Hi all,
Im pretty sure this topic has been covered many times but hey, thought id throw it out there

-What are peoples main reasons for choosing to move half way across the world?

(My wife and I are in agreement our main driving force is due to the 'culture' of the UK.
We live just outside Glasgow and we are sick of the drinking/aggressive culture, and the lifestyle that creates overall.
The majority of areas seem run down and not a place we want to bring our little girl up in.

We have been over to Canada (Ontario / Alberta / BC ) over the last few years, and are convinced more and more that the facilities for families, and lifestyle to bring up kids is far superior.
Our eyes have really been opened to a better family life..

And following on from that,
-What are the things that they find most difficult about the whole process of emigrating, settling in etc?

Be good to hear peoples opinions / experiences

Well also coming from Glasgow I can appreciate why you wouldn't want to bring up children there. As far as I'm concerned it's a dump and if I never see it again it won't be soon enough.
One of the main concerns people have immigrating here is being away from family and friends. Sure people have complaints about the winter, hot muggy summers, mosquitoes, lack of culture, country pubs, poor quality cheese (I kid you not), driving habits, not having M&S, Tesco, Next etc, etc. Some contend Canadians are unfriendly and others the opposite. In other words just the
common everyday gripes that people (read Brits) have, no matter where they live. There's a very good reason there's not a Whining Olympics. No other country has a chance in hell of competing against those from the UK.
If you're looking for Utopia don't even think of Canada. If, on the other hand you can accept Canada's shortcomings it's a great country to live in and bring up children. My opinion only, of course but there it sits awaiting critical and destructive comments.
IT AIN'T PERFECT BUT IT SURE AIN'T BAD EITHER.

To give our kids a better life of opportunity by getting them away from Chav or your case NED infested and boozed-up Britain. And, on the QT, because me and the wife were fed up with our crap, unsuccessful lives being drowned out by the excruciating dullness of the minutia of existence. So we fancied a bit of an adventure. If we didn't do it now, we may never do it and then we'd end up regretting it.

[QUOTE=Auld Yin;9486891]Well also coming from Glasgow I can appreciate why you wouldn't want to bring up children there. As far as I'm concerned it's a dump and if I never see it again it won't be soon enough.
QUOTE]

Couldnt agree more..

I was driving to work last night, (local fire station) and on the way all I could see was like a cartoon background....

Rows of run down shops, carry out (alchohol) / take aways / pubs / sun beds, over and over again....

All this with the usual saturday afternoon population of down an outs / neds / wannabe hardmen / young girls acting like... well, you get the idea.

I just do not want my little girl (and any future kids) growing up here, and exposed to the things I was, and it just seems to be getting worse..

Our experiences, limited they may be, have shown us the healthier, family encouraged society, where kids are allowed to be kids, it really is a no brainer... we wonr give up till we get there

Yeah us too,
I am 30, my wife 32. and we are very unsettled here. We definitely do not want to live with a big "what if ?"

I wanted a bigger house; and here I am living the dream.

Remember life is what you make it and you make your own luck in life.

Sounds like you are I were both living in a Town Called Malice, oh oh yeah.

Got fed up with everybody driving on the wrong side of the road.

Mrs arniedog and i have 2 kids already living in Toronto and they kept telling us to move out too. We thought we would apply through family sponsership and see what happens , we got accepted and , after many yes we will go , no lets stay here conversations , we decided , like oink said , we didnt want to let it go and then spend the rest of our lives saying what if. So at last we booked Mrs arniedogs flight today for 1st Nov and ill be booking mine and the dogs flights tomorrow . Now the fun begins

Canadian Cheddar...........

Because life is an adventure. You only get to play it once.

Definitely for a better future and family friendly lifestyle for our kids. Like you all say the binge drinking/ yob culture etc too scary!! Don't want to stick around to see it get any worse.
I lived in Canada as a nanny in my younger days and although I came back to UK always said I would go back permanently with my own kids/family - and luckily my OH fell in love with it too on a trip over in 2006, so we are keen to get there and get started.

[QUOTE=alcat2010;9486923] I was out in Toronto on Friday night and was chatting to the barista in a Starbucks. She was waiting for the cops to come to help remove what I believe was a stoned druggie who had locked herself in the bathroom. Anyway, she was saying how much she hated Friday nights as all the drunks would come in just before closing and kick off. I guess a frappuccino is the Canadian equivalent of a kebab.

Got to ask, but if you hate Glasgow and the culture there, plus think it's 'run down' then why not just elsewhere in the UK? There are plenty of beautiful places there too without any yobs.

Just that I'm always intrigued as to why people who cite the horribleness of where they live now choose Canada rather than saving money and staying closer to family and friends by staying in the UK?

Quality of life, children's future, closer to OH's family.