kasieczko

Hello all, just to introduce myself as I am new here - I am a Pole and recently we have decided to try our luck and apply for Canadian PR under the SW category. The reasons are many, one of them being we want to give our six-month boy a chance for a better life. I have browsed the forum and, to my surprise, I have read that many of you want to leave UK as Canada seems a better place to you.. Why is that?? If it wasn't for that many Polish people to have invaded UK (especially London) we would most likely decide to go there for proximity reasons. Bearing in mind that it was UK to leave its footprints in countries like USA, Canada, Australia, I am wondering what makes you want to go there i.e what is better there than in UK? What are the differences?? And do not ask me the same question - the gap between Poland and UK is quite considerable

dbd33

People move from the UK to Canada because houses are cheaper in Canada.

kasieczko

hard to believe that would be the main reason...

Atlantic Xpat

Underneath a lot of the 'oh the space, the freedom, the fresh air, the mountains/ocean etc etc' I think dbd has the truth of it. Rampant house price inflation in the UK means that many can come over and afford houses infinitely bigger than they could back in UK. That's a powerful incentive.

claire bob and matt

LMAO !!!!!!! Yeah, real funny

Danny B

What draws me to Canada is the wide open space, cheaper housing and low crime rate.
What differences do you mean? Every country is different, but the thing I noticed most was that Canadians did not look down on you for having a menial job like they do here in the UK.
A Job title is the next most important thing to having a nice house in the UK, forget the salary, it's just the title they are interested in.

dbd33

It wasn't intended to be funny. Sure, people talk about being able to afford a different lifestyle but, in the end, it's the difference in the price of houses that funds the toys.

iaink

Funny? Seemed close to the truth to me. I live here largely because I can afford a reasonable house with a large yard on one salary here. I also like the lack of petty crime, the "4 season" weather, and the relative stress free lifestyle of country living in Canada.

My house here is 3+ bedrooms on ~3/4 of acre overlooking a large river, and its appraised now at ~$125k, or about £50k. Cant find that in the UK.

Butch Cassidy

Mate, you have obviously not lived here. OR walked around with your eyes closed. Menial Jobs carry just the same stigma here as anywhere else.

(Perhaps I should qualify here as being Calgary merely juxtaposing to the whole of Canada)

Rob_999

If that was the main reason, why is Vancouver so popular?? Prices here are equiv to the UK, and salaries generally lower.

iaink

Perhaps you should. No one in my neighbourhood much cares what people do, its how they treat people that counts. We have all sorts from Lawyers and Dentists through military folks to blue collar workers and labourours. No one cares.

iaink

Good point. I'm not sure Vancouver is "so popular". 45% of all new immigrants head to Toronto...also not renowned for cheap housing, although I suppose you get more house for your half million than you do in most of the UK.

Butch Cassidy

The OP was asking us Brits. Are you sure 45% of BRITS head to Toronto??

dbd33

I would think the main attraction of Vancouver to immigrants would be the ability to live and work in Mandarin. I don't know what proportion of British immigrants go to Vancouver but imagine it's quite small. I doubt that prices there are equivalent to the UK anyway, unless you're considering remote corners of the UK.

It would be interesting to know the location of immigrants by country of origin, I'd bet NS attracts more Brits than it does other nationalities but I can't guess which locations are most popular for Brits.

dbd33

There are British immigrants across Canada but Ontario is the most popular destination by a lareg margin:

http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo34c.htm

I'm looking at Ontario. I think they must come for the cheap houses.