How is expressing an opinion a critical put down? From what I can gather, you do seem to think Canada is perfect and that the only reason immigrants dont' get on here is because of their superior/negative attitude. People don't leave good jobs, families and friends for the sake of it. Most immigrants try their best to make it work here and often thier attitude is so positive, the rose coloured specs are on! Unfortunately many struggle due to understandable culture shock and lack of job opportunities.

Immigrating 30 years ago may have been easier as there were far more jobs for a start, but most people immigrating from the UK to Canada these days have a tough job having their qualifications and recognised because they were not gained in Canada. The only superior attitudes I have come across have been from Canadians who appear to be ignorant. Unfortunately for Babyblue, she is having to put up with these types of people on a daily basis, but hopefully she will be able to move on from this situation in time.

In saying that, I have met some great Canadian friends and the difference in vocalulary/accents is something we laugh about as we all learn a little bit about our different cultures.

Chris

Nice analogy, having said that you now know I’m going to pull it to pieces…

Maybe you forgot some simple but blindly obvious factors… yes people make their own beds…I agree.. and that they often make them as good as they can afford…
They choose as best they can what they lie in… and in many cases other people do have some influence over the situation
How do you make a nice bed if all you have is damps straw… how do you eradicate the fleas if you have no access to the flea spray….?

Yep…. the Idea of changing the mattress if it’s a bit stinky is a good one…if you can afford to change it…shame if you can’t… like getting new bedding…. its clear that you speak form a position that doesn’t see cost as a factor in these decisions..

Yes I accept that nobody is forced to emigrate.. but you have to accept that some are mislead, some misinformed… and some just don’t do enough homework…

The end result is some people do have a shitty time ….

You clearly come form a point of view that fails to see that some key factors can make success much harder for some people than others…

But then…. you haven’t landed yet either……

How about the expectation and reality clash is simply because of unrealistic expectations.

and poor attitude discourages employers.

could I add to that by saying ......those expecations being 'unrealistic' because of myths perpetuated by many on here….. Insinuating that failure is only down to the attitude and demeanour of the individual and with the right approach and attitude all will be alright…..

But that's exactly the point. Do your homework, expect that you are coming to live in a foreign country. Don't have unrealistic expecations....

Right Attitude, approach, expections, all things that will lead to a successful move. Read the horror stories, make sure that you do everything you can. If I was a MD, I wouldn't come here expecting that I wouldn't have to do retraining for example...

I took a 25% pay cut when I started my job here because of the "Canadian Experience" issue. I expected to have to do that, and it's never been a problem.

The right and approach and attitude will not guarantee success however it will go a long way towards it.

Emigrating to any country will be challenging, unless one wishes to go to Thailand and lay on a beach for the rest of ones' life

Many of the issues that immigrants have with Canada, woud probably be issues that immigrants would have with the UK, Australia or the US.

The fact is that generally, well paid jobs are not easy to come by in any Western economy. You only have to look at some of the other fora on this site to see that Oz and the US are not a "shoe in" job wise either. And in the UK it might be about to get a whole lot worse.

e.g The UK is a credit-fulled bubble economy and by monitoring BBC news etc it appears that the so-called "boom" may now be turning to "bust". But even in the "boom" they are many people in the UK with low paying jobs, not all of them immigrants.

In the UK inflation and unemployment is rising. It's likely the BoE will raise have to raise interest rates soon to curb inflation. If and when that happens many people will be unable to service their debt leading to a large recession.

That said, in preparing to relocate to any country the right approach is key to success. A huge amount of research and planning should be done to make sure that the move is likely to be the right one.

We planned our move "off and on" for almost 10 years, originally starting to look in 1994. Over the years, we saved, invested, changed GBP to CAD when the rate went above $2.40. This, along with timing to purchase of properties in the UK to take advantage of the cyclical market allowed us to be financially secure when we arrived here.

Since arriving I believe our positive attitude (re-training, extensive networking) has helped enormously in securing the flexible employment that we now have.

I have no view that Canada is a perfect place to live, but I believe the positives far outweigh the negatives and I believe our children will have a far more relaxed, healthy and enjoyable childhood by being here.

Glass half empty today is it? eh?

All the things that you say below under "not" are all things people should think about BEFORE they emigrate, not once there.
Why move if you dont think you'll get a job, or have enough money to buy a home. Millions of people all over Europe do not buy until their 40's choosing to rent , and worry about mortgages once they are settled in life and occupation.
As for not being able to have loved ones join you for long periods. Tough! it is not they who emigrated, they do not get automatic right to move because you did. Life is a learning curve, you learn from mistakes, and you have to be prepared not to be handed everything on a plate.
Some Immigrants come to England and have exactly the same problem. They end up taking the jobs we dont want to do.

The immigrants that do get it on a plate here, are those that do not spend months filling in forms, and two years of their life patiently waiting for news on applications. They come here for hand outs we give left right and centre, every country has them , but I think England excels.

We must think Canada has something better than England or we would not leave in thousands. No amount of stories on this forum put people off. If they are put off they will at least have time to question their decision.
Many of us are in a priviledged position of owning houses in Uk then selling to live overseas mortgage free. This takes property away from "locals" and forces house prices up for them too. We have done this all over Europe USA and Canada.

We also apply as a skilled worker, but have no intention of doing that job once arrived, so again people take jobs from locals who could also do the job.
Then there are the usual immigrants from Asia that people like to run down. Why? they often put a hell of a lot more into a country than people give credit for. As in the Uk I expect there are many that dont, but you must not judge everyone the same.

I am sure many people just have too many things they "miss" and are not prepared to settle for any alternative. If this is the case they are free to leave and return to Uk. Unlike some countries, England does not torture people who leave and return.

My only comment to anyone is if you dont have a reasonable amount of money, to fall back on for two years, then wait until you do, What CHC require as minimum funds is nothing compared to other countries requirements, and not enough to get established on. Life would be pretty miserable living on that without a job.

I can see you have been having a tough time for a while know BB, I guess your'e on a work visa and stuck until PR. I went the same route but the job/money was great so not quite the same situation. The biggest cause of your woes will be the visa only counts for the job you're doing so you can't change and the other is that your SIN starts with a 9 - this is the cause of the financial problems. I haven't personally had or seen any brits have a hard time here - hang on for PR and then hopefully you'll join the happy bunch on this forum.

No one said that a good life in Canada is handed to you on a platter, You have to work at it. So don't expect to walk into the ideal job on arrival. They are not myths but based on practical experience such as

1) Staying flexible in both jobs and locations

2) Being entrepreneurial and creative even while working for a company.

3) Look for, or create, opportunities.

4) Network and maintain a wide range of contacts.

5) Be prepared for 2 or 3 career changes during your working life.

6) Consider starting your own business

This is why I have been fixated with costs for 18 months since we applied. I have taken the view that I will be lucky to get work or be emloyed for at least two years. Privatley if I can make anything in the first 12 months I will be delighted. Hence I will need to be in a position to have no mortgage, no car loans, no credit card bills. Just enough to pay for food, utilities, petrol, and office space. If I looked at being 44 and having no prospects of either being financially viable for 2 years, or have a secure job I would not even consider it - irrespective of how good it 'might' be at the end of the rainbow.

Why....because we have children who are our first consideration.

At the end of 2 years I would expect perhaps if it all went tits up to be 50 grand down and returning to the UK to a different location.

Incentive to us is...

We don't like where we live.

We don't like the rut we have fallen into money wise. We are doing well but it just the money that drives us.

We don't see the UK being as good as Canada for a decade. Economies go in fits and starts. The UK is going into a fit. Just a period perhaps?

We like new challenges

We like meeting new people.

(Would you believe that our narrow minded friend have all but deserted us and we have not even been called for MEDICALS!! Yes that blooddy word medicals.

(This is just getting it off my chest time. Good for you Gooding, still pleased for you)

P

Nah.... working in a brewery I can assure you my glass is only ever half empty for a very short matter of time....


I'm one of the lucky ones that walked in to a very well paying job and do happen to have the good life....

I just get a little riled when people try to place blame other peoples misfortunes on attitude..

As I’m sure that almost all of us start out with a great attitude… the real question many on here are forgetting is.. how long can you hold on to that positive attitude in the face of adversity… and I’m sure until we walk that path.. we’ll never know…

That is why I said what I said….

So what happened to yours then ? Whole stole your popcorn at the movie, stuffed your hoody over your head, and beat your sorry ass.

Rich

Confirmed "annoying wannabe"....Yes
Unlanded PR.....Yes.
Bothered by your comments......Not in the slightest.

I cannot agree more with MikeUK, and sad to say that posts blaming "individual attitude" as the main problem REALLY piss off frustrated people who come here just as babyblue says: ...to vent some frustration.
I was in a similar situation before finding my current job, and were attacked by the same people.

She's just trying ...to vent some frustration. Put yourselves in the same position for ONE moment, for god's sake!

It doesn't follow that because expectations and reality clash the expectations are wrong. Bogart went to Casablanca for the waters, he was misinformed but that could happen to anyone. We arrived in Toronto expecting people to speak French, essentially we expected Montreal, because the only Canadians we'd ever heard of spoke French.

As regards the employers, someone who imports slave labour expects a poor attitude but is reconciled to it. babyblue can have whatever attitude she wants; her boss holds her papers.