This forum is a wonderful fountain of knowledge if you spend the time and look for it. The people are amazing, caring, helpful and extremely friendly (most of the time)

I do wish i'd found this place before we started out, we would never have used a lawyer.

The forum has been a fountain of knowledge...
No matter how stupid you think your question is...there's always someone out there who can throw back the answer..not always the right one.. but what the heck!!..We're still going..

Its Fab, loads of info, lucky to find it before hiring a consultant and made lots of great friends who have gone from virtual to real

not changed my mind, for or against, just made me realise that i had been naive in some areas. this is still the case worryingly.

Ditto to all the above. Found that everybody has different experiences; found out useful tidbits of information that the authorities might negelct to tell you; shared experiences with others; found that most people are realistic and can tell you how it is. After waiting for 3 years to move here, we were not going to change our minds and so gald we didn't.
ever thought of moving back ...? Only when Wimbledon is on!

Very true VERY true.

I left Miami in 1993 to move to BC - moved for a love - what a silly billy. Although I have to say Miami is not a great place to live. San Diego - now that would be nice.

Not changed our mind, absolutely not, made me take a step back and look at other issues - absolutely!!

One thing that does bug me is the negativity and sometimes downright nastiness when newbies (and sometimes not so newbies) come on and ask questions that some on here find offensive - such as questions about the weather, etc. To my mind, they have every right to be here and ask whatever they want than those that have been on here forever. I can completely understand that those that have been here forever must find it tedeous but there are others that are happy to post a word or two in response. Everyone is at different stages and quite often this whole emmigrating thing can be completely overwhelming and sometimes it is just nice to know others are going through the same thing, if someone asks a question I can answer from experience I'll gladly do that if it helps them a bit. I cannot for the life of me understand why people on forums don't just live and let live.

My only regret is that I didn't find the forum before I hired an immigration lawyer as I probably wouldn't have hired them.

Generally thought it is a great resource, I'll nip in and read several times a day and right now it has been great for me to build networks with people in similar situations and at a similar stage in the process. It helps massively knowing there are others out there with the same wobbles, excitement and frustration at the system.

(bet you're sorry you asked now, or sorry I answered!)

We have found this forum to be a goldmine of information and it has helped us through some tricky times, it still is! It's useful to read the good and the bad, although only you yourself can make the decisions in your life.

I also read the MBTTUK Forum to get the other side of the coin and I can honestly say that it hasn't put me off one iota. Moving to Canada is something I have wanted to do for a long time and to achieve that goal would be wonderful (hopefully we haven't got much longer to wait!).

Karen

I found the site after I has submitted our application and did not even know about or think about using a consultant. I suspect this site would have put me off the idea of using one though.

I have found the site to be soooo helpful - and have offered out thanks to so many people for their useful advice - and hope I can give some of it back now. My first silly question was probably about car insurance, and I got a lot of help and opinions when purchasing a house - some of which I took on board, and some of which I chose to discard

It didn't make us think about changing our minds, but it did challenge us to think seriously about some of the reasons why, and to carefully consider the finances of such of move (which still surprised the hell out of me) - which is absolutely correct.

I also (still) think the MBTTUK section is very interesting, and that it should also be essential reading for all, if only to appreciate an understanding of what that final straw might be one day. I do think we (as in a general 'we') cast aside our real feelings about friends and family a bit too easily and some people were clearly just not cut out to leave their homeland. The signs were probably already there, but people ignored them while riding the crest of the wave of excitement. Of course, it's not really for any of us to say "don't leave' because everyone needs to travel their own path the way they see fit at the time. And there's no benefit to us saying "I told you so" one year down the line either!

I find some of the characters here a right laugh and now just enjoy the banter. I pop in most days to see how my little pixel friends are doing (sad, eh?). I try to leave, but I just can't seem to do that at the moment

My final comment is "play nice people". We're all at different stages in this game - a little understanding goes a long way. If the only thing coming out of your keyboard is a scathing attack on a newer member, then step away from the keyboard, make a cuppa and take a deep breath!

I took many months of lurking to get to know the characters here, and was just a little anxious when I posted my first questions. Other people find the site, and shout "oh goody" and dive straight in - often with crap. At least give them the benefit of the doubt. Their true colours often become obvious pretty quick (ie, trolls) but not everyone is out to wind you up.

And for any newbie lurkers reading this, don't post anything deadly serious for your first 20 posts. Just dip your toe and come and play

BE enabled us to make a decision based on more information, as did the books we read and the people we spoke to.

Neither encouraged nor discouraged.

Yes.

Yes.

Good answers guys!

my own feeling is that I wish I had found this site a few years ago,( I only found it cos I mispelled the url to a similar site one day! That site too was helpful before we got here. )

sites like these give a good insight into the challenges of moving to Canada. and probably help to avoid some pitfalls, which has to be worthwhile. On this site the admin seems to be a little more relaxed than some other sites, which leads to more natural, conversational threads - keep up the good work mods

I have read quite a few past posts/threads over the months where some people have just been downright cruel and rude i have seen more than one person bully another at the same time, i have been shot down myself on my own opinion and then pulled on for something most trivial like to many LL'S in my wording just to keep the argument going further "strange but true" I am not tops at the Queens English' but at least i dont write the way some speak
I feel like your only allowed to say what people want to hear or your not in with the incrowd so to speak
Apart from that most people been helpfull
Lala

Wish I'd had this forum when we came here (way before the site existed). It would have been a great help. Would I have still emigrated? I honestly don't know. What I have learned from my time on here over the last few years is; the grass isn't greener, it's just a different shade.

One thing that does bug me is the negativity and sometimes downright nastiness when newbies (and sometimes not so newbies) come on and ask questions that some on here find offensive - such as questions about the weather, etc. To my mind, they have every right to be here and ask whatever they want than those that have been on here forever. I can completely understand that those that have been here forever must find it tedeous but there are others that are happy to post a word or two in response. Everyone is at different stages and quite often this whole emmigrating thing can be completely overwhelming and sometimes it is just nice to know others are going through the same thing, if someone asks a question I can answer from experience I'll gladly do that if it helps them a bit. I cannot for the life of me understand why people on forums don't just live and let live.

Hear hear couldn't agree more - am always terrified of posting and always use the spell check! But yes the info is invaluable!