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Canada accepts 250,000 immigrants a year and Australia seems to accept around 150-160,000. Relative to population this does not seem to be that much out of whack.
It could be that immigrants to Australia tend to spread out more than in Canada and that here they concentrate more in certain cities or areas.
The UK accepts 500,000 and they keep saying they are going to decrease but it increases every year.
Yup, and the number who are returning is increasing. Some people expect Australia to be like the UK, but sunny. It's actually pretty irresponsible of people to pick up their entire lives, possibly uprooting children, taking them thousands of miles away, only to be disappointed with what they discover, and returning within a few years, or even months.
Still, as people have mentioned, the sunny, warm climate of Australia is the biggest appeal, and most people emigrating there will probably be employed in some high-demand sector that pays more than over here - for example, energy and mining - I'm sure many people choose to base themselves in Perth (can't think of why else Perth would be preferred - doesn't seem as nice as Sydney or Melbourne, but I obviously cannot speak from experience).
Canada is very cold in the winter compared to the UK, with only Vancouver being similar. Would a Brit, who has lived his/her entire life in a cloudy country with chilly, damp winters, choose Calgary - sunnier, but considerably colder and volatile, or Perth - warm and sunny?
I don't understand why British people move to Australia.
I think they think it will be like America.
Its thousands of miles away and a massive desert. It doesn't interest me enough to live there.
Well most British who come here aren't really looking for lively nightlife. They want the sunny skies, the big house, the open space...everything they couldn't have in the UK. Plus WA has tons of high-paying jobs. Many are here to start a family etc. Then you have the young work holiday people who stay a year or so.
My house is 4,000 sq feet..
And there are larger houses. Countryside people are rich with massive houses and yes farmers drive around in big "massive" trucks.Of course we can have large houses
You need to stop generalising.
I don't understand why British people move to Australia.
I think they think it will be like America.
Its thousands of miles away and a massive desert. It doesn't interest me enough to live there.
How would you understand when you've never been to Australia? The fact is that a lot of people from all over the world wants to come here. People know that Australia and America are not the same. Most Australians don't live near any desert. It's a massive country and even in the south west of Western Australia there are lovely wineries and green countryside that you could fit the UK in twice over. There are massive rain forests in Queensland and snow all year round in parts of NSW and Victoria where they do skiing. You really don't know anything about Australia.
Here's a map of Australia comparing size to Britain and Ireland.
UK immigrants in New Zealand, typically seem to talk about a more relaxed lifestyle, work/life balance, access to bush/ beaches etc, familiarity, better weather, cheaper/bigger house and land etc There is a (small) subset, that will first mention what they consider the worsening ethnic/religious and social mix of the UK.
I had thought that a lot went back after a few years, but NZ apparently has a low return rate, compared to most other countries.
Canada has never been particularily "close" to Britain either culturally or socially, not even close to the level of Australia or New Zealand.
Canada has always had a more independent streak hence having the first country separate from British rule, it's own flag, largest denomination is Catholic not Protestant, large French presence, and more Nordic in it's values.
Remember that Canada was first discovered and settle by Europeans by the French and the English came much later.
Canada has always had a more stand offish attitude towards Britain and the British people and Americans feel far and away more affiliation and affection for Britain than Canadians {English or French} ever will.
And there are larger houses. Countryside people are rich with massive houses and yes farmers drive around in big "massive" trucks.Of course we can have large houses
You need to stop generalising.
Again, what is the average square foot of a house, with an average family living in it, in Britain? I can tell you right now 1500 square feet, tops, and is semi-detached or a terrace. The average house size in Australia is significantly larger than in the UK, and is detached, not unlike here or Canada.
Quote:
Originally Posted by markovian process
Generally, people in countries that are industrialized stop emigrating in large numbers (eg. Irish and Italian immigration to the New World has slowed since Ireland and Italy are now rich), so rich countries generally stop getting immigration from other rich countries but instead get immigration from poorer countries. Many New World countries, from Canada to Argentina once received very large numbers of European or British Isles immigrants but very few in modern times.
But for Australia and New Zealand, it seems immigration from the UK still seems high up into very recent times.
Why is that? It seems like in the US and Canada, most immigration is from poorer countries (Mexico, China, India) and few from developed ones any more (like Italy, Ireland, the UK, even Japan). Why does Australia and New Zealand still attract immigrants from a rich, western country?
Most emigrants (at least according to British expat forums) to Australia from the UK have a trade skill that Australia needs. We do not qualify people with trade skills to move here, only college degrees. That's a big reason why there's few Brits here compared to Australia. The same applies to Canada as well, I am not aware that they accept trade certs as meeting requirements for immigration.
I also believe most Brits living in the US are here because of an American spouse. Emigration to Australia based on work experience and skills is much easier than the US
Quote:
Originally Posted by mooguy
Canada has never been particularily "close" to Britain either culturally or socially, not even close to the level of Australia or New Zealand.
Canada has always had a more independent streak hence having the first country separate from British rule, it's own flag, largest denomination is Catholic not Protestant, large French presence, and more Nordic in it's values.
Remember that Canada was first discovered and settle by Europeans by the French and the English came much later.
Canada has always had a more stand offish attitude towards Britain and the British people and Americans feel far and away more affiliation and affection for Britain than Canadians {English or French} ever will.
I think that Americans feel more interest in Britain because we don't have the monarch in our faces everyday on our dollar bills, coins, etc. Not to mention, we don't have a Westminster style of government, so Britain is seen as a foreign and exotic place. In Canada, you have all of the British institutions there, so Canadians are more likely to just shrug their shoulders, and I'm sure most Quebeccers don't give a rat's ass. But, let's not forget the knee-jerk reaction Anglo Canadians display in defending their monarchy whenever it comes under the slightest criticism from Americans. Suddenly they care. Otherwise, not really
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