(10-11-2013 10:11 PM)Seadog Wrote:  

(10-10-2013 02:47 AM)Irishi Wrote:  Jesus man if you can't be on time for your flight think twice bout what you going doing. There are good reasons for strict airport policies, 9/11 may ring a bell, we usually have to be 2 hrs early. Best of luck anyway and get good batteries for your alarm clock

I agree he should have been on time, but I don't see what 9-11 has to do with anything? There has always been a cutoff for flights, getting baggage on planes, preparing customer manifests, calculating actual weight and balance etc takes time. I also can't even imagine how a short checkin time would make things less secure? I mean you already know who was going to fly before hand, how would him physically checking in and presenting his passport change anything? Its not like he would bypass security.

I just don't get why people always resort to 9-11 arguments/security. As if that settles it. It's up there with 'think of the children'. The argumentative equivalent of rock in rock-paper-scissors. Nothing beats it.

Then we have the situation we have now with there 'anything for security' types happy to spend all sorts of money and time accomplishing nothing. I'd happily fly with zero security period. Basically then it would be as dangerous as every other activity in life where someone with a concealed bomb could kill you if they were crazy enough to want to. (ie: everywhere but secure area of airport + theme parks + sports stadiums)

I know what you mean Seadog and this is going off topic but airport policies changed massively post 9/11 and anyone who thinks an airline will let them through after closing gates is 5 sheets to the wind. End of.

Damn swearbox this makes me want to look for a new job even though I have one based in Edmonton. That's really awesome. Clearstream and the big boys in Fort Mac mean business.

Swearbox, just out of curiosity, what is your visa situation? I remember you saying a few pages back that you are British...

(10-12-2013 11:19 AM)Magyarphile Wrote:  Swearbox, just out of curiosity, what is your visa situation? I remember you saying a few pages back that you are British...

Magyarphile I'm a landed immigrant with permanent resident status.

Hi Swearbox, would like to know which route you took to become a PR. What age were you when you emigrated? Did you arrive via TFW program? And how long did the process take?

Reason being I'm a 39 yr old, uk citizen, plumber/gas engineer looking to make the move to Alberta, don't know which route to attempt tho! Do you need an offer of employment to come as a skilled worker? See you had military experience(served in the gulf myself, clearing the mines back in '88) but I gather you came over through your I.T qualifications.

Would value any info on which would be the quickest most successful route to achieving the move.

Salty, the information you seek is on the canadian government immigration website. cic.gc.ca - I believe.

I use to sell immigration a few years back so things might have changed.

Work Permit - you need a job offer.

PR - there is a points system based on age, education, work experience and certain jobs are now considered, the trade jobs were in big demand a few years back. So you might still be alright.

Alberta has different rules than the rest of Canada, meaning that there is a provincial program that can lead to PR. Manitoba also has similar rules.

Just a word of warning, you can take this with a grain of salt. I have heard rumours that there is a freeze on immigration right now.

(10-12-2013 02:21 PM)Salty Wrote:  Hi Swearbox, would like to know which route you took to become a PR. What age were you when you emigrated? Did you arrive via TFW program? And how long did the process take?

Reason being I'm a 44 yr old, uk citizen, plumber/gas engineer looking to make the move to Alberta, don't know which route to attempt tho! Do you need an offer of employment to come as a skilled worker? See you had military experience(served in the gulf myself, clearing the mines back in '88) but I gather you came over through your I.T qualifications.

Would value any info on which would be the quickest most successful route to achieving the move.

Regards
Salty

My circumstances were a bit different than most Salty. I met a Canadian girlie back in 2002 and between 2002 and 2005 I flitted back and forth across the pond to see her. Each time I came to Canada I stayed for varying lengths of time (up to 6 months maximum) just on a Brit passport that allows you to stay for 6 months without any special Visa arrangements.

When the time came I made arrangements to fly over on a one way ticket...I didn't tell the Canadians I was planning on staying...we bought a house here (my name wasn't on the mortgage) and then we applied for me to stay under the Common Law Partner route...so my girlie sponsored me to stay here. I shipped all of my shit here which arrived way before the Govt had decided to approve my application.

It took two yrs from leaving the UK to getting my permie res status....part of that time was time living together to qualify under the rules that determine whether or not you are deemed to be Coomon Law partners.

If you are in country when you apply for permie status it means they cannot kick you out of the country until they have arrived at a decision. If it takes longer than 6 months for them to decide (ie your visa will run out) you MUST apply to extend your visa stating that you have applied for PR status and are waiting for a decision. If you leave the country before they decide one way or another you may not get back in (until they have decided to approve your application). The rules may have changed now but that is my tale...hope it helps a bit :-)

SB

i've just heard a story where 200 Canadians (or immigrants who want to stay long term ) were fired to be replaced with TFW. There's enough unemployment across Canada to fill the need for workers, methinks.

The other thing is that we now have a network of people all over Alberta on this forum. Realize that Ft Mac is not the only option. The whole process of moving to Alberta and landing a job is not streamlined, it will take creativity and a will to try things.

RVF Oil Sands Crew meet up tomorrow, Sunday at The Pint off Whyte on 104 st (Calgary Trail) around 8pm, be there or be square.

God damn it I won't be in Edmonton this weekend!

(10-12-2013 05:38 PM)Swearbox Wrote:  My circumstances were a bit different than most Salty. I met a Canadian girlie back in 2002 and between 2002 and 2005 I flitted back and forth across the pond to see her. Each time I came to Canada I stayed for varying lengths of time (up to 6 months maximum) just on a Brit passport that allows you to stay for 6 months without any special Visa arrangements.

When the time came I made arrangements to fly over on a one way ticket...I didn't tell the Canadians I was planning on staying...we bought a house here (my name wasn't on the mortgage) and then we applied for me to stay under the Common Law Partner route...so my girlie sponsored me to stay here. I shipped all of my shit here which arrived way before the Govt had decided to approve my application.

It took two yrs from leaving the UK to getting my permie res status....part of that time was time living together to qualify under the rules that determine whether or not you are deemed to be Coomon Law partners.

If you are in country when you apply for permie status it means they cannot kick you out of the country until they have arrived at a decision. If it takes longer than 6 months for them to decide (ie your visa will run out) you MUST apply to extend your visa stating that you have applied for PR status and are waiting for a decision. If you leave the country before they decide one way or another you may not get back in (until they have decided to approve your application). The rules may have changed now but that is my tale...hope it helps a bit :-)

SB

Were you able to work during while waiting for the decision? If so, it seems like it might be a better route for euro guys than the working holiday scheme.

For anyone who knows, what kind of welding is typically most common in the oil sands? Is it fitting, fabrication or just plain jane welding?

(10-13-2013 05:53 AM)Magyarphile Wrote:  Were you able to work during while waiting for the decision? If so, it seems like it might be a better route for euro guys than the working holiday scheme.

Officially no because you don't get a SIN number (social insurance number) until they decide to let you stay plus you have no work permit either as the route in was relationship related not work related.

You can of course fly under the radar and do cash work only.

(10-13-2013 10:16 AM)Swearbox Wrote:  

(10-13-2013 05:53 AM)Magyarphile Wrote:  Were you able to work during while waiting for the decision? If so, it seems like it might be a better route for euro guys than the working holiday scheme.

Officially no because you don't get a SIN number (social insurance number) until they decide to let you stay plus you have no work permit either as the route in was relationship related not work related.

You can of course fly under the radar and do cash work only.

Darn. I imagine cash-only probably wouldn't fly in the oil sands. Any Canadian RVF guys have a sister they don't like? But in all seriousness, thanks for the replies SB, very helpful.

(10-13-2013 07:12 AM)MicTyson Wrote:  For anyone who knows, what kind of welding is typically most common in the oil sands? Is it fitting, fabrication or just plain jane welding?

All of the above, there's structural, process piping, etc. I usually work with the following codes: ASME B31.3 and B31.1, CSA W59, CSA Z662 and API650. On some job sites they use some advanced welding techniques such as orbital welding.

Does anyone know about instrumentation techs or power engineers? Recommend one over the other?

(10-14-2013 04:33 AM)cool Wrote:  Does anyone know about instrumentation techs or power engineers? Recommend one over the other?

Best thing to do is to go to google and type power engineering+forums and instrumentation+forums and read all that you can from the Alberta Outdoors Men Forum, 980 Tuners Forum, and Beyond.ca career forums. Quite a few power engineers and instrumentation techs post on those forums.

I was recently chatting with one guy that has his 4th class power engineering ticket and he regrets getting it. Says there are more jobs for instrumentation techs. SAIT, NAIT, and SIAST for that matter seem to be overwhelmed with power engineer students.

Everyone hears the kind of free time you can get from being a power engineer and are jumping on the boat. I thought about doing it for a bit, but there's no way I can go back to school full time for two years--I'd rather just get into a trade with on the job training. Unless things have changed, you can take the two year program at NAIT and come out with half of your 2nd class ticket. And from what I hear, the school in Fort Mac has a pretty good power engineering program as well. Hope this helps.

(10-14-2013 03:58 PM)Temm Wrote:  

(10-14-2013 04:33 AM)cool Wrote:  Does anyone know about instrumentation techs or power engineers? Recommend one over the other?

Best thing to do is to go to google and type power engineering+forums and instrumentation+forums and read all that you can from the Alberta Outdoors Men Forum, 980 Tuners Forum, and Beyond.ca career forums. Quite a few power engineers and instrumentation techs post on those forums.

I was recently chatting with one guy that has his 4th class power engineering ticket and he regrets getting it. Says there are more jobs for instrumentation techs. SAIT, NAIT, and SIAST for that matter seem to be overwhelmed with power engineer students.

Everyone hears the kind of free time you can get from being a power engineer and are jumping on the boat. I thought about doing it for a bit, but there's no way I can go back to school full time for two years--I'd rather just get into a trade with on the job training. Unless things have changed, you can take the two year program at NAIT and come out with half of your 2nd class ticket. And from what I hear, the school in Fort Mac has a pretty good power engineering program as well. Hope this helps.

Thanks Temm

Yeah, I was doing some googling for electrician last night and that led to reading some posts about instrumentation and power engineering.

Beyond.ca is a great resource, I agree.

Temm, can't you do your first year power engineering on-line? I don't know much about the trade but I work with power engineers all of the time, they are the operators on the job sites (refineries, power plants, chemical plants, etc). I do know that it can be a pretty sweet job though and very interesting, these guys have to know the inside and out of the plant they work at, or the unit they're in if its a big plant, tons of stuff to know and learn. Also, these guys work directly for the company, unlike me as a contractor so they get some nice perks too and some awesome schedules if they work up north.

I know that at a lot of sites up in the Mac, the guys who work directly for an oil company usually work 7/7 so basically they work half the year but most start out with 3 weeks of vacation each year, so if you take your week off in between your weeks off, then you'll have three 3 week vacations per year, not a bad deal!

I just worked a small ten day shut down at a plant site just outside of Red Deer and I think it was the best damn site I've ever worked on, what really impressed me was that everyone who worked there was so happy and good to work for. Its a small fertilizer plant where they do something with nitrogen and the place was super clean (unlike the sites up in Fort Mac, which are fucking filthy!), the client provided a catered supper every night and gave us all hats, multi-tools, pens and had a draw for a $50 gift card everyday. PLus we worked 13 hour shifts so the money was good too. The plant site was called Agrium and they have sites all over Alberta and Saskatchewan, I'd recommend checking them out if any of you get into power engineering.

I'm actually in the process of upgrading my skills and will likely switch trades in the next two years or so, I may go the self contracting route or I may try to get on directly with a company in the Edmonton area, we'll see. I'm waiting to see what happens with this big site they're supposed to be building in Red Water, if it kicks off next year then I'll have around four years of steady work and good pay in Etown, I may even get a chance to have a "normal" life for once!

(10-14-2013 05:50 PM)cool Wrote:  

(10-14-2013 03:58 PM)Temm Wrote:  

(10-14-2013 04:33 AM)cool Wrote:  Does anyone know about instrumentation techs or power engineers? Recommend one over the other?

Best thing to do is to go to google and type power engineering+forums and instrumentation+forums and read all that you can from the Alberta Outdoors Men Forum, 980 Tuners Forum, and Beyond.ca career forums. Quite a few power engineers and instrumentation techs post on those forums.

I was recently chatting with one guy that has his 4th class power engineering ticket and he regrets getting it. Says there are more jobs for instrumentation techs. SAIT, NAIT, and SIAST for that matter seem to be overwhelmed with power engineer students.

Everyone hears the kind of free time you can get from being a power engineer and are jumping on the boat. I thought about doing it for a bit, but there's no way I can go back to school full time for two years--I'd rather just get into a trade with on the job training. Unless things have changed, you can take the two year program at NAIT and come out with half of your 2nd class ticket. And from what I hear, the school in Fort Mac has a pretty good power engineering program as well. Hope this helps.

Thanks Temm

Yeah, I was doing some googling for electrician last night and that led to reading some posts about instrumentation and power engineering.

Beyond.ca is a great resource, I agree.

You're welcome bud. Seriously, check out the Alberta Outdoorsmen Forum. Lot of power engineers on that site and they all love it--it's just trying to get a foot in the door. You know how that goes.

(10-14-2013 06:11 PM)scotian Wrote:  Temm, can't you do your first year power engineering on-line?

Hey man, from what I understand, you can do it all by correspondence--but it's the time in an actual plant that you have to worry about. If you take the two year course, all your labs at SAIT and NAIT count for steam time. When you take the course online, you have to setup your own steam time, which is very difficult from what I hear.

There's two parts to every level in power engineering (part A and B). You can't take part B of your 4th class or any other classes I believe until you have so much steam time in a plant or do the SAIT or NAIT labs--the labs at SAIT and NAIT fill up fast!

I was going to take the correspondence route via NAIT and started contacting plants here in Saskatchewan for steam time, forget about it. They were like, "you have to go through SIAST (which has no online option) or we won't even look at you". It's BS like this that makes me hate this province lol.

Every power engineer I've talked to loves it though, especially those that are outdoorsmen. If you can get your 3rd or even 2nd, sounds like you can have it made. Work 7 nights and then 7 days, then be off. Some of those guys are like, "I only work 6 months out of the year".

Medicine Hat College is another option as well for power engineering--I heard they have a brand new state of the art lab, so another option if anyone's interested. To me it just seems really saturated at the lower level (4th class) and getting steam time is tough by correspondence. But there are guys that have done it by contacting pulp mills, breweries, and hospitals and volunteering there services for free.

SIAST offers a power engineering program in Saskatoon but you have to apply between Oct. 1 and Feb. 15. I know one guy that took power engineering in Swift Current but had to do his lab (only 3 weeks) in Saskatoon which he said was crappy.

Anyone applying for next years visa, this was just posted:

"The 2014 International Experience Canada initiative will not open before mid/end November 2013."
http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/ger...spx?view=d

Hey everyone, great thread making the move and driving down from Montreal starting of November but not before I fly in for a job fair on the 28th of October.

Read the thread but couldn't find a specific answer so if anybody knows if it is worth it too buy a pick-up in Montreal and then bring it down to Edmonton? I'm looking at the prices on kijiji Edmonton and the prices of those pick-ups are marked up at least 25% from what I would pay over here.

Anyone have any experience importing other vehicles from out of province??

My plan is to Swap my Mazda 3 for a pick-up then drive it down with all my stuff and get it plated in Alberta. Since you guys on this thread stressed multiple times how important it is too have a vehicle i'd figure I might as well have a truck than a dinky car. thoughts?

Non, tu vas payer plus en taxes et en inspections (et surtout en assurances??) et en gaz que si tu achetais ici. Si tu achetés en dehors de la province faut faire faire une inspection. Sinon oui, c'est mieux avec un truck.

Où vas tu pour la career fair?

(10-17-2013 02:15 PM)donnie514 Wrote:  Hey everyone, great thread making the move and driving down from Montreal starting of November but not before I fly in for a job fair on the 28th of October.

Read the thread but couldn't find a specific answer so if anybody knows if it is worth it too buy a pick-up in Montreal and then bring it down to Edmonton? I'm looking at the prices on kijiji Edmonton and the prices of those pick-ups are marked up at least 25% from what I would pay over here.

Anyone have any experience importing other vehicles from out of province??

My plan is to Swap my Mazda 3 for a pick-up then drive it down with all my stuff and get it plated in Alberta. Since you guys on this thread stressed multiple times how important it is too have a vehicle i'd figure I might as well have a truck than a dinky car. thoughts?

PanzerTape, ici on parle anglais haha

Donnie514, the truck would be nice but it isn't an absolute necessity, especially if its gonna take a big bite out of your savings. I got by with no ride for the first year then drove a 2000 Toyota Echo for two years before getting a truck. As long as you can get yourself around whatever city you live in to hand out resumes and once hired, drive yourself to the shop, you'll be fine.

I see that you're in Colombia now, I'll be there in mid-November, hope you're having a good time down there.