Why did you choose the US?

[mozplay 28]

Strangely enough, I (Cdn) was the more established one professionally, but still chose to move to the U.S. I was ready for a change. Had seen enough of the GTA (Toronto area) in the past 17 years to know that I didn't want to settle there and felt I was ready for a professional change as well.

David not only has his entire family in the U.S. (mine are in Trinidad for the most part) but had the opportunity to start at Johns Hopkins last fall and I really did feel that it was an opportunity not to be passed up.

But you know what they say about the grass being greener ....

Now that we have spent some time in Baltimore ... well, let's just say I never knew what culture shock was before I lived here. Smoggy old Toronto looks great right about now! The plan is to stick it out here for as long as it takes for David to finish the programme and then move up to Rochester. Take me back north!!!!! Eventually though, we have talked about either going back to Canada (west coast), or switching gears entirely and moving to Trinidad for a while, or even Europe.

Only time will tell....

Monique

Though, our running joke is that if another Republican becomes president, he's going to haul us back to Canada.

Hell ... most of David's friends here are saying that too! There may be a huge influx soon. lol.

Mo

[Amy and Brian 1]

With Brian and I, there never really was any discussion as to who would move, it was rather instinctive. I'm still living the "college student" life here in Oakville (despite not being in college currently): renting an apartment with college student roommates, working at a music store (though, I also work an office job as well, but it's nothing speciall), so there's not much to tie me here. I've lived in the US before and have family still in Texas. Brian's just starting to establish himself in his chosen career and is MUCH closer to his family than I am to mine.

So, naturally, I'm making the move.

[mr_s_p 1]

When we first met, we had discussed this... she has a home-based Direct Marketing business with which she has built up around the area where she lives to the point where she's in a position of authority. Whereas, I am an IT service provider. We figured that rather than her giving up her unit and having to rebuild everything up here in Canada, I should have a really easy time to apply my IT skillset in the area of smalltown southwest Kansas.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Well, Joe had a permanent job that paid 3 times more than mine did, wouldn't be transferable to the same part of Canada where I lived, plus my job was geographically specific, but term dependent on my boss getting re-elected every election ( and choosing to seek re-election). He had just purchased a house about 5 months earlier and got a great deal on it and I lived in a one bedroom apartment. For him to work in his field would have meant relocating to a bigger community, leaving me unemployed and both of us with the expense of trying to live in a bigger communtiy - vs having an established job and home where my unemployment was not a liability. His family lives in Texas - mine live in Canada - so we are about equi-distant from them both, however he has 2 sisters, brothers in laws, multiple nieces and nephews, both parents (at the time - his father has since passed) a daughter, a son in law and 2 grandchildren. I had a father, a brother, a sister in law and a niece. It just seemed more practical for me to relocate than for him.

Edited May 31, 2007 by Kathryn41

[Tracy 0]

I (USC) did immigrate to Canada it 2003/04 and lived there 3 1/2 years. We decided it was time to move to the US because there is more here for us in the job market and my mom has been very sick and it has gotten worse since Nov 06. My husband's family was not the best to be around either making me completely crazy most of the time. While I enjoyed my time in Canada and will never regret the time I spent there I don't think I would ever want to go back...unless we chose a difference province.

[Carlawarla 1]

Probably the number one reason why I'm the one that made the move to the US, is Gene's job. He can't retire until at least age 55, and he's 8 years away from that. I could take an early retirement at age 50. Now, I'm not 50 now, but I took a years leave of absence to get there. Not that I'm going to be drawing on my retirement benefits, but I have over 25 years with the Gov't. so taking early retirement at age 50 seemed the smartest move for me at this time.

Gene is orginally from Chicago, and while we would never move back there, we have talked about either a move to maybe northern Wisconsin or Michigan after retirement, or moving back to Canada. Either way, as long as we are out of this HORRIBLE hot humid weather here in St. Louis! Ick!

Carla

[AndreaK 1]

For us, while it was a hard choice, it was decided that I should be the one to move. I have a few medical issues that make staying in Canada more than attractive due to our health care system, so this was a very large factor in the decision; luckily his benefits through work are quite good. I am very close with my immediate and extended family, even though they are spread out across western Canada; he isn't very close with any of his family, but his dad and step-brother live in Wichita as well, his mom lives in Pennsylvania. I made decent money with my job, but with Alberta's booming economy, it's not enough to support the both of us; he works at the McConnell AFB and makes very good money. Unfortunately, with the type of job he has (intell initially, and now cyber-security), his skills are not very easily transferable; any job he might qualify for here in Edmonton would entail more than a 50% pay cut. Once he has a few years in with his new position, he will have the qualifications to get a high-paying IT job pretty much anywhere in the world. I currently rent a basement suite and buying a home is several years off, mainly due to the insane prices on housing; he already owns a home.

All in all, it was pretty obvious who should move. I know it will be difficult, mostly with leaving my family and getting used to the US-style health care system, but I was ready for a change and I just want to be with my honey finally. He has said all along that if for some reason my visa gets denied, he'll happily move here, but it's just financially better at this point for me to move to Wichita. That being said, we are definitely considering moving back here - either Edmonton, or elsewhere in western Canada - later on or when we retire. We went to Canmore for New Year's eve (a little B&B, so romantic), and he has said several times since then he would love to retire there...

[Doug n Amanda 0]

Very interesting to read the replies to this question! As for us, well, me being the American living in Detroit, and him as the Canadian truck driver who crosses the border regularly, we could have lived in either country! It's strange being so close to each other, the border, yet having to go thru ALL the red tape to be together!

We decided opportunities were better in the USA for both of us.....it's not like he's leaving his family behind, they're an hour away by car, lol....given the Montreal timing it looks like we'll be getting married sometime in November...keep yer fingers crossed

Retirement is another story.....we will most certainly retire in his family home in Kingsville, Ontario (1 mile from the Lake...mmmm)

[Jeremy + Kristy 0]

For us, we had thought about both moving to Windsor (across from Detroit), as it would actually make it easier for me to commute to my job in Detroit (I live in Port Huron, so my commute every day is about 70 miles). Then, as we were house hunting, we realized it would be easier for her to move to Port Huron with me, as the housing market in my area right now is very bad, and I wouldn't be able to sell my house, whereas her house will probably sell in a week.

Very interesting to read the replies to this question! As for us, well, me being the American living in Detroit, and him as the Canadian truck driver who crosses the border regularly, we could have lived in either country! It's strange being so close to each other, the border, yet having to go thru ALL the red tape to be together!

We decided opportunities were better in the USA for both of us.....it's not like he's leaving his family behind, they're an hour away by car, lol....given the Montreal timing it looks like we'll be getting married sometime in November...keep yer fingers crossed

Retirement is another story.....we will most certainly retire in his family home in Kingsville, Ontario (1 mile from the Lake...mmmm)

Me, you, vnoe, and neiks ought to start a bordertown club.

[jg_am 0]

We decided on the US because I had a job/roots and my wife just moved back to Ontario with her parents after they spent six years in Alberta. She had no job/no career/no school and we figured it was better for me to keep my job than for me to find one in Canada. Since she's going to be a stay at home mom, that helped on that department too. We talked about retiring in Canada one day but once we have kids and they grow up and possibly live in the Philadelphia area, it would be hard to leave them.

[Jashley820 0]

This is a fantastic topic!

My husband (the USC) is actually a dual citizen as he grew up in Toronto and was naturalized in the U.S.. His family also has a cottage north of Toronto, and he visited me a ton as we were dating. He pretty much despises Toronto, and if we had chosen to live in Canada, we would have had to live in the GTA due to my job (I am a Marketer). To tell you the truth, I was pretty sick of the corporate grind, and I hated my job. I realized I was ready for a change so I actually offered to move to Cincinnati. I just said it one day and that was it.

It worked out well because he graduated with a Masters in Accounting with the intention to get his CPA, and he ended up getting offers from each of the Big 4 accounting firms right off the bat. He's supporting us on his income alone during this AOS process, and we ended up buying a wonderful home in an incredible area in Cincinnati. I don't believe that it would have been easy for him to be hired at one of the Big 4 accounting firms in Canada, because the road to obtaining a C.A. is quite different (not to mention all of his education was U.S.-specific in terms of the S.E.C. and all that). Anyway, our decision was definitely the right one for us, but we'd definitely consider moving to Canada (not to a big city though!) in the future.

[Doug n Amanda 0]

Me, you, vnoe, and neiks ought to start a bordertown club.

Hey, we're all for it! Are you KIDDING me? You live in PH, and commute to Detroit everyday? Where do you work? I used to drive from Flint to Southfield, and that was horrific...I'm now living in Westland, and working in Pontiac and the 25 miles I drive is a piece of cake in comparison to PORT HURON, yuk. I understand though...my house in Westland is now officially worth less than what I owe on it thanks to DEflation, sigh.

SO....fellow "Bordertowners" rule!

[seele 0]

Great Question!

When we first got involved I envisioned that I would be the one moving to Canada. I even started searching the Net on what I would need and how easy it would be to get a job, all the fun stuff. But then Jim said he would move to the US, easier for him to move then me I suppose. He is retired from the Canadian Navy and much more mobile then I am and besides I have a good job here and I think he like the idea of a working wife…lol.

After we get married and he moves here I do have enough honey do's that he will be looking for a job real soon...lol

Margaret

[Flames9_RN 358]

I was in the Cdn navy as well, before I remustered to the Air Force. What did ur husband do in the navy? I was stationed onthe West coast for my Navy time, and east coast during my Air Force time!

[ARNGWFE 0]

My husband's in the National Guard so we didn't have much of a choice. Both he and I would rather be up in Canada but even if the Guard wasn't in the equation we probably still would have chosen the US. He's a NICU RN in his civilian job and from what he's seen himself and heard from my mom (who's an RN in Canada) hasn't been very impressed with the wages and working conditions. I can definitely see us retiring in Canada, though.