The Immigration Blues
It always seems to me that it's so much easier for other people to move to a new country. We're up to our armpits in research and still not certain we've got all the right answers. Steve is busy figuring out the intra-company transfer to England. I'm busy researching our Plan B: moving to England based on being economically self-sufficient and having a British partner. There's a lot of pouring over government websites and pdfs that don't specifically talk about our exact situation. And assuming things in this situation could lead to a lot of disappointment and delays.
Tonight at work, a couple came in for a nightcap near the end of my shift. He looked familiar and it turns out he's in the Vancouver area on business, and has stayed in the hotel recently. After asking if I lived in the area and how I liked it, he explained why he was asking. He and his wife are in the process of figuring out how to move to Vancouver permanently as he is being hired by a company here and they're still not sure what part of the Lower Mainland they want to settle in.
Given my plans this year, I was obviously interested to hear how things were going for them, and after a few wines and scotches they began to share that his transition here through work has been a headache, and they are only now starting to figure out what it's going to take to get her up here too. She confessed that they're finding it all quite daunting. It was perversely reassuring to hear that they weren't just swanning into Canada. Maybe it's a nightmare for everyone who immigrates and we just skim over those details with each other, either to avoid a reminder of how much it sucked or to seem like we've got the world dialed. Ha. Ha.
I tried to share some useful Vancouver tidbits, recalling what helped me when I originally moved here, and then returned to live after a long absence. I shared my "don't be discouraged and be sure to give it a year" theory. I suggested they figure out what features they want in a home and what part of the city will work for them as soon as they can, so that when they view a rental property they like and that fits their criteria they can take it on the spot, as good rentals last no time at all in this city due to the high occupancy rate. You can go away to think about it 'til later in the day, and it's gone. I told them to consider their commute, because Vancouver has been rated the worst city in Canada for traffic. It's the best city for just about everything else though, so I reinforced that they will love it here. I told them to expect visitors, as people don't need much of an excuse to want to visit Vancouver. They laughed and confirmed that their adult children were already wanting to visit.
We shared a little history when I asked if they'd done any other big moves to a new country. He had when he was a navy brat. He was born in Okinawa and lived there and Australia and Korea, I think he said. But that's about it once his Dad retired to Colorado. She's also from Colorado, and asked me if I knew anything about the requirements for US Citizens to come to Canada. I'm not sure why she'd have confidence in the answers of a bartender. Maybe it's because I'd married an American and lived in Phoenix. I shared the little experience I have in planning moves to the US and now to the UK. I told her I believe Canada needs medical professionals (I think she said she's a respiratory technician), but that she should be able to qualify as a spouse. But, I suggested a lawyer would be worth his or her weight in gold in this case, to make sure they got it right and saved themselves a lot of pouring over government-ese.
I think I need to take my own advice on this. Looks like the smartest move will be to fork out a bit of cash and talk to another immigration lawyer, like we did in England, to advise us on our final questions. Now, I wonder, are there enough Vancouverites moving to England to support a lawyer specializing in this area? I'll keep you posted.
Tonight at work, a couple came in for a nightcap near the end of my shift. He looked familiar and it turns out he's in the Vancouver area on business, and has stayed in the hotel recently. After asking if I lived in the area and how I liked it, he explained why he was asking. He and his wife are in the process of figuring out how to move to Vancouver permanently as he is being hired by a company here and they're still not sure what part of the Lower Mainland they want to settle in.
Given my plans this year, I was obviously interested to hear how things were going for them, and after a few wines and scotches they began to share that his transition here through work has been a headache, and they are only now starting to figure out what it's going to take to get her up here too. She confessed that they're finding it all quite daunting. It was perversely reassuring to hear that they weren't just swanning into Canada. Maybe it's a nightmare for everyone who immigrates and we just skim over those details with each other, either to avoid a reminder of how much it sucked or to seem like we've got the world dialed. Ha. Ha.
I tried to share some useful Vancouver tidbits, recalling what helped me when I originally moved here, and then returned to live after a long absence. I shared my "don't be discouraged and be sure to give it a year" theory. I suggested they figure out what features they want in a home and what part of the city will work for them as soon as they can, so that when they view a rental property they like and that fits their criteria they can take it on the spot, as good rentals last no time at all in this city due to the high occupancy rate. You can go away to think about it 'til later in the day, and it's gone. I told them to consider their commute, because Vancouver has been rated the worst city in Canada for traffic. It's the best city for just about everything else though, so I reinforced that they will love it here. I told them to expect visitors, as people don't need much of an excuse to want to visit Vancouver. They laughed and confirmed that their adult children were already wanting to visit.
I think I need to take my own advice on this. Looks like the smartest move will be to fork out a bit of cash and talk to another immigration lawyer, like we did in England, to advise us on our final questions. Now, I wonder, are there enough Vancouverites moving to England to support a lawyer specializing in this area? I'll keep you posted.
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