Tom Masters

I don’t post here very much but just wanted to encourage others who are in the process of applying or moving to Canada. We moved to London, Ontario in April 2004 and became Canadian citizens last weekend. Our kids were 5 and 3 when we moved so they can’t remember too much about living in the UK. They have completely integrated into the school system, culture etc. here so much that they may as well have been born here.

After a bit of a bumpy start (6 – 12 months of seriously thinking of moving back home!), we have now completely adapted to living in Canada. We both have jobs in our fields (accounting and teaching) and while it wasn’t easy (teaching is a nightmare to break into) we would both say it has been worth it. We got our pool this summer and have had excellent weather in which to enjoy it. It is a novelty as we wouldn’t have been able to do that in the UK.

Moving and living here has been an adventure! We have learned a lot about becoming part of another culture and how it feels to be an immigrant (still hate that word!). I feel a great sense of achievement at having integrated into another country and gaining dual citizenship for ourselves and our children.

Canada is not paradise! It is just another country with pros and cons to it just like any other country. For us, we really enjoy living here and prefer the different seasons even though winter does seem to stretch into forever! The summers here in Southern Ontario make up for it in our opinion. Others find it too hot – each to their own. Here are some more pros and cons of living in Canada from our point of view:

Pros

Weather – snowy winters and hot summers
No traffic issues (apart from bad drivers) to talk of in this area
Family oriented (lots of activities for kids)
Housing (and pools etc.) more affordable than back home

Cons

Cost of living higher than anticipated (car insurance outrageous)
Protectionism (can be difficult to find jobs)
Provincial, narrow minded attitudes
Shorter holidays
Miss having an extended family close by

There are probably lots of others that I can’t think of right now. Deciding on where to live was pretty hard. I love the scenery of Western Canada but the climate of South western Ontario! If we had lots of money to spare, I think it would have been good to take an extended holiday at the beginning and travel around first to get a feel for different places.

Being an itchy feet, grass is greener type of girl who moved around a lot growing up, I am gradually coming to realise that everywhere has its pros and cons. We just have to make a decision based on what is best for us and focus on the positives. Overall we are glad we did it, our children absolutely love living here and we have no regrets! If moving to Canada is something you really want to do, my advice would be to have a realistic, yet positive attitude and be very determined. Emigrating is hard work but is worth the effort in the end.

P.S. While we found what we wanted in moving to Canada, we totally understand why others don’t find what they’re looking for. Even if we had returned home after the first year, we would still not have regretted finding out for ourselves first hand. Emigrating is a risk as well as an adventure!

Member123

I love reading good positive posts - it reaffirms my feelings that we too are doing the right thing.

Glad to hear you and your family love London and Congrats on becoming Canadian Citizens.

bandit

Hi

Congratulations on Becoming Canadian Citizens!!!

And thanks for the realistic post - It does help to hear stories like yours.

I know all countries have their good and bad points, it's just getting the balance right, and I'm so excited about my move next summer!!

Bandit!

Glassy

Great Post... We're still at the start of our journal, but reading posts like that help us realise that we're making the right decision...

ladymoose

Thanks for posting We've also been here 3 years and feel very similar to you - ups and downs, pros and cons - but overall the ups and pros outweigh the rest.

atfab

A sound sensible realistic observation Tom Masters ......... I have been here a tad longer than you but I share all of your sentiments and incidentally I am almost a neighbour of yours ..... I live in the City of St Thomas.

With your positive attitude I just know that Canada will reward you well and your family well benefit enormously .......... Congratulations on becoming a Canadian Citizen.........................................:t humbsup:

stepnek

A very good post and I agree with a lot of what you say. Many, many congrats on your progress and citizenship!

Cookie

Good post Tom

Congratulations on you all becoming Canadian Citizens

Robin (The Gadget family)

Thanks indeed for coming here to tell us of passing your citizenship tests and on becoming Canadian citizens. I wonder if receiving your citizenship certificates was as emotional as it was for someone I met over in Canada on my last visit a couple of years ago. He has framed his and it hangs proudly on the wall in his kilt-making shop in Victoria!

Corky

Christine
Congratulations on becoming Canadians....wonderful news. So glad you are all settled and enjoying your life!

annabella

Congratulations on all you have achieved. So good to read such a positive thread.

ann m

Good thread - thanks for taking the time to post it. And many congrats on the citizenship

flashman

Just a theory but have you compared how far you drive in Canada each year with how far you drove in England?

OnlineCB

Thanks for sharing that - it is really uplifting to read positive posts. And a big well done on the Citizenship, that's a great Thanksgiving present for your family.

flashman

Congratulations but to stay Canadian you have to drink a two-four of it at least once a week!