Quote:
Originally Posted by cornholio
And this is a problem. Yes on one hand it is good to give companies flexibility with their specialized employees that cant be replaced and are required to move around for the company to function, on the other hand this flexibility is severly abused. Unless a software developer is training workers here or managing a project there is no way a work permit can be justified. This is something the federal government needs to crack down on because companies won't change their ways and employees coming over can't be blamed. As for debugx I hope he and his family have a great stay here and enjoy the city and make allot of money, etc. I also hope he is not undercutting local wages and makes well over 100k as a obviously specialized and irreplaceable employee that can't be found here...or at the very least well above average salary...because if this is not the case then I would really be pissed at the feds/company.  |
And then the company folds up and leaves Canada and we get no benefit. Your opinion works in concept but in reality and practice it doesn't. Being difficult on new permits for immigrants that don't have a job I am all for if there are Canadians capable of doing it. But it is impossible in today's global economy to limit a company from moving someone around.
Remember though (and my wife works in a global mining company) they still have to go through an LMO process to bring their own works over. It is easier to get it accepted but they DO get denied. So it isn't like we are rampant with immigrants taking Canadian jobs out there.
There is a segment of the Canadian population that is just pure lazy. Wants $200,000 to sit on their behinds. And the one thing a lot of immigrants do bring to the table is a willingness to work more for less money and that makes them unfortunately more attractive than those that don't.
As to answering the question directly;
If you're willing to commute, I would strongly suggest looking out in the suburbs not in Vancouver to move. Vancouver is a luxury to live in unfortunately and unless you're making a fair chunk of cash, it may be difficult to feel comfortable living there. Richmond can be a tad expensive but if the only reason people are saying not to move there is because it is "Chinese" then they need to give their heads a shake.
If you and your family are wordly and open to other cultures, living close to your work could be a large benefit and it would most likely be cheaper to live in Richmond than in Vancouver. East Vancouver is cheaper but I'd argue your commute will probably be longer.
Most software companies in Richmond are located on Knight Street in that stretch by the highway so SkyTrain doesn't really benefit you a great deal. You'd have Bus --> SkyTrain --> Bus to work and every hop adds a good 5-10 minutes to your commute above and beyond.
So I'd look at Richmond or possibly North Delta / Surrey along Scott Road. Maybe even New Westminster around Queensborough. Then get a car and commute in the morning like everyone else. Really you need to look up your company and where they sit on a map then look around based on that. Richmond is primarily Asian culture, North Delta / Surrey along the Scott Road stretch will be a mix of white and Indian.
Those are my thoughts.
As for Vancouver itself, married to an immigrant who has a lot of friends not from Canada, Vancouver has a reputation of being snobby as has been touched on. It isn't "shy" it is "snobby" meaning people from here tend to not include others or open up their social circles. You will find it easier to meet friends with other immigrants and more than likely, from within your own company if it has a culture of diversity. But just walking around on the street can be a bit difficult unless you're extroverted and persistent.
It is a beautiful city though and I don't entirely agree with the wages being low. Vancouver's (the city itself) problem isn't low waged, it is high housing prices. That's why the majority of people are 'migrating' out to the suburbs and the region has gone from 60% people living in Vancouver to less than 40% now and dropping. With current trends there will be a time when only 20% of the region's population will actually live in Vancouver and everyone else will live outside where they can afford a place to live. That's the problem not the wages.
And finally, a note on a few people being picky about him coming here on a working visa, he is moving his entire family here so it sounds to me like someone committed to giving it a go in Canada. Remember we get a lot of people (including my wife) with great skills that come to Canada and set down roots eventually becoming permanent residents. Each of them (for the most part) contribute to our society and make it better. Are there immigrants that abuse the system? Sure. Are there locals born and raised in Vancouver that also abuse the system? Absolutely. So the word "immigrant" or the term "working visa" isn't a bad thing in my eyes simply because the media recently has been harping on the coal mine worker LMO issue that happened. That's typical news reporting on a small issue but out of context it makes it seem hugely bad. Almost everyone on these forums works with a few people that are originally from another country. Would you tell them to go back to their country and give their job to a 'real Canadian'? You wouldn't dream of it. So I'm not sure why a segment of the population these days seems to say the exact same thing automatically when they hear someone is from another country.
We live in a global economy and a global world. Get over it.
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I seriously want to learn how to speak with a Russian accent, it'd totally throw people off to see an Asian and hear a Russian accent.
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