So many forms...

last night I was on the immigration site and wanted to print and fill out some forms,did this until the ink ran out in the printer but still had lots to print....and I hate dragging things out over a few days!

So this evening I printed the remainder and filled a huge amount of them out and nearly blew up my own brain...

Tomorrows emigration related tasks include:
Finding cost of car insurance
Finding list of jobs for him
Finding list of jobs for me
Discovering fuel costs
Looking at places to live
Trying to make head/tail of the driving licence system

Full steam ahead...

decision time

so after toying with the idea of staying here {yes we are v indecisive!} we have definitly decided its canada for us, alberta or saskatchewan to be exact,i thought toronto was too built up for him {& possibly me} plus his work wasnt as plentiful as anticipated,saskatchewan however is another story...

the beginning of a new chapter...

we sat down the other night & figured out rent & taxes & other expenditures and found its nothing like it is in ireland, particularly the lack of a 42% tax bracket

so hopefully at the end of may we'll be leaving on a jet plane & we're going to do our absolute best to make that happen

first job applied for

ok folks, just applied for my first job....

the journey has well & truly begun

fingers crossed

lull

we both suffered a lull for the past few weeks, considering our different options to stay in ireland but we've realised something...


we actually dont want to be here anymore, its being made to difficult for us either by the budget {announced yesterday!} or the fact that neither of us are excessively happy in our jobs...


now i know we're lucky to have jobs etc etc etc but as far as i can see our respective bosses know full well that they have us over a barrell so we have to either put up or shut up {me in particular as i'm fresh out of college!}


rant over, bad mood over, job search resumes


actually speaking of resumes i've had to canadianise mine a little bit, making me realise how often irish cv's can seem unprofessional


ps. its been really cold here for the past two weeks & i seem to be handling it ok, he is holding up ok too


fingers crossed it will be canada next winter


{a}

before now

ive been researching this for weeks {actually months}so im not just going into this with my head in the clouds. i dont know how many forms ive filled out as practice,how many forums ive read, how many times ive read over the same pieces of info from the canadian govt

until today i thought i had to apply on a temporary work visa but now it seems i can apply as a federal skilled worker once ive secured an offer of work which has been approved by the canadian officials, normally application through a federal skilled worker programme is only available if your job description matches a job descirption on a list of 29!


so now myself & himself have to try to remember to keep all receipts etc for any transactions we make for our house... {our paperwork skills could be considered minimal!} to be able to prove that we live together & are in a committed relationship!

this is great as now we wont have to apply for seperate temporary work permits...

his emmigrating lark might be exciting but its bloody confusing!

the websites i've found really good are:

cic.gc.ca {government information}
workingincanada.gc.ca {less formal government information,up to date industry & employment reports}
expatforum.com {tips & hints from people who're living the dream!}


also i've found it really beneficial to find out how much my expenses are going to be once im over there, like food, phone, internet etc...the price of car insurance nearly gave me heart palpitations, im still coming to terms with the idea of not having a car of my own! {the little sacrifices!]

the story so far

after finishing my degree in june 2010 i started full time work with the company i did a work experience with {have been working with them now since feb 2009}

the boyfriend came up with the genius plan of looking for work abroad {canada to be more precise}.

hes a hgv driver & i work in the events business, we've been together 18 months, had a house together since march and get to see each other every weekend...but thats not really enough for us anymore, we're madly in love & want to live together permanently but considering our current jobs are the best  available its not possible for us to stay in ireland & live together

so to canada it is...

june 2011 we should be on canadian soil, with a permanent residency visa for me & him being my common-in-law partner.

cue excitement & confusion