What would you do?
 

Hello all,

Just after a little bit of advice really! Here's a quick outline of the situation (sorry if i waffle!)

We received our PR visas in August 08 (yippee!!) The house has been on the market since the end of July 08 without so much of a sniff of interest (:mad:£159,000 if anyone's interested!!!). Hubby is a serving police officer here and applied to Fredericton Police Force back in June 08. They rang him on 23rd June to let him know his appl was being processed and should be done within a month. After various different phonecalls (him ringing them) he has been told that no news is good news and that they are onto the final paper sift now. This was nealry 6 weeks ago.... My worry is that, as, on their website they say that this is an open ended recruitment drive (finishing in Dec) and applicants will be interviewed on a rolling 8 week basis (to me this tells us that the papersift would take less than 8 weeks - not 16 as in our case!), they are waiting to see if they fill their quota with canadian applicants and if they have hubby will not be successful. if, however they haven't, only then will they consider him..? Whaddya think....????

Also, I hate the idea of hanging around just to sell the house - i want us to get on with our new life in Canada. Plan B for us would be for us all to land in Jan 09, hubby to stay 4-6 weeks and then come back to work here and to hopefully sell the house (or rent it out!), with me and the boys staying in canada to set up etc. However, i'm sure that this would be really difficult on him ( and the kids - they are very close!) If you were in my shoes what would you do....?

As the song asks - should i stay or should I go............ please help.....!!?????

Sorry to waffle........:o

Re: What would you do?
 

Batfink love the name:thumbsup: Where I work in Spain over the years a number of my English clients have normally sold their houses in the space of weeks and months, seems to be the case now that it is now becoming months and years even though on these threads still notice some lucky people selling quickly. As for renting heard so many horror stories there.:thumbdown: But I suppose that is just bad luck

I suppose it also depends on what sort of price you are looking for as well, because the English clients that I know of, that have sold quickly have radically reduced the asking price as well.

Re: What would you do?
 

Thanks Jules - Batfink was a fav cartoon of mine when i was little and actually my son seems to like it now!!

It's really frustrating about the house as after 3 and a half years of waiting for the visas we are still waiting but for something else....! We have reduced the price a couple of weeks ago by £6K but it still doesn't seem to have made a difference. Still, patience is a virtue so i'm told!

Keep your fingers crossed for us..!

Re: What would you do?
 

I think its maybe a question of changing ones perspectives now. I remember even upto about a year or so ago Brits would come to Spain, see a property they liked or maybe were even looking for a large down payment to have a new house built, would often talk to me about just going back to the UK and putting their house up for sale there and saying that houses in their area would be sold in weeks!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately seems like all this has changed now.

By the way, I have had loads of clients over the years from Wales especially from Snowdonia region. Went to Powys many years ago with an English friend, thought the countryside was outstanding WOW, anyway we went into a bar and they refused to speak to him in English:lol: They noticed I wasn`t a native English speaker so they spoke to me in English and not him:rofl: Not sure if this was their sense of humour or something to do with history there.

Certainly will keep my fingers crossed as I know how frustrating it is, your dream of going to Canada is there waiting for you, but you`ve now got the nightmare of selling your house. Lets hope it goes quickly.

Re: What would you do?
 

Surprised that happened in Powys as it's not particularly Welsh speaking, I'm from there so know.

Batfink, I think I've asked this before - where are you? If you are near Aber and your house has a field, I'd be interested!

Re: What would you do?
 

Blimey i've come over all a quiver!!!! It's the most interest i've had all summer ......

Unfortunately no field! I live in Llanon, a little village in between Aber and Aberaeron! 3 bed , ex council house - going for £159,00 open to offers etc...! Ideal for first family home - you can get details from Evans Bros website! Where abouts are you.....????

Re: What would you do?
 

Scotland but I'm homesick!

I'll have look....:D

Re: What would you do?
 

Hi Batfink,

After the three and a half years of waiting for our permanent residence visa's, and now having them in our passports, it's good to see someone who's in exactly the same position as us.

I'm a serving officer in Kent, and have been working towards getting a job with Fredericton Police Force for five years. It has entailed negotiating with Holland Police College, the Provincial Police Services Department of the Provincial Government, and the force itself, in order to recognise my UK qualifications.

I've recently completed application forms for the force, and was hoping to go for interview in September, however due to commitments here that hasn't been possible. The next interviews are in November, on a date yet to be set.

Some things to think about are:

1. It's a very small force compared with what we're used to in the UK.
2. They have no other UK trained officers, so we're an unknown thing to them.
3. Canadian forces seem to rarely make exceptions for previously trained UK officers. Usually officers applying to Canadian forces have to start over from scratch (Calgary for instance)
4. Housing wise, the force has a 20km from the city limits border limit, which one has to live within.
5. If your husband wishes to specialise, he will have to accept (as I do!) that there will be comparatively little chance to do so in a force which is so small.
6. With regard to the speed at which they operate, it can be frustrating, however you have to learn to operate at New Brunswick speed, not UK speed. To say they can be laid back is an understatement!

Anyway, I wish you both luck. Fredericton is a lovely place, and very quiet compared with most of the UK. If you haven't visited New Brunswick yet, I would suggest doing so as a matter of priority, in order to check that such a small and quiet province is to your liking. We have family there, and like it very much; the countryside is beautiful and the people are warm and friendly, however New Brunswick could be viewed as a bit of a 'backwater' in comparison with some of the other provinces.

If you'd like to compare notes, we'd love to hear from you .

Jon'

Re: What would you do?
 

Looked at a map and it may have been near Llanfyllin!!! But as this was many years ago it could have easily been outside another town. These Welsh names mighty hard to remember, can`t even say them:rofl:

On this subject did you know there was a Welsh speaking community in Patagonia Argentina?

Re: What would you do?
 

Thanks so much for the info Jon! Wow 5 years! Why is it taking so long...? Hubby may well PM you if it's ok with you - i'm sure he would love to speak to you.

Btw - how did you find out the next interview dates are Nov...? He has been in contact with the Force and the have specified a rolling 8 week interview scheme. Still, it gives us hope....?

Have you been throught the Holland College yet...?

Sorry - have bombareded you with questions - have gotten all excited to meet someone in the same boat!!

Jules - I did know that there is a welsh speaking colony in Patagonia. Have met some people on an exchange which apparently is fairly common!!!

Re: What would you do?
 

Hi,

It took five years because it took the provincial government a long time to process my qualifications through the senior officers at Holland College. It was only after they said that it was a viable thing for me to apply that we actually put in for the immigration side of things.

At the time, Holland college said that I should do a Senior Constables course (for law purposes) which is three weeks long; a driver course (1 week long, and on an airfield not public roads! - I'm a Class 1 so that doesn't worry me!), officer safety and firearms tactics etc. I'd either have to do the courses, paying for them myself, before being appointed by any NB force, or they would have no objection for me to be employed on a probationary basis for six months, conditional on me passing the courses. If I was successful they would be prepared to recommend me for full employment to the Minster of Public Safety of the NB Provincial Government. This may have all changed, and it is certainly not a done deal yet!

November is just the next time that they are interviewing, I believe. I haven't been given a date, so it may never happen !

The one thing I have learned from this whole process, is that you have to adjust from UK speed to NB/Canadian speed! Friends here who are confirmed as going to Calgary Police have the same problem in getting prompt replies to their questions or concerns. You just have to learn to go with the flow. Fredericton is always going to be slower, as they have no existing ex-UK coppers (except one who joined them over 20 years ago). As you've been through the infuriating immigration process, you know how it goes !

Have you been to Fredericton / NB yet ?
Have you got any ideas about where you'd like to live in the area?
Any family in the area?

PM ahead, no problem at all with that.

Jon'

Re: What would you do?
 

hi Jon,

That would be really good if hubby needs to only attend the Police Academy for a few weeks! And i really like the sound of a probabtionary period pending results of course! Sounds a lot more promising - i'm actually starting to get really excited about the whole thing again - you know how you kind of get disheartened with the no contact thing after a while!

We haven't actually been to NB before - a tad silly to emmigrate to somewhere where you've never been perhaps, but unfortunately funds do not and probably never will stretch to a recce - especially as we're having no luck with the house. But, after all the research that we've done on the internet and speaking to people from NB (yes, i'm one of those annoying people that'll IM anyone!!!), it sounds just the place for us. We're living in a very rural area in Mid Wales at the moment, are 'country mice' type of people and have no desire to settle anywhere near a large city - so Fredericton appealed to us.

I hope you don't mind me asking, but if you have family in Fredericton - how come you never took the sponsorship route...? I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on the different sub divisions of Fredericton. I've been in touch with a couple of estate agents over there and it seems that New Maryland, Hanwell or Lincoln Heights seem to be the up and coming family areas to settle in.....what do you think..? And i'm very excited that they turn Officers Square into an outdoor skating rink in the winter - am looking forward to breaking some bones there!!

Anyway i've written an essay - sorry
Mel aka Batfink

Re: What would you do?
 

Sorry forgot to add - is the ex-UK copper that you mentioned John Lalley by any chance??? I spoke to him via email a couple of years ago after I met a nice lady called Joan Dow on Facebook (she works inthe call centre i believe!) Like i said - i'll email anyone and everyone!!!! Anyway she put me in touch with him and he was a lovely chap! From Manchester i believe...

Re: What would you do?
 

When this thing lets me PM I will do, however the answer is yes, it was John Lally. Nice guy, who I've met. Hasn't been the one helping me however, that was someone else.

Have a look at Exit Advantage Realty, as they have a good website. Hanwell is definitely up and coming, with some really nice homes out there. It's an area I quite like although my brother (who lives in NB already) thinks it's mosquito heaven (that's something you've got to see to believe, all the mossies and black fly in May/June/July). New Maryland is Ok, if you like living on a housing estate. Lincoln, have to be careful which area because of flooding.

We know how you feel about the ups and downs, just keep your chins up!

I find it helps me to never say that it's a definite until I'm there and working. If it doesn't happen, then c'est la vie, and I'll continue to enjoy the job I'm doing. :thumbsup:

Oh yes, breaking bones. I fell over and broke my right arm in NB in January 2005, so I can tell you that their hospital was quite good. No pain relief from the paramedics for the 40 mile drive into town, and I was glad of the Fed insurance who sorted everything out for me.

We didn't take the sponsorship route because they couldn't do it. Long story, but it is quite specific about who can be accepted. Nevertheless, after a lot of arm twisting we've got our Visas, thank goodness.

We must keep in contact, as it'll be good for Helen, the girls and I to have some contacts who are in the same position as us. However, you'll find the New Brunswickers are lovely, friendly, and welcoming people.

Last thing, it isn't all that easy to fly to Fredericton. Air Transat are flying there out of Gatwick now, but flights stop at the end of October. You can fly into Halifax, but maybe a better option is to fly to Bangor in Maine, which is only 2.5 hours drive away instead of the 4-5 of Halifax.

Re: What would you do?
 

Hi Batfink
Just wanted to say hello, we're from St. Clears and OH is a sergeant in P.Dock
for his troubles! He can't wait to retire in Dec. after doing his 30 years.
We're hoping to move to NS next year under the NSPNP CIS
Good luck with selling your house, we've noticed lots of price reductions in our area. Hope things pick up soon.