northeast canuck

I don't know whether or not it's the worst time to emigrate, but I believe it is certainly the riskiest. You have the combination of a property market that offers poor value and extreme risk (in Vancouver), and your net worth being subject to massive exchange rate volatility due to political factors which are completely beyond your control.

It's a huge gamble. I did not realise when I moved back home to Vancouver that it would be the economic equivalent of gambling my life savings at the casino, but that is exactly what has happened!

But, you are not mad. Despite the ridiculous cost of living, my kids are far happier here and never want to leave, my wife has had much more opportunity career-wise than she has had in the UK, and it is generally a much "nicer" place to live. I don't feel like I am being told how to live my life every second of the day by an overbearing government.

If you can get good jobs here than I think in the long run things will work out. The property market here will correct and may in fact be starting to do so as we speak, but it will take quite some time before things look even remotely reasonable!!! By the time you get here we should have a much better idea of where the pound is headed so you will be able to plan with more certainty than I am able to at the moment...

Alan2005

I agree. You also have the risk of a poor job market depending on what you do.

Flyingscottie

Regret the things you do - not the things you don't do!

Tiger_Quimpo

Some really good posts here.

They way I'm starting to look at this is as follows:

We have good jobs and a good living here.

At 43 and my wife 38, we still have another 20 years (at least) of work in us, wherever we live. We started with nothing 14 years ago and now have a fair sized house in a nice area with good schools.

I don't want to trap myself in this comfortable straight-jacket. I want to embrace the 2nd half of my life as if it was my first half.

I want to show my kids that life is for living at that courage and risk taking can pay off.

I'm optimistic that if we are marketable and employable in the UK then we are also marketable and employable in Canada.

I also think that Vancouver has a bright future and that it's never too late to jump on the up escalator.

Even if we don't end up as well of as we are or could be here then I'll take satisfaction from taking control and showing courage.

I'm up for a challenge and I have enough common sense to not burn too many bridges. I won't head off on a one way dream, I'll leave the exits oipen, but really hope that we won't need to use them.

Best of luck to you all.

gaz77

it sound like we are in the same boat .when do you go? we are 40 and 46 and we have to make our minds up quick.

helcat12

Go, Tiger, GO!!
Couldn't agree more with your words.
If we all sit here and wonder whether this Thursday's elected government will sort out the economy here, we'll still be sat here in 20 years time!
I look at things philosophically - a few years ago, I made a good profit on my first house in the South and moved to the much cheaper Midlands with some good equity. I have been able to make great inroads into my mortgage while interest rates have been low and I have been reasonably well paid and I've lived frugally frugal with it.
Now, if house prices in Canada are more or the exchange rate is less favourable than it was.... well, I've had some good luck and have worked hard to bring me to this point, so why not spend a little of that luck on something I really want?
Funnily enough, I am also a primary teacher and I think now is a GREAT time to be getting out of our profession over here! There's more to life than money!
Be lucky, everyone! Fortune favours the brave.

Top Cat

We have moved and were in a similar situation to you.. we wanted a 'better life' for our family. It took us 4 years to finally bite the bullet and say 'lets do it'!

I have some retraining to do here and it is daunting.. Im not working while I sort home stuff out. Hubby has taken a low paid job with no challenge and no job satisfaction.. but it is temporary! He has a job and we have money coming in, granted we gave up good jobs and have a fraction of the money coming, which can be disheartening. However we never expected to walk into equivalent jobs and expect to have to fight to survive here.

The ethics are different we find but its one of these things that we like about the place. Canadians are proud and loyal people, wish that was something I could say about the UK ( yes..a generalisation I know.. before someone takes offence)

We never wanted to get old and say ' we should have at least given it a go'.. regret is bad..

It just takes time to adjust I think, our priorities are our children and Canada is way better for them.. Happy, safe children make us happy.

Good luck in your decision making.

Top Cat

gaz77

thanks. can i ask ,my wife has been reading on a forum that you need between $100000-$150000 to live per year that sounds like a lot. we dont earn that here.

Coffeepot

I think thats a fantastic attitude and will serve you well

conacher24

$100,000-$150,000 !!!! God I hope not! Would be be nice though.

youngfamilyuk

This a very interesting post with some good discussion points.

Both my wife and myself are planning on emigrating to Canada from the UK within the next few years. We are in our early thirties and have a son who is nearly two and are due to have our next child in August. Like many other people in this forum, we are looking for a better quality of life that the one we having at the moment. We are both skilled and employed - my wife is qualified in Visual Impairment. I am a former teacher, linguist and now sales rep and as a family, we earn a decent income - enough to sustain ourselves in our modest 3 bedroom semi in the North West of England, without any debt apart from some Student Loans which we have both been repaying. We We live quite a frugal lifestyle....we enjoy the simple things in life and we would welcome the outdoor opportunities which Canada can provide for our family. We no longer have any real family ties in the UK and our social life has been pretty much non-existent since we became parents, so we both feel that a new life is just what we need and we have been talking about Canada for a few years not, but not doing anything about (besides reading posts on the BE Forum).

Who can really say is there a bad time or a good time to emigrate? Ofcourse, If you look at the exchange rate now, it is certainly a lot less favorable than what is was a few years ago... so therefore in financial real times, it's more than likely not a good time. But if you weigh up all the problems in the UK, such as the overwhelming amount of debt the country has go itself into (which, with all the cuts in public spending due), our future generations will have to be paying off for years!! As a result off this, interest rates will rise, there will be major unemployment and also many houses repossessed. I feel that now would be a good time to move away from the UK as the outlook is very bleak financially.

We have come to the realization that life is relatively short and if we do not go for it, the opportunity will eventually pass us by and we will be left to regret the decision later in life. So I would say do what's right for you and your family. That's what we're doing; first we have reccie planned for next year and if we like what we see and experience, then we would sell up and move away the following year, providing we can both gain employment. Hopefully, by then the exchange rate will be more favorable, but with a pending hung parliament due, Im not too sure it will be!

christmasoompa

Depends on where you're going and how much equity you'll be taking with you to put as a down payment on a house. If heading for Vancouver with no money to take with you, and wanting a 4 bed detached house, then yes, probably. But if heading for PEI and taking £100k with you to buy property, then you won't need anywhere near that amount!

Cost of living is about the same in Canada as in the UK, but property can be much cheaper depending on where you go (more expensive in some areas though).

So if you can tell people where you'd heading, how much money you'll be taking with you, and what kind of life you're looking for (i.e. 2 cars, holidays, 3 bed house etc) then they'll be able to give you a rough figure of what you need to earn to support that lifestyle in your chosen area. You would probably be better off starting a new thread with a relevant title so that people in the area you wish to move to see it and respond.

dbd33

If I follow correctly, there's a general assumption that people on this thread who are doing quite well in the UK now, will be worse off finanically for a move to Canada and yet will somehow gain "a better life for their children" by moving. That's a circle I cannot square. How is life going to be better for the children if there's not enough money to fund their amusements and education (it's big money for college in Canada)?

Granted the government in the UK may not be to the liking of prospective emigrants but the federal government in Canada is loathsome, no gain there.

fledermaus

Re cost of living. Don't forget that it's going to go up in Ontario and BC with the introduction of HST.

rubberduckofdeath

My 2p/2c:

I'm mid-late twenties, as is my fiancee. I own a joint share in a house which I'll be parting with early next year regardless of whether we're off to Canada or not as my friends and I who I bought it with have decided it's time to sell and do our own things. We want to start a family in the future and I'd prefer to do that in Canada. We're not worried about going a few rungs down the ladder and climbing back up again as we're still young. We don't have stacks of savings and equity but believe that longterm, Canada's a better shot for us and what we want from life than the UK. At this stage in our lives, it's definitely worth the (financial) risk.

All the best to you guys, whatever happens