cov-canuck

As my husband and I are in the early stages of applying (as in we haven't applied yet, but have made up our minds that we will), I was thinking, what was the single most difficult thing you had to do in your immigration process? For us, I think it will be telling his family that we're leaving the UK. The physical application process seems reasonably straightforward, more so because it is a spousal partnership rather than points-based, but I think the reaction from relatives will be the most difficult part (hence why we aren't telling them until we've submitted the application, and are 100% sure about it all).

What about you? Was it telling family? The kids? The application process? The seemingly endless waiting? The last few days before moving?

Sharmagirl

Telling our family was not as hard as saying Good bye - seeing them cry.

Sharmagirl

iaink

In the long run, the hardest part for me is raising our family here with my family back in the UK. We miss out on grandparents baby sitting, seing my brothers and friends children, and all those family gatherings that seemed a pain when I lived in the UK, are terribly missed now. Just too expensive to go back and visit as often as I would like.

Its all too easy to see emigrating as the filling of forms, telling family etc, but thats just the process. The real hard part of emigrating begins after you get here!

Scouse

I think the most difficult part for us will be starting all over again, with very little capital.

We are both in our 50's, and it is probably safe to say that we have never been burdened by having too much money!!

What we do have, though, is the determination to go and get what we want, and at this moment in time, that happens to be PR in Canada!!

We both have PR in South Africa, but came back to the UK in 1996, after 22 years, so that in itself was like starting out again.

Why are we doing it? Because we can, basically, and if we can't, then it won't be for want of trying!!

The most difficult part? Probably the waiting, but there are so many other worries/fears that I can't say which one takes precedence. Will we change our mind because of them. No.

We have prepared for this move as much as we can. We know more or less what to expect. We have had so much help, and made so many new friends on this forum, that we already feel as though we know Canada as well as any 'newbie' can.

I can only say to anybody contemplating this move....be nervous, by all means, but don't be afraid. You will never be alone.

Tiaribbon

The most difficult bit for me was actually telling my parents. I knew they would be devastated ......... and I wasn't wrong! However we gave them a couple of years to get used to the idea and now that I have finally gone, they are actually okay with it. I lived 300 miles from them in England anyway so it isn't like we used to see them every weekend or that they did babysitting duty, LOL!! Just a bit further to travel now but my Mum is 60 this year so we have bought her and my Dad flights for her birthday, to come over in June which they are REALLY looking forward to.

Judy in Calgary

I second that.

Probably the most difficult moment for me happened some twenty years after we'd moved, when my father died in South Africa. At that point we'd just arrived for an expat assignment in Houston. Our kids were having a tough time settling into their Houston schools. My husband's job in Houston required a lot of international travel, and we did not yet have an infrastructure of local friends who could have taken care of our kids. Hence it was impossible for me to fly to South Africa for my father's funeral. That was a low point for me.