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Moving From CANADA To JAMAICA

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deiselsmom
  3/29/2008 01:53 EST

Hey all
I am moving in June to Jamaica and wanted to get some positive insight from anyone that has done this already. I am also bringing my Niece, cousin & Aunt & dog with me

sharlyn
  3/31/2008 17:43 EST

Hi there
I'm Canadian. We have been in Jamaica since 2005. What would you like to know? Where will you be living?

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affordableweb
  4/1/2008 17:57 EST

We moved to Negril from Florida in July 2007. I have a blog at http://www.JamaicaMAX.com with lots of information about moving to and living in Jamaica.

I work online and live here on the West End with my wife and two sons. Where will you be? Are you working here? Do you have to quarantine your dog for 6 months?

deiselsmom
  4/3/2008 01:27 EST

I will be staying in Anchovy for the first month and then I will be in Santa Cruz. Where are you?

deiselsmom
  4/3/2008 01:57 EST

Well some sad news I won't be able to bring my dog with me right away they have to go to the UK for 6 months then they will be transported to JA because you can not import a dog from Canada or the US it is against the law. However you may from the UK so I am lucky enough that my sister lives there and is willing to watch them for that time!
I am going to be in Anchovy to start with for 2 months but then I will be in Santa Cruz which is where some very close friends of mine have a bar/club I am gouing to help manage

Majestik
  4/6/2008 19:41 EST

Hello,

I am also interested in moving to Jamaica... I'd like to go as soon as possible but I just can't find a way. I'm a certified teacher and recently applied for a teaching job in Jamaica--so I'm hoping that will pan out...really, really hoping... Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might find a job there? I have to find a way to go... I can't stop thinking about it...

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Traciculture
  7/6/2008 19:54 EST

Hi,
I too am relocating to Jamaica in the early fall. I was just there for three weeks in the middle of June.
Where to start.
I have always loved Jamaica I have been going for years, I have spent time in Negril, Westmorland, Salv le Mar, Caldwell and several other little parts of the beautiful Countryside of Jamaica. I thought it was heaven.
This last visit I was in Kingston, Harborview, to be exact. My life partner of eleven years is from Kingston and he and I have lived in Canada for that amount of time. He is now there for family business and I have decided to join him with my two teenage daughters and five chihuahua's.
I have many things to say:
First, Kingston is an industrial city, geared for business people. There are no coral beaches, white sand or smells of jerk chicken in the air. Because I am white, and Canadian, every one thinks I have money and will expect you to give to them in higher quantities than the locals. Prime example: went to the Bob Marley Museum in New Kingston, where it was five hundred jamaican dollars for the locals and 1800 jamaican dollars for non locals.
This happens everywhere. For the most part I was stared at so much and felt uncomfortable in my skin that there were times I wanted to scream: Have you never seen a white person before. I have never had this experience and have travelled extensively all over the world. My children are mixed as their father is black and I have been in many 'black communities' where I felt more welcomed.
Thank God for my partners family, because they were very loving and welcoming.
With that said, I have decided not to live in the area of Kingston, but to relocate to Mandeville. This is a beautiful area and the prices for houses to rent range from 200 canadian per month to 4000 canadian per month.
Re Dogs: The Jamaican high commision states that under any circumstances, there are no dogs to be let in to Jamaica unless they are born and bred from the British Isle. No dogs from Canada or the U.S. or any other country are allowed in due to the problem with rabies. Jamaica does not have vaccinations against rabies and do not want any other infections brought into the country.
This is devastating, because as we all know, dogs are part of our family. I have spoken to the director of the vetrinarian services in Kingston and he has told me to write a letter asking for special consideration. This is a fifty fifty surity that my dog will or won't be allowed in.
Re Schooling: After much research I have decided to have my children do correspondance from the computer. This will insure that if we come back to Canada they will be accredited for their grade as well , the adjustment for a "foreign student going into the jamaican schoolboard can be tough socially as well as educationally. Each country has contacts for your children to do their school work online, like a distance ed, and you just have to pay for their books. If you have money a private school could also be considered. There are two private schools in the Kingston area and they are five thousand canadian a year.
Cost of living: Is very high in jamaica, the food is comparable to Canadian prices, the cars are at par and the price of gas is as you know ridiculous. Make sure to have a safety net of cash if one needs to get medical assistance or some other emergency because the government is not handing out money, like in Canada.
With all of that said, there are many positive aspects of living in jamaica as well.
Beauty: when travelling the island of Ja, the beautiful fauna and flora will capture you with its beauty. Negril's seven mile beach is absolutely breath taking and the sun sets captivating. If you are relocating to Negril or Montego Bay, you will meet very friendly people who are used to tourists and who will make you feel very welcome.
Culture: Jamaican culture is rich with traditionalism and envelopes modernity within certain social groups. What I like most about the culture is that the Jamaican people promote high ethical standards when it comes to education, and working. This is taken very seriously as in schools they are uniformed and most people who work within the working class system are well dressed, hardly late, and rarely call in sick. This is because people in Jamaica have it rough as there are no social services for children, women or seniors. Therefore, they work their butts off to try and survive, which is more than I can say for some westerners. Children come first with most of the women in Jamaica, dinner is cooked at noon and breakfast is provided each day with a hot drink. While some Jamaican women are poor, they will do what they can to provide food and shelter for their kids, I respect this.
Anyways, I could go on and on and on, but I will stop here and hope that some of what I am saying can be of help.

mamiblondy
  2/4/2014 17:20 EST

Hi! I'd like to know if you find a way to bring your dog to jamaica? Im from canada and my husband wanna go back live in jamaica. But the probleme is that i have 2 dogs and im desesperate to find a way to bring them with us... Thanks for your time!

lala718
  2/5/2014 08:08 EST

Here is the information from the Jamaican Custom website-"Importation of pets or other animals will require a permit from the Veterinary Division of the Ministry of Agriculture prior to importation. It should be noted that in the case of dogs only those born and bred in the United Kingdom may be imported to Jamaica. Certification to this effect must be obtained from the relevant authority in the U.K."
Hope this helps.

LoriB
  2/5/2014 17:50 EST

Even if you could bring them they are subject to a long quarantine. Think long and hard if you want to submit your beloved pets to the stress of that.

TanTan
  4/1/2014 21:20 EST

May I ask about your online work? As I want to move to Jamaica and know jobs are little to none.

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kdawn
  6/23/2017 14:11 EST

id love to hear your experience??? what do you do for work? housing prices? ect..

kdawn
  6/23/2017 14:20 EST

Great post!!

How do you find it looking for work and such.. I am a single women with 4 children and i've been thinking of relocating for awhile.. I absolutely love it there but know it will be different living there.

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