dave_j

Ooohh it's a fine line and one that can be easily misunderstood. It's a little like the glass half full/half empty argument

My constructive criticism is your moaning and vice versa.

I constantly criticise canadian drivers and their dangerous habits, I criticise pedestrians and the way they fail to look where they're going and I have mentioned the way CIC ignores it's own regulations but I think I'm entitled to that. You might interpret this as moaning, explaining that that's how it is here and I understand that, but it doesn't mean that it can't be improved after all that's how we, as a species, managed to take what was originally a chinese firework and develop the awesome AR15. You might not consider that a constructive argument and the recent spate of killings in the US has generated column feet of criticism, but should we simply keep quiet because that's the way it is or should we add our voices to the dictates of common sense?

No doubt there are whinging pommes out there and perhaps they shouldn't have cast their fate to the canadian wind but there are others who see sharp corners that would be better rounded off and aren't afraid to say so.

But I take your point about the weather, I would never have followed my daughter had she moved to live under 20 feet of snow for six months of the year. As for food, I do comment from time to time of the bland canadian palate, I don't moan about it because I have the ability to cook for myself but I do like the odd burger even if they must put leaves, twigs and all manner of squirty foul tasting vegetable matter in it.

BristolUK

Sort of opposite but the same

Those enjoying and those not - two opposites but neither searching for BE just to say so.

scilly

I found this site accidentally some years ago when looking for something else.

I joined thinking I might learn something I didn't know ........... and I've certainly learnt how much more difficult it is to immigrate into Canada than it was 50 years ago.

I've also learnt how lucky we have been in being able to immigrate here.

But I'm so glad to realise from this thread that it was not just this long-time resident that has been taken aback by the entitlement that some potential immigrants seem to have just because they are British and therefore have the right to come here.

I've also learnt how many people expect Canada to be just like Britain, because after all we're both in the Commonwealth.


Does anyone know whether potential immigrants to Australia or NZ feel the same way??

I do know from our year down there that Australians are, or were, much less forgiving of Britons who kept saying "it (whatever "it" was) is better back home".

Australian friends and relations told us to keep quiet about being of British origin, but that was impossible because of my strong Lancashire accent!

Instead, we made sure that a) our Canadian pins were worn all the time, and b) that we mentioned as soon as possible that we were Canadians

beckiwoo

That was a waste of time.

I’ve met some people out here that did this as well.

I think that what got me was the amount of IEC people that thought they could just extend the permit.

Shard

Why more difficult? Is it because of the internet which enables people to keep a foot back in the old country/culture? Or the more diverse society that now exists? Maybe it's not more difficult?

rivingtonpike

I can't remember the name of the poster now, but a few years ago there was a poster representing her whole family who was almost delusional that they couldn't get a visa in the time frame of 8 weeks she'd allowed for the process. If I remember correctly they weren't eligible for a visa at all. She simply couldn't accept that as good yeoman stock Canada wasn't grateful and welcoming with open arms a family that was prepared to make the move; "what do you mean I need a work visa? Well just give me one then and I'll be on my way".

Is there sometimes a "Smug Club" here on BE luck of those of us who "made the grade" and then there is the "Oh Well, better next time club" who don't make it? I'm sure you're lovely people, but I'm afraid that isn't enough. Our club has criteria that I'm afraid you don't meet.

Sometimes the arrogance of expectation is almost amusing. Other times, there is what I think is a genuinely sad, almost tragic, reality that you simply aren't going to meet whatever criteria are in your way. I often look out of my home office window at the trees and sky and think - that could have been me.

Would we have been happy if we'd stayed in England, moved out of London and replicated what we have here in some Cotswold village? probably....are we happy where we are? You bet we are. Life has been absurdly kind to us. Opportunity has exceeded all expectations.

Thank you Canada!

uk_grenada

I dont believe it. Whinging is an important part of the british psyche. As one matures, you learn more, so naturally there is more to whinge about. Think about some of our most popular tv, faulty towers, one foot in the grave, actually anything with john cleese [anyone seen his new bbc sitcom series ?]

The most amusing thing is so nany furriners just dont get it, along with satire and sarcasm.

uk_grenada

The country that surprises me is Danish, they appear scandanavian on the face of it but are some of the funniest racists i know. This says its dutch - it isnt - made for the danes originally. Clue - its an advert for a language training school

Shard

For example ?

uk_grenada

Never mind, theres always someone who doesnt believe it. I’ll just settle for real maple syrup [esp when i use it to make bacon] and canadian coors light adverts.

Pulaski

It's one of those two-variable quadrant things - you are a member of BE, or you are not, and you complain about the immigration process, or you do not, and the two matters are largely independent of each other. ..... Looks like this (this is an example, the details not relevant to this particular discussion.)

I agree that people probably don't join BE just to complain.

My "opposite" proposition is that people who didn't have a problem with the immigration process immigrating to Canada may be under-represented on BE, as compared to your "complainer and member of BE" quadrant.

Shard

That's a good diagram.

scrubbedexpat091

I found the overall process easy, takes a while, but it wasn't hard. Took me about a week to prepare the paperwork, and about a month to collect all the documents CIC wanted.

Start to finish took around 14 months, but I was inland which took way longer. At around the 11th month mark, I did receive a work permit.

My time frame did exceed the processing time, but the RCMP was holding up my application by not providing CIC with whatever info they needed, but eventually it was and things moved.


After over a decade here now, and living in a couple provinces and a number of different city's, I have never found a spot I felt was home or that I fit in, and can't say anywhere I have lived thus far is enjoyable or offers much other then a high cost of living which prevents a decent quality of life since all you do is work to pay rent and bills, leaving little to nothing left to actually do anything but stay home.

I find Canada overall a difficult place to succeed if one isn't well off financially.

jerryhung

+1

Just because you start a process doesn't mean you understand fully what it entails or can't complain

scilly

I meant the actual process of getting admitted to Canada.

No taking years and lots of money, or having to prove that we had funds to support ourselves here.

OH had a job interview in mid-March, was offered the position at the interview. We were accepted into Canada in the first week of April .......... and could have been up here at that point, except we had notices to give, work to finish. We entered Canada on August 22 1968.

OK, so OH was offered a job at a university on a 2 year contract with the immense salary of $10,000 per year. That helped

All we had to do was drive from Texas to Denver Colorado to keep an appointment with a Consular official. All he was interested in was that OH had a job, but he also had too much education (age 4 - 25 = 21 years, only allowed 18 ) ........ so the last 3 years were removed from discussion. The fact that those 3 years were the ones during which he'd obtained his PhD meant nothing.

I was tagged on as "spouse"

If my memory serves me right after this length of time, I think we had a 1 hour appointment, signed some forms verifying that we had told the truth, and were told we would receive our visas and "other forms" within 6 weeks.

As it happened, there was a long postal strike in Canada, we didn't receive the visas before we left Texas, arrived at Peace Arch, told the Immigration officer that we were immigrating but had no proof ......... he waved us through with a smile and a "That's happening at the moment. The envelope will be at your place of work."

Unfortunately, it was not there, so we had to drive back to Peace Arch, park on the Canadian side, and walk into the Immigration office, where the forms were in the Out box waiting to be picked up. The Officer just handed the envelope to us, and said "here you are".

We had no idea that a narrow white strip of paper should have been stapled into each passport ........ we put it into a safe place, and travelled everywhere with no proof that we really were PRs until we got citizenship in 1974 and our Canadian passports. We didn't have any PR cards.


Plus we didn't have to do any tests or go before a judge to get citizenship.



That's what I meant about how much more difficult it is to immigrate to Canada now compared with then.