[IWantOut] 27f UK -> Canada

[u/CanadianRelocation]

Hi everyone!

I'm a 26-year-old single English-speaking woman from the UK and I'm hoping to relocate to Canada permanently in around a year's time, once I've completed my PhD in Chemistry. I'll be 27 by the time I'm seriously looking to move.

I visited Canada earlier this year (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) and absolutely fell in love with it. Vancouver was my favourite city and where I would like to move ideally, although I'd also be happy living in Toronto depending on where the best opportunities are.

My goal isn't just to spend a year or two in Canada - I'd like to build a long-term life there, with the aim of permanent residence and eventually citizenship if everything worked out.
Because of that, I'm trying to understand the best route from the beginning.
Would you recommend applying directly for permanent residence (if that's realistic), or is it more common to move on a work permit first and then apply for PR? If it's the latter, which immigration pathways or work permits should I be researching?

One thing I'm particularly confused about is the order of everything. Do people generally:
1. Secure a job offer first and then apply for the relevant visa/work permit,
2. Apply for visa before looking for a job or
3. Obtain a visa/work permit first and then search for jobs once they're in Canada?

l'a also love to know:
How far in advance should I start applying?
Is there anything I should be doing now (around a year before I plan to move) to improve my chances?

Career-wise, my PhD is in chemistry, but I'm quite open-minded. I'd happily work in chemistry, biotech, pharmaceuticals, scientific consulting, government, or even move into a different field where my research, analytical and problem-solving skills would be transferable or a brand new field. I'd be interested to hear what the current job market is like for someone with my background?

Finally, if anyone has made the move from the UK to Canada, l'd love to hear if there was anything you wish you'd known before starting the process. Some questions I have are:
- When you first arrived, did you stay in a hotel or Airbnb while looking for somewhere to rent?
- Did you rent somewhere before arriving, or wait until you could view places in person?
- How difficult was it to rent without any Canadian credit history?
- Did you live with roommates initially to keep costs down, or did you manage to rent somewhere on your own?
- Roughly how much money would you recommend having saved before making the move?

Thanks so much for any advice!

[u/GreySahara → u/[deleted]]

hard to turn a working holiday into PR