Maybe he's running a social psychology experiment. You know... Post controversial topic, stir the pot, watch... 😉
Tom
The plan was: write my master thesis and if I like it there -> stay.
Since that won't work, maybe I'll come and work after I get my degree.
Since you guys have been very productive (thx🙂), I will read the rest of your posts now and do some research/fact checking and then get back to you
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So let me see, the stereotypes are;
The U.S. is full of violence.
Canada is a frozen wasteland.
Australia is the other end a great big desert island.
Funny thing, never noticed any of those issues in my experiences.
But to be fair yesterday I did mention to a Brit tourist not to hold his stack of bills in the air while waiting to pay his bar bill. One of the nice things about parts of Canada are the great looking women. It seems the cold dry air is great for their complexions. And finally i have older engineering friends from down under who apparently found being an engineer specializing in audio electronics was not a good career. (They left but after a bit returned.)
The U.S. is full of violence.
Canada is a frozen wasteland.
Australia is the other end a great big desert island.
Funny thing, never noticed any of those issues in my experiences.
But to be fair yesterday I did mention to a Brit tourist not to hold his stack of bills in the air while waiting to pay his bar bill. One of the nice things about parts of Canada are the great looking women. It seems the cold dry air is great for their complexions. And finally i have older engineering friends from down under who apparently found being an engineer specializing in audio electronics was not a good career. (They left but after a bit returned.)
I was in Minnesota during a blizzard in 1979. For two weeks it never got above 0 F with the lowest temp I saw being -27F, about -50F considering wind chill. OK, it's Minnesota, people expect that.
How about the sunny state of Florida. I can remember setting a 12 pack of beer outside in Ft. Lauderdale one winter (late 70's) to keep it cold, only to find all of the cans burst due to freezing a couple of hours later. It was in the middle of the day too! Don't know how cold it got, but it was somewhere in the 15 degree F range to freeze beer in a couple hours.....not lite beer either.
People here think I'm nuts shoveling show in flip flops and a T-shirt, but the only times that I have ever been bone chilling, shivering cold have ALL been in Florida!
True most winters in south Florida do not see temperatures below freezing, but single digit temps do happen once every few years, and usually only for a day. There was a period of a whole week of below freezing temps in the last decade. All of the citrus and strawberry crops perished that year.
The Challenger space shuttle disaster was due to unexpected cold weather. It was about 20F at launch time. Maybe 25 F where I was 200 miles further south. The sky was crystal clear and that image of the explosion is forever etched in my brain.
So....cold happens everywhere. It's just a matter of when, and for how long. Snow, however has only come as far south as Ft. Lauderdale ONCE in recorded history.....and I slept through it.
Been like that for awhile. In the 80s I lived in Chico, CA and would drive up to visit friends in OR.
A few miles after you crossed the border there was a small handpainted sign, KEEP GOING.
That always made me chuckle.
IMO, finish your schooling first. Then see if you can get a job with a german company that has divisions in one of the countries you might like to emigrate to.
For that matter, europe is not that big. Stay there and travel a lot 😉 Greece is nice, the south of france, spain, italy, etc...
I'm from the USA and spent some time in Austria at one point. People seemed (on average) better educated/mannered/cultured, better at almost anything social in nature than in the USA. People from DE and AT that I have met here say that while people seem friendlier here, they are not as willing to be a true friend as people back home were.
For that matter, europe is not that big. Stay there and travel a lot 😉 Greece is nice, the south of france, spain, italy, etc...
I'm from the USA and spent some time in Austria at one point. People seemed (on average) better educated/mannered/cultured, better at almost anything social in nature than in the USA. People from DE and AT that I have met here say that while people seem friendlier here, they are not as willing to be a true friend as people back home were.
Fun fact - -40F equals -40C. Since they are linear scales, that's the only point where they are equal.
And when did centigrade change to Celsius? Centigrade is much better since it's descriptive.
Celsius realized the sense in making 0º freezing and 100º boiling. Poor Fahrenheit went backward and put the numbers on the thermometer before determining where those points were. Either way their names should be attributed don't you think?
Beside Centigrade is used primarily in those countries that don't use the scale. It's the old way of saying it. It's been Celsius in Canada since we switched over 40 years ago.
Beside Centigrade is used primarily in those countries that don't use the scale. It's the old way of saying it. It's been Celsius in Canada since we switched over 40 years ago.
Give credit where it's due of course.
It's just that centigrade is centi=one hundred or one hundredth and grade is graduations (I may have my exact translation wrong), so centigrade means 100 divisions between 0 and 100C, with each division equal to 1 degree.
So the word centigrade contains some information about the scale, whereas Celsius is just the name of the person who popularized the system.
Not a big deal to me either way. We of course use similar non-informative units like Amperes, Volts, Farads, Ohms, Henry's, Bells, Teslas, Gauss, Hertz, Watts,
It's just that centigrade is centi=one hundred or one hundredth and grade is graduations (I may have my exact translation wrong), so centigrade means 100 divisions between 0 and 100C, with each division equal to 1 degree.
So the word centigrade contains some information about the scale, whereas Celsius is just the name of the person who popularized the system.
Not a big deal to me either way. We of course use similar non-informative units like Amperes, Volts, Farads, Ohms, Henry's, Bells, Teslas, Gauss, Hertz, Watts,
Off topic to Tubelab. I have fond memories of the HT-220, back in the day someone a frequency synthesizer that fit in an omni back. Was a pain to change frequency but we are hams!!
Why won't that work? I gave you two specific examples of how it could work in your situation - as far as I understand your situation anyway. With enough willpower you can make just about anything work. Or you can choose not to try at all and just stay home and cry in your beer. The choice is yours.
The way the Canadian Federal Skilled Workers program works these days, you can apply up front without a job offer. All you need is one year of work experience (minimum), education, language skills, etc. It sounds like you have all but the one year of work experience, unless you worked part time after you got your bachelor's degree. You can see the full list of requirements here: Who can apply: Federal skilled workers. If approved, you go into a pool of qualified candidates. If a company wants you, they'll request you from the pool and you get your permanent residency within two weeks. That gives you the same rights as a citizen, except the right to vote. That's a pretty big deal! Now you may not have as much influence on where you end up. Canada is a large country. You could end up in Yellowknife or Fort Mac where it's bitter cold during the winter or in Vancouver where it's more temperate, but you know... It'd be one hell of an experience. You can always find another job and move.
Immigration world-wide is not as simple as within the EU. You can't just pack your stuff and set up shop in another country just because you feel like it. There's a process. Of the immigration systems I've dealt with, I've found the Canadian one, by far, the easiest to navigate.
It sounds like you're seeing all the roadblocks, completely neglecting the narrow path through them and the gorgeous scenery around you.
Tom
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Hi Tom,
I really appreciate your help 🙂
What I meant was: My original plan won't work (writing my master thesis in Canada).
I did find out that my TOEFL test won't qualify as a certificate of language skills (no complaint, merely a fact). But taking the other test would be smallest obstacle 🙂
Just to be clear: The skilled worker program is just one way, right? Meaning I could still go the traditional way of applying to companies I like and then get a working visa (but that way the company has to prove it tried to hire a Canadian worker and failed).
Do you happen to know of the top of your head (if not I will look it up myself) if I can decline job offers? In case a company requests me and I don't like the company (or the location), can I wait for an other company or will that throw me out of the "invited" pool? And just because I would get my permanent residency within two weeks doesn't mean I have to come right after that? I am asking because the cancellation period in Germany usually is 3 months for both the employer as well as the employee).
Greetings,
Michael
EDIT: What just occurred to me: During my study one semester was a full time internship, after that I was/am working 1,5 years as a intern (part time of course) and next semester I will write my master thesis in company full time as well. I read today, that part time will be accepted too (partially of course), what I have to find out now if (paid) internships count as well.
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I was born in the UK, lived and worked in the US, live and work in Canada. Have travelled for work and pleasure quite extensively. I've enjoyed every place, never really wanted to leave any of them but life sometimes throws you an opportunity not to be missed.
I feel safest in Canada. I've never felt perfectly safe in the US, regardless of the state or coast. The UK was a violent place as a school kid, less so as an adult. Generally, if you choose where you live, where you eat, safety shouldn't be an issue in any developed country.
I've never bothered too much about climate. In Ontario it's hot in the summer, cold in the winter, the Autumn is gorgeous and the Spring always invigorates.
But for me, the key things I would remind the OP - it's all about the people. As the world develops the differences narrow - you'll find buildings and roads aren't that different, you can buy everything everywhere, you can eat everything everywhere. But what will make all the difference to your life is the people you live amongst and the people you work with. Being far from your family (birthplace) seems great when you are young but nothing will ever replace them. To get a sense for the culture of the people in different places is hard, you can try reading their local news, but sometimes you have to live in a place to get to known it. New York was a place I loved many years ago, an energy and pride that was intoxicating. Now that I'm older, I prefer Ontario and locally we have quite an enthusiastic Oktoberfest 😀
If you are willing to work hard, behave ethically, and are prepared to recognize and ditch a bad situation and move on, you will do fine.
I feel safest in Canada. I've never felt perfectly safe in the US, regardless of the state or coast. The UK was a violent place as a school kid, less so as an adult. Generally, if you choose where you live, where you eat, safety shouldn't be an issue in any developed country.
I've never bothered too much about climate. In Ontario it's hot in the summer, cold in the winter, the Autumn is gorgeous and the Spring always invigorates.
But for me, the key things I would remind the OP - it's all about the people. As the world develops the differences narrow - you'll find buildings and roads aren't that different, you can buy everything everywhere, you can eat everything everywhere. But what will make all the difference to your life is the people you live amongst and the people you work with. Being far from your family (birthplace) seems great when you are young but nothing will ever replace them. To get a sense for the culture of the people in different places is hard, you can try reading their local news, but sometimes you have to live in a place to get to known it. New York was a place I loved many years ago, an energy and pride that was intoxicating. Now that I'm older, I prefer Ontario and locally we have quite an enthusiastic Oktoberfest 😀
If you are willing to work hard, behave ethically, and are prepared to recognize and ditch a bad situation and move on, you will do fine.
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Taking the test is mostly annoying time and money spent.
Correct. I'm not an immigration expert so I don't know all the options.
To get a full overview of your options, toss these guys an email: Canada Immigration - Information on Immigration to Canada
When I immigrated, they actually provided quite a bit of guidance via email before I committed to paying them money to help with my case. My case was complicated by the fact that I'd spent 16 years in the US on three different types of visas. Making sure all that was documented properly was a challenge.
You can handle student visa applications yourself. For work visas, I'd expect your future employer to help out. If you go back a few pages in this thread, you may notice that you have a prospective employer to go email already... 😉
I'm not sure exactly how the process works, but as I understand it, your application goes into a database - just like any other job applicant database. The employer decides whether to contact you for an interview. If the two of you hit it off, great. You get an offer and move. If the two of you decide that you aren't a good fit, you move on.
I don't know the details of that. On the other hand, once you've spent a few $k on application fees, you may find that your priorities have changed.
The FSW application fee itself is about $1100 (CAD). You'll need a health exam from an approved doctor. That's usually a few hundred bucks. There's a language test. That's another few hundred. Background checks, finger prints, whatever. I'd budget about $2k (US) if you handle the application yourself. I chose to go with an attorney, which added $3600 (US). Immigration is not cheap.
I don't know about the costs of a Canadian work visa. I do know a US H-1B will set you back around $5k if you want the visa within two weeks. I think it's $2k otherwise, but could be wrong on that.
Usually the employer handles the cost of the visa (and attorney).
Well, that's a two-part question. 🙂
As far as the Canadian government is concerned, I believe you get one year to move here. Do beware that the first time you enter Canada after getting approved for permanent residency is "special" as that is your ONLY chance to import your household goods without having to pay any import taxes or fees. That's referred to as "landing". You don't have to bring all your stuff, you just have to bring a list of all the stuff you're bringing now (when you land) and all the stuff you'll be bringing later. You need to declare everything, including its value. Yes. All the way down to SOCKS, PAIR, WHITE, TWO HOLES, $0.25... The form is the B4 form. You can search for that online.
The second part of your question: Yes. The notice period in Europe is considerably longer than in the US or Canada where it may be as low as zero. I have a friend in the US who "ghosted", i.e. went in on a Saturday to clear out his office and tossed his boss an email saying that he wouldn't be in on Monday ... or ever. He was in a bad situation. Normal notice is two weeks.
So the trick is to find an employer who's sympathetic of your situation. Many employers will expect you to start working immediately or at least within a couple of weeks. It's not a show stopper. It's just a matter of finding an employer who's willing to wait. Maybe you can talk your current employer to let you take the last bit of your notice period as vacation so you can start a bit earlier or something.
Speaking of vacation. That'll be the biggest adjustment for you probably. The US is one of the few western countries that does not mandate that employers provide paid vacation. It's not uncommon that you have zero vacation to start, though in most white collar jobs you'll probably get 1-2 weeks/year to start.
In Canada, a minimum of two weeks/year of vacation is mandated by law. Some offer more - especially later in your career.
In your situation, I suggest that you toss Campbell-Cohen an email to figure out your options. I linked to them above. Once you have a list of options, explore them either on Campbell-Cohen's site, which is quite informative, or directly on the Government Canada website: Immigration and citizenship
Don't be too picky on the location. You may find that moving a bit outside of your comfort zone grows on you. I've spent 41 years of my life at sea level. I never thought I'd find myself living 1000 km from the ocean, 1 km above sea level. I quite like it.
It's mostly about people and culture. In my experience, it takes a few years to get a good read on a culture. For me, the biggest difference between the culture in the US and that in Canada is that the Canadian culture is more collectivistic overall.
If you do end up in Canada or the US, I'll be happy to help you figuring out the details you need to be particularly aware of. In particular if you end up in the US, there's an insane amount of crap to deal with with health insurance, retirement plan options, etc. And if you end up in Calgary, the first beer is on me! 🙂
Wherever you go HAVE FUN!! Enjoy the experience.
Tom
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When the wife and I plus 3 children emigrated to Canada from the UK in 82, all that was required was a medical and a chest X ray plus proof of finances.
In 2017 it would cost $1550 plus an extra $1447 to the friendly Quebec gov. both of which is a non refundable application fee. Remember also, you are not covered by the medical for 3 months if you are successful.
I don't think Canada should be charging application fees, a successful, cherry picked applicant brings in a lot of personal wealth that was not generated in Canada.
In 2017 it would cost $1550 plus an extra $1447 to the friendly Quebec gov. both of which is a non refundable application fee. Remember also, you are not covered by the medical for 3 months if you are successful.
I don't think Canada should be charging application fees, a successful, cherry picked applicant brings in a lot of personal wealth that was not generated in Canada.
Is that 3 month period a Quebec thing? I'm quite certain my wife & mother-in-law got Medicare coverage as soon as they got here.
Immigration impact on the economy has been studied a lot. Basically, the GDP impact of the skilled worker type programs is the same as the GDP per capita of the country. In other words, if a country is generating $X GDP per capita, their immigrant skilled workers will average $X as well. This is a good thing, because of course it is additive, the immigrant is adding to total GDP.
Refugee class immigrants actually average significantly higher GDP per capita, This is attributed to refugee class immigrants have a higher chance of having the odd entrepreneur that "strikes it rich".
Some of this doesn't work 100%. I saw an interview with a former UK immigration minister, and he agreed with this data, but said for example that if the immigrant settles in London, cost of additional infrastructure is so high that it negates these gains.
Look at Germany too. All the benefits and everyone speaks English anyhow.
Culture everywhere, quick trips to cool cities. The Alps. The Med. Sweden. Holland. 6 hour flight to NY.
Culture everywhere, quick trips to cool cities. The Alps. The Med. Sweden. Holland. 6 hour flight to NY.
Canada is part of the Commonwealth as is the UK obviously.
That makes it a lot easier for a UK citizen to get a visa than for a german citizen like the OP.
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