2007 queue - where are we up to?
Nov 7th 2012, 5:31 pm
#1531
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 233
Re: 2007 queue - where are we up to?
Hi guys,
As one of the 'lucky' 2007 queue who made it out to Canada last year, just wanted to offer my best wishes to those still waiting.
For what it's worth, I haven't been able to get a job in 18 months, and we are as poor and fed up as we have ever been. We are having to sell our house in Ontario for much less than we bought it for, as we can't afford to keep it.
The whole family are sick of the pasta, tomato ketchup and water diet we are reduced to, and it wouldn't be so bad having turned vegetarian - if we had chosen to do so.
Our credit rating is worse than it has ever been.
We can't afford to go back to the UK, so we will continue to try here.
But it's a tough slog.
If you are truly determined to try Canada, be prepared for it to be the hardest time of your lives, from which your marriage may never recover.
One salary is not enough to cover basic living expenses.
My advice would be, do not consider moving your family without two steady jobs with health and dental benefits. Life is barely worth living here without that.
Good luck and congratulations to those who can make it work.
As one of the 'lucky' 2007 queue who made it out to Canada last year, just wanted to offer my best wishes to those still waiting.
For what it's worth, I haven't been able to get a job in 18 months, and we are as poor and fed up as we have ever been. We are having to sell our house in Ontario for much less than we bought it for, as we can't afford to keep it.
The whole family are sick of the pasta, tomato ketchup and water diet we are reduced to, and it wouldn't be so bad having turned vegetarian - if we had chosen to do so.
Our credit rating is worse than it has ever been.
We can't afford to go back to the UK, so we will continue to try here.
But it's a tough slog.
If you are truly determined to try Canada, be prepared for it to be the hardest time of your lives, from which your marriage may never recover.
One salary is not enough to cover basic living expenses.
My advice would be, do not consider moving your family without two steady jobs with health and dental benefits. Life is barely worth living here without that.
Good luck and congratulations to those who can make it work.
Nov 7th 2012, 6:30 pm
#1532
BE Forum Addict
Joined: May 2012
Location: South Bucks
Posts: 1,654
Re: 2007 queue - where are we up to?
So sorry to hear this dreadful news. I am in the tourism business and the amount of younger people from UK who come out here on holiday, see our lifestyle and want to return as immigrants is quite scary! Most people living here will not post the negatives of living in Canada and only the positives, perhaps giving a false view of life here. Your experience is not new. Unless you have an excellent professions where you are needed (and even then they make it so hard because your qualifications are just not recognised), lots of money or have a job offer to come to be prepared for some hard years ahead.
We have been here 10 years and have never suffered so much stress over that period. Initially we did have a reasonably good life, but then the recession hit and my business is badly affected by it and jobs are not easy to find even now for me after 10 years here. We were lucky that we had an income in UK and money to buy a house outright. However we still worked at menial jobs in the first couple of years to make ends meet! Most people do not know that, not even our families. Imagine saying to them we came out here to be a "maid" and "gardener"? Everything is different here although you would think it is similar to the UK? Houses are built differently and have so many issues. Some Locals see you arriving a mile away and are so ready to rip you off. There are no jobs especially in rural communities unless you know someone or are prepared to work for nothing aka volunteering and although on the surface you seem to be accepted, you are not really part of life here. Because we are "English speaking" we are expected to just fit in and we do not go to the Immigration services that so many other immigrants join. I now know why so many other nationalities stick with their own people! It may be different if you are married to a Canadian and are accepted into their family, where you can get support.
On the plus side, we have done well with property and have seen a lot of wonderful places and still do live in a beautiful part of the world but it is the loneliest I have ever been in my life! I am an outgoing chatty person who makes friends very easily but just cannot crack it here with close friends!
Oh well, another 3 years and hopefully we are back retired in England!
My advice is to just try and find any type of work, something that you probably would not have considered in Uk, as it is a start. Is there not some type of work you can do for yourself - odd jobs, cleaning, delivering papers? It may not be what you came here for but it will help keep the wolf from the door.
Good luck, my heart so goes out to you! Keep positive if you can, don't play the blame game and support each other in this. It is essential to your survival! Remember that song "it can only get better" ? when you reach the bottom you can only go up!
We have been here 10 years and have never suffered so much stress over that period. Initially we did have a reasonably good life, but then the recession hit and my business is badly affected by it and jobs are not easy to find even now for me after 10 years here. We were lucky that we had an income in UK and money to buy a house outright. However we still worked at menial jobs in the first couple of years to make ends meet! Most people do not know that, not even our families. Imagine saying to them we came out here to be a "maid" and "gardener"? Everything is different here although you would think it is similar to the UK? Houses are built differently and have so many issues. Some Locals see you arriving a mile away and are so ready to rip you off. There are no jobs especially in rural communities unless you know someone or are prepared to work for nothing aka volunteering and although on the surface you seem to be accepted, you are not really part of life here. Because we are "English speaking" we are expected to just fit in and we do not go to the Immigration services that so many other immigrants join. I now know why so many other nationalities stick with their own people! It may be different if you are married to a Canadian and are accepted into their family, where you can get support.
On the plus side, we have done well with property and have seen a lot of wonderful places and still do live in a beautiful part of the world but it is the loneliest I have ever been in my life! I am an outgoing chatty person who makes friends very easily but just cannot crack it here with close friends!
Oh well, another 3 years and hopefully we are back retired in England!
My advice is to just try and find any type of work, something that you probably would not have considered in Uk, as it is a start. Is there not some type of work you can do for yourself - odd jobs, cleaning, delivering papers? It may not be what you came here for but it will help keep the wolf from the door.
Good luck, my heart so goes out to you! Keep positive if you can, don't play the blame game and support each other in this. It is essential to your survival! Remember that song "it can only get better" ? when you reach the bottom you can only go up!
Nov 7th 2012, 6:49 pm
#1533
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 48
Re: 2007 queue - where are we up to?
Hi guys,
As one of the 'lucky' 2007 queue who made it out to Canada last year, just wanted to offer my best wishes to those still waiting.
For what it's worth, I haven't been able to get a job in 18 months, and we are as poor and fed up as we have ever been. We are having to sell our house in Ontario for much less than we bought it for, as we can't afford to keep it.
The whole family are sick of the pasta, tomato ketchup and water diet we are reduced to, and it wouldn't be so bad having turned vegetarian - if we had chosen to do so.
Our credit rating is worse than it has ever been.
We can't afford to go back to the UK, so we will continue to try here.
But it's a tough slog.
If you are truly determined to try Canada, be prepared for it to be the hardest time of your lives, from which your marriage may never recover.
One salary is not enough to cover basic living expenses.
My advice would be, do not consider moving your family without two steady jobs with health and dental benefits. Life is barely worth living here without that.
Good luck and congratulations to those who can make it work.
As one of the 'lucky' 2007 queue who made it out to Canada last year, just wanted to offer my best wishes to those still waiting.
For what it's worth, I haven't been able to get a job in 18 months, and we are as poor and fed up as we have ever been. We are having to sell our house in Ontario for much less than we bought it for, as we can't afford to keep it.
The whole family are sick of the pasta, tomato ketchup and water diet we are reduced to, and it wouldn't be so bad having turned vegetarian - if we had chosen to do so.
Our credit rating is worse than it has ever been.
We can't afford to go back to the UK, so we will continue to try here.
But it's a tough slog.
If you are truly determined to try Canada, be prepared for it to be the hardest time of your lives, from which your marriage may never recover.
One salary is not enough to cover basic living expenses.
My advice would be, do not consider moving your family without two steady jobs with health and dental benefits. Life is barely worth living here without that.
Good luck and congratulations to those who can make it work.
Good Luck
