rivingtonpike

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?

macadian

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

Shard

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

rivingtonpike

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.

Pulaski

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.

Former Lancastrian

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.

Danny B

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.

Siouxie

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!

Former Lancastrian

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
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.

rivingtonpike

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.

BristolUK

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

Former Lancastrian

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

Shard

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

Pulaski

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

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!!!

Former Lancastrian

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?