Canadian wanting to move to the UK

[tofu81]

I've been researching online all the options as to what is involved in moving to the uk. I know getting a work permit is a long shot, especially in this economy so i wanted to see if there was another way.

As for education, i have a college diploma as a laboratory assistant. I don't know if that's enough to apply for the Tier 1 Visa. I don't think it is?

I have a good friend that lives there which is most of the reason that i want to move there, but neither of us want to get married, which i understand would actually make things easier, but not sure i want to go down that road just yet.

I have great grandparents that came to canada from the uk but not grandparents, so that rules out the ancestry visa i believe.

Kind of at a dead end, so if anyone has any other information that could help me out, i would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks

[rogueprinzess]

I'm in the same boat, and i just turned 31 so I'm hooped for the tier 5 visa.

Any suggestions that someone living there could provide would be awesome!

Thanks

[cottagegirl]

Hi, I am new to this site and like you would like to move to the UK, Wales to be specific, to live with my friend there. He is divorced and I am in the process......and so cannot get married at this point, and not sure that we want to. Actually, when my divorce is final, I would like to remain that way.
I have an online business, and wondered if I could move there, and still run my business here,,,and what the tax implications would be. As long as I am able to show that I can support my self and pay my health care, is there an issue with immigration? Or do I go there for 6 months and apply to stay another 6 months? Do they just renew the visitor visa, as long as you are not costing the country money and can pay our own way?
I am 51 years old, and do not have a university degree, or ancestors who are from the UK....so, I am not sure how to apply or what route I should take. It all seems very complicated to me, and your situation was so close to my own, that I was wondering if you are making any progress. Sorry I have no advice for you, but am just going in circles at this point. Thanks for any advice you can give me.

-- Sun Nov 08, 2009 1:08 pm --

Hi there, your situation is much like mine. And I am having difficulty finding answers. I know someone who went to Australia for 6 months as a visitor, and at the end of 6 months,,or just before they went to Immigration there,,,showed that they had the funds to pay their way ,,actually, they had a Visa credit card with $10,000.00 of credit available,,,and Immigration stamped her passport for another 6 months.
She suggested to me that I go to the UK for 6 months,,,and after I am there, as long as I have the money to pay my own health insurance, and the required 2900.00 GBP in a bank account,,,(extra money if possible), to just go to Immigration to see if they will extend my visitor visa for another 6 months.
That sounds pretty risky to me, to uproot myself here and maybe ony be able to stay of 6 months.
Has anyone out there used an Immigration lawyer and are they worth it? I see lots of questions posted here, but not many answers,,,there must be a way to go there and live. Seems like people are doing it all the time.
I am getting pretty frustrated with this process, but not ready to give up.
Thanks,,,,Cottagegirl

-- Thu Feb 11, 2010 3:44 pm --

My friend spoke to someone in Immigration in the UK and they said this was something they could not officially 'suggest',,,but mentioned that if I went there for 6 months, and then came back to Canada,,,and only stayed a short time,,,for a visit to family for a couple of weeks,,,and then went back for another 6 months,,that it would be unlikely that they would notice at the airport that I had just been there for 6 months. Has anyone ever tried this,,,,could I apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 2 years, if I managed to keep going back after my 6 months was up Too risky? What do you think?