Am Loolah

I'm not aware of anyone getting a "free" house whether English or having emigrated? I do know of alot of people from overseas who come to the UK who claim full housing benefit. In addition to this they also get Child Benefit and Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credits. In addition to the free NHS and education. They also have access to free interpreters (sp?) and some get free nursery places. Having said that I'm also aware of English people (I know of 2 locally) who have got free cars from the Social for 2 very different reasons! But I think on the whole, English people get dis-illusioned that it seems imigrants get more benefits than the English person who has contributed to the tax system is entitled to.

I think the fact it's cost me approximately £1,500 to get me and our 4 kids into New Zealand, my husband's country of birth, when it costs people nothing to get into the UK an example of perhaps where the UK has "got it wrong?" (And I'm no politician!) Emigrating to New Zealand is a selection process, it is not easy for all to enter. Possibly this will make it a more positive country to live in and bring children up in? I don't know? Ask me in 10 years time!

Apple12

Ahh back to the thorny old problem of refugee vs asylum seeker vs immigrant.
Time to get some definitions straight.
In NZ people who are refugees/asylum seekers get special help when they come into the country.
They get help with learning english, getting housing, grants, help and advice. Some through charity and a lot from central government and local councils. This is as it should be.
As an immigrant, Am Loolah, you are not entitled to any of that. You are not fleeing from war, poverty and disease, you are choosing to come to NZ to better your life, as do immigrants from all over the world.
As to whether the EU open border access is a good thing for the UK is another argument altogether.
You will find that for a NZer to enter the UK they have to face exactly the same restrictions as you do to come to NZ. To enter the UK as a NZer on a work permit is a slow and costly business, even to enter on a spousal visa is expensive and takes a very long time.

Am Loolah

Whoooo, back in the knife drawer Mrs Sharp!!

Firstly, I'm not talking about asylum seekers in the UK, this is people who have chosen to come here who get all this help.

Secondly, I wouldn't be considering moving to NZ if it weren't for the fact we are following my husband to his home. And, if you want to get facts straight, he can land and sign on and claim all sorts of benefits for us - only that's not the standards we set for our family.

So, I have no idea where your post comes from, but it's not very nice?

Apple12

I guess the two points were...
1. NZ offers assistance to refugees and asylum seekers too, so you will find that this happens in NZ too. If this is one of your reasons for leaving the UK , then you won't find that NZ offers the solution.
2. NZers face considerable cost and time and beaurocracy to enter the UK, in exactly the way that you are facing to do the trip in reverse. I am disagreeing with this comment of yours: 'when it costs people nothing to get into the UK ".

I am sorry if you have taken offence, not my intention at all
I have the greatest respect for you in your fairy way, and I know that you are having a stressful time of it.
Next time I will prase my comments better

Am Loolah

Ahhh, Apple, Phew!!!! Am very sensitive at the moment, I apologise, am dealing with way tooo much shite here!!

You have clarified it now and I mis-understood it. I apologise.

It's not my reasons for leaving the UK at all, we live in a fairy (see what I did there?!) small place that doesn't seem to experience the immigrant influx anywhere like the inner cities, but we do have some moments of Grrrr?!

I meant it costs Europeans nothing to come to the UK and they get alot of assistance here. Not all, I hasten to add, in my experience the majority come with every intention of being self-sufficent and paying their own way - mainly by working hard and being thoroughly decent people. But we are sadly all influenced by the media and perhaps that does make us concerned for our kids futures if we had to stay in the UK?

Friends?

Cape Blue

EU immigrants, such as the Polish, are not allowed to claim benefits until they have been paying into the NI system for at least 16 months.

There are similar benefits paid to British citizens who live and work in other EU countries.

Genesis

From what I can see, those leaving the UK for strong negative reasons will probably have problems wherever they go and those leaving for positive reasons, because they want to expand their lives and try living in a different location & culture, will probably enjoy NZ as much as they would have enjoyed moving to many other places.[/QUOTE]

I left the UK for STRONG negative reasons...thats not to say the UK is shot..it just did not work for us as a family. We adore NZ and whilst it has a plethora of problems we find none of them impact upon us from a day to day basis here in Palmerston North. By contrast in Northampton our lives were up to the gunnels on an almost daily basis with crime!! Life here is as good as it gets and our expectations have been wildly exceeded.

As for those knobs (mentioned by another poster) who complain about their daughter having a kiwi accent..I just hope they leave and return from whence they came as its those twats that give the british a bad name!!!! I met an ignorant UK family like that too...fortunately they returned....good ridance!!!!! I think my kids having a kiwi accent is really neat!!!!!!

sky

Oh dear

Bo-Jangles

I don't think we truly get accepted, we're simply tolerated for being similar or not that much different, since racism towards other nationalities who are, is rife.

However much you try, you simply cannot even begin to replace xxx years worth of knowledge, history, politics, current affairs, shared family experiences from schooldays onwards. Consider all those stupid conversations you have on a daily basis, over the experiences and contacts you have with 100s neigh 1000s of acqaintances over the years, connections of friends of friends that you had, all the celebrity faces, sporting heros etc. You know everything about the UK, whos who, where they live, who they're married to, the people on the TV; all those things you share a laugh over and take the piss out of.

Transport yourself to the other side of the world and everything you know about the UK and its people means absolutely nothing - therefore your contribution to most conversation can only be a very superficial shiny smiley veneer; limited by your lack of knowledge of people, places and what has gone on for years before. So you just smile sweetly and laugh in the appropriate places, remembering all the time that you cannot commit the mortal sin of saying anything negative about NZ, or complain.

So you will find yourself naturally gravitating towards your fellow POMs, just so your face can have a rest from all that smiling. Of course you can be sure to meet the POMs who won't even acknowledge the fact you or they are POMS, which always causes me some amusement.

SarahB

So true!! Our coffee group is nearly all British Expats.... strange that. We welcome other people into our group as we know what its like to arrive here and not know anybody or anything. Youre so right in what you have put here it made me smile!

brussels_sprout

Great thread , best for a while.

I would just like to mention all the Kiwis and Aussies who come to England too for their "OE", from experience many work illegally in Europe. The polish workers travel to England legally in the same way as Kiwis travel to Australia !

Emigration is increasing strongly worldwide, rich skilled voluntary emigrants from industrial countries like us are very popular and contribute greatly to the economy of the host country. England should restrict emigration (where possible) to skilled workers, like France has recently done. We are a liberal society, there have been far too many unskilled immigrants from illiberal societies and religions who are now threatening our way of life by terrorism.

Genesis

[QUOTE=Bo-Jangles]I don't think we truly get accepted, we're simply tolerated for being similar or not that much different, since racism towards other nationalities who are, is rife.

I tend to disagree, I have never felt so accepted or at home as I do in NZ. Lived in the UK for 45yrs and whilst I got on relatively well with my UK peers I never felt quite right there. I do here. I think it depends where you live, I doubt if my ease into NZ life would have been as easy in a huge city. Been here 20 months, my best mates from South Africa and whilst I do have UK chums we have quite a few kiwi ones and others from other countries, to be honest I have found per capita of people I meet the british ones have been the least likely to want to return friendship. So there you go..how different are things in Palmy???

Jude J

I have to agree with you Genesis, I have found the people here to be friendly and most welcoming.
I didn't leave UK because I hated it, I actually loved living there most of the time. I wanted to come here for the hell of it really, for the adventure, for our kids and us to experience another country, to travel to other parts of the world we probably wouldn't travel to for a holiday from England.
I had only been here about 4 weeks when I got chatting to an English lady in a shop that had been here 20 years and she hated it! 20 years! And guess what she hated? The lack of decent supermarkets, the fun fairs at the beaches and the high street clothes shops! I will never forget that. I mean, each to their own but....shops??

Bo-Jangles

I can understand that, poor woman 20 years and she still hasn't gotten over it.

SarahB

I have chatted to a guy here in Beachlands who has been here for years and years too (cant remember how many) and he hates it too. When I asked him why he seemed to list everything that was possible! I think he said he came out as a teenager and hes now in his 50's.