John, Gillian, Thomas and James McGrath moved to Swan River, Manitoba in November 2009 from Spain; but before that they lived in England.

In the UK they both worked as Pharmacy Technicians in hospitals.

Then,they moved to Spain, which was a result of wanting a different lifestyle;(more laid back, less stress, especially at work, more sun and sea).

Their 6 years in Spain proved very difficult.  Finding employment and making ends meet was very hard to achieve.  The children were struggling in school, although they were fluent in Spanish.

They chose to look at Canada to immigrate to, and looked at the adventure as an opportunity and a fresh start for their family.  They wanted to continue their rual lifestyle in the countryside.

Swan River was chosen more by chance than design.  A friend's sister had settled there and thought the lifestyle and countryside would suit them.

Research was done on the internet and they contacted the immigration and settlement office in Swan River.  The exploratory visit to Manitoba was next to see what the area was like.  Shirley Mullet, the Immigration and Settlement Coordinator for Swan Valley arranged for them to meet and talk to local people in Swan River about the schools, the facilities, the housing market and also prospective employers.

Through one of these meetings a job as a Head Chef was offered, and the decision was made to move to Swan River.  From there things moved very quickly.  Almost immediately, confirmation was received that the Province of Manitoba accepts their nomination for immigration, and within 7 weeks of returning from their exploratory visit, they left Spain to start their journey to Canada.

The move here has changed their lives to be more secure and settled again.  Both John, and Gillian have jobs, and the children have settled into school well.

They found the most challenging parts of the move were firstly, all the paperwork and forms that immigration required. The second was the speed that things moved forward.  Their house and belongings were sold, and they started over from scratch once more.

Everyone in the community seems to know who they are, but they are still not fully integrated into the community.  They have friends through work, and are making friends with the parents of their children's friends. They find that a great way to meet people is through church.

Their advice to anyone thinking about moving here from abroad would be: "do your homework on the internet, make contact with an immigration and settlement office for help and advice, plan an exploratory visit and have a good look around and talk to people.....and know what you want from Canada-a rural lifestyle or a city lifestyle".

The McGrath's say: "We love it here in Swan River, it has everything we need, but is a long way from anywhere else!"