🎙️ My Journey to Dual Citizenship (Canada + UK) But Australia Is Still My First Love

In this solo episode, I’m sharing a big personal milestone—I’ve officially become a Canadian citizen! After years of navigating immigration paperwork, PR applications, and ceremony dates, I finally hold dual citizenship with the UK and Canada. I walk you through the entire journey—what it really takes, how much it costs, and what I’ve learned along the way.

But that’s only half the story.

I also take a nostalgic trip back to Australia, the country that first lit the travel fire in me. From the moment I landed in Perth to the chaos of Christmas Eve/Day morning (early hours) to Boxing Day cricket in Melbourne, Australia, my first travel experience completely changed my perspective on the world. I discuss culture shock, the beauty of spontaneity, and how that experience set me on the path I’m still following today.

To wrap things up, I share a bit about the future of Winging It—where I see the podcast going, how I want to evolve the solo and immersive episodes, and what I’m most excited to create for the second half of 2025.

If you’re curious about moving to Canada, falling for a country you barely knew, or just want to hear honest stories from someone winging it through life and travel—this episode is for you.

Timestamps

00:00 – Intro to the Podcast & This Week's Episode

00:50 – Becoming a Canadian Citizen: The Big News

02:10 – The PR Process: Work Permits, Points & Admin Errors

04:00 – What It Costs to Become a Canadian Citizen

05:10 – Tips for Tracking Travel History for Immigration

06:30 – Why Dual Citizenship Was Always a Goal

07:45 – Future Life Plans with a Canadian Passport

08:30 – Flashback: My First Time in Australia

10:00 – Culture Shock in Perth: Heat, Clean Air, and Beaches

11:20 – Cricket in Melbourne and Backpacker Christmas Chaos

13:00 – How That Aussie Trip Kickstarted My Travel Life

14:30 – Lessons from Taking a Chance on Travel

15:30 – Australia: Why It Still Feels Like Home

16:50 – Winging It Podcast: Future Plans and Format Update

18:10 – Outro and What’s Coming Next Week

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Host/Producer/Creator/Composer/Editor - James Hammond

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Thanks for supporting me and the podcast!

Cheers, James.

Do you love spontaneous adventures, travel tips and stories that will inspire you to pack up and go? Well, welcome to the Wigging It Travel Podcast. I'm James, your host, and each week I bring you travel tales, practical advice and interviews with travelers from around the globe. Whether you're planning a big trip or just dreaming about one, you'll find everything from hidden gems to epic fails because travel is not perfect and that is what makes it beautiful. So grab your backpack and let's wing it.

New episodes every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube too. You can find Winging It, a more fantastic travel podcast from around the world at voyerscape.com. The link is in the show notes. Let's go and explore the world. Hello and welcome to this week's episode. And today I thought I'd give an update on me becoming a Canadian citizen. I want to talk you through that process and how exciting it is to be a dual nationality.

Then I'm to go to Australia and why that hit me hard. I talk a lot about the culture shock of places and the story is a reverse of that of how somewhere amazed me. So I want to talk about that and why it's important to give somewhere maybe you're not familiar with a go. And then I'm going to end with a wing in it update. So after what seems like forever, but it's actually been about six years, I am finally a Canadian citizen. And what does that mean?

But because of COVID, we got lucky with that. It made us stay and we had to think of an alternative on our two year work visa, because that's one year in. And we had to figure out how to stay because we had jobs, we couldn't travel, which was the plan after that. So we figured a way out, applied for PR. And that process is very, very arduous. The permanent residency process is the hardest part of becoming a citizen, that's for sure.

The process of applying is costly in terms of time and money. So for Canada, if you're thinking about it, Canada is one of the cheapest places in the world to do it. I think it's getting harder now since we started that process because of immigration rules, et cetera. But essentially for that process and application, you need 10 years of travel history. Yep, 10 years. You would need one year of working experience that might have changed now as we speak today, but that's what we needed. One year of working experience. And of course, one year into a work permit, we had that.

A job that they need that's ranked by points that will help the application. A degree or masters that also adds to the points. The age has to be taken into consideration. So under 35 is good and whack all those together. You get a number. And for example, for Canada at the time we had about 520 points. The cutoff point was about 470, 480. We're well within the threshold of getting offered the chance to apply, which we did.

And you know, if you're above the threshold, that when they release the next draw, you'll get offered to apply. Since then, it has been really weird things happening with the PR process in Canada. Well, during COVID, they let everyone in, in terms of the pool. So when they reduced it to 76 points, they got the once in a lifetime opportunity to apply for PR. Because of that, they had lots of applications in process, and then they've now put points right back up into the mid 500s. So it's harder to get in now.

They're still trying to work out the best process for immigration. But for us, luckily we got in before that and it took about 10 months to get the application in. We involved a lawyer because we got refused twice because of admin errors on the application. And once we were successful after 10 months, we got a five year PR card, the same for everyone else. And to avoid any further future admin, I would advise going for the citizenship, which is on that PR card, you need three years out of five in Canada to apply to be a citizen.

Now if you have a two year work visa, you can include one year of that to be part of your application. So we have three years including the work visa and the PR card. About 10 months later, we got the confirmation and we went to our ceremony a few weeks ago and it's all above board and signed. We got our certificate, handed our PR card in, now we apply for the passport, which will take another three weeks. And there we have it, a dual citizen and passport holder. The feeling is relief, happiness.

And I think probably elation really to have a second passport has always been an aim of mine ever since I started traveling. So if the UK goes horrendously downhill, like if reform get in, for example, then we can escape to Canada and vice versa as well. Anyone who's looking to apply for Canada PR or citizenship, a couple of things of note, if you travel a lot, get a spreadsheet out.

write down the dates in and out of that country because you do technically have to prove it if they ask and that'd be by passport stamps. I guess technically they can go probably by social media as well. So make sure you note down everywhere you go what date you went in and what date you left. So for Europe, because you don't get stamps when you travel within the EU, just make sure you put a date for when you entered the EU and when you exited the EU. Money, I think it costs around two and a half thousand Canadian dollars to get the PR done.

then for citizenship an extra 600 on top and then to get the passport again it's probably about 200 so you're kind of thinking roughly around 3,300 to three and a half especially if you include a lawyer like we did so it's probably approaching four thousand dollars something like that and I think for long term what does this mean I think we like the idea of coming back to Canada to live for half a year at a time maybe could be East Canada like Nova Scotia that'd be a bit of a dream and

If, like I say, I just feel like I need a break, it's nice to know you can come somewhere as a resident and a citizen and still get all the benefits of that and not having to be here full time. So that's pretty cool as well. Long, long term, do I think we'll stay in Canada? Not sure. For travel, I think Europe is the place to be, but we'll see what happens. So that is very exciting, becoming a Canadian citizen, two-passport, dual nationality couple. And I think that's a very exclusive club. Cheers. Very lucky to have that. Now.

They're just on the doorstep, not too far away, easy to get to, and lucky being from England, they mostly speak English when you're on your holidays. So doesn't feel like too much of a challenge. Now Australia, don't get me wrong, is fairly similar to UK. It speaks English, got similar culture. But out of Europe and traveling for a day to get there, I was hit straight away in Perth airport by how clean the place was, the fresh air, how hot it was, the smell.

And ultimately when we're there, the beaches, the accent, the warm water, the Australian people were really nice. And it just hit me about, imagine living here for a year. And as I've said many times before the podcast, we spoke to a person at the Perth test match against Australia who told basically me and a few others to get a work visa and come and check it out. I did not even know what work visa was really at that point. So I took some notes down and promised myself to research that when I got back.

I think for Australia during that time, that was during Christmas, a lot of funny stories happened to have a lot of nostalgia back to Australia, especially Melbourne and Perth. Stuff like Christmas Day was a bit of a chaotic session. When you're there as a tourist, you don't have to do the family thing. So you dip into the pub and we're in PJ O'Brien's, probably from early afternoon, Christmas Eve, all the way through to Christmas Day into the early hours and up next day at 8 a.m.

surviving trying to make the test match, which starts at 10.30 AM. And ultimately for England fans, one of the biggest days of the English cricketing history in Australia, as we beat Australia on their own turf. So a lot of funny stories, some good sporting events, felt more like freedom away from my uni course, away from family back home. Also London, London's a bit all consuming. So felt like this is a proper holiday unleashed. And I was like, I want more of that.

So think for the first time I realised there's a bigger world out there that needs to be explored and Australia is a huge country and we only dipped into Perth and Melbourne but the contrast between those chalk and cheese Melbourne, cosmopolitan city very similar, a little bit to London, quite busy, has a river running through it a big sporting event, lots of people Compare that to Perth where it's like epic beaches one after the other, spaced out you get a car, you drive around, use the public transport system

great beer, the smell of sun cream everywhere, hot weather. It's great to be in some vitamin C for once, because I came from London where it's snowing. So that kind of played a part as well, reckon. Weird, back in those days, I had no money. I paid for the trip on a couple of credit cards and used my student loan as my money to go with. But as soon as I arrived back into London after that Australia trip, I promised myself to save to go back to Australia and do some more traveling and also to get a job.

So that was like, oh, but I stuck at the uni course. I thought at least get that done, but it worked well because I needed to save money to go anyway. So I stayed for another two years working my ass off in both my job and kind of planning my trip, researching, getting my visa sorted, passport sorted, everything sorted. And then I kind of fed away my degree really, I didn't really give a shit anymore, but finished the music college degree as competently as possible without being really interested in it.

Lesson learnt from there is on a whim, I spoke to a few friends at home. They're like, yeah, come along, it'll be a laugh. And just for some reason, I couldn't tell you why, maybe a bit of FOMO. I was like, ah, I like cricket. I know it's gonna be hot in Australia. I know nothing about the place. Go with friends, long haul flight, a proper holiday, two and a half weeks. Let's go for it. So I rang up the travel consultant, booked my flights, I said on the credit card.

Why not? What's the worst that can happen? The worst that can happen is you don't like it and you fly back straight away. It's only a day away in terms of a plane. Yeah, you're going to take a hit. Money wise, getting that long haul flight back. But don't worry, you can always make more money in the future. And to finish why I do love Australia is because I just love the thought in certain places all year round, like Perth, you'll get mild to hot weather all year round. The beach is an option. It's relaxing. You get a car, big roads, not too busy.

loads of beaches to choose from. can go south west of the wine region, very laid back, good paying jobs, very safe and secure. I know you're far away from anywhere, but you don't need to go anywhere when you've got all that on your doorstep. And I can see why so many people travel and live and then ultimately decide to move to Australia because for me, it's a bit of a dream place. And if you're thinking about it, go and get that work permit and try it out. It's never too late. That's my advice. Now, wing in it. Future, what's going on?

to do that, I mean, I've got loads of crappy videos that I couldn't use for YouTube, but it all got sound, right? Not too much live reaction there, but a lot of sounds to collect, put together, and describe to you what I'm seeing and what I'm feeling at that time. So there's an endless amount of content for me going forward for the next couple of years. And I really want to lean into that sort of sound immersive cinematic experience to try and take you along the ride for anywhere in particular. So I'm going to concentrate on

real specific places really. So the first one since this episode is going to be released is going to be Langtang Valley for sure. Collected all the sounds for that into a file and get that going. Going to do Tofino. That's a recent trip. And then I'm going to delve into a bit of Europe, a bit of city action and some Middle East as well. I've got lots of sounds from different places we went to there. So I think it's going be a pretty cool ride for those immersive episodes. I think personally they're my favorite, but they take the longest to produce.

but I'm the most proudest of them going forward. And I probably will have one or two, but mostly one guest slot a month. I've done 180 guests so far. So I think I've done a lot and there's a lot in the bank there to check out. So I'm not giving up guests. This is going to be less of them. I think definitely starting in 2026, it's probably going to be one a month.

So maybe 12, I might hit some odd extra ones here and there. So that might be like 15 to 16 a year. And then the other slot of the month is gonna be a solo episode for sure. Like this one, just to keep you updated. Any stories I just wanna tell myself and for you to get to know me. I think this review of the podcast comes from a place of what do I want to be known as in terms of winging it? What type of podcast is it? So far, I think people probably know it for the conversations, which are great.

but I've traveled so much that I would like to share some sounds, some music and some local stuff in a real cool immersive experience. So I think I'm going to lean into that niche going forward, a bit like the Armchair Explorer, for example, or Travel Goals podcast. That's a good way to showcase a travel destination that's audio only and not video. From now on, I'll collect sounds as I normally do of every trip. I'll try and get some live reaction.

and I'll chuck in some live interviews there as well if I get to interview some people and bring all that together to make it even better going forward and make it more of a wholesome experience and more refined as I go to collect sounds based on what I want to showcase for you for that trip in particular. I think next year when I start to showcase maybe travels from later this year, hopefully it's gonna be a nice refined product going forward and I'm pretty excited to showcase that for you guys but also anyone who's dipping in for the first time.

along the lines of UK alongside either Albania, Georgia, Egypt or Finland. One of those four, I haven't decided yet. And then later in the year, it's going to be Bangkok, Bhutan, hopefully, and then Australia to watch some more cricket. So we'll see how that goes as well. Looking forward to showcasing all of that on the podcast. And thanks for tuning in. Don't forget to like and subscribe. Leave.

a nice five star review. That's the best way. And please share the podcast word of mouth. I also think that's one of the best ways to market the podcast to different audiences. So tell your friends, tell them to check in. And I don't really mind where you start really, but maybe start from the newer ones. They're put a bit better in terms of production, but obviously there's loads of great content from the guests early on as well. whatever you think is best. And I'll see you in the next episode, which will be Dave Seminara coming back onto the podcast to talk about his trip.

Suriname, which is a country that's on my list and a country I don't know too much about what I do now because I recorded the episode. But next week you'll hear it as well and know more about the country. Thanks for tuning in. I'll see you then. Cheers. Thanks for tuning in to the podcast episode today. If you've been inspired by today's chat and want to book some travel, if you head to the show notes, you'll see some affiliate links below which helps support this podcast. You'll find Skyscanner to book your flight.

You'll find booking.com to book that accommodation. Want to stay in a super cool hostel? You'll see Hostel World down there too. You'll find Revolut to get your travel card sorted. Click the Giggs Guide link to get your eSIM ready for your trip. And more importantly, you'll find Safety Wing Insurance to get that travel insurance for your trip. There are many more to check out. So when you click that link and book your product, a small commission goes towards me and the Wigginit Travel Podcast. Thank you in advance and enjoy your travels.