@salford1 @dupyshoo

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Seems UK trounces Canada in some areas, especially for someone who has lived in the former.

We are taking this issue too far.
I am personally against cohabitation as it is against my religion.

Also, you are all assuming husbands usually get paid more than the wives. This is not true. I have seen homes that are being sustained by the income of the wives while the husbands bring next to nothing.

With regard to purchase of property, is it easy to buy property alone without the help of your spouse? By the time you pay rent, bills, insurance, send money home to family members etc, you will have little left to save for deposit. Whites do it successful becuase they start saving from the time they are 18. They don't have any extended familly commitments. Their parents and siblings don't ask them for money. It is difficult to do this as Africans. Except if you want to receive curses. You will have to combine savings with your spouse or tell her to stay at home so you will take child care cost out of the way.

Even if you get the mortgage and you have been paying the monthly payment. What happens if you are made redundant? Who will pay the mortgage? It is not easy not to have a backup.

My take is this: get it right when it comes to marriage. Then, the 2 of you can work together and achieve a lot together. Respect your husband and love your wife. Say no to domestic violence, else you will have criminal record which can result to you not getting a good job for life.

cochtrane:

Einsteino, I feel you.

I can't relate with what Canadianfly is saying. I know cohabitation, even in Canada, allows you to keep your properties. It's like Common law. You guys can have a cohabitation agreement before marriage where each person keeps his/her own property at the end of the relationship. Properties acquired while together can be shared based on an agreement you come to prior to entering into cohabitation. That's the way it goes in most western countries and I don't think Canada is an exception. What the courts can enforce on you is often spousal support, as you can't just up and abandon your child. But you certainly ain't going to be losing a house you got all by yourself before or during cohabitation.

http://divorce-canada.ca/more-faq/common-lawcohabitation-separation-in-canada

dupyshoo:
We are taking this issue too far.
I am personally against cohabitation as it is against my religion.

Also, you are all assuming husbands usually get paid more than the wives. This is not true. I have seen homes that are being sustained by the income of the wives while the husbands bring next to nothing.

With regard to purchase of property, is it easy to buy property alone without the help of your spouse? By the time you pay rent, bills, insurance, send money home to family members etc, you will have little left to save for deposit. Whites do it successful becuase they start saving from the time they are 18. They don't have any extended familly commitments. Their parents and siblings don't ask them for money. It is difficult to do this as Africans. Except if you want to receive curses. You will have to combine savings with your spouse or tell her to stay at home so you will take child care cost out of the way.

Even if you get the mortgage and you have been paying the monthly payment. What happens if you are made redundant? Who will pay the mortgage? It is not easy not to have a backup.

My take is this: get it right when it comes to marriage. Then, the 2 of you can work together and achieve a lot together. Respect your husband and love your wife. Say no to domestic violence, else you will have criminal record which can result to you not getting a good job for life.

apt! thanks. when i get into the water i would know how best to swim it. but all your opinions have helped me form a much more rounded view.

einsteino:


thanks for this. how easy is it for someone with only a nigerian engineering degree to practice in canada? is it better to get a canadian masters degree to increase one's employability ?

I have no clue my dear. All my work experience (in Engineering) is from the UK so I'm not in the best position to answer your question. Hopefully someone else picks this up and points you in the right direction.

Ehrnie:


I have no clue my dear. All my work experience (in Engineering) is from the UK so I'm not in the best position to answer your question. Hopefully someone else picks this up and points you in the right direction.

thanks

salford1:

Anyone coming from the UK would be a bit shocked after landing in Canada, some would be very shocked..depends on your level of comfort in the UK.lol

...when i landed, i disliked Canada for the first 6 month or thereabout. Things cost more money here. From banking fees to airline ticket to broadband internet plans e.t.c Transport services in cities wasn't as advanced as the UK, even the kebab do not taste as nice as the ones sold in the UK, no greggs (for some of us that like food). The cheap megabus and national express to everywhere is absent, no virgin bullet trains, Pubs are not so good in Canada..even non existent in some places, TV programs were not interesting... No canadian version of lord sugar, britains got talent, xfactor, deal or no deal, the weakest link, the numerous documentaries on itv, channel 4, bbc e.t.c but they do sometimes show the american versions. The only reason i kept my cable on is cos of kids channels.

With time i adjusted, since i have made up my mind that i am making the country my home. Now i like the country and appreciate the personal space, but i still miss the UK alot of times.

Oh my!!! There goes my kebab and Xfactor.... is there Judge Judy though...? hahahah

dupyshoo:
Hmmm, if I show my hubby this, we will not relocate to Canada.
I have started developing cold feet as well. It seems to me that it is easier to get professional jobs in UK than Canada as you will hardly find indigenous people with the right qualifications. For example, if you are an Engineer, you can easily get a good job in the UK even with your naija qualifications. No need to register as an Engineer to be recognised as an Engineer. The main issue with UK is to get right to work. Foreign students that studied in UK are forced to go back to their countries as it is so difficult to stay back. As their own children are not studying Engineering, there are a lot of jobs for people that have visas. In fact, recruiters can disturb you with job vacancies once they realise that you are an Engineer.

The opposite is Canada. There are too many professionals. Students wait behind after their studies and the jobs are not that many.

I also agree with your statements on how some things can be expensive in Canada. I wanted to travel to visit a friend in another province. I thought it will be like getting a train ticket from London to Glasgow. When I saw the cost, I changed my mind immediately. One is kinda stuck in one province.

We need to sit down and highlight the advantages vs disadvantages of UK and Canada before coming to conclusion on what to do.

What is your own opinion though? Should we relocate to Canada and start all over? I am asking cos you have lived in both places and you know better

We are in this together and I also await a response. I felt so "afraid" when I got my PR...packing up my life here in the UK and heading to CANADA maybe one of the toughest decisions I'll have to make in my life, apart from marriage Jesus please take the wheels and give me wisdom like Solomon to do the right thing!

vcole:
It's quite interesting to see how a single post about someone's personal life has brought so many "strong" opinions. Please it is very important in life that we learn to express our opinions in ways that are not insulting. There is no need for comments like "I pity your man" "you are materialistic" or allegations of spam or name calling and so on and so forth.

Your perception is simply that, your perception.

Nicole is free to consider the future career prospects available to her intended spouse in a country she is considering migrating to. She alone is going to live with said spouse in the future. None of us will. There is no reason why anyone should feel okay dictating how another human being should feel. Anyway, I have said enough.

I agree. I couldnt have said it better.

To the married ones (man or woman) we all have our reasons for choosing our spouses. As ridiculous as you think hers may sound, some of us have heard and have much worse reasons. Even among us hear, i'm very sure very few of us can "cast stone".

The divorce rate these days is cause for concern, and if a marriage is built on a wrong foundation then whats d point? Bear in mind that as foundation differs per land type, so does t differ per marriage. Some houses need steel reinforcement, some concrete. To each his own.

I bliv a better way to see it is: are they fit for each other? If she has doubts y marry him? He may also have his doubts.

Let both parties SIT AND TALK HONESTLY.

Hamiltondreamer:
Hello please has anyone here bought clothes from Ali Express? I saw some affordable winter jackets and winter caps on that site and they deliver to Nigeria .

Aliexpress is a marketplace. As there is thrash, there is gold. However in other to sort properly heres my advice.
** sort the sellers by rating and delivery to Naija
** then sort by price (u can find one Item with 50prices) the best price will be the one with great seller rating and can deliver to Naija.
** make sure ur address is right. Pick the nearest nipost office to your home. Some Nipost staff will deliver to U FREE while some will play smart and say that they are not supposed to deliver so u can either pay them extra to help u or come to their office and pickup.
If you chose to go to their office, dont b conned into paying any "holding fee". Unless its from your "Church mind".

For real it's a really tough and scary decision. I'm not as excited about it as I was when I was still waiting.

This is especially harder for we single applicants, I'm not even sure I want to go this year, I don't even know....

I hated Manchester weather for the one year I spent schooling there and cudnt wait to move back to Naija so I wonder how I'd cope with Canada weather.

It is well..... Like I've also been advised, pray about it and God will see you through.

Ehrnie:


We are in this together and I also await a response. I felt so "afraid" when I got my PR...packing up my life here in the UK and heading to CANADA maybe one of the toughest decisions I'll have to make in my life, apart from marriage Jesus please take the wheels and give me wisdom like Solomon to do the right thing!

Wura27:

For real it's a really tough and scary decision. I'm not as excited about it as I was when I was still waiting.

This is especially harder for we single applicants, I'm not even sure I want to go this year, I don't even know....

I hated Manchester weather for the one year I spent schooling there and cudnt wait to move back to Naija so I wonder how I'd cope with Canada weather.

It is well..... Like I've also been advised, pray about it and God will see you through.

Harder for single applicant? I disagree.

You can pack up and live anywhere and spend money anyhow. You don't answer to anyone or is responsible for anyone. It's harder for families with children. Any wrong move, and your kids suffer for it. Single people have the freedom to chill and live anywhere and anyhow. You can even squat with a friend if you land Canada now, a family with kids can't pack their kids to go squat with anyone.
Ps: Canada is a sunny country, nothing like the gloomy Manchester or England in general. If una no want una PR and are all scared, abeg return it back to CIC and renounce your permanent resident status...no need for all these emotional talk una dey write here. Una no pray about am before y'all spent all that time, money and energy to apply? Abi Canada PR has become a feather in the hat of your average Nigerian? You know we come first in adulterating things. Some would say bastardize but I'm a lady.

einsteino:


thanks for this. how easy is it for someone with only a nigerian engineering degree to practice in canada? is it better to get a canadian masters degree to increase one's employability ?

You can practice with your naija experience aslong as you fulfil all conditions set out by the regulatory authority of your province, and canadian education increases ones employability across all fields.

Ehrnie:


We are in this together and I also await a response. I felt so "afraid" when I got my PR...packing up my life here in the UK and heading to CANADA maybe one of the toughest decisions I'll have to make in my life, apart from marriage Jesus please take the wheels and give me wisdom like Solomon to do the right thing!

I don't mean to upset anyone and i apologise if i do but from my observation which is mainly derived from interacting with people living in both countries, those living in UK often appear more exposed, more involved with life in general and less thrifty whereas those settled in Canada often come across as unexposed, overly thrifty and generally backward.

When an individual from a Nigerian rural area travels to UK and returns, his orientation changes and it is clear that he has become more exposed but if the same individual goes to Canada and returns, he remains the same.

dupyshoo:
Hmmm, if I show my hubby this, we will not relocate to Canada.
I have started developing cold feet as well. It seems to me that it is easier to get professional jobs in UK than Canada as you will hardly find indigenous people with the right qualifications. For example, if you are an Engineer, you can easily get a good job in the UK even with your naija qualifications. No need to register as an Engineer to be recognised as an Engineer. The main issue with UK is to get right to work. Foreign students that studied in UK are forced to go back to their countries as it is so difficult to stay back. As their own children are not studying Engineering, there are a lot of jobs for people that have visas. In fact, recruiters can disturb you with job vacancies once they realise that you are an Engineer.

The opposite is Canada. There are too many professionals. Students wait behind after their studies and the jobs are not that many.

I also agree with your statements on how some things can be expensive in Canada. I wanted to travel to visit a friend in another province. I thought it will be like getting a train ticket from London to Glasgow. When I saw the cost, I changed my mind immediately. One is kinda stuck in one province.

We need to sit down and highlight the advantages vs disadvantages of UK and Canada before coming to conclusion on what to do.

What is your own opinion though? Should we relocate to Canada and start all over? I am asking cos you have lived in both places and you know better

in my opinion....Yes. it is easier to get professional jobs in the UK than in Canada.
Its easier to get menial jobs in canada than the UK.

Reason been that:
1. Alot of occupations are highly regulated in Canada. So regulated that some companies would even specify that they want grads of some specific institutions within their province.

2. Alot of highly educated immigrants are moving to Canada.

3. Alot of Canadians are educated too. Even their apprenticeship here in Canada is something else. They study hard. Many Canadians would have atleast a journeyman ticket or a diploma. Their journey man thing is not like the mufutau or kazeem apprentices in Nigeria. They are sound. Infact, one of our directors is a journeyman electrician....lol.

4. Canada's economy (GDP) is not that big...Bigger economy usually translate to plenty jobs. We dont have our own home grown huge companies like the GE's, Alstom, BP, Schlum, Rolls Royce, Pepsi, Shell, Barclays, Siemens, Caterpillars Volkswagen, BAT, PWC, Ford, Merril Lynch e.t.c. of this world. Luckily for us, being close to the US is rubbing off on us..the american economy is Mega huge .

Alot of Canadians move to the US for employment opprtunities. It's easier to get a job in the US if you are Canadian or have a PR.

In the Engineering field, we sometimes bring American experts to fix faulty equipments that some of our tech cant fix since most of our machineries were manufactured in the US anyway.

We do have a company well known outside Canada though e.g Bombardier, the popular dash-8 propeller plane used by low budget airlines all over Europe is proudly Canadian

5. Alot of companies are leaned. Even though the concepts not popular here. Part time and Casual jobs are very common.

6. The country is huge. You may be living in Alberta and later receive a job offer in ontario..it's not easy packing up especially if you are married.

7. If you are in a regulated profession..you would have to get a license to practice for the next province you want to apply to.. You would need to re-certify your car within 3 months. change other sorts of licenses e.t.c All these cost money

On a positive note...
Salaries are better for sure in Canada. You have lots of space, summers are awesome, plenty whitebchristmas for the kids, roads are huge..to solve transport problems, they just expand the roads or build more roads unlike Europe where they deploy congestion charging or use Intelligent transport systems..
Canadians are more accepting to immigrants. Canada is beautiful (landscape).

I can't tell you if to pack all and move to Canada. It's a life long decision left for you and your husband, also better to pray over it..give it a good thought since you are moving from one developed country to another.

Wura27:

For real it's a really tough and scary decision. I'm not as excited about it as I was when I was still waiting.

This is especially harder for we single applicants, I'm not even sure I want to go this year, I don't even know....

I hated Manchester weather for the one year I spent schooling there and cudnt wait to move back to Naija so I wonder how I'd cope with Canada weather.

It is well..... Like I've also been advised, pray about it and God will see you through.

Whew - good to know I'm not alone in this rollercoaster of emotions! Actually, the weather is the least of my problems - I guess that's because I currently reside close to the North sea

Ehrnie:


Whew - good to know I'm not alone in this rollercoaster of emotions! Actually, the weather is the least of my problems - I guess that's because I currently reside close to the North sea

You think scotland is cold...wait till the Canadian winter hit you

Canadianfly:

Harder for single applicant? I disagree.

You can pack up and live anywhere and spend money anyhow. You don't answer to anyone or is responsible for anyone. It's harder for families with children. Any wrong move, and your kids suffer for it. Single people have the freedom to chill and live anywhere and anyhow. You can even squat with a friend if you land Canada now, a family with kids can't pack their kids to go squat with anyone.
Ps: Canada is a sunny country, nothing like the gloomy Manchester or England in general. If una no want una PR and are all scared, abeg return it back to CIC and renounce your permanent resident status...no need for all these emotional talk una dey write here. Una no pray about am before y'all spent all that time, money and energy to apply? Abi Canada PR has become a feather in the hat of your average Nigerian? You know we come first in adulterating things. Some would say bastardize but I'm a lady.

True talk...

If people dey fear enter Canada, wetin go come happen if na Chinko dem dey go.

I think it is all about people's perspective.

In my opinion, someone that lived in the UK should need minimal readjustment pattern in Canada especially when single(I might be wrong though).

People like us wey get diagonal waka (Naija to Chinko to Canny) suppose dey fear sef.

But 1 month in, I don adjust, no choice. And I am single ... .

@Wura27, fear not you will adjust and blend in just fine...

Oyamade:
You these people are funny, abeg dress one side and open another thread and name it UK VS CANADA....

Leave this thread for those of us that have made up our minds, as for me, I am tired of Nigeria..�

Lmao!

salford1:

You think scotland is cold...wait till the Canadian winter hit you

Of course I know it's nothing compared to it...nevertheless, I choose not to worry myself.

Abi ooo...All dem cold feet like wedding anxiety

As for me, I'm going to Canada. ...yorubas say "ekan l'omokunrin ku"

Oyamade:
You these people are funny, abeg dress one side and open another thread and name it UK VS CANADA....

Leave this thread for those of us that have made up our minds, as for me, I am tired of Nigeria..�

Ehrnie:


Same thought bro/sis...but I was told that even though my UK experience will count, I still need at least 1 year Canadian work experience. This means that after relocating to CAN and working (in related field) for a year, I can add my UK work experience to the 1 year Canadian experience to claim the full 4 years work experience.

Is this different from anything you've read or heard...? I am very open to opinions/ suggestions/advise....Thanks!

I am a sis

I havent really heard or read much. But when I went to their website, and inputted my four years Nigerian work experience, I was directed to apply for P. Eng. I guess I have to put zero for year of experience since I have no Canadian work experience. That means I have to go the EIT route.

The thread is titled "living in Canada", so I think my questions are within the scope of the title. So, there is no reason for me to create another thread.

Oyamade:
You these people are funny, abeg dress one side and open another thread and name it UK VS CANADA....

Leave this thread for those of us that have made up our minds, as for me, I am tired of Nigeria..�

https://www.immigroup.com/news/top-7-tips-live-cheaply-toronto-and-vancouver

I saw this on an immigration website. Hope its useful

[quote author=Ajujuju2 post=600273

Aliexpress is a marketplace. As there is thrash, there is gold. However in other to sort properly heres my advice.
** sort the sellers by rating and delivery to Naija
**

Thanks for the tips

Lots of iced cold feet in the house. If you didn't have swirling emotions that would make you inhuman. It's a total life changing decision saying goodbye to loved ones you may see for the last time to a new culture totally different from what you know. Of course you must feel some type of way.

Take a deep breath and a take the plunge. Nigeria is still here with wide open ( no light/recession/unemployment /bad leadership and governance ) hands to embrace you if you want to come back.

Hold on to that green passport ��

dupyshoo:
Hmmm, if I show my hubby this, we will not relocate to Canada.
I have started developing cold feet as well. It seems to me that it is easier to get professional jobs in UK than Canada as you will hardly find indigenous people with the right qualifications. For example, if you are an Engineer, you can easily get a good job in the UK even with your naija qualifications. No need to register as an Engineer to be recognised as an Engineer. The main issue with UK is to get right to work. Foreign students that studied in UK are forced to go back to their countries as it is so difficult to stay back. As their own children are not studying Engineering, there are a lot of jobs for people that have visas. In fact, recruiters can disturb you with job vacancies once they realise that you are an Engineer.

The opposite is Canada. There are too many professionals. Students wait behind after their studies and the jobs are not that many.

I also agree with your statements on how some things can be expensive in Canada. I wanted to travel to visit a friend in another province. I thought it will be like getting a train ticket from London to Glasgow. When I saw the cost, I changed my mind immediately. One is kinda stuck in one province.

We need to sit down and highlight the advantages vs disadvantages of UK and Canada before coming to conclusion on what to do.

What is your own opinion though? Should we relocate to Canada and start all over? I am asking cos you have lived in both places and you know better

Just curious, were you a foreign student in the U.K.? If so why did you decide to study there? Also what province were you in and what province was your friends in who you wanted to visit? Lastly the Canadian and American economy are literally linked together. If you're qualified a lot of jobs, especially professional jobs are available. The Canadian economy is currently doing pretty well with a 6 percent unemployment rate. And remember a lot of people don't deliberately want to work.

Yes, I was a student in the UK.

Alberta to Ontario.

If the unemployment rate is that low, why are people complaining?

maternal:


Just curious, were you a foreign student in the U.K.? If so why did you decide to study there? Also what province were you in and what province was your friends in who you wanted to visit? Lastly the Canadian and American economy are literally linked together. If you're qualified a lot of jobs, especially professional jobs are available. The Canadian economy is currently doing pretty well with a 6 percent unemployment rate. And remember a lot of people don't deliberately want to work.

dupyshoo:
Yes, I was a student in the UK.

Alberta to Ontario.

If the unemployment rate is that low, why are people complaining?

London to Glasgow is a 4 hour train ride. Ontario to Alberta is a 4 hour plane ride. People will always complain. At times people spend more time complaining about their issues than finding a solution.

Hamiltondreamer:
Lots of iced cold feet in the house. If you didn't have swirling emotions that would make you inhuman. It's a total life changing decision saying goodbye to loved ones you may see for the last time to a new culture totally different from what you know. Of course you must feel some type of way.

Take a deep breath and a take the plunge. Nigeria is still here with wide open ( no light/recession/unemployment /bad leadership and governance ) hands to embrace you if you want to come back.

Hold on to that green passport ��

Haha..The cold feet we are talking about is leaving UK when you are settled. Why would anyone want to stay in naija except you are a politician or work in the oil industry like my one of our neighbours who moved his family to Calgary, bought a house in Aspen, and he relocated back to his upstream oil industry job back in naija.

maternal:


Just curious, were you a foreign student in the U.K.? If so why did you decide to study there? Also what province were you in and what province was your friends in who you wanted to visit? Lastly the Canadian and American economy are literally linked together. If you're qualified a lot of jobs, especially professional jobs are available. The Canadian economy is currently doing pretty well with a 6 percent unemployment rate. And remember a lot of people don't deliberately want to work.

People chose to study in the UK for several reasons..in my case..all my siblings are british born, so that was the natural choice for me. Both my parents also schooled in the UK. I never even imagined i would one day find myself in Canada. Basically...all my siblings, cousins and families are either in the UK or the US.
The only person i knew that had anything to do with Canada was a friend of mine who had a Canadian born sister when my friends dad came to study at the university of Alberta in the early 70's.

When i arrived here and met a naija guy who arrrived Canada for a 2 year power engineering diploma course and grossed 250k the year after his grad (dude graduated from SAIT into the oil boom), then i realised i should have bought by ass to Canada long ago irrepective of having a family here or not

einsteino:


oh yes i am seeking pr already but this finding is really discouraging. To start with, I say my mind exactly as it is, I dont colour, may not be politically correct, nonetheless i try my best to stay true to my conscience. This is not about naija man sense, it is common sense to avoid putting oneself in precarious situations if all that would be lost is a label, so yes, if cohabitation were an option, i would take it or remain single in peace. i cant understand how anyone would be happy living with the risk of losing his all if he gets diovorced. from what i read, people divorce over there for the most frivolous reasons. you needn't be a bad husband to get divorced.

i dont know much about canada but i can bet my every kobo that a decent number of Canadian men may be wallowing in an orgy of depression over this unfair law. They may all be quiet cos they want to be politically correct, but truth remains it is very unfair. i cant wrap my head to justify the spirit of it, i understand providing for ones kids in child support and all that but not servicing an ex house, especially if she left you of her own will.

so if you dont mind, i would like to know if this hazard can be managed through a prenuptial agreement? thanks for your kind responses so far.

Hmmmm
Ur fears make me feel like u won't wanna put ur all into the marriage.

I won't even lie, if this Canadian thing work, and I have to go, I will be scared small o..

At least married people have each other.

Me I'm a bit worried, how do Nigerian meet other single people in Canada?

Moving to a new country where everyone is going to be struggling to adjust and start life afresh, what time will people have to socialize? (Single people that is)

Apart from POF ish initially, this is one of the reasons I have been dragging on following through with this canada waka. Feel better knowing there are other people that feel something similar.