Money, mate.

I retire next year. As soon as I've stopped earning silly amounts for doing very little, I'm outta here. Not, though, to the UK.

To be fair, I made the mistake of planning for retirement too well and now I'm finding all the things about Canada with which I've just put up over the years to be more and more annoying. That plus it's a shitty winter.

It seems to be human nature that as you approach a much desired departure/separation from a country (job, relationship, etc) all the repressed little annoyances start to come out of the woodwork and loom large. The opposite of rose tinted spectacles, whatever they may be.

Bile tainted reality?

Or as I describe it, one's tolerance levels are shot. All those things that you try not to think too deeply about get thought about.

I like your phrase though and will bandy it about at the next opportunity

Perhaps the Germans have a word for it, they seem to specialise in such nuances?

You need to visit the Teatime choices thread for a virtual refresher.

Gallen verdorben Realität

says Google. it must be wrong.

Actually, it appears to be correct as a literal translation.

Frustriert Langeweile works too.

Like Dashie, I've been here 9 years, 1st few visits to the UK and it was lovely to be home in Canada, last couple, not quite so much. We have a few options for the future that we are investigating, but it is increasingly unlikely that the little bit of Canada we are in will be our forever home.

Ahh the tax man, now I understand, and yes I can appreciate there are other annoyances, maybe when I have been here as long as some of you, I may well feel the same, (im comparably fresh off the boat coming up to five years here) Everyone makes the move for varying reasons, and is happy or unhappy with the move for varying reasons, I don't think any two cases are the same.

I made the move for quite a mix of reasons, personal, emotional, financial political, at present it seems to be working better for me, may not take much to change that though; personally I think wherever you live its a matter of how the life cards are dealt to you.

I am sure this will be hotly debated but some would disagree
http://www.moneysense.ca/best-places-2013

We are 7yrs here, with lots of ups and downs. Recently my dad has been ill and this has placed excess stress on my sister which makes me feel guilty. To counter this though we just got our citizenship and passports, and felt a real sense of pride. My daughter is excelling at school, my wife is better paid and in a better position here. I am finally starting to get to grips with my job and was awarded the Canadian Queens Jubilee medal.

It has been hard, I would have moved back several times, my wife too. We have felt trapped here to some extent, financially more than anything, I would worry about employment if I left above anything else. That said this has been caused by home sickness for stupid things really.

The most important thing to us is we are happy for most of the time as a family, with good friends, a bright future for our daughter and options here we could never imagine in our old life in the UK.

Tax man? Nothing to do with it. But we still have a bit more work to do on our next home (elsewhere than Canada) and the amounts involved are easily handled on my silly money, so I see no reason to knock off early.

In addition if I "work" another year my pension goes up (annoyingly by only the maximum amount permitted under Canadian law).

Buggers.

To be brutally honest the realization set in the moment I got my citizenship, as I stood reflecting on all those that had come from all over to get a genuinely better life for themselves from many third world nations, I realized I was now a citizen I didn’t have to stay 3 out of 5 years in fact I didn’t have to stay at all… no more shitty winter commutes, no more summer covered in DEET and sweating my balls off… started applying for job in the UK, 7 months later I was gone….

That's pretty much how we felt at our ceremony - we can leave now! Although we're actually still here at the moment.

Not making judgments or anything (after all, getting married made the whole Sponsorship/PR much easier for me than it would have been with the alternative) but is there anything in the Citizenship process to discourage it from being such a badge of convenience?