> I mean, no, not all other countries. I moved to small town in Canada on the outskirts of Toronto. Literally nobody here locks the door, ever. They don't lock their cars, they regularly forget or leave their keys in their car. They definitely don't begin to have my habit of locking doors when you stop at an intersection.
I'd love this; what, in your opinion, are the odds that a 46yo (myself) with a wife and toddler and MiL and cats and dogs getting into Canada?
If I am already remotely working for a SA company? For a company in some other country?
I really don't mind living outside of popular areas if I am remotely employed anyway.
My opinion, unfortunately, is that I don't have a clue :-(. I immigrated as a teenager with my parents a quarter of a century ago as a refugee. Things are different now. Canada wasn't even our top five choice at the time, but BOY are we glad they took us on so many levels. I'm a very happy and very proud Canadian now.
Canada is actively supporting Immigration. Unlike our neighbours, pretty much all mainstream political parties across the spectrum acknowledge our need to bring fresh blood in (though we are getting more and more extremist parties which are seeing more success). But as to chances of any individual case? I'm sorry I haven't a foggiest idea. It's a point system and a long grind and lots of luck. You never know until you try, and my advice like with everything else is don't put all your eggs in one basket - there's new Zealand and Scandinavian countries and million other places I'd be happy to live in.
NZer here: depends on what your wife does and wants. For example nurses are in high demand everywhere.
I suspect small town life is similar in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand: safe (unlocked), possible to fit in, and the best place to bring up kids. My sister moved to a rural area and brought her kids up there and it was a great decision for everyone, versus my city (Christchurch, 400k people, okay but not great for kids IMHO - disclaimer: no kids!). I have no idea what to say if you are seeking city life.
My gut feeling would be to suggest Australia is the most likely best fit. But you should be able to find something that suits your situation and personalities in any of those three countries, if your desires are smart.
You really need to talk with friends and acquaintances that have moved - especially ones that were in your situation but are now decades later down that path.
The points system favourite education, skills, and language. So quite good for an English speaking tech worker, if you have the stamina to go through a long and clumsy immigration process. The first step would be to contact an immigration specialist here. Itβs a whole industry, processing 300k immigrants a year.
I'd love this; what, in your opinion, are the odds that a 46yo (myself) with a wife and toddler and MiL and cats and dogs getting into Canada?
If I am already remotely working for a SA company? For a company in some other country?
I really don't mind living outside of popular areas if I am remotely employed anyway.