Terry68

Hi all
I have been offered a job in Canada.
my problem is my wife at the age of 54 thinks she is to old to immigrate.
does anybody think she is correct. Our children are grown up so she will be home alone.

ArthurBrit

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=POLL+AGE

Mixed bag of reviews.

There was a more recent poll asking how old we were when we emigrated but cant seme to find it.

Jerseygirl

I could be wrong...but I think the older one is the more difficult it is to put one's past life behind you and settle. IMO it also depends on how flexible one is...can she easily adapt to major changes? If you are leaving children and perhaps grandchildren behind in the UK...I think that could be extremely difficult for your wife to deal with.

What I found the most difficult about moving from the UK to the US was...my old life. The everyday stuff...the life I had been living for decades...the life I had taken for granted...all of a sudden that was all gone.

christmasoompa

Have you seen this thread from earlier today? Iaink's post (no. 7) may be rather pertinent - http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=789746

MarylandNed

Much depends on the philosophy, attitude and determination of the individual so there is no "one size fits all" answer to this question. Personally I don't think 54 is too old. However, the fact that your wife thinks she is too old may be an indication that her heart is just not in it.

Has she travelled much? Has she ever lived in another country? Is she so set in her ways and happy in the UK that a move is going to be a major problem? Is she close to friends and family in the UK? What is she going to do in Canada? Is she outgoing? Makes friends easily? These are the questions only you and your wife can answer.

jossie

To me the answer is simple. You are never too old for an adventure.

luvmeboys

Hi Terry, I was 51 when we moved over in June. we left 2 young adult men behind and it broke my heart! We came here for an adventure and early retirement ( both work 2 days a week). My husband loves it here, unfortunately - I do not! personally, I can't settle. I go to work with a smile on my face, we have a lovely home, we are comfortable but..... I would advise your wife to be open minded and if she doesn't work to get a hobby! 54 is NOT too old at all, but she may struggle as I have to feel accepted! I have promised to stay here for a year but after that - a new dawn?? hope that's not too negative? Glyn

rwin

Never too old unless you think you are.

A 54 year old could have more than 40 years left. Life is hardly over. Why not do something different in the last half of it?

Yandros

Terry,
We came over last year, aged 50 and 54 respectively. We both seem to have settled in fairly well and have started making new friends in Calgary. My wife misses her family more than I miss mine, but she's still glad we came over and Skype is a wonderful way to keep in touch (not the same as being there but pretty good). My wife is going back to the UK to see her family later this year (we'll have been here about a year when she goes back), whereas I'm not planning to go back for a while, so we sort of deal with her 'home sickness' (if that's the right word) in that way.

I think the bottom line is if she is committed to coming out and giving it a go there's a reasonable chance it will work. If not it probaby won't work. I was very careful to make sure that my wife could say No without feeling that she was holding me back.

One caveat is that we don't have any kids (either grown up or still at home) & I think it would have been a lot harder to leave any kids and grand kids behind if we'd had them.

Good luck
Y

Geordie Lass

I don't think age is the most important factor. Emigrating is very hard even if you are both 100% behind the move. We both were but it's not been easy. There have been times when if I could have got on a plane I would have - especially in the first 6 months.

If her heart is not in it then I think she will struggle big time....

Oink

Come on. Even if she doesn't smoke or is not around smokers, life expectancy would be mid 70s at best. So do you want to live your last 15 to 20 years without family and friends?

Sally Redux

It sounds harsh but I agree.

CanadaJimmy

On one end of the scale, I want to say "you're never too old to try anything new", but on the other end, other members here make valid points against immigrating at that age.

Since I immigrated as a (relatively) young person, I'm inclined to agree that it is much easier when you're young, in terms of forming roots, integrating and being open to a different culture. Older immigrants from all countries seem much more stubborn and unwilling to let go of the culture of the country they are from.

The family and friends aspect is also very important. If your Wife has been happy in the UK for 54 years then perhaps it doesn't make much sense to immigrate at this point. Another thing to consider is things like healthcare in the future, although many provinces do offer decent convalescent/after care for the elderly it is still grossly underfunded and short-staffed, at least it is here in BC.

That being said, if you want to give it a shot, go for it, just don't completely move all your belongings etc. until you're sure it's the right choice.

haggis88

my parents are in their 50's and have both told me they'd move here in a heartbeat!

Jerseygirl

That's a little different...perhaps your parents are in the same position as us. Also visiting somewhere and living there are two totally different things.

We have lived the US for 17 years. Always thought we would go back to the UK to retire. Our only child went to uni in Toronto...got a job there and is now married to a Torontonian. The last thing I want is to be so far away from my daughter...so we have our sights on T.O. It's not ideal...but it's the best we can come up with.