london uk skater emmigrating

[skooly]

could do with a littlt help with a few ?'s regarding getting outa london to visit vancouver with the aim of moving my bussiness and family out there full time.
ive had alook at various websites ,bout immigration etc n  passed all the assesments but still have a few unanswerd ?'s.
im a full uk passport holder so am i right in thinking that i dont need a visa?
i have a criminal history last offence being a driving ban -back in 2004. ive got some other shit on it to,minor drug possetion and some other minor crap-but nothing heavy ive never been in prison,just falling about as u do as teenager.
i aim to hopefully buy land and build a skatepark indoor/out door and transfer my motorcycle workshop bussiness out there.
as long asi can get in with my criminal history crap being okay,im gona come over with my familly in the fall for a vacation-i'll leave the wife to shop n check out vancouver whilst i look for land/property and a home.
ive checked out a few spots online that are in van- but im gona build a concrete park anyway.
i have no idea on prices of materials and labour out there but i have a budget of $600k to build a park n buy a home with im hoping that'll be enough.
if any 1 can help me out with any advise or point me in the write direction with this plan it would be much appriated.

[OLDSKATERS]

Hey Skooly

I did it, I moved out to Vancouver Island (4 hours from Vancouver) 3 years ago. It took 5 years from submitting the paperwork via a Vancouver based immigration lawyer to get the go ahead to become a permanent resident....so if you're doing it, you'd better be prepared to wait a long time.....otherwise you'll only get a maximum 6 month tourist visa and can't work (legally)

There are a couple of really good skatepark builders out here;

Spectrum (http://www.spectrum-sk8.com/) based in North Vancouver, build some amazing parks, including my local - http://www.spectrum-sk8.com/parks/bc/island/courtenay-comox.html

New Line (http://www.newlineskateparks.com/) based in Langley (Vancouver suburb) have also built locally, including Tofino on the west coast of the island.

In Vancouver there are two shops you'll need to visit to get an idea of what's going on over there, talk to Michelle at Antisocial on Main St and PD at PD's Hot Shop/Skull Skates on West 4th

The housing market in Metro Vancouver is insane, perhaps even more so than in London, but as with all of North America is on the edge of recession due to oil/sub prime mortgages etc so now is a better time to buy than sell...

Drop me a note and I'll see what I can do to help (tony@oldskaters.com)

Cheers
Tony

[skooly]

thanx for yr help tony.
i spoke to the canadian embassy in london,told them my plans over the internet,they called me back n said i should be able to get in within 3 months!
i was amazed-i was thinking that i we had a few good points on our side as i was bringing an exsisting bussiness over,aiming to start another (sk8prk) and buy property-with a 600k budget,plus my wifes grandfather lives in van.

im hoping to live on the coast with a beach front property or anything right on the pacifics water edge,failing that if the prices are to crazy then maybe some where a little more inland -but i gota have water on  door step-(wakeboarding etc)
my 1 bed apartment here in north london is worth $300k.do u think id be able to buy something on the island for that kinda budget?
im hopefully gona come over in november for a couple of weeks,grab a v8 at the airport n have a look around whilst i leave the wife n kid to have a relaxed vaction.
do you know what the surfs like there in van.?-or any sites where i can get details on the surf in van.?

cheers tony yr help is much appriated-( sorry bout da spelling!)

[OLDSKATERS]

Wow, sounds like the waiting list is a lot shorter now than it was back in 2000!

Here's a site that shows surf conditions, as well as a load of info on skatespots on the island: http://coastalbc.com

There's no surf beach in Vancouver itself, although there's good skimboarding at Spanish Banks - most folks travel to Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island for big waves (http://www.gotofino.com/)

Here's a link to a realtors site that'll help with house hunting: http://www.mls.ca/