Hi everyone,
As some of you know we recently got our COPR and will at last be able to make our permanent home in Canada with our family.
During the 4 and a half years of waiting we have been very lucky to spend up to 6 months each year living there so have become very familiar with what to expect in our new life .
As English speakers we speak the same language as our adopted country so it would be easy to think that there are no differences between living in the UK and living in Canada (in our case British Columbia).
Not so ,there are many differences which are not evident at first and for many people are never a problem but it would be foolish to assume that, even as an English speaker, there are no adjustments to be made. For instance the sense of humour is different and there are many English expressions which are not familiar to Canadians. There is also a certain amount of teasing with some thinking it funny to mock a British accent or pronunciation of certain words. There are cultural differences which are not immediately evident but which over time you adjust to . Those differences are more marked for non English (or French) speakers.
For many parents and grandparents immigrating and not having spent time in Canada the need to adjust needs to be considered . It is not so difficult for younger immigrants because it is easier to adapt to change when you are younger. What I am trying to say, therefore, is that with applications now being approved and immigration imminent for many older parents ,if they have not spent lengthy periods in the new country it needs to be recognised that it is not always as easy an adjustment as just being back with family.
Those of you who are sponsoring parents should try to remember what a big deal it actually is to up sticks and move countries as an older person and not assume that all will be plain sailing.
We are confident that we can settle because of our fortunate situation spending time there over an extended period but it is a big move and not one to be taken lightly later in life. Leaving your home country is never without challenges and the older you are the greater those challenges are.
I write this to hopefully prepare some of you for what may or may not be a challenging situation in helping your parents to adjust to their new lives. I am sure all sponsors and sponsored parents are excited by the prospect of being reunited but there are bound to be issues for some of homesickness and difficulty settling to a very new life in a new country.
I have included a link written by someone who gives advice on things you can do to help settlement. I hope some of you find it helpful and don't just think I am interfering and lecturing.
http://correresmidestino.com/arriving-with-the-permanent-residence/
)))))
