anet367

After 2.5 years waiting my hubby and I have finally made the decision NOT to proceed with our move to Vancouver. We had our medicals before Christmas, but made the decision on Christmas Day not to carry on.

Some reasons:

- The job market is not what it was when we initially applied. We are not willing to just give up our jobs here on the hope we will find equivalent jobs in Van and getting a job whilst still in the UK is never going to be easy

- Cost of living is definately not cheaper!! We have friends living out there and whilst cars etc are cheaper, rent/mortgage, utilities, car insurance etc are all far more

- Holidays very limited with jobs. Even one friend in Van who was strongly head hunted for a job was offered much on the holiday front. We will probably find ourselves using any holiday that we get travelling back to the UK

There a number of reasons for our decision but these are really the main ones. Most of these we did really know about before applying, but only once you are going through the process to make this a reality does the impact really start to dawn on you. We had thought of carrying on, landing and keeping our options open in case we change our mind, but we have been in limbo for too long and now want to get on with our lives in the UK !!

Good luck to everyone else on this road.

spaceace

If it were me, I would proceed with gaining PR and land via a nice Canadian holiday, then at least you really do have the option to go over within the next 2 years if you do change your mind.

You've obviously thought long and hard about that tough decision and good luck for the future.

lins and Stef McLachlan

You have paid for the medicals, would it not be prudent to carry on and just have it on record in case you do change your mind.

You have to land within a year from the medicals...then come home and not think about it for two years....time may change how you do feel. Also to be considered is that many many people have been happy with the Canada package and they adopt a work to live not a live to work mentality which means that evenings an weekends are better than here in the uk and the whole focus changes...yes I agree that two weeks holiday does not seem much.....but with bank holidays making for some longer weekends....our friends have found their quality of life is so much better.
It would be a shame to quit now....but I do wish you all the luck in the world.
Stef

Siouxie

Sorry to hear about your decision and I have to agree with everyone else here - continue through with the process and land ... then make a decision! Have you considered living elsewhere rather than Vancouver? That area is expensive... where I live (in Ontario) things are much cheaper and you can buy a 4 bedroom house in my city - in a good area - for under £100,000. You should look at other places where jobs are available rather than just in Van!

dbd33

Are you in the Soo?

iaink

You can buy near Belleville for that. Hell, you could have my house for $160k.


Im not saying its super nice, but not all of Ontario is the GTA with GTA costs.


I'm also in the camp that would encourage the original poster to at least get PR, just as plan B. Economies pick up, You dont have to live somewhere expensive like Vancouver etc etc. Not much you can do about vacation time though, but of course the desire to spend it all in the UK might pass.

dbd33

Maybe, but the quote was "in my city - in a good area". I doubt even the most rustic cradle would consider Belleville to be a city.

macadian

Picky, picky.....

iaink

Its "The Friendly City"




Says so on the signs so it must be true.

Then there is "The City of Quinte West" which I live in.... Not sure what definitition of City they were using exactly for that one though....

el_richo

I'm also with this option. It's not much more of an effort to grab your PR and relax for a couple of years before a revaluation of your lives.

As for vacation allowance. It looks like declining wherever you live outside of Europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ave_by_country

Here's an article on Vacation allowance mainly focused on the States but Canadia is mentioned
http://www.examiner.com/x-3040-Life-...loyees-receive

Lemons

I agree with the other posters. You've come too far and spent too much money! Land, then go back to the UK. And on the vacation front, I had a job that had 4 weeks' vacation (in Halifax) so it's not all doom and gloom.

You never know what the future holds... you might get a hankering to live in Belleville some day!

DandNHill

Have you worked out how much more it would cost you to complete the process? Would it perhaps be worth it just to keep your options open?

Alan2005

I think so too. They've got 4 years from their medicals to actually move and keeping options open is always preferable to not.

Butch Cassidy

Three points:

1) Since the openning post was also the posters last post isnt this all rather academic

2) It appears that the OP has a negative attitude anyway

3) I for one have a major issue with anyone who ties up the system (any system) with pointless applications (which reading between lines this was because the OP never REALLY had any intention of moving)

Given all this I would disagree and tell the OP (if they come back) to damn well stay in the UK.

iaink

Last activity TODAY 10:15am

The application is all but complete anyway. You of all people should appreciate that peoples attitudes here can be....misinterpreted