Originally Posted by Tstimpson (Post 10749529)

Like b2b we too have recently returned from Canada to the UK - we arrived here 10th Dec after about 6 months of planning/prep work. Our situation is somewhat different in that we are both now retired so did not have to face the problems of finding employment (not one I would relish on either side of the Atlantic). We returned to our home town of Plymouth after 43 years in Canada, and there were no great surprises since we regularly holidayed back here - particularly in recent years.
So, our experience has been extremely positive! Yes there is the problems associated with too much immigration - predominently due to EU regulations about free movement of labour within Europe. The influx is largely due to the generous social benefits of living in the UK and the fact that anyone from the EU countries are entitled to them .... this is the source of great political unrest right now and hopefully will be addressed within the next 9 months or so (Conservatives are being pressured by the big steps being taken by the UKIP party).
I am still struggling with some of the paperwork - predominently to do with Canadian tax issues, we have finally received a letter from the Canadian government agreeing that we are now considered "Non Residents for Tax Purposes". I have sent in my 2012 tax return and as of yet have not received any negative response. Once I can clear the 2013 tax return next year I will hopefully be home free. The "Non Resident" letter mentioned earlier is a huge thing because it means that my tax burden when withdrawing my RRSPs/RIFs etc (needed for house purchase) will be capped at 25%. Plus because of the tax treaties between Canada and the UK we do not have to pay Canadian tax on our Canadian pensions/OAS (which are indexed by the way).
In general we too have found that the cost of living overall is lower in the UK (of course there are variations on specific items), and we can live very comfortably on our Canadian and UK pensions (we bought back many years of National Insurance - NI - contributions to enable us to get partial UK pensions ..... something anyone in Canada from the UK should consider).
Of course we are fortunate to be living so close to the coast in a beautiful part of the country!!
This is all for now - I will write more at a later time. If anyone has any questions regarding our move back I would be glad to try to answer them.

Originally Posted by b2b (Post 10743919)

Expats

Just a follow up after a year back in UK. Thank you for comments on my original post. I always intend to write short, punch, brief notes but end up in a major dialogue. So please excuse this example here.

The biggest question that will be of interest to others here is, on reflection am I still glad to be back? The short and somewhat evading answer is Yes; mostly.

One of the biggest failings I have made since returning, is exactly what I did when I moved to Canada. Comparing countries on a like-for-like basis and criticising the deficient one. My enthusiasm with Canada quickly diminished and I became very unhappy indeed very quickly. Things turned out ok in the end and I got quite a big cash rebate from the Karma bank (but that's a different story). Now in UK it's difficult to avoid criticising it. There is so much to criticise it for. Canada does a great job at looking after its best interests while in UK we pussyfoot around not wanting to offend people who, quite frankly, offer our country nothing and are just here to bleed it dry. Yet we not only deal with this in a less efficient way, but manage to lose respect and credibility with our own immigrant population. And with the recent burning down of a Mosque in London I am wondering whether my Canadian citizenship might come in handy if things get out of control. There are plenty living here who absolutely detest us and our ways. They have the capabilities of taking over our country and are already doing so. Yet most British people are less concerned by what's going on and what could inevitably happen than ensuring they don't get branded a racist. Being somewhat protective of your country and your heritage does not make you a racist. I don't see anything wrong in protecting your race. EVERY other race does this, yet when we do it we're classed as racists and nazis, almost exclusively by our own. Can we find middle ground where we more forcefully protect our interests and live in peace with other races in UK? I hope so but one of my key fears is that this is unworkable. And it's the single reason I can think for wanting to move away again.

Workwise I am very pleased with how things worked out. I was concerned by the stories of gloom. McDonalds now has a waiting list whereas in the past it was always an option at the end of the road. Not only was I to find work quite quickly but the pay was good too. I generally consult rather than being an employee so perhaps my experience is not mainstream. On my first day I must say I found the workplace to be a lot less fun than I remembered in Canada and also previous work in UK. It was almost unfriendly, and people seemed miserable. Now in my last few days in my contract and the company is shifting a lot of the jobs to Eastern Europe with a new centre there. This was kept under cover but no doubt people sensed "trouble at 'pit". What I didn't appreciate too much is how I was watched like a hawk and my hours scrutinised. In fact I ended up having a discussion about this with my boss. In my field a lot of my daily energy is devoted to the work I do which includes whilst at home and at weekends. I tended to stick to my hours in general but a lot of value I delivered came from my downtime rather than work time. I felt so strongly that in the end I negotiated to work from home for the remainder of the contract and I must say I think they are happy with this arrangement. In Canada I could generally work from home and I think Canadians have a lot more faith in people as my integrity was never questioned.

One of my concerns was with how my children would integrate into the education system and how their Canadian experience would impact them both in education and socially. I'm pleased to report that both have blended in well. My concern was that as Canadian schools begin a year later whether they were behind. In both cases there was a little catching up, but my eldest daughter (1st year in senior school) has now started excelling. My youngest daughter was diagnosed as being on the Autism scale, something we suspected. The thing about this is that I felt the move back would better support her without being financially crucified. And this has worked out well. She has the diagnosis which means that her school will have to become more aware of the condition. They had reacted inappropriately to some of her behaviour but I am so pleased that Autism is recognised less as a disability because my daughter is very capable and quite talented in areas that continually amaze us.

One of the reasons for moving back was that I felt it would be more affordable. So on reflection how do I feel? Well in most cases I've found the cost of living either the same or a bit cheaper in Britain. Even petrol/diesel which has actually increased in price compared with Canada and US is a bit cheaper thanks to the amazing Diesel cars we have. Cost of running these is a bit higher but I am finding I'm not doing the miles I used to. Britain is much smaller in scale compared with North America and this has a positive impact on the miles people tend to do.

I regret the beautiful and luscious geography of North West Americas and appreciate the relaxed and chilled out attitude of many people living there. I've managed to find a place to live which is a lot more affordable but the region is geographically dull as hell and although the people are not unpleasant it is a soulless place to be. However the housing market is stagnant so it's quite possible to move on without finding that one has been priced out of the market. And when the need and opportunity arises, that's exactly what I'll do.

Originally Posted by jemima55 (Post 10749757)

I find there are pluses and minuses, the same as most other places!

Originally Posted by pintaguiness-pickledegg (Post 10749787)

Well of course there are, it would have to be 'planet bland' if there weren't any. Have you got any examples? I haven't been back for 5 years! I need a fix and 'Coronation Street', 'Location Location Location' and 'Whitechapel' just aren't cutting it these days :rofl:

Originally Posted by pintaguiness-pickledegg (Post 10749718)

Thank you for taking the time to post this update. I found it echoed some of what friends and family are saying from back home. They too have reported people living in fear of their jobs, too concerned with what other people are/are not doing, lots of one-upmanship going on, general misery concerning what they perceive to be the invasion of 'unsympathetics' to their country and generally lacking hope. It makes for depressing listening for those of us who want to go home.

Originally Posted by sallysimmons (Post 10750056)

He said 'yes, but it's not going to last. It's going to rain on Wednesday.' I burst out laughing and said 'that's so British of you!' He genuinely didn't understand what was so funny. :rofl:

Originally Posted by jenny heading home (Post 10130107)

fantastic post, thanks for all the info. We move back in 76 days, not that i am counting lol :rofl: