We've been discussing whether to move abroad for ages, and can't seem to reach a decision.
The country we are considering is Canada, where we could get jobs and move on a work permit initially then gain PR and citizenship. Our careers are in demand in Canada and we could live in lots of different areas, not just the big cities. Looking at BC but could live in other provinces too.
There are various pros and cons, but the questions it boils down to each time are
THE BIG QUESTION
- is it good for our kids to have another citizenship? (dh and I would find it easy to get jobs abroad, we don't know if our kids will have the same options. In general countries seem to be becoming more selective about immigration, and we think climate change migration will exacerbate this, so our kids being dual citizens when they are adults will mean they will have more options in life. UK doesn't seem good at planning sensibly for the future, not sure if Canada any better but at least dc will have a choice of where to live!)
The other questions
- are the advantages of Canada better than seeing grandparents regularly? We have no extended family in Canada, we are wondering how much of a disadvantage that will be for our children (we are not very close to our parents ourselves, but our kids love seeing them. We currently see each set once a month. If we stayed in UK we would consider moving closer to one set of grandparents for the kids benefit, which would have pros and cons in terms of lifestyle. We would offer our parents the option to move to Canada on a family visa, however I think they would decline)
- is Canada a better place for kids to grow up? In terms of wellbeing, education, activities and in particular future opportunities. In the UK it feels like you have to earn a lot to have a good quality of life (which we do, but obviously we don't know what our dc will do as adults)
We keep going round in circles. I'd be grateful for any advice.