In my last post "England Calling" I seemed to attract a number of negative posts. I wish to flip the question to "What is the positive in returning to England ?"

Keep in mind that I have been in Canada for 58 years and I really do not know England at all except for the fact that it is my birthplace. I have always maintained my British citizenship and have never applied for a second citizenship. I could write a lengthy post as to "why", but I will refrain.

(I have a English flag in my backyard that my Irish neighbour has burned TWICE.)

As I get older I have an "yearning" to relocate to my birthplace (my home).

I have my Teflon suit on. Please provide your comments.

Do you mean your neighbor burned on purpose?? You've got to be kidding. I'm from Northern Ireland and love my UK and Irish heritage.

You must live in a wild area of Toronto!

Currently, the attraction for migrants is Jobs and Freebies. If that's what you seek, England should be on your short-list. But I'm not sure it would be all that much better than Canada (except that England is typically warmer in winter, cooler and wetter in summer).

You already enjoy open spaces and [relatively] low cost of living in Canada. I don't know about jobs there, but I don't recall any screaming about high Canadian unemployment.

I think it depends on the individual, their circumstances and interests. In your position, having spent almost all my life in Canada and already the wrong side of fifty, I would not be thinking about migrating to the UK. I think I'd find the cultural differences too great to adapt to, and I'd lose out financially because I had not built up a history of pension contributions in the UK.

I had the opposite experience, migrating to Canada in my fifties. After 8 years, I was very glad to come home again.

Yes, he burned it on purpose.
While he was burning it he was mumbling something about the Royal Family.

He has now moved, for which I am grateful.

Finance is my concern also.
I have been self-employed for about 25 years and am sure I would have a tough time now looking for employment at my age. That being said, if I could earn enough for food and rent I would be satisfied.

What a load of rubbish. you obviously read the Daily Fail!

I lived in canada for 6 years, returned in 2015. I have no regrets & don't miss very much.

The positives to UK are, IMO; the great British countryside, the variety of food and many more restaurants, the temperate weather...never too hot, never too cold, spring in February...not May, cheaper food & alcohol, the variety in landscape & with easy access to Europe, the history & historic buildings, the love of sports cars...not pick-up trucks (I know that's materialistic but I just can't get excited about a truck TBH!), and there is probably lots more.

But...If you have lived in Canada for that many years and that's basically all you know, you may struggle. It would be like emigrating to a whole new country for you. Have you even visited in that many years?

It's not clear to me how seriously you are considering moving to the UK. Is this a pipe-dream, or do you have solid plans?

No, I have not visited at all but this is why it would be a whole new experience for me. If anything, it would make life "exciting" even with it's pitfalls.

I would not say it is a pipe-dream, but at the same time I do not have solid plans. I am seriously considering the move and have the wife at about 75% agreement with the move.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/welco.../#post11028180

its nice to dream, its another thing to carry it through after a lifetime in Canada.

My suggestion is to take a few weeks holiday & explore, do a recce, which is what some do

Not sure I buy that and, if true, did you inform the authorities that your neighbor was burning your property?

Good points and we should add that, with the exchange rate, one would take a financial hit when transferring their savings and when accessing their Canadian pension.

Like anywhere you have crappy areas and amazing areas, but most of the time the people moaning are probably unhappy in their new location and try to find the negative in the UK. Maybe it makes them feel better, but one thing is always the weather, however the South of England probably has the most liveable climate (never too hot and never too cold) when it comes to all factors (water shortages, climate for growing food etc.). Maybe England is overcrowded around London and house prices would put me off, but you still have lots of open space and amazing scenery (See Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales). Canada has changed a lot too over the last few years (bloody expensive) and in my opinion you can have the same outdoor life in the UK without being too far away from everything + it doesn't get as cold (unless you're up in the highlands). Being in Europe is also a big advantage, because you're so close to different countries and can find anything you want in such a small area. Finances aside, I would rather be in the UK than in Canada but again that's personal choice. By the way, I'm in Ireland and have never seen a flag burn these days.