Honest_H

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this part of the site (usually on the Cyprus branch!!).

I just need some advice really. I'm currently living in Cyprus with my husband 2 daughters and my parents. Within the next few years myself, OH and daughters will be returning to live Northern Ireland. My parents however, won't be.

They would like to purchase a property in Canada. There are direct flights to Toronto and Halifax from Northern Ireland, so they are likely to start looking in those areas (even though they are a million miles apart!!) .

In an ideal world, they would like to spend six months of the year there and six with us in N.Ireland. The idea is that they will still be entitled to NHS treatment in the Uk should they have any future health issues.

Does anyone know if this would be a problem, or what problems are they likely to face while in Canada? Is it easy to buy property? My Dad has a private pension which is paid into his Cypriot bank account from the UK, will he be able to do this? What about State Pensions - my mum will receive hers in two years - can it be transferred from UK to Canada without hassle?

It was very difficult for us moving to Cyprus and we have faced a lot of problems. I don't know if my mum and dad would be able to cope with all the problems of moving again if Canada is as bad as Cyprus.

Any information would be great. You all seem like a knowledgeable lot!!

Member123

Are you mad?

Honest_H

that's not exactly what I wanted to hear!!!

We have tried very hard to live here in Cyprus and its very hard.

My daughter has a cleft palete and will need speech therapy for quite a number of years, for which we would have to pay for here. And at £30 quid a go, it soon mounts up, plus the dental work that she will need, Plus the private school fees for both girls.......could go on and on.

Have you been to northern Ireland? No offense, but if you haven't been, you can't really comment.

I lived there for 31 years, and I can honestly say that I miss it with all my heart. I can't wait to get back.

Member123

Sorry to sound negative, I am allowed to comment like that though as I have lived in Co Down for the past 31 years since my birth and cant wait to get out of this joke of a country and live in Canada.

Sorry to hear about your little daughter..that is tough for her.

Honest_H

OK, Sorry, if you'd explained I'd wouldn't have replied so harsely.

Why do you want out so badly?

I thought I did, but I've found it very hard to try and have the life that I thought we'd have. Things are so difficult when your a stranger in someone elses country. Maybe we didn't chose the right place and at the moment, Banbridge seems the right place to be.

Just be careful, moving abroad its all its cracked up to be. I long for the simple life and its definately not in Cyprus. It was much easier in NI. I feel really sorry for any foreigner living in any other country, UK included. We thought we could come out here and integrate with the community. Boy where we wrong, you need your fellow Ex Pats, cos no one else will help.

But again, maybe we choose the wrong place.

Anyway, good luck with your move to Canada.

Back to the original thread - does anyone have any idea about living part time in Canada?

Member123

Sorry for being so short answered - its the Mourne sense of humour - dry and scarcastic

Suffice it to say that I refuse to live in a country governed by the IRA:curse:My family have suffered directly at their hands on a number of occasions and they destroyed our family.

Have you ever been to Canada - it is a lovely country with great people and a fantastic lifestyle - at least I can speak for Saskatchewan where we are going to.

Beebop

I think you need to have a look back through the threads on the immigration forum as this has been discussed and it's more complicated than it might appear.

You can enter for up to 6 months as a visitor but it is at the disgression of the Immigration officers. Click on this thread.....

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ight=part+time

Honest_H

BeeBop,

Thanks for your help. I'll check out the link you've given me and have a look for more.

iaink

There are a couple of potential problems;

First is that 6 months entry to Canada is not guaranteed....visitor visas are entirely at the mercy of the immigration officer... if you keep coming back for 6 months they might take umbrage and refuse or restrict entry...which sucks if you bought a property you then cant use


If you intend to seek permanent residence for them rather than just come as a visitor it will be hard to get due to age and health issues...there is no simple "retirement" class...hasnt been for years now.

Heath care is a worry, without residence they are at the mercy of North American costs. You need to be careful that travel insurance would cover them...owning property probably negates travel insurance, and insurance for non provincially covered residents is not going to be cheap, and wont cover pre existing conditions. Medical evacuation to the UK for treatment would be frighteningly expensive..tens of thousands, and there is the danger the NHS might deem them non resident too. Id be really careful to check out the likelihood of all that.

If they can get PR here through a relative then the plan might work, but if you dont stay in Ontario at least 6month plus a day, you then lose access to provincial health care too. I think all the provinces are much the same in this regard. Not sure what the residencey requirements are to keep NHS priveledges, although with a NHS# and a UK accents its probably unlikely to get checked in practice.

Pension wise UK state pensions paid to Canada are then no longer index linked, so wont go up with inflation. Perhaps its better to claim it to a UK account/address (or one of the many index linked countries) and pay the transfer fees in the long term.

I dont think integrating into canadian society will be nearly as hard as say Cyprus...the language is common and there are many brits and their descendents around and a lot of fondness for things british. Having said that, if you come in as a little englander and compare all things canadian unfavourably with britain you will crash and burn big time. An open mind and the will to contribute to your local community is the key in my opinion. You have to go to them, they wont come to you.

Its complicated..but you knew that anyway, right?

Why Canada?, have the visited?, do they have family here? Just seems a lot of bother to leave all your family and friends at that age for the sake of shoveling snow in the winter. With the exchange rate where it is now, and property prices much increased in the last few years I dont see whats in it for them.

Honest_H

thanks Iain.

It is complicated. I think they will be doing the six months and one day in the UK so that they will be entitled to NHS. Cananda doesn't really seem as if it welcomes retirees.

They have visited several times and have realatives just over the border in Montana. As for property prices, its really cheap compared to what we have here in cyprus. We have a five bed detached house with pool etc, its probably worth about 750K (Canadian Dollars). Its all paid for, so they would be buying something outright and have loads of cash left over.

A quiet, easier life is what they are after! Things are very complicated in Cyprus and none of us had any idea just how hard it would be.

iaink

Why should it?

It was OK when people lived on only a few years, spent their money and then passed on. NOw people live on 20, 30 40 years after retiring, its would be foolish to welcome them on the strength of bringing a few hundred thousand dollars with them.

The demographics now are such that the working stiffs of Canada are going to struggle to pay for the health care and welfare of an increasing number of increasingly aged seniors in the population. Those seniors were here working to build the system and contributing to canadian society, but I dont think they expected to live well into their 90s. One of my neighbours is 99 in December and still living independently in the house she bought when she retired, two years before I was born!

She was here to work and contribute, but why should canada add to the burden of an ageing population, even if they do bring half a million...spread over 30 or 40 years thats really no to much, and a couple of serious medical interventions could wipe out any percieved economic benefits anyway.

It may seem harsh if you are on the outside looking in, but Im on the inside looking out now.

Howard1944

My Father spends six months in Canada, six months in the U.S.A., has done for 30 years.

I would suggest that you rent first, you may have to take a year lease, but rent and see how you enjoy the country.

I am not sue if you want to be near relatives in Montana, but if so, why not just buy in Montana, failing that, you can buy/rent fairly cheaply in Sk or MB.

Nova Scotia would be a good choice, fantastic Children's Hospital in Halifax, you would be received with compassion, but you will need your own Insurance.

Honest_H

I'm not asking the Canadian government to pay for their health care though, so why should it burden you? They have international private health cover, so it shouldn't infringe on the canadian system.

They want to pay their way just as any other foreigner would have to, but if they are spending less that 6 month there anyway, they wouldn't be entitled and would have to pay anyway.

Is it not fantastic that people are around in the world longer? Is it not great that there is an increasing number of Great Grand Parents around? i didn't have any, but my kids do and they all adore each other. At the end of the day, the working stiffs wouldn't be here if it weren't for the aged seniors.

I realise that its a different view for me, but also see it from my parents view. They have the money to be there, they have a permanent address in Ireland, they would be a "burden" on the canadian system. Can't see what the problem is

Honest_H

Thanks Howard, so many people are saying so many different things, its hard to know what would be best!

They have insurance so it wouldn't be a problem.

Nova Scotia looks stuningly beautiful, properties are a good price and size. I think they'd be happy there.

Visting Visa's concern me though. Heard that you can get turned away!

iaink

I was looking at it from the point of view of the defunct retirement class permanent resident visa in respnse to your comment that canada does not welcome retirees. It does if they have existing family here...I'm half considering sponsoring my Dad over if he wants, but he has a good life there in the UK, so why rip that up and start again.

If they want to pay their own way, thats fine. but if they spend 250k on a home (probably far more if you are talking Toronto Area) , the remaining 500000 over 30 years is only 16.7 k a year, so they need to invest wisely to have a practical income to live comfortably here. Also, as they get older and medical issues become more frequent, relying on traveling back to the UK for treatment, or on insurance coverage is not going to be as practical as premiums will get more and more prohibitive, so you need to plan ahead for that.

Personally I dont think the grass is necessarily any greener here, its just different. I would be encouraging them to find a nice place close to family over there, and then settle down, get involved in the community, make good friends and not mind the rain so much...its a cliche, but at least you dont have to shovel it. Montana is a long way from Toronto, and even further from Halifax. It might as well be across the atlantic to be honest as you are better off flying that sort of distance, and internal north american flights from within canada are frequently more expensive than transatlantic ones.

My view is that at that age its more important to have friends and family you can really count on and activities to live for than a nice house bought at a favourable exchange rate and a big vacuum to fill in your life. What use are great grandparents if they are 3500 miles away.