reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

As a newcomer in the "lets move abroad" category, i have been scouring this web site for info etc, and it has all been very interesting. Canada is our preferred destination for a variety of reasons, and i would be lying if I did not say that some of the reasons are that Oz and NZ have upper age restrictions ( or so i believe), and that those two countries immigration visa are that I would have to remain in nursing to stay in the country. I do not want to do this, the point of this move is to change our lives completely. Also we have relatives, ( aunts, uncles and cousins) in Canada.

Any way i digress ( i usually do!), when I look at the reason that some have given for going and from those who are returning, they seem the same. IE

High Crime. Long working hours, horrible winters. From some of the posts it appears that some are leaving the UK for these reasons and some are leaving Canada for these reasons.

We personally are looking for a change of lifestyle, and I do not mean getting rich, something different, open spaces, cleaner air, an opportunity to be fairly debt free, we should have funds available to buy our own house. something that here in the UK we would never be able to do, which in turn takes the pressure off the daily grind of work.

Sorry to babble on, but am interested in your thoughts. Although we are travelling to Ontario next June, we may not decide on this actual area, and are also looking at British Columbia, would also be interested in your views on location.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Hi There

We are in the process of preparing our application at present. Looking to move to Ontario. Have relations there too but main reason for wanting to emigrate is chance of a new lifestyle. I have been 3 times and love the Canadian way of life, planning another trip next year. Like you we are not looking to make big bucks but looking for different way of life. We have a 3 year old (who will probably be about 7 by the time we land going by recent posts, if we are successful) and would love for him to experience a more 'outdoorsy' life and the thought of him being able to speak another language from a very young age is definite advantage. In our area you don't learn french until you are 12 or 13 which in my opinion is too late. Also the attraction of being able to buy a house with no mortgage is a definite plus. Hopefully we'll be successful!!

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Are you saying you are going to make a life-changing decision based only on what you "believe"?

The facts are available on the official websites:
http://www.immi.gov.au
http://www.immigration.govt.nz

Australia has an upper age limit for general skilled migration of 45, although this can be waived if you are sponsored by an employer.

New Zealand is higher at 56 (unless this has changed recently).


Not really true, other than in exceptional instances (eg you are on a temporary visa, or your visa is employer nominated). And even then, the restrictions only last for a few years.

Most skilled migrants have no employment restrictions.



Jeremy

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

No not going to make "life Changing" decision on what I believe. I would have thought the whole idea of a forum is to put points forward for discussion, if we all knew the exact facts no need for the forum. Secondly, when i enquired in previous years , granted 2 years ago, Oz had an upper limited and I was given the impression that residency depended on job. Once again, when you are at the early stages of making a decision you can ask, what obvious to some, are silly sounding questions.

Thank you for your links, but we are mainly looking at Canada now, so I expect i will probably ask lots more silly questions until I become an expert in the immigration scene

Tanya

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

If that's what you're looking for, don't look at Toronto or Vancouver - they have the most expensive real estate in Canada - apologies if you weren't thinking of heading to either, but you did mention ON & BC.

Windsor, ON is also the smog capital of Canada ... depends how much cleaner you like you air to be :)

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Thanks for reply

Yes we were actually looking at both. We have over 300,000 Canadian dollars for property, and have seen some suitable, but not in flesh and that could be a whole different ball game!, plus again research needs to be done on the various locations.

As I say we are in early stages and still looking at different places, Ontario was the obvious choice because i have relations nr peterborough.

We are open to suggestions etc to begin our research so we can spend the next 12+++ or so months, (whilst applications going through) researching the various areas and opportunities.

Again, if anyone wants to put forward suggestions etc for us to look into that would be great.

Thanks again, will def avoid "Windsor" don't need the smog factor!!!


Cheers


Tanya

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Just before anyone in Windsor slams me for making thoughtless critical remarks, the title came from the weather network.

If you have $300K you can walk into a brand new single family home in somewhere like Calgary - depends if you want to have a mortgage.

Write yourself a list of what you need from Canada - do you need to work?, what do you want to recreationally?, what bugs you more, rain or snow?, do you have to live close to the sea?

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

These are not issues for the majority of immigrants to Australia, so your impression at the time was wrong.

Unless you're aged 45 or over, in which case you do have to look at employer nominated options.

By all means choose Canada over Australia if that's where you prefer - all I'm saying is that it would be a shame to reject somewhere as an alternative simply on the basis of an impression about the immigration system that is not generally true.


Jeremy

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Thats the problem We are both 47, and that is what i thought we would have to be nominated by an emplyer which would mean I would have to remain in nursing for a while and I can not be sure that is what i want to do

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

I have lived in Canada for 38 years, in Ontario in Oakville which is about 30 minutes from Toronto. We are in the process of immigrating to Perth Australia because of the crime and smog etc. here. Having said that, if you wish to move to Canada Ontario BC and Alberta are good choices to look at. For $300,000. you'll get a nice semi detached or a very small detached for a little more, at about 30 minutes or more outside of the city (Toronto) the traffic is horrific!!!!!! anywhere near Toronto anytime of the day or night any day of the week on any highway! No joke! There are lot's of really nice areas in Ontario further away from the city, housing prices will be better and traffic will be better. The smog comes from the states, as well as Toronto and Hamilton but the states causes alot of pollution in Canada, also don't go to St. Catherines. Summers are nice and hot, autumn is beautiful, spring can go either way cold or warm, and winters are brutal unless you like to ski or skate, and then they're great.

BC I have never lived in but I hear wonderful things. I wouldn't look too near the city only because it's expensive and very busy. The mountains are beautiful and you have the water as well. Winters aren't as cold, but there is alot of rain and gray days.

I have family in Calgary Alberta, and I have visited there. The air is much much cleaner and the traffic is not a problem at all. The lifestyle is more relaxed than Toronto. It's a quick drive to Banff for skiing or a weekend away and BC is a close drive as well. They get a lot of sunshine in Calgary, but they don't get really really hot summers there. The winters are very changeable, they get schinooks (don't know if that's spelt correctly) which bring warm air in throughout the winter months, so it might be 17 in February and 20below with 3 feet of snow :cool: in March.

I hope this helps a little.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

If you have young kids, chinooks (literal translation: chinook = snow eater) are a pain because they melt back yard rinks in an afternoon :mad:

You can spend two weeks getting it just right and in one afternoon a chinook will undo all your effort. If you're coming to Calgary, give up on the idea of a backyard rink and buy a multipass for the local leisure centre :confused:

The only month I haven't seen snow so far in Calgary is July ... I've seen it in both June and August. April has been very nice the last few years, but May can be closer to a typical UK winter.

It sure does :)

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Hi Tanya

My wife and I are contemplating the exact same question (Australia/Canada). We have experienced both countries and would happily up-sticks to either of them. Our first choice was Canada, but we did a little research and discovered a couple of things that bothered us a bit, so we started to look at Australia. At first we had not even contemplated Australia, but soon we found ourselves presented with a really viable alternative.

Australia offers more annual leave to its workers, has better wages (in my opinion) and generally lower taxes, plus the weather is much nicer and they seem to recognise British qualifications and work experience to a much greater degree than their Canadian counterparts.

I don't want to make this choice any harder for you - (God knows we wish we could have been more decisive) but it is a big decision.

The short-term seems to favour Canada in terms of cheaper properties (we are looking at NS), a bigger jobs market and closer to the UK for family visits, but in the long-term Australia edges ahead.

Although not fully sure, we are now pretty much leaning towards Australia. The last question I asked myself was: when I am much older, do I want to be shoveling snow from my drive way, or sitting beside my pool with a glass of Aussie Shiraz?

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Whichever country you decide on will be the right one, there is no right or wrong but it is a massive decision and you have to do your research, thoroughly. i know this is obvious and that it has been said before but everyday you read new posts about someone not knowing/realising something they should (me included)
We are in Canada and don't regret it for 1 minute but it's not for everyone.
Good luck to everyone, wherever you decide to go.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

If you've not got Canadian citizenship you should consider sorting that out before you leave, otherwise you may not be able to return after a few years.

This only applies of course if you were an immigrant to Canada originally.


Jeremy

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

No, no, no... chinooks are a pain because they melt all the snow to slush and then people walk in it with heavily treading snow boots and that leaves big bumpy and point footprints and then the weather turns frigid again and freezes all those foot prints and makes everything friggin slippery and then I go out for a walk and lose my footing and it's a guarantee that when I fall I will land my friggin funny bone on one of these frozen, pointy bootprints and start crying tears of pain only to have them freeze solid on to my face as they exit my eyes. That's why chinooks are a pain! :D