Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Just out of interest - were you born in Canada?

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

No.

In the east midlands.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

I must have missed something - you said you were Canadian so I presumed that you were meaning born in Canada. Did you mean that you had been through the citizenship process or was it something else entirely?

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

I don't believe I've ever said that I was Canadian.

I am PR, my wife is Canadian (born and bred) has dual citizenship as do my chiildren. They have always been brought up to think of themselves as Canadian (as well as British).

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Just getting back onto topic here, we have found that things are more organized here, and at school for the kids, they always seem to help out in any fund raising in their own little ways.

As we all know, October is Cancer awareness month, a lot of school raised a lot of money here, and at work places, am being told that people were encouraged to wear pink tops.

Anyway...We think we have made the right decision in moving here, and we look forward to making the most of it.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Still waiting for you to tell me where I said I was Canadian :)

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

I'm afraid you will be waiting a long time mate, He/she is good at shooting it's mouth off, jumping to conclusions and then not having the decency to answer, let alone back up it's comments.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Give me a chance :) only just read it!


I think it was this one I must have misinterpreted. Thats why I was asking in the first place.......
I guess your children are Canadian as a result of a Canadian wife then? :o

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

With all due respect I think my experience is probably more typical.
i.e
Leaves skilled white collar job in England,
unemployed for 6 weeks in Canada before landing full-time job in a bookshop.
I'm sure there are worse cases than myself, at least I did find a full-time job
fairly quickly. I know many Canadians who are out of work for many months, if not years.

Immigrants who find well paid jobs straight away or get better jobs than they had in England are either very lucky or have skills which are in great demand in Canada. Either way, I don't think most people fit into that category. Most people with average jobs will probably have to cut their cloth.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

But why ? Why would someone go to Canada, or anywhere else in the English speaking world without a job to go to ? One can't say that living in Canada, the US, Australia or the UK is so different as to be an exciting experience in itself, one wouldn't move from, say, Yorkshire to Cornwall for the cultural difference so, if there isn't something tangible to be had, why move ?

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

But they do move and often if it's a permanent move the adjustment can be difficult. My wife experienced moving around the UK and the move from 'Up North' to Cornwall was problematic. Took a while to be accepted as Cornwall is a very specific region with unique likes and dislikes of the rest of the country. Just like walking into a pub in Wales where they all start speaking Welsh and looking at you.

I would not even think of doing what we are if I had a cushy well paid job FOR LIFE. And thats the key - FOR LIFE.

Exciting? Funny cause its exciting for all of us. We know that won't last but are very sure we have no intention of living where we are. Its a Shit hole where we specifically are, so its a move down the road with no work or going elsewhere further afield.

Moving from here... SE UK, to Cornwall has its problems, like moving to Scotland.

Work? Thats like a big mountain to me. I have climbed a few already to survive in running our small business. The next one might just be too big.

But after 2 years on Expat sites I have watched 3 people that come to mind who speak/have spoken aloud about being unhappy. 2 of them had very good jobs, one did not adapt and went/came back, one had a family that part of did not adapt, and one lady is not at all happy. Out of hundreds of names that have come and gone I would guess that is a very small number who do not enjoy or get something back out of 'the move' whatever it may entail.

FWIW.

I have spoken over the last few months to many removal firms who do international moves. The outcome is very few come back from Canada. The figures spell out that half come back from Australia, some to return to Australia within a few years. Who else has a better idea of movements than the people picking up, wrapping, and transporting ones furniture? After all its their business to know our business.

Eventual outcome. Do we know how long we are going to live?

Compare the global situation now to 25 years ago. Then try guessing what the world will be like in 25 years from now. Talk about change!

Chicken and the EGG.
Yes people do move to Canada without jobs to go to. Under the PR route it must be nigh on impossible for one to arrange employment 18 months, now 36 months in advance. The arranged employment Visa at least gives you a job for a time but you always have the possbility of being ousted. Fine if its just an individual or even a couple. But not a good recipe for a family. So you wait, and wait, and wait until the VISA goes in the Passport and then at that point you can confidently approach potential employers. What better way though than to do it face to face. As Mr Glaswegian often said - employers want to know you are in it for the duration - not just a holiday, before they take it/you seriously. I would think twice about taking on an immigrant from Europe if it were just for 6 months. Employers survive by picking the right staff. It takes time and MONEY to train and adapt a worker to the Company ways even if the ways are little different from what the employee is used to.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

Because you'd had enough of where were and needed to be somewhere new - almost anywhere apart from the UK - a lot of people come over without jobs - I certainly did.

Glad I didn't stick around in Ontario - doesn't sound exciting enough for me :p

I've found life Canada to be way different from life in the UK - got to admit tho, sharing broadly the same language certainly made the transition easier.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

I suspect that for the vast majority of migrants (as was in our case), obtaining work before you arrive at your destination is virtually impossible (goodnes knows we tried). To suggest that people should not move and follow their dreams unless they have secured work, seems pretty condescending to me. You may have had this luxury, most people don't.

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

I think what dbd33 meant was, "what is the dream" and it was in response to a post that someone was stating that "they had it all" in the UK.
Therefore, why move?

Re: reasons for going and reasons for returning
 

On, I don't say people shouldn't follow their dreams, it's just that I can't see that moving to Canada as a dream come true except inasmuch as it may provide more stuff. I see it as essentially trading abstract things like history and culture for material ones, like snowmobiles and chainsaws. In order to get the consumer durables one needs a job so moving without one makes no sense to me.