THE BEST MOVE I EVER MADE WAS TO MY NEW HOME IN CANADA. Living in Canada was never on my bucket list until I met the love of my life ten years ago while on vacation. Once I made my move to Canada I never looked back and still haven’t been back to the UK only because starting a new life in Canada has been hectic for the wife and I. Our years have been so busy for us in Canada that it’s taken me this long to get on my feet financially and in a career that I love after going back to school for a second time. Since coming to Canada and going back to school, starting a new career and having a baby we’ve also paid off our mortgage and are debt free. Life is good and we are thankful for everything. We do have plans to head back to the UK for a visit in 2017 but for now we will continue to live the Canadian dream or at least, our dream. As the stock markets tumble after the shock of the UK Referendum (Brexit) where voting determined that the UK was pulling out […]
How I Made My Move To Canada From The UK : The Saturday Weekend Review #178
5 Tips for Sorting Out Your Finances When Moving Abroad
MOVING ABROAD AND YOUR FINANCES If you are planning on moving abroad then it is sure to be an exciting but nerve-racking period in your life. One big risk at this time is that with so many issues to sort out you might end up neglecting your finances. Keep your home bank account open One of the big mistakes I made was closing my UK bank account when I left there. I never really gave it too much thought but kind of assumed that I wouldn’t ever need it again. When I started working on the internet in my new country I realized that I could open a bank account but not a PayPal account. Well, I could open a PayPal account over here but it can’t be linked to local account, so I couldn’t really do anything with the money. You just never know when your bank account from back home might come in handy later on, even if you can’t see any reason for keeping it right now. Move your money smartly Moving your money from one country to another can be a costly business. If you don’t really have a lot to […]
Top 5 things I love about Canada
Canada, A Place To Call Home Since today is Canada Day I thought I would share my top 5 things I love about Canada and why I’m proud to be a permanent resident in Canada. I used to be a Canadian tourist and now I get to share my stories in hopes of inspiring those who want to visit Canada or move to Canada. Related: How I made my move to Canada from the UK Sometimes I still can’t believe that I am living in Canada a land that I never thought would pop onto my radar, but here I am. It’s been almost six years now since I landed in this beautiful country not knowing where my life was going to take me. What I knew at the time was that I had a beautiful wife who I was and still am deeply in love with to take me under her wing and show me the ropes. Career and Education Moving to a country where you don’t speak the same language is a challenge but moving to a country where you do speak the same language can be frustrating. Since moving here I really did have to […]
New Canadian ePassport is around the corner for Canadians
Standardized Passports Should Be The Norm Check your Canadian passport expiry date because passport fees are going up July 1, 2013 and with good reason. If you haven’t heard of the ePassport, read on. If you like to budget like us, then you will have to save for your passport renewal fees every month in your projected expenses just as we do. Now we will have to make changes since the price of the Canadian passport is going up. When I told my wife that my British passport didn’t expire for 10 years she thought that was a brilliant idea. The current Canadian passport expires every 5 years which can become a hassle for some people. I’m not sure what has taken so long but as we evolve globally it’s important to be somewhat on the same page as everyone else. Sure it’s easy enough to make note of the five-year expiry date but five years is a long time and most people tend to forget. It’s not until they have to leave the country and find out that their trusted Canadian passport expires sooner than the start of their business trip or holiday. Either way, the passport will expire […]
Emigrating to Canada ~ Should I Rent Out My House
THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE THE MOVE Canada seems to be a popular destination for UK citizens looking to start a new, more fulfilling life. Over the past few years I’ve known 3 or 4 different couples who’ve taken the plunge and made the tough decision to leave their life in the UK behind and start a new one living in Canada. As a former mortgage advisor some of those friends have questioned me regarding the biggest dilemma they face, after hiring an international moving company as they organize the big move to Canada, ‘What Should I Do With My House?’ Should I sell or rent out my house? If you’re a homeowner the decision of whether to sell or rent out your house has likely been plaguing you as you progress toward emigrating. In this article we’ll take a closer look at the option of renting and hopefully it will help you decide if becoming a landlord is the right option for you. Emigrating Is No Ordinary Move As you’re going to be moving to the other side of the world to live in Canada, renting out your home becomes more complicated than it would ordinarily be. Unless you can arrange […]
Building Credit In Canada As A New Permanent Resident
Building Credit all over again in a new Country is not easy but is certainly possible to do. I’m still here and living it up and don’t fancy heading back any time soon. I’ve battled through all the permanent resident requirements with my lovely wife at my side and it’s been such a learning experience that I hope to share with all of you. It took me just over 100 days from the time I sent out my package that I prepared to Immigration Canada to being accepted as a Permanent Resident of Canada. I am truly blessed to be living in such a beautiful country like Canada and all the opportunities it has given me. Now I’m doing my part and giving back. Many people who land in Canada as new residents often find themselves lost when trying to establish credit to build a credit history. New Permanent Resident When I moved to Canada from the United Kingdom I was what they used to call a “Canadian Landed Immigrant” now called a “Canadian Permanent Resident”. Although I did some research on a Canada Immigration Forum it was more about the legal aspect rather than the financial. I already knew how to […]
