If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

This is my 3000th post so I thought I'd use it to start and obvious but always debated subject. Why do people start the immigration process, spend a ton of money and then constantly complain about the process? It's too slow, there are too many confusing or irrelevant questions, it's too expensive, why do my qualifications have to be re-assessed? Why is cheese so expensive? Once people perhaps finally get here they moan about the weather, bureaucracy, driving, heating bills etc etc. No-one asked any of us to move here. We made the conscious decision to to make that move (not all, but most), so it is what it is. Every sovereign country has the right to determine the criteria for entry and settlement (ish), so why do people get so shirty when the process doesn't open them with open arms?

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Such are the consequences of emigrating from a "nanny state"....

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Excellent 3000th post (agree) and glad to see you back RP.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I couldn't thin of anything constructive to say before! But I do get vexed when wannabe immigrators whinge and moan about the process. No-one is making you move here.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I think your perspective is skewed by looking at posts on an expat forum. Statistically, only a miniscule percentage of people who emigrated from the UK to Canada post on BE, and I believe that those who don't settle, aren't happy, and generally like to complain about life in Canada are more likely to join BE and whinge about things.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

This thread would have been more appropriate tomorrow once the Olympics are finishing as the UK would be top of the gold medal count regarding complaints about being in a country that they have emigrated to but its not the same as the UK.
Im sure there is probably a Brit who is now living in the Maldives complaining about the lack of cheese and onion crisps.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Because a small percentage of the British who immigrate to Canada are stuck up moaners who consider themselves 'expats' and not on the same level as the average brown skinned immigrant.

They feel as though they should be treated differently and given priority over other job applicants...even the locals.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

A friend of my son came over on a 2 year IEC - after a lot of help with filling out forms etc. - spent 6 months living at our house where he constantly moaned about how it wasn't what he expected, he couldn't earn what he did in the UK, he couldn't get the food he liked and it was boring here.

He relocated to BC and decided he wanted to apply for permanent residency. I spent months walking him through forms, explaining how to obtain documentation, what to write, what to pay and all the other stuff that he struggled with, via email / text messages and phone calls.

Less than 2 months after obtaining PR he left and went back to the UK.

I'm still trying to understand why he even bothered applying!

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I'm gonna stay away from the racial side of your comment.
The next batch are going to be the ones who are leaving because of Brexit and once arriving we will see a different type of moaning. How come we don't have FOM with the USA and why do I have to pay taxes on bringing stuff across the border :lol:
Of course we don't have the history, culture and other things that the UK has being as we are only 150 years old. How can we compare to stuff that happened in 1066 or stuff like that. Some probably still think of us a colony and we need permission from Westminster to decide what we do.
We are vastly inferior to the highly trained professionals competing in the labour market be an electrician, plumber or even financial advice.
Our banking system is something akin to banking in 1066 plus we have very few Lidl or Aldi stores and a few others.
Now don't get me wrong the UK isn't a complete shithole but Canada is different and not the same so take a deep breath and relax and embrace your new country even if you find it hard or expensive to get stuff you grew up on and are used to.
Although poutine sounds and looks gross it isn't that bad and hell you rave about Indian style curries and other foreign foods that you now enjoy so try something different again.
Yes the UK beats us hands down for TV programmes but if your life evolves around TOWIE, Eastenders and Emmerdale and other such classics then Canada might present a challenge though with a bit of research can be seen.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

This is a very good point. I would say though that there are two groups in my original post. There are the immigrants on BE who continue to moan and complain about life in Canada. However, I was thinking more of the people that somehow blame the immigration process for not welcoming them with open arms - "I'm British, what do you mean I can't just sign something and move over?". I suppose it surprises me how many assume they are, by dint of being British, entitled to move wherever and whenever they like.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Perhaps because you don't find something out until trying it.

To be fair I think many of us have found the guidance to contradict the application forms...and worse :(

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

But Im guessing that the forms that Canadians fill out to emigrate to the UK are very clear and concise so the need for a consultant or lawyer is never needed.
I assume the UK meets all its processing times and targets and you never hear any complaints about the system;)

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

You can guess who does all the moaning about it in Britain, and it's not the immigrants. ;)

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

..... Within the British Empire, at least. :rofl:

Similar in the US - in my experiences. Despite a single solitary a-hole I met, in 16 years living in the US everyone else I have met who has commented on my accent and/or otherwise noted that I am from outside the US, has been friendly or very friendly and welcoming.

With my accent having apparently changed very little, if at all, since I arrived (which is hardly surprising as it doesn't seem to changed since I left Sheffield at the age of eight), I still frequently (average about once a week) get comments about my accent and whether I like living in America? ..... Needless to say, this has absolutely zero relevance whatsoever to the US visa and immigration process!!!

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

If they made the system easy for the average John/Jayne to understand then you would be putting thousands of people out of work.
Imagine all the lawyers/consultants/bureaucrats/specialist govt employees who would be out of work as there is no need for different interpretations of what a specific question means.

Of course nobody reads the guides or instructions as to what certain things mean like for example number of people in your family or who is considered a dependent or what a common law partner is and what do they mean by cohabitation.

So here is a test for you even though some are exempt from filling out the Customs Declaration Form what do they mean by monetary instrument?

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicat...s/e311-eng.pdf
Each traveller is responsible for reporting currency and/or monetary instruments totaling CAN$10,000 or more that are in his or her actual possession or baggage.

So if my VISA/AMEX card has a limit of $25,000 is it a monetary instrument when I have more than a $10,000 balance?

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

No, because the $10,000 isn't monetary value that you can transfer to someone else .... unused credit exceeding $10,000 would be very similar to a monetary instrument, but I still don't believe that it is.

However, a prepaid Visa card is a monetary instrument, despite there only being a hair's breadth of difference between that and a credit card with $10,000 of available credit.

Unfortunately all the definitions predate the innovations in payment technology that have come along over the past 50 years or so, since credit cards first became widely available, then debit cards in the 80's.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Come on man it either is or isn't :lol: I still don't believe it is could be interpreted as you are not completely sure;)

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Agreed :p
In the US a credit card isn't a monetary instrument, neither to the extent it has a balance, nor to the extent it has available credit. Happy now? :)

I believe that the same definitions apply in both the UK and Canada, but I wouldn't stake my life on that. :lol:

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Here is the legal definition of a monetary instrument in regards to currency reporting regulations

"Monetary Instruments"
means (a) securities, including stocks, bonds, debentures and treasury bills, in bearer form or in such other form as title to them passes upon delivery; and (b) negotiable instruments in bearer form, including banker's drafts, cheques, traveller's cheques and money orders, other than
(i) warehouse receipts or bills of lading, and
(ii) negotiable instruments that bear restrictive endorsements or a stamp for the purposes of clearing or are made payable to a named person and have not been endorsed.

Of course this isn't present on the form so it leaves people guessing and perhaps thinking that the bankers draft for $15,000 doesn't need to be declared.
You were right but need to work on your self confidence when giving an answer :p

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Kind of depends on how you ended up in Canada, for some of us someone did ask us to move here, granted it was only 1 person and not the government.. ;)

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

:goodpost:

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Yeah but you had a choice to say No or find another wife/girlfriend :lol:
There again JT did invite those who are fleeing persecution terror and war as Canada will welcome you hence why you now see numerous people from Yorkshire now applying to come to Canada.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Obviously you moved for the fishing ;)

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

There will always be exceptions as the next sentence references. Even if someone or some entity actively asked you to move here, I think it unlikely a gun was held to your head. My post, however, was more aimed at the people who complain because the process for immigration doesn't favour their circumstances, therefore it's stupid or flawed.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Sort of like
Me nyem is michael an' ahm from Newcassel will ah hev tuh tek an english test .
Me name is michael and Am from der pewl wul ay 'uv ter take an english test.
Oim michael an' I liv' in Burminum wull I yav ter tek an english test.
Mah nam is michael an' aam frae scootlund will Ah hae tae tak' an sassenach test.
One's name is michael and one is mwah mwah sweetie england will one has to take an english test.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Right, and the problem is that, as in the US, monetary instrument is defined by giving a list of examples rather than saying much about the characteristics of what is and what is not a monetary instrument.

The definition apparently means things that have value in their existence that can be transferred, but the concept of Visa gift card hadn't been through of back then. ..... But when all is said and done, a draft or bill of exchange only represents the value which is actually stored somewhere else entirely, just like a Visa gift card, .... and as was a bank note back in the day when bank notes were backed by gold or silver .... but they're "cash", not monetary instruments!

Clear now? :rofl:

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I've no idea, but that wasn't the question was it. :p

I'll bet there's a better complaints/appeals procedure in the UK though, along with some accountability.

I'm absolutely certain that writing to an MP in the UK doesn't mean they just pass it on and allow the government department to send out a form letter and that's the end of it. :frown:

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Canada has a very robust appeals and complaints mechanism for those who have had applications denied for a variety of reasons by a visa officer overseas or by IRCC. Would it surprise you that CBSA is the responsible Agency for dealing with appeals;)
Now granted it can take 2 years for an appeal to be heard due to a shortage of Immigration Appeal members who hear cases.
Most of the complaints I see on the Immigration forum is lack of acknowledgement by IRCC that an application has been received and what stage it is at and that the My CIC is not updated on a regular basis. IRCC have targets and processing time standards. I can guarantee you from BE members who post on here and went through the system were under the processing times. Yes I have also seen some horror stories but overall they are just a small percentage.
Expecting a Canadian MP to have any pull is also somewhat of a myth though on the odd occasion it happens.
Its far from a perfect system but it works better than other countries have.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I'm not so sure about that. It may well be that people are already familiar with BE - lurkers, for example - and then come on to moan when expectations aren't met but I can't imagine that someone who wants to complain would actually seek out a resource like BE to do so.

That would only make sense if they were seeking confirmation bias and we have enough contrary opinions on this kind of stuff for it not to be so.

I must admit that thought often occurs to me when new posters say things like they've decided to move to Canada. Admittedly they may well have citizenship or something that makes it easy, but it doesn't always sound like it.
There is that feeling too sometimes but I'm not so sure that it's being British so much as being part of the Commonwealth.

I mean, does no-one ever wonder what the point of the Commonwealth is if there isn't some sort of mutual practical advantage for its citizens?

It's older than the EU where citizens of member states have freedom of movement and cannot be discriminated against in matters of employment.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I was thinking almost the opposite - those who are enjoying life in their new home country aren't joining expat bulletin boards.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Ooohh it's a fine line and one that can be easily misunderstood. It's a little like the glass half full/half empty argument

My constructive criticism is your moaning and vice versa.

I constantly criticise canadian drivers and their dangerous habits, I criticise pedestrians and the way they fail to look where they're going and I have mentioned the way CIC ignores it's own regulations but I think I'm entitled to that. You might interpret this as moaning, explaining that that's how it is here and I understand that, but it doesn't mean that it can't be improved after all that's how we, as a species, managed to take what was originally a chinese firework and develop the awesome AR15. You might not consider that a constructive argument and the recent spate of killings in the US has generated column feet of criticism, but should we simply keep quiet because that's the way it is or should we add our voices to the dictates of common sense?

No doubt there are whinging pommes out there and perhaps they shouldn't have cast their fate to the canadian wind but there are others who see sharp corners that would be better rounded off and aren't afraid to say so.

But I take your point about the weather, I would never have followed my daughter had she moved to live under 20 feet of snow for six months of the year. As for food, I do comment from time to time of the bland canadian palate, I don't moan about it because I have the ability to cook for myself but I do like the odd burger even if they must put leaves, twigs and all manner of squirty foul tasting vegetable matter in it.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Sort of opposite but the same :lol:

Those enjoying and those not - two opposites but neither searching for BE just to say so. :sneaky:

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I found this site accidentally some years ago when looking for something else.

I joined thinking I might learn something I didn't know ........... and I've certainly learnt how much more difficult it is to immigrate into Canada than it was 50 years ago.

I've also learnt how lucky we have been in being able to immigrate here.

But I'm so glad to realise from this thread that it was not just this long-time resident that has been taken aback by the entitlement that some potential immigrants seem to have just because they are British and therefore have the right to come here.

I've also learnt how many people expect Canada to be just like Britain, because after all we're both in the Commonwealth.


Does anyone know whether potential immigrants to Australia or NZ feel the same way??

I do know from our year down there that Australians are, or were, much less forgiving of Britons who kept saying "it (whatever "it" was) is better back home".

Australian friends and relations told us to keep quiet about being of British origin, but that was impossible because of my strong Lancashire accent!

Instead, we made sure that a) our Canadian pins were worn all the time, and b) that we mentioned as soon as possible that we were Canadians :nod:

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

That was a waste of time.

I’ve met some people out here that did this as well.

I think that what got me was the amount of IEC people that thought they could just extend the permit.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Why more difficult? Is it because of the internet which enables people to keep a foot back in the old country/culture? Or the more diverse society that now exists? Maybe it's not more difficult?

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I can't remember the name of the poster now, but a few years ago there was a poster representing her whole family who was almost delusional that they couldn't get a visa in the time frame of 8 weeks she'd allowed for the process. If I remember correctly they weren't eligible for a visa at all. She simply couldn't accept that as good yeoman stock Canada wasn't grateful and welcoming with open arms a family that was prepared to make the move; "what do you mean I need a work visa? Well just give me one then and I'll be on my way".

Is there sometimes a "Smug Club" here on BE luck of those of us who "made the grade" and then there is the "Oh Well, better next time club" who don't make it? I'm sure you're lovely people, but I'm afraid that isn't enough. Our club has criteria that I'm afraid you don't meet.

Sometimes the arrogance of expectation is almost amusing. Other times, there is what I think is a genuinely sad, almost tragic, reality that you simply aren't going to meet whatever criteria are in your way. I often look out of my home office window at the trees and sky and think - that could have been me.

Would we have been happy if we'd stayed in England, moved out of London and replicated what we have here in some Cotswold village? probably....are we happy where we are? You bet we are. Life has been absurdly kind to us. Opportunity has exceeded all expectations.

Thank you Canada!

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

I dont believe it. Whinging is an important part of the british psyche. As one matures, you learn more, so naturally there is more to whinge about. Think about some of our most popular tv, faulty towers, one foot in the grave, actually anything with john cleese [anyone seen his new bbc sitcom series ?]

The most amusing thing is so nany furriners just dont get it, along with satire and sarcasm.

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

The country that surprises me is Danish, they appear scandanavian on the face of it but are some of the funniest racists i know. This says its dutch - it isnt - made for the danes originally. Clue - its an advert for a language training school

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

For example ?

Re: If you don't like it - Don't do it
 

Never mind, theres always someone who doesnt believe it. I’ll just settle for real maple syrup [esp when i use it to make bacon] and canadian coors light adverts.