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Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Old May 7th 2020, 11:15 am
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Default Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Seeing as we're waiting for the world to go back to normal before we can get documents sorted, can I just ask what your top reasons are for moving to Canada? And what are your dealbreakers?

If you moved to Canada and then moved back, what was the one catalyst behind the return?

Thanks.
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Old May 7th 2020, 1:20 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Everybody's situation of wanting to move to Canada are somewhat different and I suspect a lot of UK citizens who decided to move did it because they had a Canadian spouse, common law partner. Yes quite a few did move without such be it on a working holiday visa and decided to stay, offered to them what appeared to be a better job, visited and fell in love with Canada so looked at how they could move or think the grass is greener. I am sure there might be other categories.

I can honestly say they did not move for cheaper domestic air fares, a state of the art banking system, access to public transportation, cheap internet and mobile phone plans, cheap car insurance and having gravy and cheese curds on their chips (French fries).

What are your reasons for wanting to move to Canada? What makes you think your lifestyle will be better as opposed to moving to another area of the UK? For every positive there is likely to be a negative. Some will say "Go for it" others might advise "Stay in the UK". You can do as much online research as possible but the harsh reality is the decision will be yours in the end. Visiting is not the same as actually living in the country. Some of us are happy, content, hate it or just simply put up with living in Canada as circumstances don't make it easy to just move back to wherever.

If I hadn't married a Canadian I highly doubt I would have considered moving to Canada.
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Old May 7th 2020, 1:23 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by vjcmacrury
Seeing as we're waiting for the world to go back to normal before we can get documents sorted, can I just ask what your top reasons are for moving to Canada? And what are your dealbreakers?

If you moved to Canada and then moved back, what was the one catalyst behind the return?

Thanks.
A problem with being in Canada in the past years has been lack of access to friends and family. They're there, you're here, they don't want to see Canada and you don't have time off to go home. If you're not near a cheap airport, and that means one in the US, you likely can't afford to go anyway. That'll all be worse now; you be going off like Stanley and Livingstone.

otoh, consumer durables! You can buy more stuff.
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Old May 7th 2020, 2:23 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

If I had to summarise I'd say you get more space and larger housing than the UK, but still some social safety net and not nearly as much of the abject poverty that you see surprisingly large amounts of when you live in the US. Canada is a good hybrid of "US" consumer lifestyle, with a hint of UK style social security safety net. You get socialised medicine (up to a point), sane government leadership with a functioning political system, and not quite such fanatical gun rights advocacy as South of the border.

Much depends though on whether you can find a decent job, and probably where you choose to move to within Canada. And whether you can hack the winter year after year. I couldnt find a decent replacement job in Canada and was hired in South Carolina for about 25% more than I was paid in Ontario, and much as I dislike the politics and social disparity here, I dont know that I could face winter in Ontario year after year again after a couple of years of the easy life down here if I could find a decent job back in Canukistan.

Last edited by iaink; May 7th 2020 at 2:32 pm.
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Old May 7th 2020, 2:29 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Top reason to move to Canada? ..... "We couldn't get into the US".
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Old May 7th 2020, 2:33 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Top reason to move to Canada? ..... "We couldn't get into the US".
A case of "Be careful what you wish for" in my experience...
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Old May 7th 2020, 2:35 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Top reason to move to Canada? ..... "We couldn't get into the US".

It would have been easier for me to move to the US but they don't speak French there.
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Old May 7th 2020, 2:38 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Top reason to move to Canada? ..... "We couldn't get into the US".
Sad but very true in some cases. There is one country in particular where they apply for PR status in both the US and Canada. Once their US application is approved even if the Canadian one is approved months before they then choose the US. Since 2008 some of those who chose the US then decided Canada was the better option and found out they no longer met the requirements to retain their Canadian PR status and felt very pissed when reported and issued removal orders to leave Canada.
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Old May 7th 2020, 2:43 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian
Sad but very true in some cases. There is one country in particular where they apply for PR status in both the US and Canada. Once their US application is approved even if the Canadian one is approved months before they then choose the US. Since 2008 some of those who chose the US then decided Canada was the better option and found out they no longer met the requirements to retain their Canadian PR status and felt very pissed when reported and issued removal orders to leave Canada.
It's common for people to accept a job offer in Canada and then not turn up because they were granted a visa for the US. IME that's the most common reason for people not to turn up after signing the paperwork. It's also common for people to walk out, giving no notice, because they get a job across the border.

I realise that this is at variance with industries in which people are typically hired from within Canada.
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Old May 7th 2020, 2:51 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by dbd33
It's common for people to accept a job offer in Canada and then not turn up because they were granted a visa for the US. IME that's the most common reason for people not to turn up after signing the paperwork. It's also common for people to walk out, giving no notice, because they get a job across the border.

I realise that this is at variance with industries in which people are typically hired from within Canada.
Not all job offers result in PR status immediately. I was referring to actually getting PR status, doing the landing and then going to the US once US application approved. Great if you decide to do this but don't be pissed when Canada orders you to be removed.
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Old May 7th 2020, 2:58 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

International witness protection program for us. No...wait....ignore that!
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Old May 7th 2020, 3:05 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian
Not all job offers result in PR status immediately. I was referring to actually getting PR status, doing the landing and then going to the US once US application approved. Great if you decide to do this but don't be pissed when Canada orders you to be removed.
I don't know how many of the people I work with have legal status in Canada. Only that people often leave because they gain work in the US. I don't know, TBH, that they have legal status in the US but off they go. Computer contracting, here and in the US, is like the building trade, lots of workers are undocumented. Still a fair number of people take permanent jobs (that does require some form of work permit) here and then go to the US instead; we lost two in the past year for that reason. This may be part of the reason that employers (as reported here, I don't see it in real life) prefer people with "Canadian experience", at least they'll turn up for the first day.
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Old May 7th 2020, 3:28 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by Pulaski
Top reason to move to Canada? ..... "We couldn't get into the US".
The top reason that I moved to Canada the first time was "we couldn't get out of the US quick enough".
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Old May 7th 2020, 3:43 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by Novocastrian
The top reason that I moved to Canada the first time was "we couldn't get out of the US quick enough".
We felt like that about New York, but the US is big enougn to accommodate lots of different tastes, needs, and expectations, and we headed south, past Mrs P's home turf, and found our own little piece of paradise. .... Well actually, it turned out to be a piece of paradise big enough to fit the entire road on where we lived in London, including all 84 houses (42 on each side), all the back gardens, all the front gardens, the pavement, and the actual road itself.

Last edited by Pulaski; May 7th 2020 at 3:46 pm.
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Old May 7th 2020, 4:00 pm
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Default Re: Top Reasons to Move (and Not Move) to Canada

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian
Everybody's situation of wanting to move to Canada are somewhat different and I suspect a lot of UK citizens who decided to move did it because they had a Canadian spouse, common law partner. Yes quite a few did move without such be it on a working holiday visa and decided to stay, offered to them what appeared to be a better job, visited and fell in love with Canada so looked at how they could move or think the grass is greener. I am sure there might be other categories.

I can honestly say they did not move for cheaper domestic air fares, a state of the art banking system, access to public transportation, cheap internet and mobile phone plans, cheap car insurance and having gravy and cheese curds on their chips (French fries).

What are your reasons for wanting to move to Canada? What makes you think your lifestyle will be better as opposed to moving to another area of the UK? For every positive there is likely to be a negative. Some will say "Go for it" others might advise "Stay in the UK". You can do as much online research as possible but the harsh reality is the decision will be yours in the end. Visiting is not the same as actually living in the country. Some of us are happy, content, hate it or just simply put up with living in Canada as circumstances don't make it easy to just move back to wherever.

If I hadn't married a Canadian I highly doubt I would have considered moving to Canada.
Oh that's interesting. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Yes it's certainly a personal choice and I agree that even visiting won't be enough. There are just things that won't reveal themselves to you until you're actually living there.

Can I ask, now that you're in Canada, would you ever consider moving back?
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