Thinking of emigrating - advice welcomed pls

credit_crunch

hi i don't know if this is posted in the righ place - so if it isn't please feel free to move it!

i know the economy worldwide isn't great at the moment, but I have started to think about emigrating. it is ver very early days on my part - if i did decide to go it would probably be around this time next year

i would need to decide whether to rent or sell my own house, and more importantly decide where to go!! i would prefer an english speaking country - so usa or oz would be the top2 or else spain - as i know a little spanish and wouldn't find the language such a barrier

there are hundreds of thoughts going through my head at the mo, but what i would like advice on is:
how to whittle it down to a few areas of definite interest
how to look at properties available to buy/rent
how to search for jobs - at this moment in time my oh is a greenkeeper/landscaper gardener, and i work in admin so pref in these areas rather than casual bar work etc

hope someone can point me in the right direction, or offer some advice on how to start looking into emigrating in more detail

thanks in advance and sorry if its a bit higglty pigglty!

Generali

Try here:

http://britishexpats.com/

wolfman

Has always been something I've thought about in the back of my mind.

Mainly because of housing/lifestyle costs here being hugely inflated. It's the thought that I could live elsewhere and have a much higher standard of living, and less debt. Plus I might enjoy the weather more!

For now though I'm happy being in London, and will probably do so for quite a few more years. Then maybe I'll give it some further thought. The hardest part is leaving who and what you know and grew up with.

Places I like are Canada (one of my favourite places), Australia, New Zealand, and parts of the US. I was a little lazy in learning other languages so that's crippled my choices a little. Plus I'm not to keen on most european countries (it would depend on the scenario I think).

A quieter part of India is another consideration, haven't thought too much about South America.

Would be interested to see the outcome of this thread.

cpdc1030

Housing/lifestyle costs here are expensive, but salaries are higher and income taxes are lower than the places you've mentioned.

It is not quite as easy as it used to be - most countries now have a points based system that you need to qualify under.

When I decided to emigrate to the UK, I came first to look for work (I am a British citizen but was born and raised in Canada). Only after securing work did I start to make arrangements for my partner to join me. Although it is tough being apart for a while it makes the whole experience less risky. If things aren't what you expected, you come back easily, as the other partner is still working and you still have your house.

Only after I settled in my job for about two months did my partner join me - but by then we were absolutley sure it was the right decision.

Jennifer_Jane

As someone who was away for 27 years in different countries, could I suggest that you consider keeping up your NI payments/paying in eventually to ensure you get the minimum 30 years (and keep a watch on any rules that may change in the future). (Although, of course, you may go to a country which does not have the pension increase eg Australia) - am just saying it's something to consider.

I hadn't intended coming back, but things changed, I missed my roots, my mother was getting older, and so on. You just don't know.

Apart from everything else, I do wish that for a lot of reasons, I think I would have been better off staying here (or at least in Europe), but that may well not be your experience, of course.

Good luck and bon voyage (for when it happens). Very exciting!

Jen
x

inspector_monkfish

I guess your area of employment would be the first thing to think of.

If you are a professional Bull Fighter, I would say go for Spain.

If you are a Professional Surfer, I would say Australia or US.

Soubrette

cpdc1030 wrote: »

Housing/lifestyle costs here are expensive, but salaries are higher and income taxes are lower than the places you've mentioned.

It is not quite as easy as it used to be - most countries now have a points based system that you need to qualify under.

When I decided to emigrate to the UK, I came first to look for work (I am a British citizen but was born and raised in Canada). Only after securing work did I start to make arrangements for my partner to join me. Although it is tough being apart for a while it makes the whole experience less risky. If things aren't what you expected, you come back easily, as the other partner is still working and you still have your house.

Only after I settled in my job for about two months did my partner join me - but by then we were absolutley sure it was the right decision.

Hello cpdc1030 :hello:

My husband is Canadian and I am a UK citizen, what attracted you to the UK and do you have any plans to go back?

Speaking of points - I looked on the Canadian website and totted up my points - no chance of emigrating to Canada based on that although I understand you can get a visa if you are going to a place where there is a shortage of workers (subject to there not being enough Canadians to fill the position). Same as Australia - although they always seem to be looking for hairdressers for some reason

Sou

ruggedtoast

credit_crunch wrote: »

hi i don't know if this is posted in the righ place - so if it isn't please feel free to move it!

i know the economy worldwide isn't great at the moment, but I have started to think about emigrating. it is ver very early days on my part - if i did decide to go it would probably be around this time next year

i would need to decide whether to rent or sell my own house, and more importantly decide where to go!! i would prefer an english speaking country - so usa or oz would be the top2 or else spain - as i know a little spanish and wouldn't find the language such a barrier

there are hundreds of thoughts going through my head at the mo, but what i would like advice on is:
how to whittle it down to a few areas of definite interest
how to look at properties available to buy/rent
how to search for jobs - at this moment in time my oh is a greenkeeper/landscaper gardener, and i work in admin so pref in these areas rather than casual bar work etc

hope someone can point me in the right direction, or offer some advice on how to start looking into emigrating in more detail

thanks in advance and sorry if its a bit higglty pigglty!

I dont want to put you off but unless you have some pretty fortuitous ancestry your chances of emigrating to any of the countries you mention to do admin or gardening are between slim and none. And slim just left town.

Unless you have a green card forget about the States. If you want to go for it you'll have to find a job and an employer to sponsor you. To sponsor you they'll have to prove you are doing a job it is not possible to find an American to do.

If you can afford their school fees you could go and study there but you will not be permitted to work legally, at all, to support yourself.

At the moment NZ is probably the most likely place to get into. I have friends who have just been accepted despite having no jobs lined up and never having visited even on a holiday. They are a teacher and nurse respectively however.

Generali

ruggedtoast wrote: »

I dont want to put you off but unless you have some pretty fortuitous ancestry your chances of emigrating to any of the countries you mention to do admin or gardening are between slim and none. And slim just left town.

Unless you have a green card forget about the States. If you want to go for it you'll have to find a job and an employer to sponsor you. To sponsor you they'll have to prove you are doing a job it is not possible to find an American to do.

If you can afford their school fees you could go and study there but you will not be permitted to work legally, at all, to support yourself.

At the moment NZ is probably the most likely place to get into. I have friends who have just been accepted despite having no jobs lined up and never having visited even on a holiday. They are a teacher and nurse respectively however.

It's still perfectly possible to get into Aus. Not as easy as it once was but still possible if you have the right skills. They aren't looking for tradies right now though unless they're sponsored I think.

ruggedtoast

Generali wrote: »

It's still perfectly possible to get into Aus. Not as easy as it once was but still possible if you have the right skills. They aren't looking for tradies right now though unless they're sponsored I think.

I added up my wife and Is potential points for an Aus emigrate once , her dad was born there and she has family there, which helped a bit.

My wifes job in HR counts as an actual profession which earns her points, mine in sort of marketing sort of recruitment sort of sales in the public sector, doesnt.

I think I worked out that if I did a Masters degree and she got a promotion and we both got a payrise, and job offersmlined up, then we might almost make the minumum number of points.

NZ was a lot more lenient.

lostinrates

I think a very important factor is to think about what you are hoping for.

Are you 'going to' somewhere or simply 'leaving' UK. If its the latter its worth considering the issues you will have elsewhere. UK has a lot of problems but it has a lot nice about it too. Its worth looking at what sort of take home salaries you'd get i other countries against your earnings and entitlements here. Salary to cost of living might look better elsewhere, but losing entitlements here might skew the figures as might taxation.

Spain, EU, would certainly be the esiest as far s paperwork goes: you have free right to move there what ever. Moving out of UK a lot of you OH's experience as a gardener will be les useful: different climates equl different gardening requirments, different plants, different preferred styles: different materials and build quality (and quality controls.)