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Re: Returning to the UK
If possible, now PR is on the way for your husband, shouldn't you try and wait as work for him and the opportunity to build new friends through work could turn everything around? This may not be possible but seems a shame to give up now when PR is just a matter of months away!
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Re: Returning to the UK
Hi Ally your post sounds echoes a lot of how I feel about living in Calgary. We have been here 5 years now and are in the process of going HOME!!!! The only thing I could add extra is the complete nightmare with WCB, I wish I could say I am glad we tried it, but I am not.
I wish lots of happiness for the future |
Re: Returning to the UK
We don't live in Calgary but have friends from the UK who do. They have organised a "meet up" for anyone who wants to attend. If you decide to go along you will meet people in a similar situation and more importantly someone (other than your OH) to talk to who can offer some support.
You can find them at http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...FCq7b&h=7e6c7t |
Re: Returning to the UK
Thanks all of you for your responses.
We are going to have to stay in Calgary for a few more months anyway so that we can get enough money together to pay for the move back across the Atlantic (we do not have the luxury of a global company paying our moving costs). Then we will have to find our feet once again for 2-3 months while we look for jobs, find a place to live etc. We have thought about Vancouver and that perhaps living there may solve a few of the issues we have living in Calgary. I think if we had BOTH been merrily going off to work every day, then perhaps things would have been different, but it has been a really depressing experience for my husband (who is not the outdoors type) and his career is extremely important to him. He just wants his life back and to be back in the UK to get on with things, and I also think that he now associates Canada with being bored and depressed. Watch this space ......................... P.S Katie97 - what does the acronym WCB stand for? |
Re: Returning to the UK
Originally Posted by AllyS
(Post 9203974)
P.S Katie97 - what does the acronym WCB stand for?
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Re: Returning to the UK
Hi there,
Just thought I would share with you my experience of moving to Canada and then moving back to the U.K. My hubby is canadian so it probably makes my situation a little different. We moved to Canada in 2008, my hubby went in the May and I followed with the 2 kids in the July at the time the kids were 7 and 17 months, so we went out to Calgary for this new life for our family! My husband had a job in a company, was earning good money so that it wasnt a major thing for me to work and having just moved there and having the baby at the time I didnt want to leave her and would not have felt comfortable leaving her with anyone. We lived in McKenzie Town, I really liked that area, picturesque, lots of families, good places to walk etc....we put a deposit down on a new build and were due to move in on December 10th... Anyway it was all good, until the company my husband came to work for went bust at the start of December... we were just in such a bad place with what to do... we both tried to find work etc but at that time of the year and with the recession it was difficult, I couldnt even drive so I was even more limited.... we didnt know what to do...do we sign for the house or what but we didnt want to put ourselves in a worse scenario signing for a house with no income coming in and no clue as to when we would find work. This made me hate Calgary, but looking back now it was all to do with circumstances.... I felt so negative that I just wanted to get out of Calgary. So that is what we did a very last minute flit, we pulled out of our house, lost our deposit, packed up our belongings and went to my in laws in Winnipeg as we wanted the kids to have a good christmas and we wanted to get out of Calgary. We both found work in Winnipeg and got money together and moved back to the U.K in August 2009 as I had just had enough of Canada and wanted home. It was a very stressful situation Calgary, and left a bad taste in my mouth at the time. So its 2011 and I am still in the U.K but have kind of came a full circle and realised that making a decision to move back to the U.K when the going gets tough does not necessarily mean its the right or best decision on down the line, I am in such a good place right now, have a lovely husband and 2 great kids but I want more for them and myself than what we are getting back here in the U.K, there is so much more for families to do in Calgary, you just have to put yourself out there to do it. Yes the cost of living can be higher but then again running 2 cars here in the U.K has got ridiculously expensive. The quality of life is better its just hard when you get yourself into a rut to get out of it as it leaves you not wanting to do anything and you see the negative in everything. I think you need to find a network of friends anywhere you go its nice to have that but I dont think I was that approachable when I was there, I was so down and stressed I found it very hard to meet people other than my other halfs friends. Its like anything in life you get out what you put in. We intend to move back to Calgary next year or 2013 at the latest, by then we will have a bit of cash saved up and the kids will be a bit older, the youngest who could then go to school which would make a big difference. Im sure your husband feels worse because he isnt working and integrating with people... I know exactly how that feels. If I were you I would try and stick it out until you both are working and see how you both feel then as it is such a pain to move overseas and return and then to regret returning to the U.K. |
Re: Returning to the UK
Originally Posted by AllyS
(Post 9199639)
1) Very isolated - no where to visit over a weekend. Obviously the driving distances have to be considered especially in winter. Expensive hopping on planes to visit other cities in Canada (which we haven't done yet). Not a great deal to do other than eating out, going to the cinema, shopping.
Travel out of Calgary is very expensive, but there are deals to be had if you search hard enough. I've just purchased return YYC-MCO for only $330 including taxes. Bargain, and in August too. Didn't want to risk having to tolerate yet another poor Calgary summer. 2) Most Canadians our age (late 30s) are settled down, have children, and have their established group of friends. Not easy to integrate into a social circle at this stage of our lives. 3) House prices - extremely high. About the same as the SE of the UK. Houses are not amazing, new build developments are built very close together, not very attractive to look at. 4) Can't just go for a walk across the fields like you can in the UK. You have to walk along designated trails in NPs. Also got to be careful in the spring/summer time as there are large predators. Have to have your wits around you. 5) Generally, the cost of Internet, TV, phone etc are very expensive compared to the UK. There is no competition amongst the few Telecoms companies. All of this type of thing is expensive. Food is also expensive, prices are inflated due to the oil town economy. As for mobile phones - that is a big scam! Oh the joys .. I've been here 10 years. I have a good job, house, car .. but still find Calgary the most boring place on the planet. Be glad you're not settled.. you have the option to go anywhere in the world! |
Re: Returning to the UK
Originally Posted by AllyS
(Post 9199639)
In many ways I can't believe that I am writing this.
After a 7 year intense struggle to get to Canada, career change, you name it.... my husband and I plan to return to the UK during the latter part of this year. He has had a miserable time - stuck at home. Canada Immigration messed up his PR application which delayed things by 4 months. My sponsoring him was finally approved in January and he will have to wait another 6 - 9 months until his PR comes through. Although I landed a v well paid contracting position with an oil company, we have weighed up the pros and cons of living here in Alberta. My husband had no reason to want to leave the UK, I applied through the Skilled Worker visa route 6 years ago. We moved over to Calgary last May. I got work very quickly. We got married a couple of years ago and we met quite a few years after I had applied for the Skilled Worker visa. He has had very little pleasure from living here, he is not into sports and has struggled with not being allowed to work. The main issues we flagged from our experience living in Calgary have been:- 1) Very isolated - no where to visit over a weekend. Obviously the driving distances have to be considered especially in winter. Expensive hopping on planes to visit other cities in Canada (which we haven't done yet). Not a great deal to do other than eating out, going to the cinema, shopping. 2) Most Canadians our age (late 30s) are settled down, have children, and have their established group of friends. Not easy to integrate into a social circle at this stage of our lives. 3) House prices - extremely high. About the same as the SE of the UK. Houses are not amazing, new build developments are built very close together, not very attractive to look at. 4) Can't just go for a walk across the fields like you can in the UK. You have to walk along designated trails in NPs. Also got to be careful in the spring/summer time as there are large predators. Have to have your wits around you. 5) Generally, the cost of Internet, TV, phone etc are very expensive compared to the UK. There is no competition amongst the few Telecoms companies. All of this type of thing is expensive. Food is also expensive, prices are inflated due to the oil town economy. On balance, and we have thought very carefully about this, we prefer life in the UK. We have had some serious challenges throughout our time here and we are desparate to put our roots down, buy a property. My husband has had a really tough time and wants his life/career back. My biggest tip would be, living in a new country is nothing like being a tourist. Think very carefully before you make a major move. I will always love Canada, but it nearly killed me trying to get here. - the weather is atrocious in my city : 4 months housebound x 35 years. NOT FUN - cities are a two hour drive apart. The 'weekend destination' is not viable as it is in the UK - Canadian television sucks. As does most American. BBC & Channel 4 : Bliss - housing is new, architecturally boring for the most part - suburbs suck the life out of you (35 years experience talking) - if you don't like spending your free time shopping, you're out of luck - housing is EXPENSIVE. In my city a decent house costs $600,000 to start and that is equivalent to $300-$400,000 pounds. Not 'cheap" - JOBS JOBS JOBS - bilingualism is an issue for some cities - credential inflation (I'm doing my masters degree in an attempt to be competitive) - more university degrees here per capita than any other country = lots of educated graduates and not the same number of jobs - only 100 frost free days : not good for a die-hard gardener I love Canada for her social justice, her safety and cleanliness. Wilderness is beautiful, but the lack of jobs, the YEARS spent indoors avoiding ICE, SNOW, SLEET and FREEZING RAIN are wearing on me. |
Re: Returning to the UK
Once again I can't believe I am writing this ... on Monday of this week, my husband was granted his PR Status. He was sent an email by CHC London advising him to drop off his passport within 45 days at CHC London.
He is flying to the UK on 26th March to drop his passport off at the CHC London (takes 2 weeks to have the visa/paperwork put in it). THANKS ALL OF YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR KIND RESPONSES TO THIS THREAD, YOUR PRIVATE MESSAGES TO US & INTERESTING INSIGHT TO LIVING IN CALGARY/CANADA. It is very valuable to hear other people's take on life here. We feel as though we have really been through it, like a lot of people on this forum have. We are mulling things over, and doing more research, but if we were to move anywhere else in Canada, we would probably move to Ontario given what we have recently read up about Vancouver. Hubby is (I am truly relieved) happier than he was, and adjusting to his new status, although he still gets down in the dumps because it hasn't quite sunk in yet. He has been housebound without work for almost a year which is a long time in a place like this. My advice to those doing Spousal Sponsorship (with neither of you being Canadian) is to get your application 'pack' i.e Application to sponsor and spouse's PR application absolutely flawless. Check it over and over again - make sure you have provided all of the information being asked for and if in doubt, go to an Immigration Consultant. The one my husband found was excellent - very experienced, and knew exactly what was what. If CIC hadn't screwed up processing it (or I should say rejecting it and not bothering to process it) the first time round, it would have taken 2 months all in, but instead it took 5-6 months. Then there is the additional time that hubby will take to fly back to the UK, get his paperwork sorted, return to Canada, start the whole job hunting process and finally land a job - we're looking at a fair few more months. It took me 6 months to land a contract in Calgary. But then I had had 5 years to prepare myself for the job market here. What frustrated my husband was that he hasn't had that kind of timeframe to prepare himself .... fortunately he is an engineer with a lot of experience, and I am confident he will find something, but to be able to do Managerial sign-offs in the Petroleum Industry in W.Canada he needs to have a PEng designation. Its the way things are done here. Anyway, I think he is going to clock up some work experience here first, and we are going to save up some money before we make a move. Hubby didn't want to do a knee-jerk reaction thing and head straight back to the UK. You guys are right in what you say, that we should hang on and experience both of us working as it should help with integrating to life in Canada. I can't see us staying in Calgary for any longer than necessary though. For those of you choosing to 'land' in Calgary, be prepared for the what life is truly like here, unless you know for sure that this is the kind of life you are after. I am an outdoors person and love hiking and nature, but I also enjoy cultural activities too, and the energy of the city so really research by visiting the place you intend to land and reading as much as you can and asking the people on this forum. The more knowledge you have about the place you want to move to the better position you will be in. Being a tourist gives you one perspective only. It is tough being an expat, (particularly when you are not being paid for by an International company for moving costs and having a job offer in place etc.) to make it here. We have had a tough few months and are doing our damnedst to bounce back so I don't want to put a dampner on other people wanting to move to Calgary. Each to their own..... |
Re: Returning to the UK
I think you're doing the right thing by hanging in there for a while.
Being born and raised in Calgary myself, I can certainly see why it's not the place for everyone. I've lived in the UK for 9 years now and I know that I'll really miss it when we move to Calgary. My British hubby has his rose-tinted glasses on about Calgary, but I do think he'll be in for a few surprises and realise that it's actually very different to where he's lived all his life - a little picturesque postcard village nr Cambridge, in a lovely thatched cottage. Having said that, it took me a long time to adjust to things here in the UK - even coming from Calgary! :p No matter where you go or how beautiful it is, etc., every place has its drawbacks. That's just a fact of life. In Canada, the lifestyles, people, sense of humour (:huh: don't worry they do have one!), sports & activities are just SO different to the UK. IMO and vast experience of both worlds, neither is better or worse overall - just different. It's a matter of accepting this fact - that they are different. As human beings we naturally want to compare places - but once you accept them for what they are and embrace the different lifestyle, only then will you be happy. Having been homesick for Calgary in the first couple of years of living in the UK, I know that I'll be just as homesick for the UK when I move back to Calgary. For now, as I don't wear the rose-tinted glasses about Calgary, I am planning on just really enjoying my last Spring here because I know that it doesn't really exist in Calgary! :D Ally, if you're still in Calgary this summer we should meet up for a cuppa. |
Re: Returning to the UK
Originally Posted by AllyS
(Post 9199639)
In many ways I can't believe that I am writing this.
After a 7 year intense struggle to get to Canada, career change, you name it.... my husband and I plan to return to the UK during the latter part of this year. He has had a miserable time - stuck at home. Canada Immigration messed up his PR application which delayed things by 4 months. My sponsoring him was finally approved in January and he will have to wait another 6 - 9 months until his PR comes through. Although I landed a v well paid contracting position with an oil company, we have weighed up the pros and cons of living here in Alberta. My husband had no reason to want to leave the UK, I applied through the Skilled Worker visa route 6 years ago. We moved over to Calgary last May. I got work very quickly. We got married a couple of years ago and we met quite a few years after I had applied for the Skilled Worker visa. He has had very little pleasure from living here, he is not into sports and has struggled with not being allowed to work. The main issues we flagged from our experience living in Calgary have been:- 1) Very isolated - no where to visit over a weekend. Obviously the driving distances have to be considered especially in winter. Expensive hopping on planes to visit other cities in Canada (which we haven't done yet). Not a great deal to do other than eating out, going to the cinema, shopping. 2) Most Canadians our age (late 30s) are settled down, have children, and have their established group of friends. Not easy to integrate into a social circle at this stage of our lives. 3) House prices - extremely high. About the same as the SE of the UK. Houses are not amazing, new build developments are built very close together, not very attractive to look at. 4) Can't just go for a walk across the fields like you can in the UK. You have to walk along designated trails in NPs. Also got to be careful in the spring/summer time as there are large predators. Have to have your wits around you. 5) Generally, the cost of Internet, TV, phone etc are very expensive compared to the UK. There is no competition amongst the few Telecoms companies. All of this type of thing is expensive. Food is also expensive, prices are inflated due to the oil town economy. On balance, and we have thought very carefully about this, we prefer life in the UK. We have had some serious challenges throughout our time here and we are desparate to put our roots down, buy a property. My husband has had a really tough time and wants his life/career back. My biggest tip would be, living in a new country is nothing like being a tourist. Think very carefully before you make a major move. I will always love Canada, but it nearly killed me trying to get here. |
Re: Returning to the UK
Originally Posted by AllyS
(Post 9220723)
We are mulling things over, and doing more research, but if we were to move anywhere else in Canada, we would probably move to Ontario given what we have recently read up about Vancouver.
... really research by visiting the place you intend to land and reading as much as you can and asking the people on this forum. |
Re: Returning to the UK
The sort of things we have read and heard about Vancouver (from Canadians themselves and not just this forum), are that:
1) Jobs are hard to come by if you are in the fields of engineering or technology which both hubby and I are. 2) Vancouver is known for being a very expensive city, and without well paid jobs to sustain such a lifestyle, how could we continue living there on a mediocre income? House prices are extremely high. 3) We have heard it can be harder to make friends in Vancouver cf. Toronto - whether this is really true I don't know. Obviously we don't really know for sure until we live there, but it is so expensive moving around this continent that we want to be very sure before going East or West. |
Re: Returning to the UK
Originally Posted by AllyS
(Post 9221550)
The sort of things we have read and heard about Vancouver (from Canadians themselves and not just this forum), are that:
1) Jobs are hard to come by if you are in the fields of engineering or technology which both hubby and I are. 2) Vancouver is known for being a very expensive city, and without well paid jobs to sustain such a lifestyle, how could we continue living there on a mediocre income? House prices are extremely high. As for other costs of living I don't think you will find that much difference. Of course, there is HST here rather than GST, but the rate is lower than in Ontario. The beaches, the seawall, the parks, hiking, the close and accessible wilderness, the ocean and mountain views, are all free. If you don't enjoy or value these Vancouver is probably not a good fit. If you do ... 3) We have heard it can be harder to make friends in Vancouver cf. Toronto - whether this is really true I don't know. True friends are rare and valuable. You might meet someone you just "click" with on the Skytrain from the airport. It might take months, or years. I do find that Vancouver has an advantage in this respect over many other places. There are lots of immigrants in Vancouver and so lots of people without established social networks and who are on the lookout for acquaintances and friends. You share a lot of common experience with them. Obviously we don't really know for sure until we live there, but it is so expensive moving around this continent that we want to be very sure before going East or West. |
Re: Returning to the UK
I think succeeding in finding a good job is the key thing to surviving in Vancouver. It seems that being able to find a job there at all is a serious challenge. I must say I am not very encouraged by what I am reading.
This is influencing where hubby and I end up movimg to - at this rate it will be Ontario. Anyone know Ottawa well? Toronto is the other possibility...... |
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