Ever considered emigrating ?
 

The wife announced today that she,s fed up with U.K. and wants to move to the States, California to be precise, I've been trying to persuade her for years to think about it and had given up on the idea, but its kinda thrown me, we had a look at the U.S. embassy website and tried to get a bit of info on getting out there but it,s not the easiest of places to get to. Anyway, was just wondering if anyone had considered leaving these shores, I know people often talk about it but was just curious as to who had done it.

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

I'm currently in the process of emigrating to the Isle of Man :D Not that far but hey

I would like to move to Australia though. Possibly the next step

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

I've given some serious thought to emigrating to Australia.

Australia has a points system, if you score high enough, you're welcomed with open arms. Factors are things like age, the type of work you can do, etc. Basically, how you'd benefit the state.

I think it's a system that works. I have enough points, it's just personal issues that prevent me from filling in the paperwork & giving it a shot. For example, family etc.

My dad has recently emigrated to America, Texas to be specific. He moved over there to be with his now wife, so it's a little bit different to you Stewie, but he's gone through the process regardless. I will say that you should expect approximately four mountains of paperwork!!

I'll have a chat with my dad, mainly to remind myself of what he went through, so feel free to ask about anything you need clarifying Stewie. If I can't answer, I might at least be able to point you in the right direction.

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

I would love to move to America, if I could afford it I would.

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Cheers Dave, may well take you up on that, I know its a tough place to get into and tbh it probably wont happen, but thanks for the offer anyway ;)

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Were looking into new zealand as it goes.

Looked into the criteria and it seems were ok.
I have a trade and degree, Jenn has a couple of degrees and is heading towards her phd so it seems we may be moving sometime in the next few years.

We have both got a bit fed up with the way the UK is turning at the moment so decided to broaden our options.

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Always fancied N.Z. Know I would get a job no bother. Just very expensive to immigrate](*,)

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My brother did to NZ, had a job in Auckland, but stuck it 6 months. Apparently the Kiwi's hated the Brits working out there and he had a lot of abuse, so came back home. Shame as he's always regreated coming back, but was there on his own so felt very isolated.

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

T'other half and I are in the process for NZ. I grew up there (although British) and my folks retired over there a few years ago. We're going over for 3 weeks and Xmas and provided she likes it then basically as soon as we've got the cash together to make the move comfortable -we're off. I've lived int he states as well and would happily move there if it weren't so difficult to get in.

Both fed-up with rip-off Britain.

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

My sister and her family emigrated twice, once to just outside Adalaide got homesick cos she was miles from anyone. Then to a farm on Tasmaina. Similar problems, neighbours were in the next valley! My nephews were bullied at school because of their Scottish accent. So they came back again and never went back.

Someone else I knew went to NZ, but because her parents are in their 80's and not well, found that being on the other side of the world , wasn't so great.

Depends on what job you get and your personal circumstances. The grass may look greener on the other side, but there again..................?

The USA isn't so far away, even then how often are you going to see you family and friends.

But this country is in a pretty sad state at the mo :crutches:

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Gah i wanna get to Canada. Gotta find myself a bride!

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would you realy want to move to the us in the current econimic climate mate? my brother went to Nz to live lasted a year didnt like it anymore said its expensive and is now in a small mining town in Oz. I personaly luv this country and wouldnt move unless i could retire and not work then i would go to somewhere with a slower pace of life id certainly never consider the us for more than a holiday to full of mad feckers with guns.

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

NZ is nice but its not cheap. The cost of living is on par or higher than the UK particularly with food, and then if you are a professional your earning potential is nowhere near what you will earn in ex-London for example. If you go there - make sure you have a wad of cash and you plan to retire with the assets you already have. Dont rely on a master plan on making serious money down there as it's hard work and it will cripple you trying to get back again if it goes wrong. I have heard and seen a lot of people give it a go down there and feel isolated because of the cultural differences and/or the the space. Sydney.... now that's a town I could live in.

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Youve got to remember that although they speak the same language it is still a foreign country. You will have very little frame of refernce with the locals and it will be harder to developer a friend base because of that. You also need to be aware that in teh current climate any foreigner taking jobs is normally abused and held in contempt. Last but not least is, whats it really like where you going to live and work. Make sure you realy do your homework, as the "everywheres better than here" retoric that the press trot out is often not true.

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

Is it?? For someone who has come from the London, UK > Sydney, Australia for 1.5 years >Wellington, NZ I can assure you that I have the best cost of living by a long shot! I'm currently looking at residency in NZ, which takes about 8 months and costs around 1000 pounds as myself and my gf would both like to stay. Works on a points system and as long as you have all the necessary paperwork (and a work contract) it is fairly straightforward.

Financially, I'd rather not disclose what I'm earning as it is a bit of an exception to the rule. Of course it will also vary industry to industry but Going from London > Australia, I took a big pay cut (like just under 50%) then going to NZ I'm on more than I was in London.

Here is a few costing examples. Housing wise, in Wellington, 3 bedroom houses in good areas would be between $400-$800 NZD a week. A six pack of beer (kiwi or Aussie) will cost you about $12 NZD. Going out for a nice 2 course meal with a bottle of wine $80-$100. Trackdays cost about $100 NZD :smt038 but there aren't many tracks about. Pretty much all motorcycling stuff - bikes, clothing helmets etc. will be more expensive than the UK.

Sydney is nice with better weather, though I never looked at getting residency there. I think it is more expensive with exams on Australian way of life as well. Renting a 3 bedroom place there would be $700 AUD +. Six pack of Aussie beer would be $16 AUD and a trackday $200 (albeit at a very nice track!) Motorcycles and gear is about the same as NZ.

I know you can really chalk entire cost of living down to Rent, beer and trackdays ;) Just a few things to give an indication!

I enjoyed living in Sydney, but I wouldn't want to live there - mainly from a career standpoint. Wellington has much better opportunities for me in that respect, plus this great way of life means after a few months, I really want to stay! See what happens. Either way, emigrating to any country is much more likely to happen if you have a work contract in hand when you apply.

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Yes - you are an exception to the rule Luke :lol: How much is a pound of butter in NZ or a bottle of milk now?

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No idea! $2 for the milk- I think?

Petrol is at $1.50 a litre - people always wanna know that one!

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I'm surprised by the first part of that. I've been looking at jobs all over Australia, but primarily QLD. For doing exactly what I'm doing now, I'm look at triple the money - even taking into consideration the exchange rates.

If I'm going to move to Australia, I personally don't want to be even remotely close to a city TBH. I love the idea of having my neighbours in the next valley as it were. :)

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=124365

For more on the same thing really.

Cheers :D

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

Whereabouts in QLD are you looking?

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

TBH, it varied wildy. There's lots of work for me around Brisbane, but I was also looking in the Mt Isa area too. I'd prefer the latter as it's more away from built up regions.... but conversely, it's about a few hundred km from the sea too! :( :lol:

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

Woah! Yeah - Even if you like remote, then I wouldn't go to Mt Isa! I tried to get there in January and cyclone floods had turned it into an island + washed away the roads to get there. Brisbane is ok - everyone raves about the city, but I wasn't all that impressed + it's a city ;)

I guess it depends on what you're after really, but for me - living in QLD and being near the sea is essential!

Byron Bay (though technically is NSW)
Noosa/ sunshine coast
Gold Coast

Would be my preference. North enough to get some great weather/beaches thoughout the year, but not North enough to get nailed by the wet season.

One thing about Oz though is the size is immense. You can live right next door to a major city and still feel like you in the middle of nowhere - without having to resort to the outback.

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

I'll second that. :lol: With work, our engineers in the UK can do a couple of dozen jobs a day, at various sites. Our engineers in Australia are lucky to do 2-3 jobs a week due to travelling time!!

Anyway, back to the thread, sorry Stewie. :-dd

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

Yeah, I'd never work for a Kiwi. Tried it once, and he was a nightmare. Made an awesome lunch though :lol:


*hopes redbouy sees this*

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

Always thought about emigrating. Not quite got the balls to do it. Besides I don't have a trade and you need to have a job before you move out there, no thanks.

Besides I couldn't viably take Bambi with me so I would have to stay..

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:shock: :lol: - sorry to giggle Baph but it reminds me when we lived in oz and used to talk to fresh arrival backpackers about travel plans and the perception of distances in aus. I'm sure you know but it's just over a 1000km from the coast to Mt Isa and it's in the ar8se end of nowhere. Don't let them con you in to thinking otherwise:lol: Stick to the coastal areas for sure.

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

im looking to move to canada in a couple of years, ive had a job offer as im a lorry driver but need to pay off some debts first and save a few grand to move the wife + kids over, i love the weather over there, hopefuly they will still need drivers when im ready to move

oz is to hot for me

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

I'll be moving to California some time as the wife is from there, although the US has a lot of gun crime I'm hoping to be in an area where it's not so much of a problem - wife is from Orange County so there would be good!! But may end up in San Diego (lovely place) or possibly even San Francisco (not been there yet).

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Er, thanks for all the advice guys but the mrs has just announced that she doesn't fancy it now, WTF ? I knew it was too good to be true :rolleyes: I wont go into the details but she has had a change of heart. Muffles , you,ll love California mate, we were out there last year, about 40 miles north of L.A , Agua Dulce to be exact and we drove up to San fran for a few days, it has a different feel to it, feels a bit european I thought, anyway thanks again guys its appreciated.

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I'm a trucker myself and a few fellow truckers I know have gone out there, only two have stuck with it tbh the rest have come back, they,re based up in Saskatoon, apparently they've run into a lot of anti British feeling from the locals, the two guys who are out there do different runs, one stays local the other runs from Canada to Texas and back, in order to make it pay he,s doing 600 miles a day cos they,re paid by the mile and if the truck breaks down they dont get paid, saying that he loves it and is talking about setting up his buisness as soon as his green card comes through so its not all bad, I had considered it myslef but, well it never happened, good luck with it though.

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Yeah, I have been there a few times now, it's great! Love the weather lol. I do wonder how different it will be to live there instead of going on holiday there.

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My wife and I gave some serious thought to going to Canada a few years back, but that's all we did, think about it!

Now that our parents are getting older, I think we'll stay in the UK for the medium term

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Yea fella, I'm aware of how far away it is. The reason that I put "it's about a few hundred km..." instead of "it's a good few hundred km" is because I initially typed "it's about a billion km..." but re-worded it. :thumbsup:

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When I wanted to go to South Africa - or Oz - wife wouldn't hear of it as her mother (only rellie besides me and daughter) was then in her 70s, now 85, and 'I can't do it to her'... at 48 I'm too old now, so unless we can afford to retire somewhere warmer than here then we're here for good. I hate British winters. I'll just have to turn the heating up.

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My favourie cities in the US are NYC, Boston, DC and San Fran. I have been to both coast and fly zone (the mid west)

If I was gonna live in the US it would probally would be CA but I hate LA so wouldn't live there. I spent quite a few years working on US summer camps, in my year out I spent more time in the US than here. The last time I lived there was 03, before my visa ran out.

9/11 change the US for sure, I wouldn't go moving there right now unless I had job that was stable and had medical insurance, ect. The US is a great place to be if you have money, if you don't its worse than here, there is no welfare state to speak off. I wouldn't want to be there without medical insurance or something like cancer, casue you would be screwed.

But from experice just cause they speak they english doesn't mean you will anything in common, the culture can be very different. You think its cold here, go live in Cananda in the winter, they you will see what cold is. I don't think I could handle that. The UK climate is far less extreme.

The grass always does seem greener the otherside, I guess it depends for what reason your doing it. As much as we moan about the UK there are worse places to live. Again its down to what you what out of life and how you want to live it. My reasons for living in another country will different to other people.

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No debt for me would equal a round the world trip until I found somewhere I like.

Australia was once on the cards. I have always wanted to go there since I saw Holly Vallance ;) I heard their way of taxing is more on luxuries.

Now, I wouldn't mind anywhere that would pay me good money for work that left me with some change in my pocket.

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All the girls in Australia look like Holly Vallance. Fact.

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Moving overseas is very VERY hard. In fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever done, and I advise people against it for that reason. It might work out great, in which case good for you! But it might be a huge resounding faiure, in which case you'll be crushed both emotionally and financially, and you'll have all the fuss of getting back home again.

I'd love to go back to Canada (and take the missus with me) but it's probably the worst time in decades to move overseas, what with the economy and all.

Ensure you have a job lined up before you go!

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And don't forget folks, over here you have free medical treatment, less tax than some countries, less insurance.
As far back as I can remember people have said this country is going down the pan, but is it really worth going abroad. It comes down to one thing...what do you really want from living in another country? For me it's the weather, so I would look into countries that have good weather all year round and allow me to live near the sea ( as I suffer from hayfever and living near the sea helps greatly ).
Always try and find out how much it will cost you to live on a week/month basis with all the essentials ( insurance, food, rent, etc ) and that will show you if it's financially worth it.
There is a lot of info on the net for people wanting to emmigrate and it's always best to check long before you decide to go.
Cheers
Ste

Re: Ever considered emigrating ?
 

Just curious - what don't you like about LA? Anything to do with the gang/gun stuff there? I found it loads more open than London, so I kinda liked it. But I'm with you in that I probably wouldn't live in LA - I would prefer to be a bit more suburban.

I've got relatives in Missisauga (near Toronto) who moved from the UK for what must be 15-20 years ago now. You're right, it's very cold in winter, loads of snow and ice etc and much lower temps than here, however to make up for it they also have scorching summers :cool:

Why did you leave again? lol

Good point, initially I read this thinking "what? I'm not gonna do any of that" - but that's cos we'll probably (sad as it is) live with the wife's parents for a few months so we can get a feel for the area and find somewhere we're happy to live in. Also we don't have to move out until one of us gets a job, lol.