Home - Journal - Married foreign retirees seeking immigration to Canada

Posted on Jun. 27th 2008 at 03:16 am EDT (37 views, 0 comments)

Hello fellow bloggers,

My wife and I are both retired and resident in Luxembourg. We are very much interested in migrating to British Columbia. I contribute to a private health insurance scheme, which effectively means that my own and my wife’s medical expenses are covered as to between 80% and 90% worldwide, implying no economic downside for Canada’s welfare budget.


I am a 68-year-old linguist (British national). As well as having led the English Translation Division of Europe’s World Bank for close on 30 years,I have taught French and English to adults. I still work occasionally for my previous employer (the European Investment Bank - EIB) on a freelance basis. The EIB pays me a pension sufficient for day-to-day living in Canada.

My Russian wife Tamara (aged 57) has a PhD in mining engineering.

Two years ago, I published a fiction thriller novel subsidised by Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture. I am currently finishing off a second fiction novel.

Tamara is busy in her retirement producing a variety of art and craft work.


We have no relatives living in Canada. As we both finished working over five years ago, we fail to qualify for immigration under Canada's provincial nominee programmes and would probably have to seek immigrant status as federal skilled workers. However, employment opportunities are few and far between on monster and other Canadian job seekers’ websites for older people with our qualifications. I have also been informed that, unlike Europe where cross-border recognition of professional qualifications is normal, it is impossible to practise translation or teaching in Canada on the strength of non-Canadian qualifications.

Have other bloggers useful suggestions to offer?

One idea that came to us was to buy an art gallery or bed and breakfast business in BC, but we have no previous commercial experience in either of these fields, and perhaps the Canadian authorities would neither authorise us to make any such purchase nor treat it as a step along the road to earning right of residence.

I should add that we are both fit and loo forward to contributing, if given the chance, to local community life in Canada.

Immigration/commercial advice would be appreciated.


Martin & Tamara Thiebaut