My sister and her family moving to Canada and they want to settle in Calgary. My BIL is an accountant by profession. I need advise from people Canada about settling in Calgary.
Thanks in advance.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
What topics do you need advice on?
Also "advise" is the verb, "advice" is the noun.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
Having a car is VERY important! Calgary is a huge city..and the transit service is really not that convenient.....
If they have their Driver's Lic. already from which ever country they are moving from...they need to get it authenticated from that country...each country it is a bit different, so if they do some research on it they can already be prepared for it. If not when they get their DL here in Calgary, they have to wait for 1yr before they can actually go for the road test.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
What topics do you need advice on?
Also "advise" is the verb, "advice" is the noun.
Many thanks for the correction. I want to know that if the decision to settle in Calgary is correct or otherwise in terms getting a job?
As well as weather because their eldest son (8 years) have some cold related health problem.
AK, they are moving from Pakistan and the BIL has got a Pakistan driving license.
Settling in Canada - Calgary
Well Calgary is EXTREMELY cold about 8 months out of the year..if your nephew had health problems related to the cold won't that be worse for him? My cousin moved from Karachi to Calgary after he married a Canadian national, and it was a hard adjustment for him climate wise. He also had to go back to college to obtain another degree as his credentials from Pakistan were not sufficient enough...but after about 2 1/2 years he got through the degree program and now has a good job in EE I believe
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
i think your BIL has to get some kind of Canadian Experience or Canadian education to be successful. i do NOT wish to discourage but finding a meaningful job in Canada is increasingly becoming harder. with foreign education and experience, it's doubly difficult.
Calgary is NOT a very vibrant economically either. there was a time when Alberta was doing well. i think he may look at other options like moving to another booming province, Newfoundland. their newly found oil wealth has turned this, once the poorest, province into one of the richest with surplus budget.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
He should get it certified (or something like that) from the ministry of transportation in Pakistan - or who ever is issuing the license, coz when he comes here he needs to then send it to the Pakistani embassy and get them to authenticate it…then he can do the knowledge test and go straight for the road test.
here is the link if he wants to study in advance : Government of Alberta Ministry of Transportation: 
and Khatti is right about getting a Canadian certificate…my husband has to do it as well…but I was very lucky that I found a job as soon as I came to Canada…
I think everywhere in Canada is crazy cold for winter except for Vancouver…in Calgary temps. do drop to about -30 to -35 with wind chill…
I will ask my friend about the job market…coz her field is in accounting…
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
As far as I have heard from people Canada is getting more and more saturated, so less jobs. But still he should give it a go, Canadian nationality is a good asset. Secondly people do find relevant jobs as well, some perseverance is required. He should go there and start some odd job, in the meanwhile keep applying for his relevant ones. It's difficult but not impossible to find the right job.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
Another pointer from me, if he is supposed to stay in a particular state he should apply for jobs anywhere there. In the beginning he shouldn't tie himself to a big city, sometimes its easier to get a job in a small town where the locals don't want to go. After he has the relevant experience he can always move back to a bigger city.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
Calgary is expensive.
calgary is cold.
nothing much to do other then wait for stampede every year.
i love my pind:k:
lots of Oil & Gas jobs.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
^So what I heard is that..coz of the oil & gas jobs...as everyone is going for them...there are a lot of other jobs that are not being filled....
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
Get a car so you can move around for grocery and other stuff. To begin with the international lic should work but get yourself enrolled in a class for driving training and get a canadian license. Also the rules are different here so it important to get it for your own safety. Although I know an uncle who drove a car for a year without a license and he never got caught. but not every one can be so lucky. On a side note its been 15 years and he still doesn’t have decent job as doesn’t follow the rules :snooty: I hope you got the message.
Oh and you do get some percentage off if you get certificate of training from a driving school.
2013 - G1 Driving Test:FREE Online Practice Test (100% Success Rate)
Here is a good site that gives you some online practice tests for driving tests and it is good. They also have a section about immigration and citizenship test and information etc. you won;t need it for next few years though but you do have to give an exam for citizenship thesedays.
Keep your self uptodate about the changes happening in immigration and citizenship system too.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
I am not so sure about job situation though.. I have a friend who lives there and he is oil and to be honest he was doing pretty good in UAE and he is doing pretty good in calgary ..... all he complains about is the Kharcha.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
toronto was hype at one time but now it seems like calgary is
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
accountant do good anywhere they go believe me .... I have heard that it is good to volunteer with an accountant who has his business setup and then get your own clients and slowly establish your own business. My brother in law is accountant and he is doing PRETTY good. A friend of ours is also an acountant, he doesn 't have his own business but he works for a firm but he is doing good .. not as good as BIL but he has got his own house and managing pretty well.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
Calgarys job market is still going pretty strong. We saw a dip in the market in 2008/2009 becuase of the recession but things have definitely improved drastically obviously not to pre-recession levels but they're still good overall. Alberta's unemployment rate is the 2nd lowest in Canada (after Saskatchewan). Realistically it's Ontario and Quebec that are now after the fall of the manufacturing sector.
The oil and gas industry supports all kinds of jobs, wherever there's money there'll be opportunities so plenty of accountants, bankers, consultants support the engineering/production industry. Alberta also has no PST which is awesome.
The weather is cold, yes but that's Canada. Calgary gets sporadic chinooks (warm winds) during the winter which bring the temperatures back up to the single digits so its a nice respite from the cold. But definitely at least 1-2 weeks in a year you will see -30 to 40 deg C temperatures. That being said though, because Calgary is so dry it doesn't feel as cold as in Ontario where the humidity is much higher and make you feel colder in -20 deg C. And you don't really get proper summers here it warms up a little in May, rains through most of July, usually you'll get the month of August alone for a proper summer.
Also having a foreign degree can be a disadvantage, most of the pakistani's I know here ended up doing their masters to supplement their degrees from back home to get into the job market. Of course it can depend on your experience and skill set.
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
I spoke to my friend who is an accountant..she is working with a firm, and she said as far as she knows, the market is good for accountants...
Come to Vancouver, the Florida of Canada
Good that u r not coming to ontario....cause that accounting degree would have gone down the toilet
Re: Settling in Canada - Calgary
I spoke to my friend who is an accountant..she is working with a firm, and she said as far as she knows, the market is good for accountants...
Thank you.