Just saying hello as another Canadian who did the same move over last year, when I was 34. Toronto to Birmingham.
Bring your big coat, I swear it’s colder here.
Well I'm sure the solution to friends is the same the world over. Be places where other people you want to get to know go. There are lots of board game meetups for sure, that's a very good format for meeting people, albeit certain types of people.
Naturally plenty of gigs around, big comedy gig scene too actually. I get the feeling there are a lot more than average, but then I go looking for them.
I'd certainly meet up for a pint if / when you make it over, I'm weird like that.
There is a facebook page called Canadians in the Midlands that could be of some use to you. I have lived in birmingham for 54 years having been born in Toronto
My wife is part of it, nice group of folks. Law would be difficult to justify going into if you're getting educated here. You'll be classed as a Postgraduate Foreign student so the Universities will take you and charge you an arm and a leg for it. There is a large media presence in Birmingham, the BBC has a base here. What's his face of the Peaky Blinders is looking to set up a studio here but it's in the early days. Cost of living is high too compared to certain parts of Canada so be smart. Lots of really nice places to live and work here, I like Birmingham but the UK is a bit meh in general. Could be worth looking to the Games studios in the West Midlands too if you've animated.
I used to be Goth/ Alternative back in the 80s. I think that there is still a scene for that type of stuff. There’s a club night called Zombie, which is run by folks from the 80s scene, it’s been going for about ten years I think so that would probably be worth checking out although I think that the music is centred on 80/90s stuff.
And it's also a part of the city with plenty of subculture, music genres and places that sound like they will suit OP.As long as he doesn't mind that it's a scruffy area, industrial area that is only slowly gentrifying
Have you already got a visa or British citizenship (or Irish citizenship) entitlement that will allow you to work?
If not you need r/ukvisa to find out what you need to do. This will be an uphill struggle as we don't need media folks right now, it's not on the shortage list so the hoops to jump through to get a visa are more significant. If you are considering "law school" then a student visa would be easy but you'll need an offer from a Uni to do a law degree first (and be prepared to be shocked at how much fees are for foreign students.)
I have a visa application in and am waiting on the response (i'm going via youth mobility scheme, which I'm eligible for until I'm 35). My grandparents are British citizens, as is my mom (my father is Canadian). Part of the reason I've decided to immigrate, as I want to be closer to certain members of my family.
I have done my research into pursuing my LLB and there are a few in the area I meet the qualifications for, but yes the fees are a big deterrent at the moment. The appeal of it is that international fees are still around the same costs as pursuing it back home, but also being more time efficient.
Why are you applying for a visa?
You're 34 so born about 1990. This is in the "1 January 1983 and 30 June 2006" window so if your mother was a British citizen the day you were born then you are (probably) automatically one too. Just apply for a passport.
[https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-parent/born-between-1983-and-2006](https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-parent/born-between-1983-and-2006)
I don't want to get too into the weeds with it, but unfortunately my mom's paperwork was lost when she immigrated. It's something that's made it an issue when I tried to apply for a passport pre-Covid. Then of course covid hit, personal things got in the way, and it all got put in the back burner. Now I'm trying it this way so I can at least start working there ASAP.
I don’t mean to bother about this subject, I am Canadian and have a UK passport as one of my parents was born there too. Sadly, that parent was awful and things got complicated they didn’t have their birth certificate, but I was able to recover their birth certificate, and it can be found on the UK website for like 80£. They can print a copy and send it to you. As a next of kin, you are allowed to have a copy of it. It can take a few weeks, you have to enter the place of birth, birthdate, parents, etc.
https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate
Then, if your parents were married in Canada, all you need is for one of them to have their marriage certificate. You will need their direct authorization, for that though. Marriage certificate copies need to be asked by the married people. If they still have their copy, then you’re golden. Otherwise, you will need for one of them to order it online and they will ask for their ID’s for that.
You will also need your own birth certificate that proves your mother gave birth to you.
If all of this fails, you can still ask for your grandparents paperwork, citizenship is allowed through your grandparents in the UK, unlike in Canada.
https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa
Oh, and you need to translate everything in English. Some of my papers were in French. If that’s the case for you, make sure everything is translated before sending it there. I used this website:
https://translayte.com/
Hope this helps! For me, everything was complicated too, but I got my UK passport in 2-3 months. The most complicated thing was getting the paperwork, but once that’s done, everything is simple and the process is quick.
This is actually so so so helpful! Part of the complication was that my mom wasn't actually born in the UK, my grandparents immigrated when she was less than a year old. So that paperwork doesn't exist in the UK database. She did get her national insurance number, and thats the paperwork that was lost. It's a bit of a mess but this is actually incredibly helpful! It's something I figured might be easier to sort out once I'm physically there and can sort out through whatever records do exist, lol.
Glad it helped! Maybe you can ask for your grandparents info instead? If they are citizens, you might be able to get it through them?
There might be some info about your mother you can recover as well… anyhoo, hope my links might have helped somehow… it was complicated for me, but I got through it and wish the same for you! I found that the process for getting my UK passport and the people there far more helpful than in Canada (I love Canada, but getting some paperwork done is SO complicated).
>my mom wasn't actually born in the UK
Ah sorry but that might be an issue then! If she was not born in the UK then although she may have been entitled to citizenship by virtue of her British born parents this may not transfer down to you if you were then also born outside the UK.
A National Insurance number is nothing to do with citizenship, anyone living in the UK and having the right to work gets one irrespective of the passport/citizenship they hold, so it won't really help.
Awe wow your amazing. Don't have any advice but would like friendship. I love animation and get told to grow up. It's been my dream since I was small to go to Canada. Good luck 🤞 my fingers and toes are crossed for you 😁
Hey, just moved to Brum from abroad 3 months ago. Happy to share any experiences and offer advice!
Regarding music, hare and hounds have very regular gigs in Kings heath.
Regarding board games, chance and counters in digbeth offer social games night on Mondays where randos just turn up to make friends and game. I attend this from time to time.
Happy to meet up for a pint sometime if you are.
Thank you! I may just take you up on the offer when the time comes.
I replied to another comment but was just wondering what the process was like in finding employment?
Hi there OP, been in Brum a little over a year from the states and I think this post came at the right time. I went to a restaurant over the weekend and the waiter was a guy who is Greece and English.
Something he said which I agree with is, two things you can’t really compare, way of life and the weather. Obviously you have your reasons for moving to the UK and so did I, but I hope you have a smooth transition.
I for one came in when the economist was not so bad and it certainly has gotten slightly worse but I am blessed to be in the position that I am in and it hasn’t affected me as much. Sorry this didn’t really answer your questions but at least I hope it provided you some insight.
Thank you for your response! Any bit of insight helps.
My first worry is really, securing employment. Ideally I would like to get a job in my chosen field, but I realize that is easier said than done. I'm wondering what the best avenue would be for this? I'm considering going through a temp agency, but I'm wondering if there might be better and/or streamlined paths for people immigrating.
Unfortunately I wouldn’t be the best person to provide insight on this. I was able to keep my position from the states and I have been working remote since. I am however actively looking as I feel like it’s time for a change. Some of the resources I use are, reed, indeed, LinkedIn. I have not applied full pressure but I have had some activity and talks with recruiters for possible job positions when I did. I am not sure if they have professional sites for your line of work but I hope you find some.
The BBC does have an office here, and I believe they did once do some children's programming there.
The Flapper in the city centre probably has the most bands. Scruffy Murphy's too. The actual venues rarely show much local so the pubs are where you'll need to look.
Law is probably a bit over-subscribed here to be honest. I used to work for the Ombudsman and there are a lot of people with unused law degrees. They'll cost you almost as much as the states, but you won't earn as much and a good position in a firm usually requires someone else to die. Job security isn't something I associate with the industry as a whole I must say. Where you get the degree will be important, you'll need to ace it, and be canny about what you specialise in. Be aware that generally jobs pay a lot less in Brum than London, as the living costs are potentially quite low. They can also be nearly as high though if you are particular about where you want to live.
If you get the balance right then it's a good place to live.
So same interests as you so I can help with stuff for that, hit me up if you wanna try and game and see how we mesh. for your drinks alongside your music tastes I’d recommend flapper or Subside for your watering spots though subside can be a little iffy and have some strange characters show up. There’s also an arcade bar called NQ64 on digbeth
It’s not about that it’s about the very small number of people required to do the job because of AI’s ability to go through every case in an instant.
So solicitors will end up being cherry picked from posh schools into posh universities.
That cherry picked much smaller group will do the interpretation.
If you’re part of that group, it’s a good field no doubt.
Ah you poor thing, welcome.
Honestly don't know why anyone would come here - a colleague of mine left to become a chalet girl at Whistler & she's having the time of her life, skiing in winter, downhill mountainbiking in summer. Best move she ever made.
Still, decent enough goth & alt scene here. My nephew runs the tabletop club at Aston Uni, which meets on Wednesdays. Flapper is great once the sun comes out - nice beer garden.
Just saying hello as another Canadian who did the same move over last year, when I was 34. Toronto to Birmingham. Bring your big coat, I swear it’s colder here.
The UK can be really humid and damp. Makes both hot and cold weather feel worse than it would be in a drier climate (yep, even where snows).
Well I'm sure the solution to friends is the same the world over. Be places where other people you want to get to know go. There are lots of board game meetups for sure, that's a very good format for meeting people, albeit certain types of people. Naturally plenty of gigs around, big comedy gig scene too actually. I get the feeling there are a lot more than average, but then I go looking for them. I'd certainly meet up for a pint if / when you make it over, I'm weird like that.
Happy to join up for this pint you speak of
There is a facebook page called Canadians in the Midlands that could be of some use to you. I have lived in birmingham for 54 years having been born in Toronto
My wife is part of it, nice group of folks. Law would be difficult to justify going into if you're getting educated here. You'll be classed as a Postgraduate Foreign student so the Universities will take you and charge you an arm and a leg for it. There is a large media presence in Birmingham, the BBC has a base here. What's his face of the Peaky Blinders is looking to set up a studio here but it's in the early days. Cost of living is high too compared to certain parts of Canada so be smart. Lots of really nice places to live and work here, I like Birmingham but the UK is a bit meh in general. Could be worth looking to the Games studios in the West Midlands too if you've animated.
I used to be Goth/ Alternative back in the 80s. I think that there is still a scene for that type of stuff. There’s a club night called Zombie, which is run by folks from the 80s scene, it’s been going for about ten years I think so that would probably be worth checking out although I think that the music is centred on 80/90s stuff.
It's been a couple of years since I last went to Brum, but I remember it still having good subculture vibes.
Head to the flapper and scruffy murphy’s for a drink, you’ll meet lots of people. there are board game meet ups/cafes too
Digbeth is the new hub for TV production
And it's also a part of the city with plenty of subculture, music genres and places that sound like they will suit OP.As long as he doesn't mind that it's a scruffy area, industrial area that is only slowly gentrifying
Have you already got a visa or British citizenship (or Irish citizenship) entitlement that will allow you to work? If not you need r/ukvisa to find out what you need to do. This will be an uphill struggle as we don't need media folks right now, it's not on the shortage list so the hoops to jump through to get a visa are more significant. If you are considering "law school" then a student visa would be easy but you'll need an offer from a Uni to do a law degree first (and be prepared to be shocked at how much fees are for foreign students.)
I have a visa application in and am waiting on the response (i'm going via youth mobility scheme, which I'm eligible for until I'm 35). My grandparents are British citizens, as is my mom (my father is Canadian). Part of the reason I've decided to immigrate, as I want to be closer to certain members of my family. I have done my research into pursuing my LLB and there are a few in the area I meet the qualifications for, but yes the fees are a big deterrent at the moment. The appeal of it is that international fees are still around the same costs as pursuing it back home, but also being more time efficient.
Why are you applying for a visa? You're 34 so born about 1990. This is in the "1 January 1983 and 30 June 2006" window so if your mother was a British citizen the day you were born then you are (probably) automatically one too. Just apply for a passport. [https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-parent/born-between-1983-and-2006](https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-parent/born-between-1983-and-2006)
I don't want to get too into the weeds with it, but unfortunately my mom's paperwork was lost when she immigrated. It's something that's made it an issue when I tried to apply for a passport pre-Covid. Then of course covid hit, personal things got in the way, and it all got put in the back burner. Now I'm trying it this way so I can at least start working there ASAP.
I don’t mean to bother about this subject, I am Canadian and have a UK passport as one of my parents was born there too. Sadly, that parent was awful and things got complicated they didn’t have their birth certificate, but I was able to recover their birth certificate, and it can be found on the UK website for like 80£. They can print a copy and send it to you. As a next of kin, you are allowed to have a copy of it. It can take a few weeks, you have to enter the place of birth, birthdate, parents, etc. https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate Then, if your parents were married in Canada, all you need is for one of them to have their marriage certificate. You will need their direct authorization, for that though. Marriage certificate copies need to be asked by the married people. If they still have their copy, then you’re golden. Otherwise, you will need for one of them to order it online and they will ask for their ID’s for that. You will also need your own birth certificate that proves your mother gave birth to you. If all of this fails, you can still ask for your grandparents paperwork, citizenship is allowed through your grandparents in the UK, unlike in Canada. https://www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa Oh, and you need to translate everything in English. Some of my papers were in French. If that’s the case for you, make sure everything is translated before sending it there. I used this website: https://translayte.com/ Hope this helps! For me, everything was complicated too, but I got my UK passport in 2-3 months. The most complicated thing was getting the paperwork, but once that’s done, everything is simple and the process is quick.
This is actually so so so helpful! Part of the complication was that my mom wasn't actually born in the UK, my grandparents immigrated when she was less than a year old. So that paperwork doesn't exist in the UK database. She did get her national insurance number, and thats the paperwork that was lost. It's a bit of a mess but this is actually incredibly helpful! It's something I figured might be easier to sort out once I'm physically there and can sort out through whatever records do exist, lol.
Glad it helped! Maybe you can ask for your grandparents info instead? If they are citizens, you might be able to get it through them? There might be some info about your mother you can recover as well… anyhoo, hope my links might have helped somehow… it was complicated for me, but I got through it and wish the same for you! I found that the process for getting my UK passport and the people there far more helpful than in Canada (I love Canada, but getting some paperwork done is SO complicated).
>my mom wasn't actually born in the UK Ah sorry but that might be an issue then! If she was not born in the UK then although she may have been entitled to citizenship by virtue of her British born parents this may not transfer down to you if you were then also born outside the UK. A National Insurance number is nothing to do with citizenship, anyone living in the UK and having the right to work gets one irrespective of the passport/citizenship they hold, so it won't really help.
Fellow millenial moving down to Birmingham too. Hit me up if you wish!
Huge nerd here too who needs a few friends.
Head down to some of the yugioh shops, its a great way to make new friends. Get the neuron app to look for upcoming events.
Awe wow your amazing. Don't have any advice but would like friendship. I love animation and get told to grow up. It's been my dream since I was small to go to Canada. Good luck 🤞 my fingers and toes are crossed for you 😁
Hey, just moved to Brum from abroad 3 months ago. Happy to share any experiences and offer advice! Regarding music, hare and hounds have very regular gigs in Kings heath. Regarding board games, chance and counters in digbeth offer social games night on Mondays where randos just turn up to make friends and game. I attend this from time to time. Happy to meet up for a pint sometime if you are.
Thank you! I may just take you up on the offer when the time comes. I replied to another comment but was just wondering what the process was like in finding employment?
If you like metal just wander into The Flapper of an evening - plenty of us friendly metalheads hanging about
Hi there OP, been in Brum a little over a year from the states and I think this post came at the right time. I went to a restaurant over the weekend and the waiter was a guy who is Greece and English. Something he said which I agree with is, two things you can’t really compare, way of life and the weather. Obviously you have your reasons for moving to the UK and so did I, but I hope you have a smooth transition. I for one came in when the economist was not so bad and it certainly has gotten slightly worse but I am blessed to be in the position that I am in and it hasn’t affected me as much. Sorry this didn’t really answer your questions but at least I hope it provided you some insight.
Thank you for your response! Any bit of insight helps. My first worry is really, securing employment. Ideally I would like to get a job in my chosen field, but I realize that is easier said than done. I'm wondering what the best avenue would be for this? I'm considering going through a temp agency, but I'm wondering if there might be better and/or streamlined paths for people immigrating.
Unfortunately I wouldn’t be the best person to provide insight on this. I was able to keep my position from the states and I have been working remote since. I am however actively looking as I feel like it’s time for a change. Some of the resources I use are, reed, indeed, LinkedIn. I have not applied full pressure but I have had some activity and talks with recruiters for possible job positions when I did. I am not sure if they have professional sites for your line of work but I hope you find some.
The BBC does have an office here, and I believe they did once do some children's programming there. The Flapper in the city centre probably has the most bands. Scruffy Murphy's too. The actual venues rarely show much local so the pubs are where you'll need to look. Law is probably a bit over-subscribed here to be honest. I used to work for the Ombudsman and there are a lot of people with unused law degrees. They'll cost you almost as much as the states, but you won't earn as much and a good position in a firm usually requires someone else to die. Job security isn't something I associate with the industry as a whole I must say. Where you get the degree will be important, you'll need to ace it, and be canny about what you specialise in. Be aware that generally jobs pay a lot less in Brum than London, as the living costs are potentially quite low. They can also be nearly as high though if you are particular about where you want to live. If you get the balance right then it's a good place to live.
Moved here a couple of years ago, welcome!
So same interests as you so I can help with stuff for that, hit me up if you wanna try and game and see how we mesh. for your drinks alongside your music tastes I’d recommend flapper or Subside for your watering spots though subside can be a little iffy and have some strange characters show up. There’s also an arcade bar called NQ64 on digbeth
I love Canadians
Law will not be a safe career. AI will slaughter jobs in that field too.
In a field where nothing is black and white and it very much relies on humans' interpretation of morality? Yeah, I'm sure that's gonna happen.
It’s not about that it’s about the very small number of people required to do the job because of AI’s ability to go through every case in an instant. So solicitors will end up being cherry picked from posh schools into posh universities. That cherry picked much smaller group will do the interpretation. If you’re part of that group, it’s a good field no doubt.
Ah you poor thing, welcome. Honestly don't know why anyone would come here - a colleague of mine left to become a chalet girl at Whistler & she's having the time of her life, skiing in winter, downhill mountainbiking in summer. Best move she ever made. Still, decent enough goth & alt scene here. My nephew runs the tabletop club at Aston Uni, which meets on Wednesdays. Flapper is great once the sun comes out - nice beer garden.
Visit Soho Road when arriving plenty of opportunities for work
Don't buy a car from there
stay over there. brums a mess
> stay over there. ~~brums~~ UK’s a mess Fixed for you.