Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

We are hoping to move to Canada. We have friends who think it is a great place and have lived there for about 10 years now. Is anyone thinking about returning to the UK from Canada? We are wondering if we would be better off financially there or not. From our perspective it loooks like a wonderful place to live but would be interested to hear other people's experiences.:confused:

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

I don't think you should count on being "better off financially". Quality of life might or might not be better - depends on the things that are important to you.

Most British migrants who return from Canada seem to do so for two reasons:

- missing close family, friends etc; or
- problems getting good employment (lack of recognition of many UK qualifications in Canada, lack of "Canadian experience" which employers often want etc).

So ask yourselves what's really important in life to you.

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

Canada is a BIG country. Some places may be wonderful and other not so much.

I am Canadian and have always lived here. I loved where I grew up, but where I am living now (Fort McMurray) I absolutely hate. It really all depends on where you're going. My point is there are too many factors to consider. The financial aspect really depends on the cost of living. For example... Fort McMurray has very high wages, but the housing costs are completely insane right now. There is also no quality of life here because everyone is working all the time.

But if we were to move back to my home town we would make a lot less but be able to have lots of family time and also a better cost of living.

So as JAJ asked, what's important to you. Is it money, career, family, location, etc?

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

Yes, we are. Search on some of my posts to see why. In short..insular society, lack of opportunity and dreadful education standards in my area of BC. A move to another part of the country was thwarted by red tape (BC education level below Ontario's - daughter would have to re-do Grade 12). I am sick of living in a vacuum; there is life Jim....but not as most Canadian's know it.:eek:

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

Hi. We were in Canada for 9 months before returning the to UK and we've been back now almost 1 year. Canada is a beautiful country, but we missed family and friends too much and we didn't feel that we "fitted in" with the lifestyle over there - it is very different from the UK in many ways. We found we didn't really have anything in common with the Canadian families, although they were nothing but kind and friendly towards us. Financially, we probably would have been better off staying in Canada long term, but things like groceries I didn't think were much cheaper. Cars and houses definately are, but remember that there are a alot of taxes over there.

If you really want to give it a go then go for it, the experience will teach you alot about yourself and what is important to you, and you might even love it. Emigration works for some and not for others - you'll never know if you don't try!! Don't let others bad experiences put you off, everyone is different.

Good luck.

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

Thanks for the info. It is quality of life that we are looking for ... sick of the rat race in the UK. The 4 year waiting time is offputting but according to stats some people make it in 2. We want to go to Ontario, possibly Ottawa. It all seems very appealing from here but I guess like anywhere, living the dream is very different.

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

Re: the four year waiting time - that's for skilled worker permanent residency applications being put in now (it might even be longer). Two year waits are probably either from:

(a) a while ago - it took us "only" 18 months, but we applied in 2004
(b) not through the London office, which seems to have the longest queue
(c) not through the skilled worker programme

There are other options than skilled worker - for instance provincial nominee - which generally have much quicker processing times. Browse the Canadian immigration forums for more info on the application process, but it's certainly worthwhile searching this one for potential pitfalls.

Cheers, Iain

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

I'm heading back to UK too from Canada, been here 3 years. I think you really have to want to come to Canada for what it is, don't come purely for a better standard of living because I'm not sure you will find it.

I won't bore you with all the reasons why I'm going back but my main concerns were:

Kids education issues
Lack of good career prospects
missing family and friends

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

We've been here since september 2004 and we live in Cornwall, Ontario. We settled here because of it's proximity to Montreal (where my wife's family is and where she grew up) and because the houses are inexpensive. Unfortunately that means the job situation is not great either but having arrived with a nice pile of UK pounds we bought a house outright which means we can live on a low income. In that sense it feels like we're not really in the rat race but I miss England a lot even though I go through periods of feeling more settled. I haven't given up on the idea of moving back although it's not on the agenda at the moment.

I don't know why but it always makes me smile when I see someone say they are moving for the Canadian lifestyle. What does that mean? I don't see that there's a particular lifestyle here. Quality of life here will still depend a lot on individual circumstances. If it all works out then life is good if it doesn't then it's not.

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

I totally agree with that, and for some people, those dreams of a better lifestyle happen, for others it doesn't even come close. Very subjective and very dependant on so many factors.

We feel our move to Canada has seen us gain so much, but also lost a fair few things too.
The lifestyle changes we hoped to gain, we did....... for the most part, and we do love that aspect of it. I no longer HAVE to work (stay at home mum) so in that respect we have more quality family time.
We see the sunshine more, we are outdoors more, we do a wider variety of recreational activities....summer AND winter. We feel our whole pace of life has slowed and the stress levels have dropped, we have more expendable income and feel we can obtain the nicer things in life without making big sacrifices to get them...........................but all thats not as cut and dry as it all sounds. Enter homesickness, missing familiarity, sense of belonging, no family support, and just future uncertainty.

All very confusing at times. We have been here 21 months now, and still can't really call Alberta home. Not because we aren't happy here or don't like our lives the way they are, just because we have only been here almost 2 yrs compared to spending 30 odd years in the UK.

For now, we are happy enough the way things are, but when you start to think about the future and where we will be in 10 years time all these ?????????? start appearing.

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

Hi sierramike and everyone else on this thread, i came across another post about uk's wanting to move back from Canada just yesterday and they were all giving more or less the same reasons, missing family,lack of employment,educatation,house prices and a big gripe was the price of groceries.The OP said they bought £30 worth of food in the uk and the same food cost $200 in Canada :ohmy: things like yogurts were something like $8.99 for 12 :blink: .Sierramike my family and i are wanting to go to Canada like your self to hopfully have a nice life, if thats a better life then fantastic it could just work out on par with our life here in uk in which case you have to think about is it worth being away from family/friends and everything you know.I like to think if anything life will not have a lower quality in canada with regards to actual living, when i sit and think about what it might be like not knowing anybody,not having that support,even babysitters i wonder if this is somthing my husband and our 3 children could live with,its bound to be danm hard i think you have got to try and give it maybe 3 years in canada before you decide if you really want to come back to uk.But then thats easy for me to say as im sitting at my pc with all my familiar surroundings around me,3 years is along time to be longing to come 'home' to the uk.Its refreshing to read the negatives as theres just masses of positives about moving to canada, whats paradise for one is turmoil for another :unsure: its something that you will have to experience for yourself, oh another thing mentioned in that other thread i read was people were agreeing that they felt they were not living a life any more,like there were in retirement ,there was no fun?! not sure what was ment by that, i think its a bigger cultural difference than alot of people think, but then if you go out there knowing about the pros and cons and not just with rose tinted glasses it wont be as much of a shock.

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

You wanna bet? ;) Nothing apart from actually living here can prepare you for the abject boredom once the novelty wears off. There is no way you can really know about the pro's and con's until they impact you when you are here. Family, support systems, education, travel, culture and a sense of history and belonging make a good standard of living. If you are leaving all that behind, you might want to think again.

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

Definition of a good standard of living will vary from person to person don't you think. Of the things you mention in your post only Education features on my list. I agree with previous posters in that you have to see for yourself. One mans meat is another mans poison eh.

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

Can't quite come to terms with what is stated in this post ........... The price of food in Canada as apposed to UK ............ I have not been back to the UK in over 30 years so my observation is not based on my own experience, however my daughters and their families have been back several times recently and they report that price of food in the UK is astronomical ....... to quote them "It is Pounds for Dollars" ........ and not only the price of food ..... they recount that the price of all commodities is skyhigh ..... Gas, Travel costs, acommadation, and housing is now well beyond the reach many .... What gives? ......... One thing I do know as a Canadian I always have a Buck in my pocket and a Pork Chop on my plate and I'm a staying!!......................:p

Re: Is anyone returning to the UK from Canada?
 

I went back to the UK at the end of January this year. Food is approximately half the price I pay in BC, quality and selection are far better in the UK than here.

To Northernbird, yes, standard of living is subjective, to a point. I should have added one of those IMO thingies before I posted. :)