Probably best not to repeat the above to someone who is say ...... scared of flying

I'd seriously consider Australia in that case.

We came on recce, hubby got offered a job and we moved, not having experienced a winter before. It's not that bad as the sun shines most days, -18 does feel pretty warm after -40 and -8 your wearing t-shirts and commenting on how warm it is as you pass other dog walkers going the other way, the snow is bright and sparkly, the sky is bright and blue.

On another note, when you have to make the inevitable trips back, it's not quite so far to go.

Or you can take the approach of alienating everyone before you leave by continually telling them how wonderful Canada is ... worked for me, haven't been back since I landed.

Like your approach but sometime in the future you (as in anyone who is reading this) are likely to have to go back for family funerals, it happened to us twice last year, both very unexpected. It's very easy to think 'Oh it's only 8 hours away by plane' but the reality is very different, it was a day and a half days before we could get hubby on the 1st flight home and then he flew through the night - so much easier than I could imagine trying to do the same from Australia/New Zealand.

Before you get too caught up with weather or fear of flying issues, the first thing you should do is go to the two governments' websites and find out if you are eligible for immigration. Both countries are slowly tightening up their borders.

Awesome advice that should be heeded.

You should also reflect upon why you're considering emigrating. In many cases the concerns that push you toward leaving your home country just follow you to the new one.

thanks for advice, yes we have checked out the websites a while back and we are led to think that my husbands job would have a reasonable chance of getting into canada. but then, how will we ever know until we apply!! u wont know if you dont try as they say.

we have a great life here to be honest, excellent school for the 3 children and one too young yet. husbands job is well paid and he is excellent at it to boot! however, he has missed out on the kids growing up(early years) as the oldest is 8 now. he works every weekend and can work a huge chunk of the year at 70 hours a week plus(this is why its good money). often he stays away from home at very short notice. we are scottish but have lived in england for 10 years, so being away form relatives isnt a problem, we do very well actually.


so to sum it all up, my husband is slowly disliking this country more and more(as many of us here are!) and doesnt want to miss out on anymore of the kids growing up. he sees it as a better life for us and his children in cananda and it doesnt seem to be set at this pace we are at here right now(which is go go go!!!) just to spend the weekend with them instead of getting up at 3am and not home till 9, 10 or not at all at night.(he is a mobile crane operator, along with other qualifications connected to that type of job).

we could be wrong of course and i think thats why i am here asking all of you who are in a qualified position to advise. im hoping that what we think about canada is correct and that it doesnt mean that we would come over there and work every god damn hour that god sends!

okay, thats my story over.

thanks again and i skipped past the bits about flying and accidents!!! its really not making me feel confident abotu getting on that plane! but thanks for the facts.


thank you again, this is a great site. i have so many questions and hopefully its is okay to ask.

Hi

I haven't posted in a while as I have been going back and forth for months on whether to take the leap and go for it in Vancouver. The housing crash and the recession came at the worst possible time

Anyway after having looked at things again this last month we are hoping that as things are looking up again, at least in Aberdeen they are, we might be able to sell this house and go.

Initially I was set on Toronto as I planned on studying and there were plenty of good options in Toronto and liked the location. However I decided to not limit myself to what I was initally drawn to and researched all the major players, I eventually settled on Vancouver. Like you, I have read some bits that have concerned me at first, but like others have said, everywhere has their problems. I lived in Sydney and always felt safe to walk about at night, just knew the areas to stay away from, Malta was similar, but there are parts of Aberdeen that I would definitely not venture to, even during the day!

I have had my heart set on Vancouver for almost 2 years now, have applied to a University and been accepted, so housing, work etc needs to revolve around that. My husband and I hope to go over with some cushion behind us financially so that there is no real rush to get just any job, but something that he enjoys. We haven't been on a recce, but I think if I had children I would. To me the most worrying thing about Vancouver is the rainfall, but at least it's pretty when it rains, unlike Aberdeen which just gets greyer!

Assess what it is you would like from your new life and research it, if you feel that Vancouver can offer these things and the UK can't, then go for it!

Honeslty you really need to go experience Canada before applying for any types of visa, you should go to Vancouver and see it for yourself, YES there is crime and homelessness, but that is in every province,city and all over the world, you will never be able to escape it, however i have been going to Canada for over 10 years now and tbh you dont really see crime going on as gangs only really target their enemies and i have never seen a shooting or any type of voilence of any kind when going to either Vancouver or calgary, but have seen many crime in London UK, homeless people tend to hang around hastings area of Vancouver and again i have never seen them harass anyone or anything like that apart from their other homeless freinds when driving through during the day or even at night.....again there are tons and tons of homeless people in calgary and never been an issue when i have walked downtown at night......weather wise yes Vancouver is like the UK but it does snow alot during winter and the rain is alot more worse than the UK when it does rain...........Vancouver is not cheap and the houses are expensive.....i really think that you should get on the 10 hour flight to BC and go experience it for yourself, but i guess until you live their day in day out you will never truly know what it is like.......i will tell you one thing, i have never seen the big groups of lads hanging around street corners or the lager louts or yobs intimidating people when i have visited Vancouver...........PS people like to smoke weed like they smoke a cigerette in BC, they call it the world famoud BC bud.......

MR79

Your hubby is blaming the country for the fact he misses out on time with the kids because he chooses to work 70+ hours a week including staying away from home every now and again?

And if he gets a job in Canada where he has to work similar hours with only 10 or 15 days vacation time per year? Would Canada or Australia still be worth it?

Sorry if i'm sounding harsh but it's not the country that's to blame for your husband working crazy hours and spending nights away.

You also said you're Scottish and live in England so you're comfortable being away from family. Bear in mind that England to Scotland is much easier and cheaper to commute than Scotland to Australia / Canada and many family members (reading on here) see that distance as a huge psychological barrier.

That said, you really need to visit these countries to see what you think because by the sounds of it, it's a hugely important decision to make in your situation.

Good Luck

oh yes it is the country! and yes you are very harsh in what you wrote. he does not CHOOSE to work all those hours and if you knew anything about crane drivers, you would realise and understand that they work when told to work...seven days a week etc etc, thats the good pay, its the contract. when you have mortgage to pay and family to look after, like he does, he will work whatever he has to, to make sure we are all fed and clothed. in the crane industry, you do not CHOOSE to work crazy hours, its what its all about.

im beginning to wonder why on earth i posted about my story now.

oh i should have added, i would have thought from my post that it was crystal clear that we were not relocating to find yet another job with long hours.

I wouldn't take it personally. He posts similar crap all the time.

But is he aware that he'll only get 2 weeks hols? And ok with that? Even if his hours are less (not sure they will be btw) then he'll have much less holiday time with you as a family. Plus the cost of living in Canada is about the same as the UK (and from my understanding, it's more in Oz), so he'll have to earn just as much to pay for food, clothes, etc. The only thing that will make a big difference is if you can take a large amount of equity with you to put down as a deposit on a house, so your mortgage is less. Other costs such as bills, food, etc, will be the same as the UK. Just something to think about anyway.

And whilst you might not like all of the comments, remember that people are only playing 'devils advocate' and trying to make you think carefully about things. Most successful immigrants settle well because they love a country, those that leave because they don't like somewhere generally find the same problems exist in their new country too, but they've got to deal with them away from family/friends and in an unfamiliar environment. Nobody is being nasty, just trying to help by giving you advice - remember that they've been there, done that, and got the t-shirt! So their advice is worth listening to.