Thousands more Britons join the exodus to live and work abroad ...
A clean and prosperous land, it does however share some upcoming problems similar to the UK at present. A record380,000 people left the country in 2005. A trashy government, infastructure, pensions, law and order, you name it its been trashed. Advances in technology mean that not only do we have more information available as to where to go and what to do, but our means of communicating across the globe also means that distance becomes far more irrelevant in maintaining relationships. Africa, however certainly isn't for sissies! Air is clean, public transport is reliable, taxes are fair, people are friendly. All my mates in the Uk complain all the time about how bad it is there. All my pals in the UK are whinging about crime, the high cost of living and on and on. All of which will lead to corruption on a major level.Frankly its worse than Orwell ever imagined it can be.And finally the UK seems content to let primitive cultures and belief systems consume it, back to the Dark Ages. Allen, Singapore, SingaporeI came to work in Bulgaria 9 years ago, initially on a one year contract. Also the people are so much more genuine and freindly here, Public services and health arn't a problem 'cause most earn a good living to pay for such services as they are not OVERTAXED!!!!. Also the public transport system is far more extensive in London. Although a true blue Brit, the quality of my life has been infinitely better than it will have been at home. And for us Anglophones, German is remarkably similar, an easy language to learn.Thom, Wiesbaden, Germany, Everything once lovable about Britain is either dead or on its last gasp.What I hate most is the refusal of so many of us to face up to this situation. And home is never quite the same againâ¦Where do you belong? And Indian food presented in the English way.Kevin, Darwin, AustraliaEveryone's different and nowhere is perfect. And we have BBC america!!!F.Bonmati, New Jersey, USAWelcome to our world :)J. Anyone who stays away too long has the normal privileges of citizenship slowly withdrawn across quite a wide range of benefits - education, hospitals, voting rights, and even jobs. Anyway, 'equality' here just makes me thing of Orwell's Animal Farm: "All men are equal, but some are more equal than others..."I'm off too. Are the British voters so naive or just simply stupid? As a proud Englishman it hurts to say that but as someone who wants to lead a good, happy and healthy life it's my advice!!Steve, Lucerne land, SwitzerlandI think that Pippo McPippen and Carlos Adamson have highlighted all the good reasons for moving away! As well as this, I for one enjoy the mild temperatures which kind of makes sense seeing as I grew up here. At least the UK has a fairly good justice system, nowhere near as corrupt as, say, Thailand. Australia is a fantastic country, of that there's no doubt. Being concerned about immigration is not racism its quite simply a concern for SPACE, this island is too crowded and I don't want it getting even worse wiping out green spaces and the like. Bob, London, UKI moved to South Africa in 1999 from London. Britain is crowded, expensive and dirty. British embassies also do not have a job of maintaining morale among British citizens. But I shall always be homesick and I still watch the cricket scores and read BBC news and the Times before I read the local press - better coverage of world news.. But in all the years I lived there, I lost count of the time work colleagues will groan about getting to London or New York where they can seriously advance.The numbers quoted above surprise even me. But in ten years, who knows.What I have realised is this: to be able to live well, you need $$$$$$! But live there...Never!howard parkinson, Perth, AustraliaAll great nations have their day, then fall. But the not distant future holds unpleasant shocks for us all . But the streets are safe at night, and at least now we don't have to worry about offending Muslims by celebrating Christmas. But there's something about the German cities I like so much, that I cann't find in the UK. But they should be a check to those England bashers who assume that this country is finished. But you can't beat the weather!Carly, Melbourne, AustraliaAs someone who moved to the UK five years ago, I am a little bemused by all this. Canada and South Africa are also very popular.The figures released by the ONS show that, of the 380,000 people who left thecountry in 2005, 198,000, were British citizens. Carly, Melbourne, Australia"Here is pretty much the same, though the weather has its extremes. Cheak, Shakopee, Minnesota, USAI've moved to Oz.The Labour's Britain ain't no place for the white man.Ancestors in every war we ever fought - what a waste of time....max b, sydney, australiaThe numbers speak for themselves. Cheaper housing, I own a 3 bedroom house with garage , swiming pool and two american cars. Check it out.N McAllister, Bridge of Weir, ScotlandThe quality of life in the UK is appalling. Clarke dies...Dalai Lama threatens to stand down over...Damning ruling that Heather Mills tried to...Heather Mills throws water over Paul...Most CommentedSkip Most CommentedTodayScience fiction author Arthur C. Congested roads, catastrophically bad (and unhealthy) food, high cost of housing and living, terrible climate, overcrowding and queues everywhere (getting worse as a result of out-of-control immigration policies), high levels of crime, yob culture, etc. Congratulations to the doctors for outwitting the Government but let's sack the civil servant who negotiated that deal.richard, effingham, surreyI believe there really are numerous and diverse reasons as to why people are leaving the UK. Contreras Diaz, Puebla, Puebla, MexicoIm a Brit who left the UK more than 5 years ago to live in Thailand. Cotton, Cincinnati, UScanyou seriously blame people for leaving? Despite unprecedented increases in tax, public services are a disgrace and the roads a joke. Don't think we are going back in a hurry though. England is a truly horrible place to live in a so called "western civilisation" !!!andrew, Hamburg, Population migration is a natural and healthy process, one which has taken place since the dawn of mankind. England is a truly horrible place to live in a so called "western civilisation" !!!andrew, Seoul, Just to let you know that Western Australia is in the middle of the most extraordinary boom and we are desperate for skilled workers. Enjoy the expat experience but don't knock your fellow men for staying and contributing either...horses for courses!Fiona Agnew, Buenos Aires, It depends on what you want from life. Even, the long and hatred winters are part of our wonderful experience and we really miss them.Would we go back to U.K. Except when you become old and infirm then its a care home somewhere in the UK, but who cares where because by that time you do not care, as you have had it all. Expat Arts Network...we are growing.*NB: Expat is short for expatriate, which refers to people who have emigrated to another country for work or for an alternative lifestyle. Feel some regrets about leaving my relatives but apart from them I won't miss very much.Whoever leaves last - please turn off the lights.Stacey, London, Many people fail to correctly research their ideal spot, particularly baby boomers and retirees, which can lead to heartache. Fiennes, Denver, Colorado, USA Such negative views of Britain expressed here . First off, everything here is a lot less expensive and you get paid the same if not more in pretty much any given profession. For most ordinary people in UK who want to work a little harder to earn more, it is not worth it. Gordon Guy, Johannesburg, RSAI am in the queue to emigrate to Canada - why - massive taxes, enormous cost of living, failing public services, failing infrastructure, poor educational services, massive intrusive bureacracy and poor environment in the UK. Great Britain had its day in the industrial revolution that propelled it to a leading world power in the Victorian era.Now it is falling behind as its infrastructure slowly decays and other nations are ascendant. Great career opportunities (better than what i ever can have had in London), great quality of life ( beaches, game reserves, mountains, winelands) and 300+ days of sunshine. Great career opportunities here than I can have ever hoped for in England. Great quality of life - mountains, sea, game reserves, winelands all within easy reach. Have always thought about Australia, but my health care coverage will stop once I left the states.Mike Hermsen, Omaha, Nebraska/U.S.A.I left Canada to live in England. Having experienced life here I will not go back to england to live although I like to go and stay for a few months each year. He's even tried to get a blasphemy law.They now talk of monitering our childrens behaviour. Housing is a fraction of the price it will cost in the U.K. Howard hating, etc...) - we just prefer the lifestyle, the proximity to Europe, and the opportunities it offers professionals and academics who are at a certain stage in their careers. However with the advent of some privatisation, there is certainly a whiff of decline in the transport system. However, we remember England as our second home and we will always do it. However, when retirement comes, I will return to the country that I have always loved. I am fortunate to earn a good salary but this will disappear by the burgeoning tax regime in the UK. I am happy but still feel passionately proud about Europe, every single piece of its rich tapestry of history and culture. I am personally sick of the constant complaining, one British trait we can do without. I can forsee me staying abroad for 2-3 more years, or until their is a change of government. I can't afford to even buy a flat here, but I have now got a 3 bedroom house in NZ.NZ also made me go through a very thorough emigration procedure, involving police checks, medicals, and proof of qualifications and English. I can't think of one Australian family we've met over the past seven years - and we've met many - that has gone back. I desperately don't want to back to England and my family has encouraged me to stay out here. I especially miss the Marks and Spencer food court - I cannot find anywhere near the same quality and variety here. I for one welcome all immigrants to Britain, we are a country founded and shaped by hundreds of years of immigration from all over the world. I go home to England every year to visit family and friends and it is brilliant for a holiday. I graduated university and now I applying for a work visa to live here. I have been here nearly 2 years now and absolutely love it. I have lived in Holland now for nore than 20 years and although their political situation is similar to the UK, the services generally leave the UK standing. I have met hundreds of ex-pats who came here from britain and all say the same thing.. I have moved to a mediterranean climate, where wine costs less than 1.50 a bottle, and good food is the only food you can easily buy cheaply!The downside is the wierdly inept bureaucracy and the psychotic driving....where is this haven? I have no intention of ever moving back, either! I have not regretted laving even once though there of course have been doubts about jobs etc. I have to visit my mother at some point, and tremble at the thought of going back. I left to go to Moscow two years ago and haven't given moving back permanently too much thought. I live in a small village (2900 population) as opposed to a dirty English city. I live in the beautiful green countryside with a view of the mountains. I love Britain, but I just cannot afford to live there when I can live so much better overseas. I love it here and I don't think we will be going back!Gordon Guy, Johannesburg, RSAI left the UK in April 2005 to move to Switzerland. I love the UK and will be back but only once I am ready and old enogh to work for B&Q whilst living in a secure enviroment... I moved last June from the UK to Athens, Greece. I myself left because life was easy and I needed new challenges...oh and and houses were too expensive. I now work on the mines in West Australia and get paid 3 times as much as i did in the UK and my living costs are half, so that makes me six times better off! I plan on never returning the UK even for work because it is simply no longer financially viable for me to buy a house, look after a family etc. I presume those who remain in the UK will not mind living in a multi-raicial, crime-ridden society as long as there were promises of tax cuts( which never materialized) and good standard of social services ( the standard is actually falling). I return to the UK frequently and I accept everything as it is and share and enjoy with friends and family their lifestyle while I am there. I think London is a fantastic city, and growing up there was great , but as an adult i found the 9-5 life style a bit grim. If 100 immigrants arrive from, say, India and 100 'Anglo Saxon' British persons leave, the net 'racial change' effect is far greater than it first appears.Is there any other so called first world, western country where the original populace is so dramatically unhappy? If all that talent is leaving Britain, where does that leave those who choose to stay behind ?J. If you have that life is cool no matter where you live. I'm not so far away from my family as I will be in Chile or Bangkok, but I have found that generally, life is more pleasant!!! I'm sick of this country - it's high taxes, rubbish health and education systems. Immigrants used to regard England as their new home, not so to-day. In fact the biggest change I have noticed at my GP's surgery is a nice little row of Porches . In the end all one has is a British passport. In the UK they haven't improved the quality of life and instead stifle creativity, choice and, occasionally, the will to live. It also has a tradition of emigration for several hundred years. It does not make me happy, I am surprised to see that African countries are not up there, where I live in London its Polish/other Eastern Europeans and Africans who seem to have flooded the area. It is all very well for wealthy, middle class people to retire to places like Spain and then bang on about how much better it is than Britain. It seems having a point of view isn't an option in Blairsd Britain.Stephen Thomas, Moscow, RussiaLeft four years ago for the French Caribbean and willn't move back for all the tea in China. Italians don't know what bacon is, of the English-style of bread!Tim Mellor, Naples, ItalyOnly 69K from Poland ? It's a national sport and deeply imbedded into the country's DNA. Its become a society that encouages irrational thinking, funds religious schools, and has a PM who has deep religious convictions., all of which I despise. It's become a society that spies on itself, CCTV, ASBOs etc. Its very funny to listen to politicians lamenting the "yob culture" now prevalent in UK while offering little answers. Jacob, London, On a different note I've lived in Madrid for 6 years and I love it here. James E Storms, Lovund, NorwayNot suprised, the UK is slowly turning into an amusment park for tourists, people who want to work outside of the service industries have fewer and fewer options but to go abroad without evenconsidering tax and crime. James Wong, Macau, Since the labour government came to power the country has gone to the dogs. Just different.Fred Marconi, Birmingham, While the weather is a pretty poor excuse to leave a country behind, the infrastructure (or crumbling thereof) is not. Just do your research before you emigrate and you'll be happy with your chosen destination, wherever that may be. Just over 40 per cent saidthat they were “emigrating” and gave no further reason — suggesting theywere leaving for good. Kim Hanson, London, Two thirds from Pakistan and Bangladesh, you'll be islamic in no time!! Large numbers alsoemigrated to Spain, where there is an established expatriate retirementcommunity. London, while I enjoyed its variety, was too crowded, too many traffic problems, dirty and has too many thugs and yobs around.What I miss from London is the amazing variety of shopping, restaurants and theatres. Long live Britannia I think not.Steve, Perth, AustraliaMy response to Mike is only anecdotal but I don't think it's as simple as he makes out. Many of them were joining family members.Britain is experiencing its highest ever levels of immigration. Maybe if this happened in England we willn't have the number of unskilled, non-English speaking migrants that are draining our resources and ruining this country moving here.Julie, Oxford, EnglandWe left to come to Australia 2 years ago. Michael Rudd, Barking, EssexI left the UK a few years ago for Canada and while life here is not perfect it is better in many ways than London. Mind everyone, it is the British people that have voted for Blair for three straight times. More than half were Britishcitizens leaving for more than a year. Most came to work or study.One in five Britons moving abroad headed for Australia. My advice to those English who are miffed with he state of their country - learn a foreign language and then move to a country which works. My family left Australia for Britain seven years ago and we have no intention of moving back. My friends recent trip to Londons says it all " 2 weeks wasn't enough to enjoy the wonderful sights". My guess is that the great majority are there for just a short time - 1 or 2 years - on a 'working' holiday or studying. My parents enjoy a wonderful NHS service in UK that can only be bought here. Neither the sophistication, dress sense nor the general good manners are here but otherwise Canada is quite passable. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. No large company will allow such poor manpower planning.The net inflow of people is causing social unrest, no question about that. No longer do you have to be in the UK to enjoy its benefits. Now, we have cheap international travel and communications (internet, telephones even mobiles and satellite TV-the premiership football and soaps when you live abroad). Oh yeah, and you can keep your road taxes and cameras too...Pippo McPippen, Bangkok, ThailandFortunately you have all missed the ultimate destination! Okay, so other Western European countris are having similar problems, but that's not an excuse to stay. On a purely accounting basis, citizens who pay their own way in life benefit the country, but you will not think this to be the case from government comment. Or a French filmmaker in Hong Kong and an Indian fashion designer in Paris? Or why Britain is only twice as democratic as Russia.DrivingSkip DrivingJeremy Clarkson's greatest hitsPrepare for some shock and awe, petrol lovers. Organised crime is up, racist gangs flourish and our national behaviour standards are being subverted at all levels. Over 300 days of sunshine isn't too shabby either. Over-regulation is only a problem when those regulations are pointless. Paradise!James Daltrey, St Barthelemy, French West IndiesI have lived in SIngapore / Hong Kong for 12 years and now wish to return to the UK but it is proving an impossible decision. People can become quite upset to be told by their own government in Westminster that they no longer really belong. Play our brand new interactive game: with added functionality and daily prizesCareer/JobsSkip Career/JobsForget burnout, boreout is the new office diseaseAre you irritable when you return from work? Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. R King , Norwich, UKI emigrated to Australia in 1982 and have never looked back. Rory, Toronto, CanadaI know this is anecdotal, but I will swear the top destination for the British is here in Colorado. So many use our country as a post office, without any thought or knowledge of English history or culture, very sad. So there is little wonder that brits are packing their bags for new hope in places like Australia. Sorry Britain!Maria, Athens, GreeceI am happy where I live. Sure, i snows here for three or four months a year and the summer only lasts as long as that in Britain, but I earn more, am taxed less and find that, overall, that it's a better place to live.Whilst I willn't bring kids up here, I'd say the same about Britain. Tax is too high and it pays for nothing - schools, hospitals and the transport network are a shambles and crime is endemic. TAxes, house prices, school quality and social violence are all barriers to returning. That I believe must be the first criteria for following a lifestyle of contentment. That i can never have with the prices over in Europe. The 2004 netfigure of 223,000 was the highest ever. The brain drain causing a net loss of wealth will continue until Britain becomes an attractive place for qualified, and high earning people, with children.G. The breakdown of the family unit, respect for others, antisocial behaviour, crime and an appalling education system are among the many reasons I have come to live in Spain which has none of these traits that are now part of British life. The climate - all of Spain is a ride down the road, the culture, the history, etc.Having said all that I'd move back. The cost of university for our children worries us but we can always send them home to Blighty if the UK is charging less.Why did we leave? The hospitals are excellent but waiting times are getting longer as was in the UK, but generally the system functions well. The immigration is not two way even with the majority of countries flooding us. The next generation will be either homeowners with inherited property or equity, or disenfranchised with no chance of working to get a deposit and afford a home. The number of people who are, for various reasons, 'trapped' in the UK but will leave if they can (in my experience this is about 95% of all people over 40).2. The number of people who 'unofficially' enter the UK every year.Jon Leigh, Southern, FranceI left UK a decade ago and for whatever regrets I might have, I have watched the UK get worse and worse. The only country in the West which seems to be in good shape on balance is Australia - for the moment. The other reason why is the way the British government treats its own citizens. The people are kind, considerate, and welcoming. The quality of life is far superior here. The rising crime rate, poor weather and poor quality of life drew us to australia. The strange thing is that they're all entrepreneurial and work like dogs creating enormous wealth. The top destinations are Australia,Spain, France and New Zealand.Meanwhile 565,000 people arrived, slightly down on the previous year, so theoverall population rose by 185,000. The transport revolution brought people to the countryside, and eventually were rich enough to live there in their autumn years. The UK is no longer a country for its own but a country for everyone else to immigrant to and be looked after by the government. The winters here, especially; where the temperature doesn't stay below 0° for months and it doesn't rain for months either..... Their industries such as steel and cars are growing to be world super powers as Britains industry has rusted away.Richard Ward, Greensboro, NC, USACongratulations to all those who have left the UK. Their perspective of the world changes and they emerge as reborn global citizens. Therefore,develop some inner vision and watch your pockets!David Wake, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire'Escape to the country' now escape the country'. There's no ideological reason behind it (ie. These people move there with piles of money which they have made through their lives here, so obviously their standard of living is higher in a country with a less robust economy. They want ID cards, carbon cards and to track your car. Things don't change that much, we are never happy until we are somewhere else, being aspirational and chasing the lifestyle dream because we can afford it. This government has destroyed England as we know it. This has created a culture of inventiveness, determination, resilience and tolerance which should be celebrated and not despised. This is what happens with weak immigration laws and a weaker government that simply steals from everyone and gives back only a tiny percentage of what it takes. This might seem quite sensible from a fiscal point-of-view, but nations are made up of cultures and sentiment. This will not serve us well when we have to compete against other nations that have, instead, sought to cultivate and encourage excellence. Those Brits returning often have a dreamy view of a Britain long gone, and consequently end up dissapointed.Conversely, immigrants from places such as India are perhaps headed the wrong way. Thumbs up Britain.Steve, Seattle, WAAs a Mexican doing posgradutaes students in U.K. Travel is meant to broaden not shrink the mind. Turns out I have landed in inflation central (Argentina) and houses are still too expensive. Unemployment is 2.7%, the standard of living puts UK to shame and the lifestyle is unbelievable. Unfortunately, circumstances called me away. US, Spain, and AustraliaHere no tax, virtually no crime, no racial tension, no building higher than a coconut tree, 85° year round. Wasn't easy initially but we made it work (Africa isn't for sissies). We are overtaxed, the euro crippled many people when introduced and the interference from the EU is evident in many areas, not that positive either as they have thrown away billions of euros on stupid, not well thought out schemes. We are simply uncompetitive.The government spends all its time preaching 'equality' and 'diversity'. We have met many ex-pats, none of whom will give a thought to returning 'home'.This isn't 'knocking' England, it just isn't the place in which we were raised; so much has changed, and in our view, not for the better. We have never stopped missing the British culture and although the weather is hopeless, the richness of British music, humour and life in general is something that you just can't get here in Australia. We have never stopped missing the British culture and although the weather is hopeless, the richness of British music, humour and life in general is something that you just can't get here in Australia. We learned a lot about this magnificient country and its people, and this was, nevertheless the sometimes very short economical resources that we had along our stay. Welcome to a world where you can afford to buy a house, with lower crime rates, better health care, better public transport, etc.......Simon Maclennan, Bremen, GermanyMany people come to the Uk as a stepping off point to migrate elsewhere. What these figures really show, and what is most disturbing is that the racial make-up of the British isles is actually changing far faster than the "official" figures show. What we are seeing today in the Uk is incompetent people management by the various government depts of UK PLC. Whatever happens in the future, they will have to re-think open borders, just like the UK.Dave, Groningen, NLI left Europe for the US and althougth I miss Spain and Cambridge were a went to school I have to say that is better here in America. When I go back and escort my Dad to the doctor's or deal with trying to find a parking space or sit in motorway traffic, I understand the sense of the decision I made. When you are rich enough you seek a more comfortable lifestyle when you are able or young enough or an adventurer.It all startend with the industrial revolution, people moving from the country to the towns. Why stay in a country that looks after immigrants better then its own? With little industry and a big trade deficit the future looks bleak. With no decent public housing left this is a serious situation. You can be suffering from boreoutPodcastsSkip PodcastsThe Bugle - Who's the least democratic of them all?Democracy - it's a funny old game. You might think that crime is bad here (and it is) my RSA born wife was mugged twice in London (the 2nd time really badly). You might think the crime is bad (and it is) but my RSA born wife was mugged twice in London (the 2nd time she was nearly killed). You will not realise how good these are until you migrate.