iaink

With any luck you will do fine. Its often stuff you take for granted and never think about that you find you miss. Its OK to miss stuff, thats part of the deal with emigrating. Everyone is different in what they can ultimately tolerate, and no one should judge anyone for giving it a go.

Until you have tried it for a while there is really absolutely no way to tell how it will go in the long term. Just avoid making any hasty decisions in the first year, you owe it to yourself to give it that long as homesickness and culture shock are an almost inevitable part of the immigration landscape and can seriously cloud your judgement. Best to bone up on recognising them in advance because denial is part of the problem too. Sure, some people hate it after a month, and continue to hate it till they return, but many hate it at some point in the first year, but stick it out a while longer and everything falls into place for them.

I never used to dwell on family ties either, but easily the single worst thing in 12 years of living overseas was not saying goodbye to my mum, she went into hospital, and I never got to visit her before she passed on. If I didnt have two good brothers to watch out for my Dad a bit then its something that could easily gnaw at me now. You sort of know its going to happen when you decide to follow this path, but until it happens you dont really know how its going to be.

I do have the utmost respect for anyone prepared to move their family around the world. The worst situation to be in must be for one person to love it and another to hate it, the stress must be awful.

dbd33

I think you're missing rather a lot. However, my use of "innit" was an attempt to ridicule your comment by succinctly suggesting it was an ignorant one.

Jules Europe

The point of dbd`s comment, is that Canada probably has an even bigger immigrant influx than the UK. In fact most western European countries have a huge influx of immigrants anyway. Without looking at the figures, just walking around any medium to large European city will quickly reveal this.

Moving to somewhere like Greenland, would certainly give you plenty of snow and fresh air. Also, you certainly wouldn`t be invaded by an influx if immigrants either.

dbd33

Unexpectedly, I agree with Jules, Greenland does seem a suitable destination.

brizzle

Err, have you been here? Canada takes in way more immigrants than the UK pro-rata for population. Virtually everyone is descended from immigrants and you too will be one !!

shelley748

along with the discrimination that comes along with that- you need to be aware that nothing you have done in your previous life counts-you are nothing, you have to prove yourself again! Just be warned..

iaink

Thats not been my experience at all. People are generally politely curious at first, and after a while you are just another white middle class person living in Canada.

I think there are other migrant groups here who get a much harder time of it.

Simon Legree

Not my experience either. Some posts just sound like sour grapes to me !

brizzle

Perhaps worded a little strongly, but it is definitely a factor in Canada, that I don't believe exists to the same extent in places like Aus/NZ. Whether it's discrimination, protectionism or parochialism, I shall leave for another time....

shelley748

Maybe it depends on the area and the profession- I am just stating my experience-its not sour grapes just factual!

Lemonfish

Agree with you Shelley.

This only applies to a minority of people but there is parochialism here. Its the whole 'Canadian Experience' thing.

Being white and middle class (both of which I am) helps a lot I'd think.

But you're a Brit everytime you open your mouth and speak, and no longer 'just you'. Part of living abroad, and something you don't think too much about until you try it.

But I have a new respect for all immigrants everywhere having tried it...

ann m

Definitely

Ciderman

Have to agree. I find that I'm just another white, middle class person until I speak then people look at me like I'm an alien from another planet.

Aviator

Nor mine. My UK experience has been a definite asset and is what has got me most jobs (other than my charm and magical personality of course ).

Sometime when applying for a job, you just don't get picked. Could have been the same anywhere. I heard someone blaming the influx of immigrant in the UK as to why they could not get a job there, then blaming Canadians here. Maybe they were overlooking something closer to home!

wheatsheaf

is there such a being as a real Brit called Abdul with a Glaswegian accent. If there is, would Canadians be less parochial towards him?