For some reason DBAs contact me (mainly on LinkedIn) and ask about moving to Canada: how to move, how to look for a job, how the tech industry is, etc.
This has happened a few times already, and I really don’t know what in my profile makes people think that I’m qualified to help. However, I’ve decided to write this post to answer some basic questions the best I can (and I’m really not the person to ask, so don’t hold me liable for anything at all).
Working in Canada
This is probably the most important thing, and this is why I wrote it first. Canadians are really (really) nice and pleasant, but under no circumstances do you want to mess with the authorities. Working illegally is definitely not recommended. The way to work in Canada is one of three: holding a work permit, being a permanent resident (PR), or being a Canadian citizen. These are the options and that’s basically it (as far as I know). Since I guess the people that contact me do not have any of these statuses, let’s move on. But before I do I want to say that I mention here only a very few things related to immigration and this also changes all the time. If you really want to check this option the best thing would be to go to the Canada immigration website, it’s very useful and contains all the information you need.
Work permit
There are a few ways to get a work permit, like studying in Canada or if your spouse is working or studying in Canada. Young people sometimes get accepted to study here (full time degree, without working at the same time), and in some cases after they graduate they can apply for a work permit and continue from there. I got my work permit because my wife got accepted as a PhD student here in Vancouver, and as her husband I got a work permit automatically.
Some employers would be willing to go through the hassle and provide assistance with work permit, but I don’t know how common this is. Usually employers are looking for employees that are allowed to work in Canada legally.
Canadian permanent resident (PR)
There are a few options to get a Canadian PR, and I don’t want to go into this too much because a) as I said, I am not qualified and b) it changes all the time. Again, the Canada Immigration website will be your friend here and it will list the different options including requirements and process. In general I think Express Entry is probably one of the most common ways to go. You’ll need an English test, provide documents (e.g. marriage, passports, birth certificates, education, Canadian work experience if you have any) and the basic process is to accumulate points and cross a certain threshold. There are other options as well, but again I won’t get into this. You can go through the PR process from within Canada (as we did) or even outside of Canada and come into Canada as a PR.
Canadian citizenship
The last step is to get citizenship. For that you have to be in Canada a certain amount of time as a PR, and then again, some paperwork, maybe English test (depends on the case) and if you do everything correctly and pass the citizenship test, you officially become a Canadian.
General Notes
If you are detailed oriented and your English is good (and your situation is fairly uncomplicated), you can probably go through the entire process alone. You will need to make sure you have all the documents and that you don’t miss anything, otherwise your application might be rejected and you’ll be requested to start all over again. In other cases, you can always use immigration consultants (not me…) or lawyers, just make sure they are qualified and good as they cost quite a lot of money.
Tech Industry
I live in Vancouver, BC, that’s on the west coast of Canada and you need to understand that Canada is huge (the 2nd largest country in the world). When people ask me about moving to Ontario I don’t have answers as this is on the other side (like 5 hours flight from me) and everything might be a lot different there. Canada is divided into provinces and territories and each one has its own laws and standards (much like states in the USA I guess).
Regarding the tech industry, most of the enterprises are on the east side (Ontario, Quebec). BC has much less of that. However, BC has an emerging startup industry so that might be appealing to developers (startups are generally not likely to look for DBAs, unless they are directly related to the DB world). The cost of living here is quite high as well (real estate is credulously expensive). So it’s important to check employment options before you move.
Summary
I hope this helped you if you are thinking about Canada as an option to immigrate to. In any case, check the Canada immigration website I mentioned before and/or consult with an immigration lawyer/consultant. Good luck!
