I've been spending all my spare time on the British expats site researching our options and reading of others experiences with work permits, immigration consultants, the provincial nomination process, jobs etc etc.. It really is such an informative site and a 'must read' for anyone thinking of immigrating anywhere. We are thinking of employing someone to help Gman get a job, and to speed up the process, an immigration consultant as well. There is just so much detailed paperwork to complete and documents to gather once underway. I am not very confident of going DIY, because if I do make a mistake then the major setback is in time. A consultant will ensure that we get it right first time and the expats site will help us to decide which consultants to go for based on others experiences and recommendations. I'll then post my experiences to newcomers on the forum as others have done for my benefit. There are sharks out there that will just be after our money for as little effort as possible so without a site like this, consultants are unknown entities
We've been busy in other ways too.
We met up with friends from Germany with The Ace Cafe as the rendezvous, then during half term last week we went to see Hot fuzz with Gteen and Gadgetgirlie went iceskating at The Guildford Spectrum with friends.
We had a dinner party on Saturday so the day was spent tidying up, hoovering and cooking. Gman decided that he was better off leaving me to it so got on with another of the 'to do' jobs in the back garden. We had a lovely evening with friends and must do that more often - keeps the house tidier...
Monday, February 26, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Back into Canada mode
After long chats with both my brothers, and Pete's girlfriend - I am now back into Canada mode and long to be there with them.
I have applied for another gas-fitting job for Gman and am in the process of applying for a job for him working for one of the local school districts too.
The gadgetkids are really keen and keep asking us when we are going.
It is difficult to sit at this computer after a long day at work and evenings of family routines and scroll through job banks and edit resumes and cover letters but it's our only hope if we want to live to the area that we do on Vancouver Island.
I also need to read and digest the provincial nomination programe web site so that I can encourage prospective employers to consider this program as a way to fill a vacancy by employing Gman. Unemployment in BC is down to 3% as it is in Alberta so filling posts advertised must become more difficult as fewer candidates apply.
My mother has put her house up for sale with the intention of going later this year.
We still have quite a bit to do here on the house but have now finished the front garden, and have had an open fireplace since Christmas too.
Lovely for the chilly evenings.
I have applied for another gas-fitting job for Gman and am in the process of applying for a job for him working for one of the local school districts too.
The gadgetkids are really keen and keep asking us when we are going.
It is difficult to sit at this computer after a long day at work and evenings of family routines and scroll through job banks and edit resumes and cover letters but it's our only hope if we want to live to the area that we do on Vancouver Island.
I also need to read and digest the provincial nomination programe web site so that I can encourage prospective employers to consider this program as a way to fill a vacancy by employing Gman. Unemployment in BC is down to 3% as it is in Alberta so filling posts advertised must become more difficult as fewer candidates apply.
My mother has put her house up for sale with the intention of going later this year.
We still have quite a bit to do here on the house but have now finished the front garden, and have had an open fireplace since Christmas too.
Lovely for the chilly evenings.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
'Pay as you go' car tax
The information below was sent to me via email this morning so I thought I'd spread the word here as well as forwarding it to all my email contacts.
It affects all of us that use cars so I recommend that you at least click on the link to verify the authenticity - or potentially face horrendous bills for driving your car each month!
The deadline is 20th February.
The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you would have to purchase a tracking device for your car and pay a monthly bill to use it.
The tracking device will cost about £200 and in a recent study by the BBC, the lowest monthly bill was £28 for a rural florist and £194 for a delivery driver. A non-working mother who used the car to take the kids to school paid £86 in one month.
On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody will know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit, you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution for speeding with your monthly bill.
This is on the 10 Downing Street's website. Once you've given your details (you don't have to give your full address, just house number and postcode will do), they will send you an email with a link in it. Once you click on that link, you'll have signed the petition.
Apparently 750,000 signatures are required to stop them introducing this tax and there are about 700,000 signatures now.
If you care about this, please sign the petition on No 10's new website and pass this information on to as many people as possible
There are many other petitions that you may be interested in so have a browse and have your voice heard by signing up to those you feel strongly enough about.
It affects all of us that use cars so I recommend that you at least click on the link to verify the authenticity - or potentially face horrendous bills for driving your car each month!
The deadline is 20th February.
The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you would have to purchase a tracking device for your car and pay a monthly bill to use it.
The tracking device will cost about £200 and in a recent study by the BBC, the lowest monthly bill was £28 for a rural florist and £194 for a delivery driver. A non-working mother who used the car to take the kids to school paid £86 in one month.
On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody will know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit, you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution for speeding with your monthly bill.
This is on the 10 Downing Street's website. Once you've given your details (you don't have to give your full address, just house number and postcode will do), they will send you an email with a link in it. Once you click on that link, you'll have signed the petition.
Apparently 750,000 signatures are required to stop them introducing this tax and there are about 700,000 signatures now.
If you care about this, please sign the petition on No 10's new website and pass this information on to as many people as possible
There are many other petitions that you may be interested in so have a browse and have your voice heard by signing up to those you feel strongly enough about.
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