Moving back to UK from Canada
 

Hello all

I moved to canada in 2010, to Toronto, since then i have a good job with a good pension, married and have a good house. I am however always homesick and miss Scotland. I was born in edinburgh and moved over when i was 25, and now i need to convince my canadian wife to move.

I am tired of it here, its overcrowded, taxes are getting crazy and driving is really really frustrating.

I miss the little things about the UK - the landscape, being close to the ocean, less overcrowded and simply going to the pub for a pint and ordering at the bar.

I will have to give up a lot and its seems crazy so im wondering if anyone has regretted moving back or can give me advice on this

thanks

Joe

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

Could you both take a long holiday back to see if it suits you both? It wont give a perfect picture but will give an idea.

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

Joe,

Before you plan to move back to the UK, you should consider getting Canadian citizenship if you qualify for it and not already done so. This will make any return to Canada easier.

If you feel homesick in Canada, why not join the local Scottish society to meet fellow Scots in Canada?

Caledonian, Scottish and St Andrew's Societies

You will also need to think about the wife - spouse visa for her in order to move to the UK with you.

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

Just watched the UK tv programme Location Location this week and they had a couple in a similar situation you find yourself in, they did a few extended stays in Edinburgh and finally decided it was the place for them and their young son, they finally bought near to Edinburgh (as their young son went to school there) but also very near to the coast, maybe you could do the same ie try a long extended stay and see how you both like it.

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

I always thought Toronto was a very livable city. But housing costs (as in practically every big Canadian city) are outrageous. Taxes are high, but govt health care is excellent. People crossing into the US to bring back cheaper goods is the norm.

But you have to be where your heart is.

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

Let me add my two pennies worth...My wife and I came to Canada in 2004 and became Citizens in 2009. We started in NB and gradually moved west via Winnipeg...we are now in Edmonton AB. We have decided to return to the UK by early 2019...Ask us why?...We hate the fact that this country is populated by a vast majority of people who do not accept responsibility for their own actions, it's always someone else's fault and not their own. Also there is a sense of entitlement here that is so in-grained in the culture that law enforcement agencies are made to almost apologize for doing their job. My wife and I do jobs where we deal with the public face to face on mass everyday, it's like dealing with spoilt children who when they don't get the answer they want...they throw their toys out of the pram!...WARNING...CANADA IS A NATION OF 35 MILLION KIDS...AND WE ARE OFF BACK TO THE UK. Finally we are both PRO-Brexit!

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

I'd like to borrow that for a Maple Leaf topic. But before I do, could you explain your interpretation of it for me.

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

No...and if you don't see it...than ya blind!

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

https://lonerwolf.com/sense-of-entitlement/

:confused:

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

From Steve of 5-0
Also there is a sense of entitlement here that is so in-grained in the culture

With all due respect, that is so rich coming from a Brit.

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

I am a Brit yes! We accept responsibility if we are late for work one morning. We do not blame...the Tim Hortons line for making us late...Canadians need to work out that if they get their arses out of bed ten minutes earlier...that would solve it!

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

Oh Wow, is that really the best you can do? At least the person you describe is working and not, as a goodly number of Brits reportedly do, live off the UK taxpayers, some apparently at almost middle-class levels. Entitlement at its highest level I propose.

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

I am new here and probably should just chime into this but can I just say;
I do not know whether you have been back here in the UK recently, but there are a stunning amount of people in this country with a massive sense of entitlement. This extend from the general public, who for example despite been told they should stay at home because they have a cold turn up at GP Practices and demand antibiotics that they are told will not work, to those that do not pay their rent and then demand rehoming (and getting it) when they are served with court orders. Everywhere you turn there is someone else that wants to be spoon fed everything.

The sense of entitlement stretches all the way through to things like Brexit. We are not a powerful world player anymore, people are not going to queue up to do business with UK PLC, we just feel like we are entitled to it, because we are British.

There is also a massive lack of a work ethic in this country. Don't get me wrong the majority are hardworking, dedicated people, but there are those that do very little but expect things to magically work out for them. There are those that are hampering and abusing the wonderful system that has been creating. The British benefits system is one of the best things in the world, but there are those that see it as a way of life as opposed to the safety net that it is, and because of a few, many are beginning to lose out on the benefits system.
Canada may have its faults (what country doesn't) but it seems a better place to live if you want to get your head down, work hard and get on in life.

Cheers

Mike

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

Oh dear. Sometimes it takes a move away from the UK to really appreciate how great Britain is. I have lived in the US and Canada and IMO neither measure up to the UK.

If you have the opportunity to move...do it...you can always return home.

Re: Moving back to UK from Canada
 

You could absolutely be right. I would be really interested to hear about your experiences in both the US and Canada, it's always helpful to hear from people who have actually been there and done it. Maybe sometimes I cannot see what I have right in front of me. We have some truly wonderful things here, such as the NHS, and generally the people are friendly, great and generous. However some of these things are slowly been eroded. You only have to look at the things the current government are doing to see that we are in danger of losing all that those that came before us worked to build