it be helpful in getting Visa ?

And how much of an advantage is to go with any agencies like YAXIS etc. for Visa ?

[ScarySkulls]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

Hi there,

Thanks for the answer.
Answer to your questions are:
No I don't have a PR. My current job don't have Work from home option too.

I have been asked to share my resume for a job in Canada, which needs French too. If I somehow manage to get an offer from this firm, will it be helpful in getting Visa ?

And how much of an advantage is to go with any agencies like YAXIS etc. for Visa ?

I'm not familiar with YAXIS. I've never personally used any consultant untill now whereby a local immigration expert (also originally from India) will help me with my mother in law's visitor visa. The only advantage is not having to bother re learning all immigration stuff just for a visitor visa. For a PR application, I believe some ownership of the process will be needed whether you employ a consultant or not for time saving or double checking your work.
Canadavisa.com forums should become your home for thr next few months

Yes, a job offer from a Canadian company will be very helpful.

[ShankarG]

Originally Posted by narayans80

No. There are a specific number of days per year for tourist/business visa. In US it was 180 days, in Italy it was 90 days. There will be cooling period, due to the fact they are non-immigrant visas.

Check this link https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa -
it mentions 6 months of standard visitor visa for UK as well.

Has anyone travelled on a visitor visa for 6 months and returned ? What's the cooling period as unable to get this information.

[1985Darkkid85]

Is there somone who has migrated to Canada recently from this forum?

What CRS scores are now being invited towards ITA & obtain P.R?

Is the grass really green on the other side (figuratively) or it's just another media driven hyperbole?

[ScarySkulls]

Originally Posted by 1985Darkkid85

Is there somone who has migrated to Canada recently from this forum?

What CRS scores are now being invited towards ITA & obtain P.R?

Between these two websites, you should get your weekly dose of CIC news including scores in the latest draws -
CIC News - https://www.cicnews.com/
Canada Visa news- https://www.canadavisa.com/news/latest.html

Just taking a quick look, I think the score in Alberta's latest draw was down to 300.

Originally Posted by 1985Darkkid85

Is the grass really green on the other side (figuratively) or it's just another media driven hyperbole?

Thanks for asking. I'll look forward to these comments also.
It was an amazing move for us, but I'm sure not everyone has had a great experience doing this.

[mohit]

Originally Posted by 1985Darkkid85

Is the grass really green on the other side (figuratively) or it's just another media driven hyperbole?

This is a question no one can answer for you as every experience is different. Will you have a better quality of life? Most probably but then again, everyone defines it differently.
@ScarySkulls lives in Halifax as per his profile. If he couldn't live without interacting with a ton of Indians and having varied Indian food options, his experience might be a little different (Comparing to Toronto area).

Figure out what is truly important to you before you seek an answer to that question.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

How does one evaluate which are the good colleges for a particular area of focus (for masters programs)? After nearly ~15 years experience, the bug is extremely on me to continue my learning journey (been itching for a few years).

You probably already know about the things you can find through a search engine, about things like USnews college ranking. Good college ranking is often the one with bigger reputation, and may not mean much in terms of what is a good fit for you. Most big universities have an area specific college counsellor. You will need to find out about the international admissions counsellor, and ask that person about, the kind of work the professors in the masters program are doing. What %age got internships, and where? What %age got research assistantships, teaching assistantships, etc and gauge your chances at these things that interest you. They would be happy to answer questions from International/Out of state students as they bring in more fees.

[1985Darkkid85]

Originally Posted by ScarySkulls

Between these two websites, you should get your weekly dose of CIC news including scores in the latest draws -
CIC News - https://www.cicnews.com/
Canada Visa news- https://www.canadavisa.com/news/latest.html

Just taking a quick look, I think the score in Alberta's latest draw was down to 300.

Thanks for asking. I'll look forward to these comments also.
It was an amazing move for us, but I'm sure not everyone has had a great experience doing this.

Glad your having a good time in Canada in the province of Nova Scotia.
When my wife and I try to calculate our tentative CRS score, we hardly are getting 405.
The current going rates are up to 460 in the weekly draws.

Looks like our Canada dreams are probably over, unless we luck out from one of the PNP like Alberta, Saskatchewan or British Columbia.

Manitoba is also ruled out for us as we currently do not have any relatives or friends in that province.

Age also is not really on our side, we are 35.5 and 33 respectively

[mohit]

Originally Posted by 1985Darkkid85

Looks like our Canada dreams are probably over, unless we luck out from one of the PNP like Alberta, Saskatchewan or British Columbia.

Depends on how desperate you are to move. There is always the option of coming in as a student and converting to a PR. Longer and more expensive route for sure but possible.