Is emigrating to Canada a good idea (from UK)?

Question

Is Canada a great place to move to? Is there any anti-immigrant feeling? Or are skilled motivated workers welcomed? Best town / city to move to? Are winters really bad?

Answer 1

Whether or not it's a good idea all depends on your personal interests, situations, and personality.

Overall there is not anti-immigrant sentiment ... the country is filled with immigrants, and is very multi-cultural. Any motivated workers would be welcomed, I am sure!

Winters are cold in most of the country, but not neccessarily unpleasant. While there is a lot of snow, there are many sunny days with sub-zero temps where if dressed properly, one can enjoy the outdoors. The exception to this is Vancouver Island and the lower mainland of British Columbia. In these areas, there is more rain than snow, and moderate temps.

I am biased, but Vancouver is the best place to live! It is one of the five most beautiful cities in the world, and there is a lot to do here, from museums, art galleries, a fantastic library, many parks, bike and jogging paths, summer sports and winter sports, including water sports, and beaches right in the city.

For immigration information:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/

Answer 2

Canada is a great place full of great people.They are used to welcoming new immigrants,as they have been at it for a long time.That comment about the French is uncalled for.The French provinces have their own unique charm, and if you already speak some French or a willing to learn a bit, you can have a really good time there.
Yes,Canada welcomes a whole range of skilled workers, and their families. In fact their welcome is a little biased(but not much), in favour of families,rather than singles.Canadian immigration is based on a points system. Points are awarded for various levels of education, skill, age, and extra points if the spouse also has certain skills or education.
Because of this, in the case of a married couple it is sometimes an advantage for the wife to be the applicant if her circumstances would get more points.You can find details on the Canadian government website, and more details on the websites of the different Provincial Government websites.Or you can Google for 'Canada Immigration'.
Land is dirt cheap,and you can buy fabulous houses for a fraction of the price of a UK semi.
Weather? It only gets very cold in the far north,and thats not where most of the jobs are.
Information is free,so why not check it out.if you call the Canadian high Commission in London,you can get a lot of information too.

Answer 3

If you have a job or some very great leads before you come is best. Canada is very mixed cultures, some having been here for generations, some just arriving. You will still find some racism and some cultural tolerance. I tend to hope for more tolerance. As many countries, Canada is aging with many baby boomers soon retiring and the sooner we realize immigration is the only way to replace the workforce the better. So, in short, I welcome skilled immigrants.

I would suggest BC. Not just because I am biased as living here, but because it is the closer climate you are use to. Winters are mild and wet. Vancouver or Victoria are your main choices. Victoria has a tag line of "More British than the British." Lot's of British accents out in the rich Oak Bay area.

Answer 4

Canadians are very warm and friendly, or at least the ones we have meet and know are, especially to us Brits.
My wife and I have been several times with our children.
Mostly to Toronto, which we love, summers are slightly hotter than here and winters are generally colder than what we experience in the U.K. But don't let that stop you, it's part of the charm.
Snow is quite frequent in winter months and temperatures have reached -17 C (nighttime) when we was there for new year 2006 (so I would not recommend outside work).
From what we have seen there is quite a multi-cultural diversity over there, so can't so much of a problem.
Ottawa was also quite nice but we have only been there once, last October, it is about a 4 hour drive from Toronto so the weather is much the same.
Vancouver is supposed to be nice, weather is apparently warmer all year round, but not been there yet so not had any personal experience. Colder further North you go

Answer 5

Nova Scotia is a wonderful place to live. The provincial capital of Nova Scotia is Halifax.
A few years ago, MacLean's magazine, the national magazine of Canada (similar to Time or Newsweek) declared Halifax "The Last Best Place" to live in Canada (and the world).

Surrounded by the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the north, the Bay of Fundy to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east, you experience a true marine climate.

Halifax is below the 49th parallel and at almost the same parallel as Portland, Maine. Halifax experiences some of the same climactic conditions as found in many European cities including London and Brussels.

Halifax offers the atmosphere of small coastal villages, country charm, and wilderness for which Nova Scotia is known.

Life revolves around the sea.

A very safe environment for living and raising children.

Whatever your budget, there is an investment here for you. Whether it’s just a small building plot or a hundred acres, a cabin or a mansion, you will find it here.The region, presently going through a "mini-boom" - low unemployment
( 4.8%) and lots of construction. Unfortunately, that means that housing prices have gone up quite a bit over the last few years

Visitors will find lush vegetation and few, but absolutely delightful, people.

You would be hard pushed to find more courteous, laid-back and helpful English speaking folk, only to pleased to welcome you to their Paradise. The air is crisp, clean and bracing.

Beware. All Nova Scotians are handymen and it’s not unusual for them to wake up at a weekend and decide to extend the house. A few calls to kinfolk of a promise of a Potluck Supper, the pick-up trucks suddenly appear and everyone beavers away to build a deck or extra bedroom or two. Unfortunately enthusiasm can’t always be matched by professional abilities, so have the prospective home looked at properly.

As Nova Scotia is fairly small, buying anywhere in the Province means you can still be within a day’s striking distance of most towns, amenities and stores. Cheap and ample properties can be discovered in the interior along the old logging roads, which in most cases are superior to ordinary highways.

If you pick an estate with a river, large stream or lake, bear in mind that in general Canadians (and Grizzlies!!) have the right to fish anywhere that takes their fancy within 30 feet of the bank. The upside is that it equally applies to you. Absolute heaven if you are a keen angler.

A Yukon Prospectors finding gold in Rabbit Creek a century ago must have experienced the same excitement as modern day property seekers first landing in Nova Scotia.

To say this small Province of Canada is the new Klondike is an understatement, for here you will find nuggets of opportunities just waiting to be picked up and exploited. Not just in real estate but also land and potential business ventures.

It's so beautiful you won't want to leave.
Beautiful One Day... Perfect The Next.

Answer 6

The UK is a far superior country to them in general. It's also one of the most beautiful in the world. If you want to emigrate simply because the weather here in the UK is poor, then you're making a mistake. Not only is the climate absolutely perfect (down to one's own opinion of it, but if you're truly british, you secretly love it.) but Australia is often deemed TOO hot, and Canada is like England except it's colder, rains less, and snows loads more. But this ain't just about weather. Like I said, nothing is more beautiful than the british landscape. And the cities are all multicultural, as well. No place like home. Just think - there are millions of Canadians, Australians, Americans, and different Europeans who would kill to emigrate to the UK. Stay where you are, lad/lass. You're lucky.

Answer 7

I think it's a great place to move to.. and so does one of my net friends! He's English, and came over to visit for a 3 week vacation, and met my best friend.. and came back to marry her! He's been here now for 4 years and is happy as a clam :) But he misses his Tesco sausages :(

Anyway.. you don't state what your 'skill' is, but right now we're crying out for tradespeople. My hubby is a bus mechanic and says if you have your papers you could get a job with the transit company in a flash! Skilled trades of all sorts are desperately needed.

As others have mentioned, the Lower Mainland of BC and Vancouver Island would have climate very similar to what you're used to in the UK. Unfortunately the housing prices are very high .. because everyone wants to live here :)

Answer 8

Lots of UK folks here...

Skilled motivated workers more than welcome.

Anywhere in Canada is nice to live with the exception of Quebec...very ethnocentric, and that whole French thing gets annoying after a while.

If you're looking for something different than London, England...with respect to ethnic flavouring...stay away from Toronto and Vancouver.

If you don't like cold...stay away from Winnepeg.

Answer 9

Why don't you come to Spain the people here are very friendly, the weather is good 10 months of the year and the other 2 are not cold just wet and windy, but better than Canada.

Answer 10

I live in Toronto, Ontario! It's a great place to live! It gets cold in the winters, but no colder than half the states! We have great health benefits, and Canadians come from all ethnic groups! We welcome all!! Also, my husbands family lives in the UK. They love it here!