YankeemovingAbroad

Several posters shared your motivation for picking north America.Would America be your #1 choice if the immigration laws made it easier for Brits to get in? Personally ,I've always believe that Americans,Canadians and Brits should have a policy which allow easier access for citiznship between one another.

Sadly 9/11 has ended any chance of that happening.I admire the Canadians,and have always said they are the best people from north America I have been to Canada and my only question is, do any of you fear getting bored there? Its not a very busy place full of activities if you are not the outdoor type.

YankeemovingAbroad

Several posters shared the motivation for picking north America.Would America be your #1 choice if the immigration laws made it easier for Brits to get in? Personally ,I've always believe that Americans,Canadians and Brits should have a policy which allow easier access for citizenship between one another.

Sadly 9/11 has ended any chance of that happening.I admire the Canadians,and have always said they are the best people from north America I have been to Canada and my only question is, do any of you fear getting bored there? Its not a very busy place full of activities if you are not the outdoor type

burton bunch

Hi Yankee

Think people getting bored is all of a personal choice. If you are young free and single or a childless couple who want to be able to go here there and everywhere - then choose a larger place like Calgary, Toronto and then you have facilities close by which enable you to have an active "going out" social life.

If you have a family you do different things - you may go to see the mountains, go around with your kids soccer team whilst they play or stay home with friends.

It is all down to what peoples individual expectations are of Canada. If you want to be a social butterfly then it may be harder than it is in the UK for you to out clubbing etc. and therefore you may become bored with the lack of opportunities in that social area. If you want a better quality of family life (which we do) then I dont think that you can go far wrong with Canada for that aspect.

Life is only what you make it where ever you choose to live.

Gaynor
X

Iain Mc

That's an interesting one.

One of the many attractions of Western Canada for me is that it's next to the Western US, and if a job opportunity came up in Washington State / Oregon / California in a few years after we've got our Canadian passports (which make facilitating the whole thing a little easier), I'd certainly be interested.

Having spent time in both, Western Canada would still be our preferred destination on merit even if it WERE easier to get into the States, but I'm certainly not one o'them US bashers, there's a lot going for it.

Cheers, Iain

Canada2006

Not necessarily first choice, but would consider it, especially Southern California.

I too see no reason to exclude Brits from the US. Our immigration into Canada is a bit of a joke, they took one look at our application and send the medical visit requests....

So I would agree with an open immigration system especially for skilled workers.

YankeemovingAbroad

Iain

Those are three very good choice to pick from.Any one of them would be a great place to call home.They are very scenic and different from one another in weather and pace of life.I've lived in California and its probley my favorite state in America because of its laid back mentality and diversity of opportunity and geography,but also because its the most progressive state of all the 50.


Washington state imo is the most beautiful and scenic with incredible moutains views found through out the state.If rainy weather wouldn't bother you then Seattle or Tacoma are amazing places to live for a person who love the out doorsy life style. Plus Washington state offers more affordable housing than california with much more land.Washington is a very progressive state.


Never been to Oregan but I hear good things about Portland.Oregan is the most rugged state of the three.If hunting,fishing,camping and trapping sound interesting,then you will fit in nicely there.I'm told that it looks similar to North Carolina with forestry every where, plenty of lakes and moutains but with much much harsher weather.Has the coldest weather of those three states with out question.


I read these threads and I'm very impressed by how bold/brave many of the people who strike out and move to different countries.I sometime wonder what their ages are.I wonder if many of them are past the age of 40-45? When I was very young I thought often of immigrating to Europe but now that I'm middle aged,the erge is still there but its accompanied by abit more(for the lack of a better word)fear. I question if immigrating is something best meant for a younger person in their 20's or early 30's.I'm in my early 40's .

polarbearmum

Hey we are going back aswell. I have been here 6 years (6.5 when we finally leave), came over on my own. Not at all a bad experience though.

London7

YES! love Canada, BUT America would be number 1 choice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

polarbearmum

I was in my late 20's when I emigrated. I have been wondering whether it is easier for those folks who 'do it alone' in the sense they do not have a family accompanying them. They force themselves to integrate/assimilate the culture (in my instance I was recently married to a Canadian so I was in at the deep end), or whether emigrating as a family unit is easier because they are with those that are experiencing the same. They know what each is going through and can therefore empathise with them. Or does it mean that they are slower in their attempts to become part of the community?

Not a dig against BE (I am addicted to it now) but also, do those who stick to their own nationalities take longer to become comfortable.
I believe if it had been me, and I'd found a site like this when I first moved, I am not sure I would have been so receptive to meeting and integrating with the locals......... (especially my in-laws, where were you when I needed you guys????? )
Of course now I get to put my OH through the whole experience, and I suppose my family aswell - I will know how they feel when they say they miss home, I'll miss it too.

moonraker

We saw a mink does that count?.

acer rose

Depends where you are going, why you are going, whether you see the move as permanent and what your family situation is I think.

Late teen/early 20s party dude - Europe or Australia or possibly Montreal
Career focus - USA or parts of Europe
Kids focus - Canada or Australia or the Med if you can do the languages
Money focus (for Brits who benefit from the tax breaks) - Dubai or SE Asia
Retirement - Florida, Mexico or Australia (or so I'm told)

Personality is a big factor - are you the sort of person that wants to do something new, can you cope with taking risks, etc? Of course, if you are head-hunted, or have a special interest such as skiing, learning Gaelic or mining opals you will have very particular reasons for going to a specific place. We very specifically chose Canada based on what we wanted in our lives balanced against our experiences in other countries.

walkerv05

i could move just for the Tim Hortons, the extremes of weather, not like the uk and be totally overcast the whole year, no summer to speak of and a wet dull winter. dont you find that when the sun shines so do you ?
our grand parents emigrated in the 50's, they where going to a land that they hardly knew, six weeks on a boat, they took the chance, not like us, can do nearly every thing on the internet, buy a house, have a tour of the place before you go,, get a job, ect, they went and started with nothing!, i just think that the respect shows from the people, especially the young, calling mrs walker all the time! formalities!
the house prices alone!! a 3 bed with basement rooms, pool and a jacuzzi on the deck outside, a double garage and detached all for £81,000 show me where to sign!!!!

fuschiagirl

Show me where you can buy that in Canada at that price?

walkerv05

london ontairio, with the property guys!!

neill

I like this statement -- this should give all those intending to move to Canada an idea of what they can really expect when they need to work, send their kids to school, etc.

The fact of the matter is, you can't just live out in the 'wilderness' in Canada, unless you are willing to put up with a lot of inconveniences.

"The Country" living in the UK is pseudo-urban convenient. "Country" living in Canada is living with well water, 1 hour trip to the mall, limited cellphone coverage, so on and so forth....