Seriously thinking about leaving the UK - AIBU?

I was generalizing 're the middle East, but given Syria, yemem, Palestine, the Arab spring 15 years ago, the regular issues in Egypt....Plus I could add culturally a huge difference in most of it to the uk.

Canadians have a reputation as being, well, a little dull😁

Last time I needed an operation, the waitlist on NHS was 53 weeks.

You do know that other countries take more asylum seekers than we do, right? There’s a difference between an illegal immigrant snd an asylum seeker. An illegal immigrant is unknown to the authorities, so they don’t claim benefits because the government isn’t aware they’re still here. Illegal immigrants include those who were previously granted visas and have overstayed after expiration. They don’t drain any resources because the government does not give them any.

‘the Boat people’ are asylum seekers, they are known to the home office. They have to come over on a boat and declared themselves, because if they obtained a visa and came by air, they then wouldn’t be granted asylum because they had a visa.

I wish people knew the difference.

What’s telling is this thread has descended into arguing about money.

The best bits about living in the uk are when money doesn’t count. A sense of humour. The NHS. Being able to get a job and leave a job and get a job. When your community is fun and thriving regardless of being richer or poorer.

Please tell me where your thinking of

I think its not so much that UK is "declining" but the fact that people have different expectations and ideas about where the life would be "ideal". Some mentioned Australia, Malta, Spain, Asia - hmmm, a big no for me!

Besides, I think UK is great. There are literally hoards of young Europeans, Americans, Australians coming here to live and work, and fight tooth and nail to be able to stay - I wonder why. They, too, perhaps, think their home countries "gone to pot?"

I moved to UK in 2000 as 18yo. I worked my way up corporate ladder, did OU degree whilst working full time and got a great job earning six figures by 2008.
I had kids on full maternity pay but had to quit my job in 2018 and am now full time carer to my autistic son.
It seems that UK started slipping backwards about David Cameron/George Osborne austerity era. My son needs specialist school but there are none that fit have space.
He needed therapies, but guess what? None available, only privately. Local ofsted 'outstanding' was downgraded to 'require improvement' after 20 year gap in inspection. There are potholes everywhere. Rubbish strewn on sides of motorway.
Want to go from London to Manchester in January on train? That will be 200£.
The country has noticeably gone downhill post covid.
I travel often and each time I land, there are problems. Barcelona has wifi on underground, I can barely get 4g signal and we live just outside M25.
People seem miserable (me included and I'm not normally miserable).
We have been debating moving back to my country (eastern Europe) for about 2 years,
The difference between here and there is that every time I go back I can see progress. More money earned by everyone, more foreign shops, more good food. UK seems to be going backwards. Better weather too.
Husband is retiring this year on final salary, our mortgage is paid off.
We have sold our house STC and are going to risk it.
We can buy similar house to here for 1/3rd of price or less.
Stick the rest of cash into bank
and live off pension and interest, plus some kind of job, just to do something.
We will miss our local pub and family.

Check the age and health requirements for immigration too. Even with investments, sometimes there can be issues there.

I am aware of how mortgages work. But I own my house. That is both de facto and de jure the case. And if it was repossessed, I would get a proportion of the proceeds equivalent to the value of the house less the outstanding mortgage. Totally different to housing benefit recipients. Why can’t you accept this?

Everyone here thinks more taxes are needed,

I think they need to be spread more equally.

I'd rather pay more IHT & less income taxes, certainly tax band thresholds need to be raised.

I don’t think more taxes are needed at all! So not everyone

@Jaz111 but you said it was double taxation, I disagree. I haven't inherited anything yet thankfully plus who knows what will be needed for care.

We all play by the rules, even if we’d like those rules to be changed.

I am due to inherit about half a million quid one day (care costs notwithstanding). If I worked for that money I’d pay half back in tax. As it is, courtesy of the enormous good fortune of being my parents’ daughter, I will pay zero tax on it. That’s mad. But those are the rules.

the thing I would say - from my experience is that if you have the right skills you can also get a work visa. The companies that hire you will handle it not you and they know how to get it approved.

This is wrong again. The bank doesn’t own my house. I do. My name is on the deeds, not the bank’s. When I remortgage and change mortgage providers, property ownership doesn’t change.

The bank has an interest in the property equivalent to the outstanding mortgage debt.

And it’s not ‘pretty much the same thing’. Every month the bank’s interest in the property diminishes, and if the value of the house increases 100% of that increased value comes to me. If I was paid housing benefit my effective housing wealth would remain at zero throughout.

I know that as I live in one of those countries. You can meet all the criteria but they can still decline your application, doesn't matter if you hire the best immigration lawyer.

Asset price inflation, not consumer price inflation (CPI). Housing went from 2x earnings in the late 90s to 7-10x earnings now. (We are saying the same thing).

It wasn't earned by me as I said.