fitchmeister

Hi, i've been away from this site having shelved the idea of immigrating. Some of the posts here scared the hell outta me about making the move. Especially job prosepects. To be honest ive sat in my comfortable litle rut taking my nice UK pay check each month. I've been to Canada 3 times, the last on a recce of the east coast to gauge an idea of areas, job prospects etc.. Since then ive dallied a bit deciding life in the UK isn't soo bad.

So life threw me a couple of curve balls, i am going to be a dad soon & i will also be invited to re-apply for my current position at work since i am to be outsourced and reorganised after xmas. It's occured to me that most of life is a chance and if i decline to go to Canada - i lose £500 - i lost more than that on insurance after a no fault (of mine) car crash. If i don't apply then i'll never have the option.

So i am now upto my ears in immigration paperwork and arranging bankers drafts - to at least give my self and my new family to the option of going. I expect there will be a few "yes but"... & "what ifs" both negative and positive is response to this post. To those people reading these posts thinking about applying - It's scary, I'm scared for the future of my family. All i can do is know myself and why im making the descisions i am. You're not alone, it's all guesswork. And to those members who took the time to respond to PMs on my last visits - thankyou it does make a difference.

Phew..

See you on the flip side

Roj

wickham

hi Roj

Thanks for your post - I'm quite relieved that we're not the only ones who've been 'dilly dallying' - I was beginning to think there was something wrong with us as everyone else seems so certain of emmigration. Well we've finally decided to bite the bullet and head off into the 'wide blue yonder' ...well Alberta actually....and we're are terrified! But, what finally made us take the plunge was that there would never be a better time for us personally than now (we're the right age, kids the right age for adapting, etc.) and what clinched it was the thought of living with regrets. I am sure this would be worse than going, failing and coming back (well that's what we reckon anyway)!

There are so many people out there who want to emmigrate but who daren't - so even getting to the application stage - you are braver than most. All the best.

R2D2

To do something like this is probably one of the biggest things you will ever do, just be organised, take it all in your stride, research with a vengeance, prepare yourself for the best and the worst and go for it. We are at the 6 months here stage and are feeling twangs of homesickness, but its no more than we expected. You can't spend 30 odd years in one country and not miss it, but this is a new chapter of our lives and we are totally going to make the most of it.........however long we decide to stay. You can always, always go back, and say............Well at least we did it. If you never try it, you'll never know.
It appears to us that if you have a job to come to, it smoothes the way from the very beginning. There are tons of worries and stresses to deal with when moving a young family overseas, so any you can deal with before you land has to be good.
You only get one life !

wickham

Here Here - couldn't have put it better myself!

Having a job to come to would be a dream....unfortunately/fortunately? - we will be setting up a business and so probably won't earn any decent money for a year .......aargghh!!

I notice you live in Sherwood Park, Alberta - I've not heard of this place. Where abouts is it? Can you tell me a little bit about it?

Voyager970

Well said

My exact thoughts as we were applying, application all done and we are now waiting, waiting, waiting and a load more waiting to go now !!!
Still have no regrets, it was worth the 5 months of gathering paperwork
Not to keen on the long waiting / processing times.

Go for it you will not regret it !!!!!!

Eddie

R2D2

Sure.....Its a bedroom community on the East of Edmonton, but separate from the city. About 55k people, so a pretty sizeable town and a wonderful place to live. If you have a young family, as we do, you can't pick a better place around Edmonton (I.M.O)
It pretty modern everywhere and rapidly expanding with a huge urban sprawl of modern new housing sub-divisions all with their own named grand entrances. Depends if you like that sort of thing, but its been done really beautifully with trails linking the estates, natural wetlands, lakes, a heritage trail, loads of green space and at least one play area in every new estate, with lovely clean play equipment in it. All the amenities of a big town such as all the shops you could ever need, plenty of Leisure facilites, loads of good schools. We don't often go into Edmonton itself as we have no need to. Everything we need is here
House prices here are (apparently) about 15% higher than the city as it is considered a really desirable place to live.
There you go.............................you did ask !

britishvixen21

The posts have been excellent, ive been here 3 years now on a visitor visa so i have a little experience with this fantastic country.

Let me be the bearer of bad new firstly, its not easy, its hard, bloody hard and at times you will think its never going to work and youl want to be on the first plane to the UK. but if you stick it out, grind your teeth work through the homesickness you will eventaully feel like this is home and love it.

The way i see it and this is only my opinion as an immigrant your at the bottom of the pole, yeah sure youl be overlooked for jobs cos your an immigrant but in time youl become integrated, make freinds and have a wonderful life.

I applaud you for making the move, it is the biggest decision youl ever make and hopefully the best.

You have a long journey in front of you and if you need anything this is a great site ive only just found it but have found so many resources. with your immigration application my best advice is make it idiot proof, prove everything you say and prove it again. more is better!

Good luck to you

PS the best thing for homesickness is to go to the nearest store that sells English stuff (there are so many across Canada) sit in front of the tv with a tetley tea and some marmite on toast and watch Coronation street on CBC

Cowtown

And as you vomit you can recall England!

britishvixen21

Not a marmite fan cowtown LOL

Tiaribbon

As everyone else has said - yes it is hard. For me, it never has been a case of being unhappy with our property or the location as we have many wonderful friends here. We love our house and I love my (somewhat quieter) lifestyle.

Money has to be the main worry for any new immigrant; can you get a job; can you make enough to get by on. It really doesn't matter how much you come over with, be that £100,000 or £1m, if you are not retired or receiving some sort of regular income then spending your savings is not really a long-term option and you need to find something to invest your money in to provide an income for many years.

CalgaryBlade

If you can't get someone to manage $2m in order to get $140,000 per annum income then there's something wrong.

dozzzzy

I would have thought the vomiting was induced by the thought of watching Corrie, yuk

Dozzzzy

PS Marmite is a wonderful food stuff

britishvixen21

Its funny I never watched Corrie in England but I just want a piece of home once a week. and your right Marmite is yummy, you can get it at No frills, along with Salad Cream, Bisto Gravy and Yorkshire puddings!

Jibba

It’s been 17 months since we received our AOR. From that moment we told friends and family of our plans (which was probably a mistake, due the length of the process). Now all conversations starts with “How’s your application going”, replying with “haven’t any yet”, gets a bit tedious.

We’ve sold our flat; while to market was strong, now all our belongings are in storage, ready to be shipped off to Vancouver. With all that done, we have just been getting on with our lives as normal, well as much as possible.

It’s really only been the last couple of months, which have been difficult, I just can’t wait. It’s taking up most of my thoughts, especially when coming home each evening and checking our post box. I try not to think about what I’m going to leave behind as that start to scare me! My parents are not getting any younger and my brother has starting having a family, it’s been great watching them grow. But as I keep saying to myself “I’m only 10 hours away from the UK”. I have to remember all that time ago why I wanted to move out there in the first place.

I must say I am looking forward to the challenge of getting a job, once I’m out there, but obviously very daunting. I think once this long waiting game is over (hopefully soon), it’s a matter of getting on with it, which is never as bad as cramping every pro & con thought into my head at once.

Good luck to all who are applying and have applied, it’s been an interesting/emotional/scary/exciting journey and I’m sure it will continue to be.

fitchmeister

Hi all

Well i did it and it's in - got the id number for the website and a letter stating the wait could be 36 months.Thanks for the replies of encouragement, for the record i managed to survive outsourcing, to a company that is also quite large in Canada - so who knows maybe i'll apply for a transfer?? Baby due in 8 weeks, life is never gonna be the same.