People & Places
It’s a family affair
It’s just over a year since Jane Garnham and family moved to Ontario. She thought it was time to tell Paul Beasley about their ups and downs
Whatever else it throws at you, you can be almost certain the emigration process will test you in the following ways: family matters, the waiting game and starting all over again in another country.
After all, as pleased as they usually are for you to be realising your dreams, parents, brothers and sisters all feel the strain of your departure, while the doubts that surround uprooting an established life in the UK to start all over again in another country can nag away at even the most resolute of personalities.
And sure enough, the emigration story of Jane Garnham (40), husband Peter (42) and daughters Kathryn (19) and Rebecca (16) also bears the signs of these three key emigrant challenges. But in Jane's case, these challenges were turned on their heads, and when it came to family matters it was more a case of not emigrating that caused concern. So how can that be? Over the phone one day in early February Jane explains as follows: "We now live in Poplar Hill, a rural community near London, in southern Ontario, and what's great about this is that most of my family – all British-born – live within ten minutes of us."
In fact, Jane, brother Steve and their parents all live along Highway 16 – Steve in Ilderton and Mum and Dad in Coldstream.
Although Jane was the first of the four to want to emigrate to Canada, she was the last to actually do so. "I first thought of emigrating 17 years ago," Jane recalls. "Peter was posted to Alberta for six months, and I went to visit him. We loved Alberta, the scenery, the sense of space and a real feeling of opportunity. But, in the intervening years, my family emigrated to Ontario, so we set our sights on that province instead." Not that Jane is complaining about the delay or the change of destination as it didn't take long for Ontario to prove that it could deliver what they were hoping for: "A better quality of life."
But, day to day, what does this mean? "The kind of home we can afford – in fact, before we emigrated we didn't own a home – and opportunities for the children." Jane continues that being a home owner is "fantastic," adding "Every time I'm driving home and I see our house, it's a wonderful thrill."
Of course, it's comparatively easy to be thrilled when you can own a four-bedroom, two-bathroom, three-reception-room house with half an acre of land for just CDN$202,000 (approximately £100,000). Not needing to lock your back door is another plus, as is the absence of dangerous wildlife in the area. "Black squirrels, racoons, skunks… we only get the cute wildlife round here," says Jane with a laugh. None of this was unexpected, though. "Steve has lived in Ontario for 15 years now and my parents, whose emigration Steve sponsored, for five years. I'd visited several times during that period so I was sure that living in Canada would be a good move." Actually making the move though, was a waiting game – but not in the usual sense, of course.
Enforced emigration
Unlike most Brits who move to Canada, Jane and Peter did not have to tear themselves away from a life in the UK. Indeed, they had no choice but to start again as Peter's 22-year commitment to the Armed Forces – he was stationed in Germany for most of this period, then in Grantham for the final six months – came to an end in January 2005. So, January 2005 was the month that the Garnhams settled on to make the big move. "Our situation is different to most migrants," admits Jane. "We simply had to start again whatever we did. Some people have to weigh up whether to leave a well-paid job, but both of us knew exactly when our jobs would come to an end. Fate dictated that we had to start all over again."
Knowing the exact time their lives would change meant Jane and Peter had a definite timescale to work to, so the couple started to put together an application for a skilled worker visa, with Peter as the principal applicant, in 2003.
"There was so much paperwork to get through," recalls Jane with relief. "We did it ourselves and although it was fairly straightforward it did take us eight weeks. It was difficult to collate Peter's employment history – people move about in the forces so it was difficult to track them down. "Peter is a very organised person and as I was once a librarian it was a point of pride for us to submit a nicely pre-sented application, no matter how big."
Knowing their timescale, did fears of Peter's application not being processed in time play on the Garnham's minds?
"Not wanting any delays, we tried to minimise hiccups by anticipating questions we might be asked and finding answers just in case," says Jane. This 'no stone unturned' approach took the Garnhams to two Emigrate shows.
"We went to the Emigrate 2003 at Sandown. There, the Canadian High Commission [CHC] gave us a piece of paper to include with our application to the effect that our attendance there showed our willingness to emigrate."
By today's processing times, if applying within two years of their planned emigration Jane and Peter would not only be cutting it fine but cutting their chances of sticking to schedule dramatically, but in 2003 the system was moving quicker as the pass mark was 75 points and the CHC was receiving fewer applications.
Even so, processing took longer than expected. "We were told it would take eight months for Peter's application to be processed, but it actually took 16. "We received our Acknowledgement of Receipt within a week of posting the application, but then you hear nothing and there's no real way to check on the progress of your application, even E-Cas, which is aggravating. You just have to be so patient," Jane counsels. "In the meantime we attended Emigrate 2004, which was very useful as we talked to companies covering every other aspect of emigrating. For Peter the quality of the removals firm was important as he's an avid tabletop war gamer and wanted to make sure his lead soldiers got to Canada safely. Luckily, the removals firm was excellent and relocation went seamlessly." As did most other things, so much so, in fact, that Jane and Peter ended up doing what must be unthinkable to all you readers who are desperately waiting for news of your applications: they employed delaying tactics! "We delayed having our medicals done to ensure the visa would last for long enough for Kathryn to emigrate in July 2005. In the end everything dovetailed nicely as we received our visas in August 2004," Jane comments.
But why was Kathryn not emigrating at the same time as her sister and parents? "When we left the UK Kathryn was studying for her A Levels at a boarding school. Ideally, we would have waited for her to finish before emigrating, but Pete's career in the Army was due to come to an end in early January 2005, hence his right to housing in Germany was going to come to an end as well. To wait until Kathryn finished her studies in July would have meant beginning to set-up home in the UK, then upping sticks and moving to Canada," Jane explains. Besides putting the champagne to celebrate the family reunion on ice for a few more months, Kathryn's late arrival also brought with it additional challenges for the Garnham's eldest daughter. "While we'd all made friends, Kathryn didn't know anyone, so she had to start from scratch. The fact that Canadian teenagers seem to be on a different wavelength to British teens, or at least Kathryn's friends in the UK, didn't make it any easier," Jane says, adding that Kathryn has now started a degree course.
In contrast, Rebecca, Kathryn's younger sister, had no problems adjusting to life in Canada, especially considering she left the UK during her first year of GCSEs. "She loves it," Jane confirms. "The Canadian school system suits her down to the ground. She's having a fantastic time as she's interested in music and loves the way it's taught in schools here and the opportunities to express herself musically she has here."
Working it out
So both daughters ultimately found outlets for their interests and talents, but how about Mum and Dad: have they found the opportunities to express their skills? "It's been difficult," admits Jane. "In the forces I was a special needs teaching assistant, but I don't have the qualifications to do that here, so I'm working at a wine store at the moment." Peter, too, has struggled in this respect. "The work side of our new life is the only downside so far," says Jane, momentarily sounding weighed down by the challenges of emigration before adding: "It's very early days, and you've got to be positive about these things." As I came to realise, Jane's experiences of living apart from her family and coping whilst Peter was on duty in conflict situations overseas has taught her the value of steadfast optimism.
Peter, an engineer, is currently working the night shift at Home Depot, the Canadian equivalent of B&Q. He can't work as an engineer in Canada because he doesn't have a degree. "He feels that he's better than his current job, so this aspect of emigration has been hard on him," Jane confesses. The events of 9/11 also complicated the Garnham's plans. Peter had hoped to join the Canadian reserves, but in the wake of the attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York the rules were changed. Now, only Canadian citizens can serve in the Canadian Armed Forces, so Peter has to wait for another two years before he can take the citizenship test.
Jane's brother and sister in law also struggled with issues of skills recognition. In a sense, emigrating can be like a game of snakes and ladders. You work away, playing the career game and moving steadily onwards and upwards in the UK but then your qualifications aren't recognised in Canada and you slither back to square one.
So, despite this, is emigration everything Jane had hoped? Well, not quite. My call had interrupted Jane watching the Winter Olympics on TV, so I wondered if she, Peter and the kids had been hitting the local slopes from the minute they'd arrived. If only! "We'd all like to ski, but we'll have to wait another year I think until we can manage it," says Jane, hinting at the struggles and sacrifices involved in setting up a new life overseas. "We simply don't have the time or money to do things we want to do at the moment as Peter is working nights and we are not earning the money we hoped we would," says Jane, matter-of-factly. But, luckily, there's plenty nearby that can be enjoyed for free. "The beaches here are so good, it's like being on a Greek island," Jane purrs. "It was a lovely long summer last year, so we went to the shores of Lake Huron and Erie, drank in the view or went swimming." Indeed, there's amusement to be had even closer to home. "There's an ice rink in the garden!" Jane exclaims, excitedly. "The mild winter has meant that most of the time it has resembled a shallow swimming pool, but the ice was hard again this weekend. It is lovely to just step out in the garden for a skate! We have our own skates which we would never have considered in Britain. I am not even sure where to find a public rink in the UK!" This is in marked contrast to Canada, where community rinks are dotted here, there and everywhere, perfect for those ice-skating lessons and ice hockey leagues.
So, what have been the highlights for the Garnhams during their first 12 months in Ontario: lazing on the beach or skating in the back garden? "Well, it was quite something to be in Canada for Christmas and New Year and spend it with my family, and one of highlights, along with Kathryn joining us, was my thrill at owning our house," says Jane.
After pausing to reflect on the experiences of the first year in Canada, Jane concludes with real conviction that the biggest highlight of them all is "the sense of satisfaction that we've finally done it – we've emigrated to Canada!"
Read other case studies about emigrating to Canada:
Calgary: A city of opportunity
Alberta's home to the Woodies
Search EmiLinks for other Ontario related sites
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