Dorothy

I guess the million dollar question is, "Do you qualify for a visa to move to Canada?" Unless you can answer yes to that then the rest is moot.

bats

When a man is tired of London he is tired of life, Oscar said that or something similar.

If you can't find anything to do in London the there's no hope for you. Did I read that wrong, that's your reason for moving?

not2old

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Yes

Looks like your mind is made up, so why not begin the process to see if you qualify for a visa

spouse of scouse

I think the advice you've been given about checking out other places in the UK is very sound. There are other places in the UK that provide employment apart from London! And not having to pay London prices makes not getting a London salary much less important.

Danny B

May aswell work from home and move to the Scottish Highlands. You get the best of both worlds then.

Inverness to London = 9hr drive
Vancouver to Calgary = 9hr drive

muffback

This is a really difficult question. I spent 6 years living in the SE of England (Woking and Guildford) and working around M25 and in the city. My wife is from London. We didn't think the quality of life there was great and it was very expensive for property. So moved to Edinburgh, I am originally from Glasgow. Quality of life in Edinburgh was excellent- great culture, pubs and restaurants, 2.5 hours to the highlands, plenty of professional well paid jobs. Edinburgh is kinda of like a mini London but friendlier, smaller and cheaper. I really enjoyed living there. Albeit weather could be a bit dodgy, but not nearly as rainy as West of Scotland. Anyway we applied for Canadian residency when we lived in the SE, but it took a few years to come through. By that time we had moved to Scotland. We had to use it or lose it. So we thought let's go to Canada and see what happens. We are still here four years and half later and are Canadian citizens. Will we be here for ever- not sure? Lots of pros and cons. I answered this question before in relation to Vancouver.

Pros-
- Proximity to outdoors if you like skiing, biking, hiking, etc., especially the North Shore (West and North Vancouver). Four hours drive east and you're in wine country - the Okanagan. Like being in France or Italy. Temperatures always warmer here and amazing drive there. Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast as well as Van Island, all do-able for weekends away and holidays. The outdoors is really the main reason I am here.
- Easy access to US - 3hrs to Seattle (border wait times depending) 5-6 hrs to Portland
- Defined seasons are great. Usually you get pleasant weather in summer (better than Scotland where I come from). Rain here not as bad as people say. It rains in winter in the city but drive up the hill and you are skiing.
- Culturally diverse city. Lots of nationalities in my work. Everyone has their quirks but gets on.
- Good restaurants / dining
- Get in a car you can drive a continent. i have driven St Johns to Tofino.
- Electricity is cheap.

Cons-
- Housing market: it is insane. Rental market is insane. Quality of many of rentals shocking compared to UK (I mean shocking). Been here 4.5 years and we are seriously considering our position in Vancouver due to this factor. Having a good job in this city seems to have little bearing on your ability to buy a property. Sure I could max myself out and afford a new, poorly constructed 3 bedroom townhouse with paper thin walls and get hit with strata fees each month. However I wouldn't buy as these properties are vastly overpriced and market looks dodgier by the day. I rent most Europeans who have arrived in last 5 years do.
- Salary less than UK, money doesn't seem to go as far as UK. My UK relatives always say that when they visit. As USD rises things in supermarket get more expensive.
- Vancouver's population is growing. As a consequence condos and towers being built everywhere; traffic is terrible; hard for new immigrants to get doctors etc. in many respects Vancouver is becoming the SE of England.
- Vancouver night life. Nothing to write home about when you compare it to London, Sydney or even Edinburgh.
- Dentist is extortionate. If you work for yourself in essence you pay.
- Earthquake zone- not if but when
- Getting skiing on local mountains a pain these days as the amount of people has increased here. Often long lines to get on the mountain.
- Car insurance expensive.

Would I have moved here if I would have known what I know now? That is very difficult question. Probably not. But now that I am here I love the outdoors, the seasons and the summer. As a consequence I would find it hard to go back to Scotland. But on the other hand I miss the craic, going to the festival, the football and rugby. Am I financially better off living in Canada- certainly not. I don't know any ex-pat who is if you exclude the fact they are may be sitting on a house that is worth a lot of money due to property bubble. Sure you might be able to buy a farmhouse in Nova Scotia for two bob but there is not any work there. My job requires me to be near a city. I guess I have mixed views....I lived in a lot of places around the world. Beginning to realize there is no utopia. Things you like and dislike about everywhere.

PM me if any further questions.

Aviator

If Canada appeals for an adventure and see what happens, might be a great idea. If you are looking to upgrade the lifestyle you have now, probably not such a great idea, move somewhere else in the UK. Easier and cheaper. You could have many years of visiting Toronto on what you save in immigration costs.

Having to ask the question would raise doubts for me. It is a question only you can answer.

Stinkypup

You cite Vancouver as your example which is fine as you obviously have experience there but it certainly isn't representative of the rest of the country. Aside from the night life and car insurance points, my area of experience is the Okanagan, all the cons I feel are negated here. Private dentistry in the UK is just as expensive.

I agree with you about all the pros aside from the good food- present in abundance in Vancouver- lacking over here... But the wine is good and fairly good local craft beers.

We are certainly financially a lot better off here, we didn't and don't sit on a property goldmine, more like a money pit- prices are on the rise but are still within easy range of normal working folk.

I reckon that the OP should, as has already been suggested think about looking to move out of London rather than considering changing continents on what sounds like, as a result of a nice holiday. If I did that, I would be splitting my time between Venice, Yellowstone, Costa Rica and Reykjavik!

BristolUK

What have you got against Weston super Mare?

DandNHill

The OP sounds young. Are you under 30? If so you could apply for a working holiday visa and cone out to play. Then if you don't like it go back to the uk with all that life experience whether it be to London or the country.
Just a thought?

Jodenter

That's for that detailed explanation of your experience...it has put things into perspective for me...I need to think long and hard to ensure its the right path...may consider moving to Scotland now😊...I've been reading about the housing bubble that will pop any day now...thank you once again!

Jodenter

Thank you for all you advice & for sharing your experiences!

not2old

Vancouver to Calgary is only part way across the country. Imagine driving some 5000km coast to coast

I wonder how long it would take non-stop driving Vancouver BC to St John's Nfld?

Comparing the two countries, taking everything into consideration, the UK is the size of a postage stamp compared to Canada's envelope...across the miles the grass is not greener, just a lot more snow, ice & frozen waste land without the social blanket to keep you warm & secure



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scrubbedexpat091

76-77 hours per google dipping through the US. The websites I have checked, none will give me an option to stay 100% in Canada, but I would imagine it takes a tad longer if staying in Canada the entire time.

Shakyuk

I would say like others have that it should probably be more a draw to what Canada offers than leaving the UK because you're not happy around London.


I know I wouldn't be happy around the South East. From what my friend said about Toronto it sounded very similar to be honest, a huge urban sprawl, crazy traffic and high population density with every weekend full of traffic trying to get out into the countryside.


I live in Wigan in the northwest, between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Warrington there is plenty of work, I'm a contractor and have never had a problem finding work. Area's such as Cheshire, the Ribble valley, Ormskirk and south Manchester are all very countrified and nice.
Traffic isn't great but it's not as bad as the southeast, it's cheaper to live up here and Yorkshire, North Wales, the Lake District and Derbyshire are all easily drivable within a day. You wouldn't have a support network in the north but you'd be closer to home and closer to Europe. I think moving from one urban sprawl to another probably isn't going to fulfil what you're looking for.