moving to US/Canada from UK

[four-wheel-drive]

I've worked in Arizona and we almost upped and lived in San Diego . I'm in daily contact with friends in California and Texas, things out there are worse than here. It's one thing going on a two or three week holiday it's another living there, medical insurance is horrendous and the hospitals are not that good. We may think the NHS is going downhill fast but compared to my experience of hospitals in Florida California and Arizona I know where I'd rather be treated.

If you think out tax system is complicated wait until you see America and their police are wonderful too, again we don't realise how good ours are.

Friends emigrated to Canada nine years ago, they like it and say they are no better off but their standard of living is better.

I hear Romania and Bulgaria will be nice in the near future.

This is a good point we here people saying about the good things that America has to offer but if things do go pair shaped and you loose your job or get ill and cannot afford the insurance we may complain about people sponging off the state or people from other countries being treated free over here but I would rather put up with that than see people thrown on to the street as they cannot afford to pay there rent or die for lack of medical treatment.

[goodo123]

This is a good point we here people saying about the good things that America has to offer but if things do go pair shaped and you loose your job or get ill and cannot afford the insurance we may complain about people sponging off the state or people from other countries being treated free over here but I would rather put up with that than see people thrown on to the street as they cannot afford to pay there rent or die for lack of medical treatment.

People over here are homeless, and also people over here are dieing due to our nhs, misdiagnosis, mrsa, etc etc. I don't know what it's like proportional to the population but you have to consider these facts.

 

Id love to move to get a better way of life etc but am not yet committed enough to do so.

[Marc Z]

clearly no-where's perfect, though I personally don't want to live my life based on "If I get ill...". I don't want to put up with people blatantly sponging off the state. I would want to move abroad for the better quality of life, not the necessarily the quality of the health system.

[unapalomablanca]

I think forget it, I used to think about making the move. It would only be any good if you were loaded or onto something big when you got out there. If you are just an average joe, I reckon life is very hard, few holidays, crippling health costs, crime galore. Nah, Britain is going down the pan for sure, but I would choose Germany or Scandinavia. I know people who went to NZ after buying their house here, 3 years on they are still renting and getting older, they are not allowed to buy until they fully qualify for residency.

[88b]

clearly no-where's perfect, though I personally don't want to live my life based on "If I get ill...". I don't want to put up with people blatantly sponging off the state. I would want to move abroad for the better quality of life, not the necessarily the quality of the health system.

The pregnant wife of one of my friends in San Diego got t boned but an uninsured illegal, she wasn't ill and was in perfect health until that point. As for people blatantly sponging, the federal government is taking the state of Arizona to court for upholding federal law. Earlier this week an 80 year old vet was murdered in Washington because he was white, once you get beyond the holiday mind set the US has a lot of problems. They love a winner but if your down on your luck

[Marc Z]

And Canada? Most of these stories are from the south, and nothing that wouldn't/couldn't happen in the UK

[la bala]

would the last one out turn the lights off.

[Dr_Scholl]

And Canada? Most of these stories are from the south, and nothing that wouldn't/couldn't happen in the UK

 

Day to day life in Canada is pretty much the same as the US.

 

However, they do have a better social safety net than we do, stricter gun laws, higher taxes, and higher property prices.

[Laird Lugton]

So a half way house with us Commie Europeans

[tignme]

Not everyone in scotland is scottish,Niall and i are from Norn iron.

[four-wheel-drive]

People over here are homeless, and also people over here are dieing due to our nhs, misdiagnosis, mrsa, etc etc. I don't know what it's like proportional to the population but you have to consider these facts.

 

Id love to move to get a better way of life etc but am not yet committed enough to do so.

For the most part people who are homeless in this country tend to have problems with drink or drugs as for the NHS any organisation as large as that will tend to have problems here and there but I think that they are getting there and our emergency treatment is second to none.

 

America can give you a good life style big house big cars and all of the open spaces you could ever want all that you need is a good education if you are a doctor or lawyer or have a skill that they need then go but if you are just an ordinary person they have millions of them coming over from Mexico every day plus all of the unemployed white and black people so why do you think they are going to give you a job.

[Richard756]

My wife has family over in Canada (Alberta) she has Facebooked him to see what he thinks of living there. He married a Canadian girl he met on a cruise liner. I too like a lot of people have thought about making the big move.

[steve0146]

I lived in Canada about 18 years ago when I worked for Ducks Unlimited and the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Department. Fantastic place. Had to move back as my contract expired. They of course have their problems, racism was a massive problem toward the Native population and even to British in certain areas. I was refused service in a number of MacDonalds in Quebec due to being English! (French Canadians though!)

[Archie-fox]

lad i went to school with moved out to canada 2 years ago with his new family...

 

saw him in our local pub Monday night, hes back in the UK with a drink problem and his wife has left him..he puts it down to stress.. and not fitting in.

[Rupert]

I first visited BC in 92 and loved the place,wanted to move there straight away,i was young had enough money to last me a year or so and had construction skills but they wouldn't have me,"taking a job from a Canadian".I have revisited 13 times in the last 23 years and stil love the place just the same but now im too "rooted"now in Britain.Also financially the difference is not what it was,back in 92 trades people were earning double my earnings and cost of living was half for most things.I was lucky enough to have a couple of extended trips where I worked for home owners as bricklaying was a premium trade in the early nineties.

[mikky]

my cousin moved to canada a year after he qualified as doctor,never looked back,big house loads of land,4x4,boat................loves it,if i had my time over again i would definately emigrate went to visit him at the hospital where he works but didnt tell him,we got his mate to put me on a gurney covered with a white sheet,put loads of blood on the sheets...his mate shouted him over to check the id on the body...should have seen his face when i sat up when he pulled the sheet back...he **** himself.

 

mikky

[jonny705]

Hi Marc Z.

 

my Dad moved to Florida about 20 years ago with his new wife , they set up a dog kennal buiness.

 

He was a chippy over here, Yet over there when i first seen the size of his house, i thought he had won the American Lottery , it was so big.

 

I went over there to work for 4 months and coundent belive how cheap everything was....motorbikes, jetskis , boats, guns everything i liked so so cheap.

 

Dad wanted me to live there and i suppose learn buiness, i really thought i was going to go, as was only 21 at time.

 

But after 4 months coundent wait to get back to Britain , missed seeing green grass, trees etc as Florida was like a barren wasteland-also missed the Rain!

 

The 5 million channel satalite tv was i thought great, until you realized there was pure **** on ! thought the people had no sence of humour like ours.

 

And their absolute belief that America is the best country producing the BEST of everything , became (for me) really annoying.

 

Once you strip away the materialistic stuff, and compare the cheaper cost of living to horrendous insurance costs we dont have , its not much diffrent cost wise.

 

It comes down to a very diffrent culture and people, which you either love or hate.

 

NZ looks nice but need money or very good job to get in .

 

Regards

 

jonny.

[ack-ack]

his wife has left him..he puts it down to stress.. and not fitting in.

Chuffing hell, theres no pleasing some girls

[onefulham]

clearly no-where's perfect, though I personally don't want to live my life based on "If I get ill...". I don't want to put up with people blatantly sponging off the state. I would want to move abroad for the better quality of life, not the necessarily the quality of the health system.

Don't wanna go all Socialist, not my style, but surely the quality of the health system IS part of the quality of life ?!

I nearly moved to Virginia about 15 years ago, lots going for it but hard work to make it out there, 2 weeks holiday a year, lots of even professional people have to have second jobs 45 he weeks then. Great place and if anyone wanted to make a go of it I would wish them luck, mind you if I won the lottery a Florida Villa would be my first purchase but I would not entend to work ! Suppose I should meet them half way and actually buy a lottery ticket !