vagabonding

Hi everyone. After 16 years in Canada we are talking more seriously about a potential move. 14 years spent in Toronto and 2 in Dundas Hamilton. The move back reason largely centres around family. my wife is Canadian and her parents live nearby which is one of the reasons we moved out of Toronto (and the insane house prices) but her parents have very little interest in spending time or helping us out with our 2 young children. They would rather spend time with their friends and its been a huge source of stress in our marriage. we have had one night away in 2.5 years of them living around the corner. My wife has a twin sister with kids similar age who also live around the corner but they dont speak and we havent seen them in over a year. All in all her family sucks. The company i worked for also went bankrupt in March and my client base (financial services) is toast meaning i am at a start from scratch situation anyway and my wife hasnt worked since the birth of our second child (2.5 years). I do have a new job starting in a couple of weeks but my heart isnt in it. With the insane proprty values in the GTA and the fact we paid down our mortgage, we could go to the UK with 500k GBP plus the value of our pensions. This would enable us to buy a decent house outright in the UK and put some money down on a couple of buy to lets for our retirement, We are 40 and 42 so still have a long way to go for retirement as our kids are 2 and 6, but i am pretty confident i could get a financial sales rep job in the UK, and we would move to my home town (Southport) where my parents and my brother live who we are close to and more hands on. My sister and her kids currently live abroad but are also planning on moving back in the next year or 2 and we are very close to them. Then theres my other brother who just moved to Spain and would be easy to visit living in the UK. I feel the timing is right and covid has shone a light on whats important. Im just looking to see peoples insight who have lived in the GTA for a number of years and moved back and what their experience has been like. Thanks!

SanDiegogirl

Can't comment on the Toronto or back to the UK questions; but you do know that you have to get a spouse visa for your wife don't you? (unless she qualifies for something else)

By the sounds of it, with the sale of your Canadian home, you would have enough money to qualify using the savings route.

vagabonding

yes Ive briefly looked into this. We did live in London togther in early 2000's and my wife was able to qualify for an ancestory visa also

SanDiegogirl

Then an Ancestry visa is probably the way to go (especially from a cost point of view).

Britgirl13

Well your story is so similar to mine. Lived outside of Toronto for many years and moved to Hamilton 7 years ago. Always flying home to Merseyside and miserable when flying back into Toronto. No family here and always needing help with my son as I have raised him on my own. Once COVID hit my job was gone and no need to stay in a large home in a city where I have no connections. It didn't take me too long to make up my mind. Put the house on the market and it was sold within hours. I will leave Canada later this year and although I am concerned about employment I am certain to find something. My family is thrilled to know that I am coming home as am I. I have worked hard and raised my son, no pension but mortgage free and I will not look back. Life is short, don't take too long to decide.

scot47

NW of England. Carlisle and Cumbria is not bad but gets a lot of tourists. I do not see Tourism as a blessing !