rogsheff

Seriously considering going back to the UK from Vancouver. Can anyone advise what authorities, agencies, need to be informed to confirm you are leaving Canada ? I obviously have an idea, such as the tax and health authorities, but would appreciate any comments from people who are going through or have been through the process. Just want to try and not forget something. Thanks.

Jay Bird

Hi rogsheff
When we returned from Ontario just over 2 years ago we just notified the utility companies....phone, internet, hydro etc, as well as the ones you have mentioned. We didn't bother doing anything about our driving licences as we wanted to use them here until we'd sorted out our new UK ones. I really can't think of anything else except to wish you Good Luck...the move Home was the best decision we made.

rogsheff

Thank you Jay Bird and good to hear the move back to the UK for you was the best decision. When did you make the move ? It is highly likely we will return to the UK, but we are concerned the economic climate in the UK is worse than Canada and we will struggle to find jobs more so than we have in Vancouver.

We have been in Canada since October 2009. I have a job, which I actually enjoy, but, unfortunately, my Partner has not been successful and my income is not sufficient to sustain us in the long term. However, there are other issues, more for my Partner than me, around the lifestyle and differences between Canada and the UK.

We are trying to decide, as I have a job and income here and knowing how difficult it is likely to be in the UK to find a job, whether I stay here in the short term and my Partner returns to the UK, with the intention of finding a job and then I move to the UK at a later date.

Sashi

Hi Rogsheff...

Would you mind telling me why you want to come back to the uk?

I have been thinking about leaving the UK to live in Canada for the past year and am thinking of filling in the application forms. I am doing a bit of research and read these forums everyday to try and find out as many things about Canada and how the Brits are getting on there...

Was the whole experiance worth it?

Do you have regrets?

Why did you decide to go to Canada in the first instance? What attracted you?

I am married with 3 very young babies, ( 3 month old triplets )... I would like to move to Calgary, but before I go ahead and apply I want to read what other Brits make of Canada...

I try and read the positive comments as well as the people who seem to be fed up abroad and cant wait to get back...

It is worth it?

Sorry for all the questions... I wish you all the best and good luck with the move...

Sashi...

lilybilly101

Hi Sashi
Thought I'd throw in my two penneth! I live on Vancouver Island which is gorgeus. It has 4 seasons, amazing summers, little snow int he winter and Mount Washington for ski. It has stunning beaches, lakes and more......it is safe and fun for kids.....so why leave?

There are a few reasons. Firstly I have not made friendships anything like the ones I have back home. Canadians are truly very lovely and polite but the relationship can feel somewhat superficial which i find difficult. And don't underestimate the lack of banter and humour, it just doesn't really happen here.

Also, work is an issue. As a teacher you need seniority so I am very much at the bottom of the pile. I got a job and loved it but I would be fired every year and rehired (hopefully) thereafter. No job security at all. It's very depressing....

BUT, it is a wonderful life style if you can afford it but be warned, settling here isn't easy for some. I don't know much about Calgary but I have heard it's bloody freezing in winter and oppressively hot in summer.

I came here on holiday and met my husband so never really intended to stay. I want to go home for family, friendships and work security. I hope to live somewhere beautiful and raise my kids around people we love.

It's scary going back after nearly seven years......must have the itch!

Don't rule it out though, I feel blessed to have done it.

rogsheff

Hi Sashi, Although I have not been in Vancouver very long, I can relate to what Lilybilly101 said. Also, when we applied, my Partner was unhappy at work and was looking for a change and thought, why not. However, it took five years, from the initial application, before we were able to go to Canada and in that time, both of us changed jobs and in hindsight, perhaps we should have re-considered the move. Personally, I have no wish to go back to the UK. However, as I mentioned above, my Partner has not been able to get a job and the pull of the UK is greater than staying in Canada.

Sashi

Hey...

Thanks for your reply...

Lots to think about, it always seems that the rest of the world is living life to the full...

I think I should stop reading The Daily Mail, maybe then I would think that the UK is actually not a bad place at all...

Sashi

Hey...

Thanks for your reply...

I hope you make it back here fine and it all works out for you...

I do envy you people who have had the guts and go and give it a go instead of just spending years greaming about it...

TrishP

Why not try somewhere else in Canada - I've moved within Ontario from a very laid back rural area with a fantastic sense of community to a city, which is totally different. You may want to try the Maritimes for folks who are easier to relate to and more friendly.

Jerseygirl

Sometimes it takes a move away from the UK to appreciate all that it has to offer. Just a few examples, healthcare, prescriptions, social security benefits, university fees, workers rights and benefits, annual holidays etc.

Top Cat

Yes Jersey girl, I agree wholeheartedly!

We, me hubby and 2 little ones move to Calgary and we are on the way home to the UK! Pleased.. yep just a little now!

Not to put anyone off.. we have had an amazing time.. but boy has it cost us financially! No regrets.. we had to do it!

Main reasons:

-Terrible exchange rate, but we knew about this we had to move due to time limits on our Visas.

- Calgary appears to be in an economic downturn.. not my words.. but the Calgary Herald!


- Lack of Canadian friends.

- Poor job prospects even for qualified persons.

- I underestimated how much we miss our families!

- The ' superficialness' ( if that is a word!).. of everything. It all feels 'soul-less! ( quote used by an english friend who we have met here in Calgary.. also feeling similar)


Calgary is a great place.. there is no doubt to that.. if you have an endless supply of money and dont have to work here!

No two persons experience is the same and would never put anyone off doing what we have done and feel now that we can settle nto our lives back in the UK.


I do feel however jealous of those who do 'make it' and seem to fit in from day one! We knew it wouldnt be easy.. but its been bloody hard! My nerves are in tatters as I once again get ready for a container to arrive in a few weeks!

Regards Top Cat

Jerseygirl

Good luck with the move back.

Jay Bird

Hi again...bit late back with my reply, but to answer you we went to Canada for the second time in late 2004 (we'd lived over there for 7 years in the 80's) and then back to England in June 2008. It was a more difficult decision for OH as he felt more settled than I, however it was a joint decision and one we haven't regretted at all. We came back with a clear idea of how we wanted to live, but not quite sure of where we would end up, but here we are, in beautiful rural West Sussex working for a really lovely couple on a large country estate.

Although we thought we would find life in Ontario much cheaper than in the UK that was not the case. Oh sure, property was cheaper and we were able to buy a large house outright, the actual cost of living was as high, if not higher, for example the cost of heating our house in Ontario was horrendous due to the brutal winters. Since we came back here I can't say I've noticed a huge difference in expenditure; our car insurance is much cheaper here, as is the house insurance. Our food bills are probably slightly higher, but I think the quality of fresh food is higher here....I know some of you will doubt that, but that is my experience. I can't honestly tell you about utility, council tax or water bills because those are paid for us as part of our job. (We paid very high property taxes and water rates in Huron County in Ontario) We pay for phone and internet which, in our case, is higher as we are tied into BT's Business phone & broadband, which is a killer, but we can't change it. Petrol prices, of course, are higher here and tend to be much higher in the south than further north.....cos we're all supposed to be very wealthy down here! I really don't think the financial situation is any worse here than there, it's all swings and roundabouts. All in all, we're much better off now than before, but our circumstances probably don't fit into the accepted norm, so I do appreciate that not everyone will find things as I do. We have been so fortunate to have found this job, and even more so at our age...OH is 61 and I'm 61 next week, and we've been here almost 2 years, so as you can see there IS life and hope after 40!

When we planned our return to Canada we analysed everything from the finances to the climate, and it didn't make a scrap of difference as no-one knew we would a) settle in the most unfriendly town in Ontario and b) I would miss my family so much and c) despite all our experience and qualifications we would have such difficulty getting work.........all a deadly combination. When we discussed the possibility of coming home we didn't do the analysis thing, we went with how we felt in our hearts, cheesy though that may sound. We have never been happier! In fact, we've just booked a holiday to Canada for September this year because we now feel able to go for a week or so and (very happily) come back here.

lilybilly101

It's so heartening to read your story. Thank you!

FlangeMcGravity

Don't worry about taxes. You will have to fill out a 2010 tax return next year, so keep your T4s. You may even geta refund!

A Canadian license can be used in the UK for up to a year after arriving before a UK license is required. Also, it can be exchanged directly at anytime for a UK license, which I think is pretty strange as it doesn't work the other way round. Gonna hang onto mine for a while in case I do anything stupid and get pulled over :-P

Been back a week now and couldn't be happier with our decision!

Cheers,
Steve