I was reading about a book due to be launched next week called The Compatibility Code by Elizabeth George http://www.yourprefix.com/the-compatibility-code. Choosing the right life long partner. Basically the idea being that once attraction takes over we lose the ability to form an unbiased opinion about whether this person is a good match long term. The books takes us through the process of making better decisions for life long partners.

It struck me how true this is for emigrating and choosing a new country to live in also. Many times we go there on holiday and fall in love with the place. The culture, the way of life, the romance and adventure of something exciting and new. The promise of what life could be like. When we are being carried along in this romantic state, it is easy to view the situation with “rose coloured specs’ and  overlook things that may not be right for us. Our emotions take over the decision making process.

Of course there is nothing wrong with being ‘in love’. As long as it is based upon good decisions and sound reasoning. Longer term the novelty will wear off, snow shovelling for 6 months of the year, only having 2 weeks annual paid vacation each year from work, or owning a larger house. Whatever benefits you get from living in a new country over time it will become normal. Little things you found exciting and endearing could become a nuisance and annoying.

You can approach it with the attitude that if it doesn’t work, at least we tried it, what have we got to lose, if it doesn’t work out we’ll go back. In reality as we foudn out that’s not as easy as it sounds. We had the practical issues such as financing another global move, starting from scratch back ‘home’, finding work, and the personal issues such as feelings of failure, self doubt abotu decision making and having to answer  questions a hundred times ’what went wrong, oh it didnt work out then never mind!! aaarghh!  

When making life changing decisions I want to feel in control and know they are going to be the right ones. I want to make the best choices and to be prepared for the ending of the honeymoon period. Being clear about what I want and why allows me to find it more easily. 

What is going to to help you find the right place?

1. Plan you research, think about all the key areas you need to find out about, and record information in a note book or file. These could be possible areas to research : Jobs, Housing, Visa options, Location, Schooling etc. Keep a checklist and mark them off as you make progress.
2. Stick to one subject at a time, its easy to get sidetracked and loose focus on what you wanted to know. Make a note of other subjects so you can return to them later.
3. Get clear about what you want from emigrating, be specific, so when you are searching for the perfect area to settle in you know what it has to provide.   
4. Use discussion forums to ask questions and connect with others. www.expatforum.com, www.britishexpats.com are two great forums to start with.
5.  Don’t make assumptions, check and double check what you find out. Confirm information from more than one source and check your facts.

Want to hear two expat stories and find out what they learnt during their move to Canada, www.theexpatcoach.com/expatinter.html

So you have decided you want to emigrate, 2009 is going to be the year you finally start to take control and get what you want. You have that burning desire for adventure, new beginnings, and opportunities. Start doing some research, check the internet, and then suddenly realise that there is more than enough information available. In fact there is too much information, and you end up going round in circles trying to find some sensible answers.

In the early stages its best to concentrate on three things. HOW, WHERE and WHAT, these three things may be dependant upon each other so you will need to switch back and forth as you find out more.

How are you going to get there, what type of visa will suit your circumstances?

Where are you going to move to?

What are you going to do to support your self once you get there?

Ideally you want the most flexible visa you can get, so once you arrive you have the option to move around and change jobs if you need to.  Start with http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp and broaden your search to provincial immigration programs. Once you have some ideas, get more specific.

Start looking at locations, begin provincially and drill down, to cities and towns.

You need to be able to support yourself and you family, so be sure to check job availability, pay terms and conditions.

“It appears that Canadian sales trends are rapidly moving to resemble U.S. trends,” the analyst said in a research note. This reinforces his preference for consumer staples retailers that have relatively good earnings visibility and less inventory risk like Metro Inc., Loblaw Cos. Ltd., Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. and The Jean Coutu Group Inc., he added.

While U.S. holiday sales are expected to be the worst in more than 20 years, trends in Canada began to deteriorate significantly in November and promotions flourished in December, Mr. Howlett said. He noted that retailers who are typically very discipled in terms of both the timing and depth of their promotions, are as active as others this year.

When Wal-Mart Canada came out with slightly negative same-store sales in November, it sent an alarm bell to Canadian investors, the analyst told clients, and he thinks it could mark the first comparable store sales decline in Wal-Mart Canada history.

“The holiday retail sales outlook is extremely poor in the U.S., with many retailers desperate to turn inventory into cash in order to survive through 2009,” Mr. Howelett said, adding that Canadian retailers are also in cash-generation and cash-preservation mode.

At the same time, he thinks Canadian retailers were prudently cautious when they ordered inventory for the fourth quarter period. But they still have excess inventory as a result of falling demand.

Jonathan Ratner

With falling house prices in the UK, if you are emigrating to Canada you must be wondering what you are going to be able to afford once you arrive. So this could be good news if you have managed to sell your house in the UK and getting ready to emigrate.

http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/property/more/property-prices-falling-canada-great-news-expats-10209/

I was talking to Mike Leibel, about the current housing market in Calgary. Things are continuing to drop, so it could be the ideal time to get into the market, or atleast keep your eye out for the next bargain.

http://www.calgarymike.com/2008/12/recession-threat-weighs-on-housing.html

As expatriates its part of life being away from family. With Christmas coming around fast, naturally we think of sharing time with family and friends. Communicating long distance can be easy. Here’s five easy, creative ways you can connect, communicate and share this special time even from far away.

1. Skype is a free internet service that allows you to chat via your computer, and use a webcam to see each other. You will need a PC, webcam and microphone. For relatives who are not keen on using a PC you can even get a video phone so they can call you without a complicated set up. All you need is an internet connection, and then calls are free. How much is it worth for grandparents to be able to see their grandchildren open their presents on Christmas day. Or younger children to be able to see their grandparents on a regular basis to maintain that close contact.
2. Create a photo calendar of your year, get it professionally printed and have it delivered to parents and grandparents. A great Christmas present and way to share your experiences with them all year long. Vistaprint.com and Kodak.com both offer great services and deliver straight to whomever you are sending it to. You can customize the look and add special dates to make it really special.
3. Write a summary of your year, with text and pictures. You could create an electronic version or make a personal hand made scrap book style sheet. Send or email to your friends and family to keep them up to date on what has happened to you in the last year.
4. Use Twitter.com to send quick message updates of what you are up to on a daily basis. The best thing about this is its very quick and you can do as many or as few as you like. You can set it up to send to a mobile phone so family members will know what you are doing, as it happens. Creates a sense of connection and immediacy. Regular contact makes it feel like you are never far away. You can follow me on Twitter to get some ideas
5. Trying to remember who you have sent photos to or sent emails about the latest news can be hard to remember if you have lots of friends to keep in touch with. Use Facebook to publish photos, and save sending individual emails to everyone. You can see what they have been doing too. Maintaining contact faraway friends and relatives is important in helping you feel connected and at home wherever you are. My Facebook profile

Do I need to be a Canadian Citizen to sponsor my parents, to immigrate to Canada?

This question came up today, I’m giving a basic overview of the process here with plenty of reference to the website. It is so nice to know you will be able to support and look after your parents when they get older, your children have the benefit of their grandparents close at hand. If you are thinking in the future your parents may want to come and live with you, then it might be worth looking at starting now, because the process is lengthy.

• You can sponsor certain family members, if you are over 18 and a permanent resident of Canada or a Canadian citizen.
• You can sponsor, parents, grandparents and partners of the aforementioned. It is possible to sponsor other relatives such as siblings but check website for more detail.
• You will not be able to sponsor if you cannot financially support them, have a criminal record, declared bankrupt, or receive government financial assistance.
• You will have to sign an agreement to financially support them for a period of 3 – 10 years after they arrive.

Initially the sponsor completes an application form and pays the fees. This initial application includes your financial evaluation, and agreement to support them if necessary. Once the sponsor is assessed as being eligible to sponsor, your relatives (being sponsored) will have to complete their applications.

They will then have to submit their application, pass criminal checks, go for an interview at a Canadian visa office and have medicals.

It takes about 26 months for the initial processing in Canada, to assess eligibility. Then for the permanent residence application for the person being sponsored will depend upon their country of origin fro Europe it ia on average 17months. See other places. Quickest time is likely to be 3 years or more.

http://www.workpermit.com/immigration-video.htm?v=canadian-skilled-immigration an interesting video, in which Sanwar Ali a consultant with Workpermit.com talks about the skilled worker immigration category. Based upon a points system, you score points for age, skills, qualifications, language skills, and various other criteria.

The main issue currently with this category is the length of time it takes to process your application. This link will give you average processing times for 2007
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/international/02a-skilled-fed.asp#note

I am always curious as to the reasons why people are emigrating. High on the list is getting out of the rat race, and a slower pace of life.

Other motivations include better standard of living, weather, and outdoor activity opportunities.

Take a typical day in our expat life, taking Oliver to school, then rushing to the office to sort out a computer issue, then home to answer emails, before getting Oliver from school. Once home there was time for a quick snack then off to skating lessons for Oliver, home for dinner and then catching up with work. So where is this ideal, leisurely paced life I wanted?

Mum was visiting from the UK a while back and commented ‘you are always rushing about, you are so busy all the time’ I hadn’t really thought about it much before. But I guess she was right.

We have a busy life, but there is a big difference, from our life in the UK. Now I am busy doing things I want to do. Now it doesn’t feel like I am rushed of my feet, or so under pressure to get things done. In stead of trying to off load things to do, I’m planning the next activities. At last it’s been cold enough for them to make snow at the Canmore Nordic Centre today. So hopefully we’ll be able to get the cross country skis out soon and rush off to skiing.

So be prepared to stay busy when you move, its not the quantity of activities that changes but the quality that improves !!