Emigration maybe it's time

Fuzz · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:17

I've thought and thought and thought about emigrating to Oz one day.. for as far back as I can remember, hell even New Zealand was thought of to be an option.
I'm sick of this country and I'll admit all I ever do is, in true British form, moan about it instead of DOING something about it.
Perhaps with the current state of affairs this country is in, now is the best time to actually make a move on it.
One thing that seriously bugs me is my own state of affairs regarding money.
By that I mean debt.
Would this hamper the application process?
Would it lose me points?
So is there anyone that's gone through the application process on here, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.

I'm not interested in whether you love it / you've been there and come back/ best thing you ever did / lifestyle choice better yada yada yada.. I'll make my own mind up on that as I believe we are all likely to feel different about that area..
So if you could keep it directed to the application traumas you went through that would be cool.

purexxevil · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:24

yea i think it would affect emigration since you are in debt, but exactly how strong a bearing it will have, im not sure.
I think you may have to declare your debt in the visa application form..

Berserker · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:30

Do you have skills they're after? Aus uses a points-based system and if you don't have a reasonable chance of filling a vacancy that the average local wouldn't, then you'll get one thing - a 'denied' stamp.

Clearing debts before you leave would certainly be a good idea, but I'm not sure how much impact it would have - emigrating is an expensive business and I wouldn't be surprised if people ended up in debt. The key would probably be whether you have a sound plan to pay that debt back, rather than trying to run away from it.

PS - Think carefully and don't do this as a knee-jerk response to your own (or the country's) situation. The grass isn't always greener.

PPS - I've thought of emigrating too. Too many financial ties for the moment and I wouldn't even try with a pile of debt.

Hellsmk2 · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:30

If you are sick of it and moan all the time, then just get off your arse and do it. It's not that hard to leave the country!

Also, once you leave the country for any length of time, I guarantee you will become more natoinalistic/ patriotic.

chrisxuk · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:34

Is it hard to move to America?

Mr-White · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:37

surely the government is noticing the british population leaving and the sudden increase in foreigners ?

MW

Fuzz · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:39

chrisxuk said:
Is it hard to move to America?

Some of my family have moved to Canada and one has set up a business in actually helping people emigrate there. He's doing very well from it I believe.
I wouldn't have thought America would be a wise choice at the moment personally.

atpbx · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:47

chrisxuk said:
Is it hard to move to America?

Unless you have a degree, even then you will struggle to get a sponsor.

Both my sisters are US citizens, and they reckon it could take up to 7 years for me to get over there if they want to apply for me.

ste_bla · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:50

chrisxuk said:
Is it hard to move to America?

Very. Basically if I understand it properly, other countries can get into the lottery for the visa, however due to the large amount of British people going over on skilled/work sponsored visas we are excluded.

So now the only way is if you are a very skilled worker or do a job a normal person in the states cant do; and then get sponsored by a company from there to get your visa.

Or marry someone already in the states but that wont automatically allow you over there either.

Or have family over there might make it able to get one.

int · 31 Jan 2009 at 11:54

chrisxuk said:
Is it hard to move to America?

Yes extremely. To even get a 6 month Visa you have to have to be very good at what you're going over to do and you'll have to have secured a job already (at least this was the case when my gf looked into it).

To move over there you must have decent qualifications so they'd pick you over one of their own citizens.

Fuzz · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:04

There was nothing in that test that mentioned money in any way or form.. :confused:

deuse · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:12

If you fall in love with a American women and you come back to the UK
send each other letters every week and go back to the USA as much as you can

Then if your are over there one time and she asks you to marry her
there in the USA while still under your 30 day visa do it

Then you both fill and pay for FBI checks and what not(I went to tamp for this)
and loads of forms to fill in and pay for.
Then 3 months after your wedding you will get a work permit and
will be able to get a driving licence.

Then you go to interviews with your wife if all goes well after 3 years your
in for good

Or pay $500,000 to the USA gov and get a citizenship.

regulus · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:13

Hellsmk2 said:
If you are sick of it and moan all the time, then just get off your arse and do it. It's not that hard to leave the country!

Also, once you leave the country for any length of time, I guarantee you will become more natoinalistic/ patriotic.

No, I know of many many many people that left and absolutely will not come back to England if you paid them a lot of money. People tend to do what you describe if they feel out of their depth or uncomfortable to embrace new experiences and lifestyles. Wrap your self in the Union Jack whilst wearing white and red and take comfort in the fact that your brain is telling you now you're part of something bigger than you. I, like many others, view myself as a citizen of the world, comfortable anywhere with anyone in any language. I have not an ounce, not even a smidgen bit of patriotism in me. I suspect there is many many others like that.

rypt · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:15

deuse said:
Or pay $500,000 to the USA gov and get a citizenship.

Damn, wish we were back at the £1=£2 level

Anyway, back on topic. I'd love to move somewhere like Aus, USA or Canada eventually, for the simple fact that while I'm proud to call my self British (so even if I were to spend 50 years living in say USA I'd still always call my self British) I dislike how this country is going continually down the pan with little prospect of that changing, or me having any power or influence over making it change.

deuse · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:16

I want nay NEED to go back to FL
I am just waiting for the UK gov to sort out monies they have to give me
but they are not playing ball.
So it looks like giving up my UK citizenship then they will have to pay me.

Rilot · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:21

It's sometning I'm looking at at the moment.
I have debts but I plan to clear them before I go, if I go.

Fuzz · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:22

regulus said:
No, I know of many many many people that left and absolutely will not come back to England if you paid them a lot of money. People tend to do what you describe if they feel out of their depth or uncomfortable to embrace new experiences and lifestyles. Wrap your self in the Union Jack whilst wearing white and red and take comfort in the fact that your brain is telling you now you're part of something bigger than you. I, like many others, view myself as a citizen of the world, comfortable anywhere with anyone in any language. I have not an ounce, not even a smidgen bit of patriotism in me. I suspect there is many many others like that.

+1 there Regulus, I live on Earth, not in England....
I don't even find family a reason to stay, most of them are not on my wavelength and I can't stand them.
Maybe my Dad and brother would be the ones I miss most, however ironically they would be the only ones to support and encourage the move if it was something I wanted.

Margaret · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:24

chrisxuk said:
Is it hard to move to America?

As others have said, very.

Could always look into Canada, better country really but have no idea how their Visa policy or whatever works.

Sankari · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:32

Hellsmk2 said:
Also, once you leave the country for any length of time, I guarantee you will become more natoinalistic/ patriotic.

This is true. I came to the UK from Australia just over five years ago, and it has made me far more patriotic than I ever was (though it has also helped me to see some of the faults of my own country more clearly).

The difference between myself and the OP is that I did not leave because I no longer wanted to live in Australia, and I certainly had no intention of living in the Uk for the rest of my life (I still have a house in Australia, to which I'll be returning later this year); I just wanted to do something different for a while.

Sankari · 31 Jan 2009 at 12:33

To the OP, from a born-and-bred Aussie, here's my 2p: Australia is not for everyone. If you have no compelling reason to go... don't. Assuming that you're serious about wanting to emigrate, here's a little advice on the subject.

Write a list of the things you really want out of life. If you already have them in the UK (or you're already on the way to getting them) then why look elsewhere? Australia won't necessarily change your life for the better; it's not a magic wheel that spins straw into gold.

Like most places, Australia is a land of swings and roundabouts. You have to trade them off against each other. Some things are cheaper - a lot cheaper - than the UK. Other things are more expensive - a lot more expensive - than the UK. Find out what they are, and compare them. Try to estimate their impact on your budget.

Consider your relationships with family and friends. Are you so close that you can't live without each other? Are you fairly independent? Could you cope effectively without your usual support network for months on end? Do you make friends easily, or are you happy to have "quality over quantity"?

Do you enjoy regular overseas holidays on the continent? Bear in mind that these will be almost unaffordable when you're flying from the southern hemisphere. Driving to Paris is great fun, but the Chunnel doesn't quite reach Australia. If you're the sort of person who would miss the benefits of proximity to Europe, think carefully before making a decision.

Above all, don't move to Australia "just to see what it's like". If that's your primary motivation, take a holiday - and make it a long one. You may find that home has more attractions after all.