<<<<<MARCH 2010 APPLICANTS>>>>>

[Prettyindian]

HELLO

I have sent an Initial application on March 15th, received it on March 18th.

I received an email on June 7th ,stating that i forgot to mention visa office. [My Agents mistake]

Again we sent it on 8th June, still waiting for File no

So much worried , how long it ill take.

[gkraja99]

Dear friends.. after somuch wait, I have received my First AOR today.. Thanks for all your prayers.. My application was reached on 03/17

[Saida]

Dear friends.. after somuch wait, I have received my First AOR today.. Thanks for all your prayers.. My application was reached on 03/17

When your CC was cashed?

[kris905]

Hi Lylish,
I got it by post, it was a 2 page letter along with some bar code stickers.

Dear, Kris905 Congratulations to you! How did you get your second AOR by e-mail or ....?

Thanks,
Lylish 
All the best!

[sameerkhan]

Hi Lylish,
I got it by post, it was a 2 page letter along with some bar code stickers.

Dear Kris05 can you please share that what documents you sent.. and in what way u presented ur file..

i mean, all education documents( Originals or Notarized copies) Birth Certificate, marks sheets, any sort of explanatory letters, job experience letters etc etc.. what ever you included in ur application...

and how you presented it. i mean used seperators, tags etc etc etc...

kindly share, becuz evry one needs suggestions for final application filling....

Regards:
Sameer

[meanne]

Dear friends.. after somuch wait, I have received my First AOR today.. Thanks for all your prayers.. My application was reached on 03/17

Congratulations to you!

[sameerkhan]

MUST READ THE STORY

Why Ghulam Rasool, New Immigrant To Canada, Is Calling It Quits!
By Binoy Thomas

The following is a gut-wrenching story of how the dreams of one immigrant to Canada came to naught. Ghulam Rasool is a Mechanical Engineer (1976) with M. E. in Production (1979) and Industrial Engineering (1980) from India with immediate family on both sides of the border. Before he migrated to Canada, induced by the promises held forth by Canada´s immigration policy, he had picked up years of experience in machine building industry.

He recently contacted us with his story that he wanted to tell the people through Voice. It was a sort of a last minute ´gift´ to thousands of others who suffer silently, having been denied in similar fashion opportunity that they sought in Canada.

When I received his email, I wanted to meet with him not just to empathize with him, but also offer my congratulations on a bold decision that many stay away from - to talk about it openly without shame or fear. Ghulam Rasool is going back home, most probably to Mumbai, and by the time you read his account of his five years in Canada, he will be thousands of miles away, the land that he once held dear. He and his family left town on May 14.

He wrote to Voice: "I may not be able to access my mail anymore now. There is not time left for me. My phone is gone and I am in a basement living on Bread and Water literally, but waiting for the next three days to go by so that 14th dawns. Thanks for taking interest in my case. I am aware of you doing a lot for bettering the lot of immigrants. I would like you to somehow reach this to the Prime Minister and compel him to reply in the Newspapers. As a media you have done well, but probably there are no takers. Good luck to you all. My best wishes for you to prosper here in Canada. Insha Allah, should conditions improve, it will be good for all. The only advantage of Canada is its very little population. But the narrow mind does more harm!" I can certainly bring Rasool´s story to you the people, but the Prime Minister? Right now it just might be a tad inconvenient for Martin to be reading the sad tale of a single immigrant!

We all know that Rasool´s case is not unique or rare. Among the immigrant community, especially those who come with decent skill sets and qualifications, frustration is building up. Something is drastically wrong with Canada´s immigration system. At least for the qualified immigrant, this is proving to be a passport to wilderness. Rasool says that he knows of other families who have quietly decided to move back or go to other destinations to survive. Ghulam Rasool says he realized how it´s to live a nightmare. Many in our country, (that include politicians and bureaucrats and of course, those power brokers such as the regulatory bodies and the unions, are either unaware or reluctant to admit this deplorable state). Mercifully, there is some real authoritative statistics coming out of such independent bodies like the Conference Board of Canada on how this country wastes immigrant talent.

Rasool says, "Many articles have been written before. Nothing will come out of this as well, but please try and reach this to as many people as possible." While we wish Rasool and his family the very best in his old/new homeland, here´s his account of the great Canadian dream gone bad. It would be an understatement to say he is critical of Canada, but when you have seen your whole life unraveling before you, thanks to a system that´s exclusionary, then who are we to nit-pick? The least we can do is to let him blow his steam, hoping that someone somewhere would be moved by yet one more story to do something about it.


CANADA - A NIGHTMARE COME TRUE!!
By Ghulam Rasool

Enough is enough! It´s never too late to call it quits. Having realized this after 5 long years, I am going back to my country and for good. The ruling equation here is that while immigrants build Canada, Canada batters and shatters them! The very people who come here drawn by attractively designed websites or on the ´invitations´ of immigration consultants´ invitations, eager to build a new life while contributing to this country are destroyed and consumed by it!! What an irony!!

Having moved around in this country for long, I have hardly come across recent skilled professional who is happy professionally, barring a very miniscule few, who have just ridden on their luck! Others have resorted to unethical means to get rich quick in. Skill, talent, knowledge, wisdom, hard work, honesty, discipline, loyalty etc., seem to have no place here! All that matters is how many dollars you can sponge out of the other, and how soon! This is the only measure of success. Rest is all lip service!

I had brought with me as my money, a sum of just over $ 25000. When my wife came, we had sold off our property and managed another $ 35000. I had tried my level best to get a decent job and in the meanwhile, had lived on survival jobs. My earnings were so far, close to $ 122,000 in these five long years. That works out to 147,000 as money generated by me. Plus the 35000 $ which is $1,82,000 in 5 years. From all this what do I have now? Just about $ 3,000 and an old car that would fetch me about $ 750 at best. Thus $ 3750 to pay for tickets! Go back to where I came from and start all over again! And with no money at all, a beggar in my own country from Day One!

What does this mean? Even with the most frugal ways of living, spending on just the barest of bare minimum, one still cannot survive. A proper job is needed! And where is it?

Let us analyze a few things. They say Canada needs technical personnel!

What did I do here? I sent in over 10000 resumes, attended at least 8 different HRDC conducted programmes, each spanning over a few weeks, made about 50,000 telephone calls for jobs, of which well over

49,000 were just voice mails that never cared to return the call, made cold calls to over 3000 establishments, spent over half my time on the Internet, did over 30 different odd jobs to survive, volunteered my services for 4 months and applied to at least 10 Universities and Colleges for a course. For reasons known to many, all drew blanks! There is really no place and no way for new immigrants to settle here. All this country desires is to squeeze out the last cent an immigrant brings with him and then dump him!

And Canada wants more skilled immigrants to come here!!

It is said that there is a serious shortage of good teachers in Ontario / Canada.

The lady in the family I share accommodation with has over 17 years of experience as a very renowned teacher.

She had been told to do her entire teaching course all over again! Having passed TOEFL, etc. with over 95% marks, she has not been able to get into any University since the past two years, due to too many students wanting enrolment. In the meantime, she has been volunteering her services for a school. Good and Quality work for FREE! In return she is not even allowed to use the school bus, due to Insurance reasons! So she walks the 4.5 kilometers each way, come snow or rain! Already she has slipped and fallen many times, but it is her sincerity that makes her go. What if she meets with an accident? She will not be able to afford the expenses. Will the school reimburse even one dollar? If she dies, it will cost the family 5 or 10,000 dollars in funeral expenses!

Family grieved and in debt, but country richer! Make money in every way is the country´s policy. An immigrant cannot afford insurance so he cannot afford to die! This is a trap.

But yet many of these exceptional teachers are not allowed to teach in Ontario or will not get any job however hard they try, because they are not certified!

Why this certification? To ensure that they measure UP to the very high standards of Ontario Teachers! And what are these high standards?

A Teacher´s capability can be estimated by the qualities in the students! It is on record that 2 out of 3 students of the high schools in Ontario cannot even measure up to the basic reading and writing levels! Spelling and Grammar are considered unnecessary here! What is going to become of these poor students who after so many years of teaching by these high standard Ontario Teachers are not even able to read?

One can see and observe the absolute lack of respect and manners by these students who have been taught by these High Standard Ontario certified teachers. They have no respect for elders, parents, lack decency in behaviour, use the f. word at least ten times in every sentence, talk rudely to everyone, and do all what is not expected of them!! They may be low in manners, but they are high on drugs, sexual knowledge, girlfriends and boyfriends, and many other activities that do not form part of any school curriculum! Growing academically, acquiring knowledge, returning to society what they can, has no meaning in their lives!

Canada was rated as the number ONE country to live in not so long ago! It has fallen very low now. Law and order is supposed to be their strength! Yet, with all these top quality police force, there are shocking revelations on racism, brutality, and corruption. High tech systems can detect and track down a car parked at a mall for just 10 minutes over the scheduled time, but a child fast asleep at home, gets kidnapped and finally murdered goes completely baffles the experts.

Canada is supposed offer free medical care. This is today in dire straits. A slight toothache for me resulted in an expense of $1880 as the dentist did everything that can be done to a tooth and relieved me of all this money. And, finally my tooth itself! And in many cases, one visit means the patient is roped in for life! And if he has insurance, then the dentist becomes a millionaire in no time! It´s good to be insured! That´s why Insurance is the biggest business here!

If health care is free, how come eyes, teeth, and bones are not always covered?

The legal system is supposed to be very good here. But here we have all types of lawyers guaranteeing that traffic tickets, penalties, etc. can be waived! Or else it is free! How is such a guarantee possible! And these services are advertised!

There are thousands of Doctors with fantastic experience from other countries here in Canada picking up garbage, driving taxicabs and delivering pizza! Can they not be used better since there is a shortage of Doctors here? Are they worth NOTHING?

Canada is supposed to be a place with no corruption! The scandals and scams that we hear about would make the most corrupt leaders elsewhere in the world blush! They may want to take a lesson or two!

They say employment practices are fair and of a very high calibre here. Yet we see very large organizations - such as in Power Generation, National Airlines, and several others enveloped in the worst scandals in management and mishandling of public funds. Then they get declared as bankrupt! All tax payer´s money. A very large Public owned corporation has a very high minimum wage, combined with a huge static workforce. It cannot even bear its own weight! Then they want to cut down work force. To do so, they offer several millions of dollars to their chosen top executives to accept as severance!

A third or fourth string hockey player gets over a million-dollar salary! A Nuclear Engineer gets 6.85 dollars an hour for 30 hours a week (if he or she is lucky) to support a family! A PhD in Microbiology, who was head of an Institution doing Clinical Microbiology is a cashier at Food Basics for the past two years! In spite of doing prescribed courses here, she still finds no takers! Not even interviews! And one reads in the papers that in Manitoba and elsewhere, Pig Farmers(!!!) are conducting laboratory trials and analysis, as there are no certified analysts! There is a shortage of such people. This proves that Canada regards a ranch raised Pig Farmer a better analyst than someone who had studied, personally analyzed for years and finally rose through the ranks to be a Head of an Institution with 20 years experience! Yet, Pig Farmers are accepted, Doctors rejected!! Reason: Pig Farmer Canadian, Doctor Not!

All in all, this immigration business (racket) to Canada is only a very clever method to get skilled servants to work for free and pay for the people here who want to only enjoy life without doing anything!

There are far too many people doing nothing but prefer to live as parasites. Canada wants these people to enjoy even more. And a skilled immigrant can slog and slave, but he will not be allowed to get into the system. The irony is that the very reasons that brought the candidate in, are the very reasons that will keep him out of work, as soon as he gets in!

In fact the system here ensures that talent, hard work and skill, do not get rewarded. Many professionals are returning after a futile struggle and many do not want to come here anymore. These ´pleasant´ experiences of professionals are being made known to the rest of the world! It will be a sad day when only pizza delivery boys and bar girls will populate this country. Will that be an advanced country then?

Who will care for these skilled people and their plight here? Does anybody know what they are going through? The former Premier, Eves, just before relinquishing his office, declared that if the people vote for him again, then he would do something to solve this problem. Nobody believed him because he had done nothing while he was premier. And now we have another Premier saying the same thing. And so does the Prime Minister! Are these not gravely important issues? At least when compared to gay marriages, lesbian clubs, school buses, or marijuana laws?

[yukon]

Sameer Khan read this:

Canada Immigration Forum > Immigration Topics > Skilled Worker / Professional Immigration > Topic: This is how you succeed in Canada
Author: JOSH


THIS IS HOW YOU SUCCEED IN CANADA

Hear is my story... take the time to read it, if nothing you might at least save a few pennies and a couple of sleepless nights.

I have been a silent viewer on this forum, I have read a lot of arguments and I appreciate the zeal of most people. The positive approach some people have displayed in spite of all the negative and discouraging information is really inspiring.

I have been in Canada for over 25 months now, migrated from India, to quickly answer some of the biting questions in your head....

1, Am I doing well---Yes I am, maybe not as good as I would have liked it but I am happy.
2, Was I doing well back in India--- Very well.
3, Am I happy to have made the switch----No doubt about that.
4, Did I have to struggle and go through hard times----- Very very hard times, I've had to hang on by my tooth and claws.
5, Would I do it again---Damn sure I would.

BUT
6, Would I go about it in the same way that I did----NO, This post is to help you guys avoid the same mistake that I made and to give something back to people like me 25 months ago, I would have NEVER been able to do it without the help of many good hearted people, God bless em.

So here is my story......

But before that I just want to mention that I have met a lot of immigrants, some who have done well some not so well and others worse. The common line among all the immigrants were certain qualifications and these are a must according to me and my experience if you have to succeed, if you don't have these qualifications then you will be putting yourself in deep trouble.

At the risk of sounding dreadfully dull and at a horrible effort at instigating motivation here are the qualification you need to have:

a, Determination... If you are not absolutely determined its a waste of time.
b, Perseverance...The heart to go on in spite of all odds, never failing to loose the strength to take another step, NEVER NEVER give up, its your life and you cant give up on it.
c, Hard work....Try to be the best in whatever you do, don't work hard because you have to or because you are being watched just work hard coz you WANT to. Even if you are polishing shoes and if you are the best in doing that you will achieve glory someday. NOT BORN TO BE A MEDIOCRE attitude.
d, Good Heart.... A good heart to help people in need, may not just be financially (if that is not possible) but a kind word, a passionate hug, an encouraging line to any fellow in need. A genuine good wish and prayer from someone thankful can even move the Heart of GOD.

So, my story then, My God, its just starting, even I am tired already. I'll make it short.

Got my visa after a long and painful wait...Quit our jobs, my wife and me (first mistake, will explain later) scooped up all our savings, got our children out of school with appropriate planning so that they don't miss out a year. Did our lil research, said our prayers and got on the plane. Landed in Vancouver, some website told us that this was the worlds best place to live and raise a family (mistake number two). Checked into the hotel and began house hunting, looked at all the nice neighbourhoods and selected a house based on our budget (third mistake) so far so good, we thought. Put our kids to school and began the mammoth task of job hunting ( 25-30 days and 2000 dollars down).

Me wife and me are well qualified and based on our experiences we made absolutely wonderful resumes and started applying ( fourth mistake). Amazing responses, calls every day but that was that, stopped at calls after realising we don't have any Canadian qualification or experience. We were not too worried initially but as time passed it started to get a little uncomfortable( down by 3 months and 4000 dollars). We then started trying to get help and advise from the locals, mixed responses, very conflicting as everyone were from different circumstances. We then had to downgrade our resumes (as one of the refusal feedback was that we were over qualified) and start applying, still luck eluded us. Every dollar spent was like fire in the belly growing hotter. Five-six months later we were desperate and ready to take any job that was available to us. A month later, my wife got a job and few weeks later it was my turn to get lucky to get a job.

These were not nearly ideal jobs that we were hoping for but some income was better than nothing. It killed me to see my wife doing data entry who was working for ICICI bank back in India and managing a whole branch and had won many awards for being the best run branch , just typing away 8 hours a day. I never really had the courage to ask how she felt seeing me flip burgers when I had 120 employees working for me at Hewlett Packard back in India.

Though both of us were earning still we were not able to make enough money to stop digging away from our savings. The house rent, bills, travel to & fro to work, food and the most expensive of the lot, child minders for our kids, to pick them up from school and take care until my wife gets back home. I was working over time, nearly 12 hours a day but could not sustain ourselves, we then switched our plan and I took up night shift and weekends while my wife worked in the day, I would wake up cook and get the kids back home and put them in front of the telly and pass out on the couch. I was ready to leave for work and would be waiting at the door to rush out to get the train, sometimes I must admit, with wet eyes while walking to the train station.At all time, I tried real hard to put a brave face for my wife and my two little angels, one kiss at the door everyday was all the interaction I had with my wife. That and kisses from my two little angels is what kept me going.

Even though we had figured out a way to save the child minders costs we were just making enough to live a very limited life. My children deserved more time from us, at least from one of us. I dint want them to grow up without that. I forced my wife to work only part time, moved to a smaller house, took up work for 12 hours every night, 6 days a week. I could not miss a single days work, no work no money. Life seemed a little better for a while, at least for my wife and kids.

When all seemed in control ( at least better than a few months ago ) another blow (forgive me for saying that but that's what it seemed like at that time), I was hardly with my wife a few times since we started working and she was pregnant for the second time ( we had twins the first time) in spite of all the caution we had taken. The irony was, we had to try for almost a year the first time around to get pregnant. If that was not all, it was twins AGAIN. The odds of that happening, twins twice, was 10 million to one or so I was told. This was about the time when I could sense my wife giving up. I could not imagine how we could afford the expenses of additional two babies in our present circumstances.

To cut it short, we had to go through more hardships, we had to move again and again until we were in what one would call a single room apartment.

Was this what we left everything and came here? Was this the life in Canada?
How could we have been so wrong in our assessment?
Are we losers and should go back home crawling like one?

BUT WAIT NO, I thought,

If I we had the luck of having two twins which is very very rare then we surely should be blessed. And I will not let all the sacrifices my family and I have made go for a waste, I did not want my kids to see their father give up when I have always told them never to give up. I was even more determined to move on.

Things turned around, of all the mistakes that I made I had done one thing right, I had really put in my best at work, nobody could do stuff in the kitchen like I could. For most people out there this was just a job, for me it was food in my kids bellies and the last straw of hope in keeping my dreams alive.

I got so many appreciations and management started noticing me, My work was perfect no matter there was someone watching over me or not. As a matter of fact I used to perform even better when I was not supervised. the management quickly saw this and moved the night shift supervisor to another branch to save costs. There was no impact on the business even though I was all alone in the kitchen all night. It was barely any time I was made a supervisor and I had enough money now and did not have to work 12 hours and 6 days. But I did, as my wife had stopped working coz of her pregnancy, we took this opportunity to get her to study and get some certifications in her line of work which were recognised in Canada. She came out with flying colours as she was twice as smart than any certification she sat for. She scored 100% in every damn thing.

We had two healthy little angels again, within four months she started applying with the Canadian certifications and she got a decent job, within a very short time her employers realised her potential and moved her to a different role with more responsibilities and more salary as well.

She did not eat for two days until I agreed to quit my job and stay home with my kids and take up some kind of studying myself. The first few days after I quit I slept for 15 hours every day, it seemed like heaven as I had not had so much sleep in many months. I then started studying at home and taking care of the babies while my wife worked. She was getting paid more than what we had earned collectively so it was fine.

I finished a few certifications and also got decent job. We both feel that we can grow in the companies that we are currently in because of our experience and knowledge and also the effort we have put in to get so far.

We have now moved a good two bed apartment and got ourselves a second-had Ford Mondeo, and now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and any hope of realising our dreams.

Now let me talk about the mistakes I think I made and what I would have done differently if I had to do this all over again.

1st Mistake -, Quitting both our jobs. My wife was working for an Indian Company( ICICI) but I was working for a global company (HEWLETT PACKARD). I should have tried to get a internal transfer, Global companies do hire from within. I agree that it would not have been easy but I am sure not as difficult as what I went through. I might have had to go down several levels and wait for maybe a year or two which is still a worthwhile thing to do.

If that was absolutely not possible I would then quit my job leave my wife and kids behind and go to Canada myself.

2, Mistake - Trying to settle down with out first getting a job. If I am alone I can get a temporary accommodation and be more flexible to move where ever there is opportunity, even move to different cities, with family it is not possible. this will also keep my costs very very low.

3,Mistake - Unless you related to tourism and hospitality industry don't go to Vancouver. Calgary is good for people in oil industry but as a
general rule of thumb there are much more jobs in Toronto that any other place. There are many immigrants there , right, but this is not entirely bad as the employers in Toronto are more used to the Immigrants and are less biased compared to other places.
4, Mistake - I expected to get a great job, like the one I had back in India right away. This does not happen with 99% of the people. You cant just pick up from where you left unless you have some kind of Canadian qualification or internally transferred from within your company.

As soon as you land get yourself some/any job that you can land yourself in and ensure that your monthly expenditure is less that what you earn. Yes you might have to compromise a great deal on where you live and stuff. Make sure you spend as little money as possible from your savings. Immediately get into some kind of course/certification in your line that is recognised in Canada, use your savings for that. Don't waste even one day.

Make sure once you have secured some certifications and you are looking for a job that is in your line of work. You would already have a job, however bad but a job nevertheless. All your focus should be to get a job in your line of work and not towards getting a little more money, this is because if you get to do something in your line of work you will naturally do well.

Once you have set your foot in and fairly confident its time to get your wife..... NOT KIDS, just wife. I know it can be very difficult to leave kids behind but you will have to make some sacrifices to ensure that you do it the right way.

Now that your wife is there, just get her to do some part time work focus entirely on getting Canadian qualification in her line of work.

Always remember there will be totally unexpected things that will come up ( my wife's pregnancy for example ) and make sure you have put away some money for emergencies, however little, something is better than nothing.

Only get a permanent family home when you and your wife are working, in your respective line of work and the get your kids. Things would have been a lot easier if I had done it this way rather than the way I adopted.

THE SATISFACTION YOU GET AND THE WAY YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE IS BOOSTED WILL BE WORTH ALL THE EFFORT. ONCE YOU HAVE SETTLED IN YOU WILL HAVE VERY FEW AND JUST MUNDANE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT, LIFE IN CANADA WILL SEEM VERY ENJOYABLE THEN.

Please feel free to ask me any questions that may crop up, I wish this was helpful and God bless you all.

[4mera]

Received my First AOR. DD was encashed on 10-Jun-2010



MARCH 2010 APPLICANTS (Updated as of 10 JUNE 2010)

S. No.    Name                                           Received by CIO        AOR Received      Full Docs to VO        2nd AOR
1.        asishpnair (4131)                               01 Mar 2010              16 Apr 2010
2.        priti1911                                          01 Mar 2010               26 Apr 2010 
3.        ruka                                                01 Mar 2010              16 Apr 2010
4.        shail2054 (0631)                                01 Mar 2010              14 Apr 2010
5.        zakout76 (0632)                                01 Mar 2010              13 Apr 2010
6.        ashrafbwn (0213)                              02 Mar 2010              14 Apr 2010
7.        paramjit (4131)                                 02 Mar 2010              12 Apr 2010
8.        Sagiyom1                                         02 Mar 2010              21 May 2010 Rejected for Job Description
9.        july4                                               03 Mar 2010              15 Apr 2010
10.      rpr1980 (7312/0114)                           03 Mar 2010
11.      Saida (0213)                                    03 Mar 2010               27 May 2010 Rejected for Job Description
12.     shirinsyeda (3112)                               03 Mar 2010
13.      Morning                                           03 Mar 2010               28 May 2010
14.      Driven                                             05 Mar 2010               27 Apr 2010
15.      neddy (1111)                                    05 Mar 2010               27 Apr 2010
16.      nija                                                 05 Mar 2010
17.      spprivate (0213)                                05 Mar 2010               06 May 2010
18.      yda (4121/4131)                                05 Mar 2010               10 May 2010
19.      KauserSajjad (2113)                           06 Mar 2010         
20.      my_lib (4131)                                    06 Mar 2010                05 May 2010
21.      ala_espange                                      08 Mar 2010               CC debited on 27 Apr 2010
22.      geeforce                                           08 Mar 2010
23.      shaddy                                             08 Mar 2010
24.      Sriusa (0213)                                     08 Mar 2010               29 Apr 2010
25.      sydney_Couple (2171)                         08 Mar 2010               04 June 2010 returned for missing NOC Code
26.      Canadianwannabe                               08 Mar 2010               27 Apr 2010
27.      ereddy17                                          08 Mar 2010
28.      vgatiwan (3152)                                08 Mar 2010
29.      livelegs                                            09 Mar 2010                 26 May 2010
30.      Fl (0213)                                          09 Mar 2010                 09 May 2010
31.      MCBoy (2173)                                   09 Mar 2010                 28 Apr 2010
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[tinuadeadebola]

Yukon,

Thanks a lot for the detailed and very informative write up about your stay in canada. It was also a good balance to the prior
 story and to let us know that its not completely a bad decision afterall.

Please can you be a little specific about the certifications you and your wife had to undergo to enable you guys become attractive to canadian employers? I for one am an accountant by training and just finished an MSc in Energy economics from the UK what certifications/skills do you think i and people like me need to acquire?

Once again thanks for sharing this valuable info

[meanne]

Very inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

Sameer Khan read this:

Canada Immigration Forum > Immigration Topics > Skilled Worker / Professional Immigration > Topic: This is how you succeed in Canada
Author: JOSH


THIS IS HOW YOU SUCCEED IN CANADA

Hear is my story... take the time to read it, if nothing you might at least save a few pennies and a couple of sleepless nights.

I have been a silent viewer on this forum, I have read a lot of arguments and I appreciate the zeal of most people. The positive approach some people have displayed in spite of all the negative and discouraging information is really inspiring.

I have been in Canada for over 25 months now, migrated from India, to quickly answer some of the biting questions in your head....

1, Am I doing well---Yes I am, maybe not as good as I would have liked it but I am happy.
2, Was I doing well back in India--- Very well.
3, Am I happy to have made the switch----No doubt about that.
4, Did I have to struggle and go through hard times----- Very very hard times, I've had to hang on by my tooth and claws.
5, Would I do it again---Damn sure I would.

BUT
6, Would I go about it in the same way that I did----NO, This post is to help you guys avoid the same mistake that I made and to give something back to people like me 25 months ago, I would have NEVER been able to do it without the help of many good hearted people, God bless em.

So here is my story......

But before that I just want to mention that I have met a lot of immigrants, some who have done well some not so well and others worse. The common line among all the immigrants were certain qualifications and these are a must according to me and my experience if you have to succeed, if you don't have these qualifications then you will be putting yourself in deep trouble.

At the risk of sounding dreadfully dull and at a horrible effort at instigating motivation here are the qualification you need to have:

a, Determination... If you are not absolutely determined its a waste of time.
b, Perseverance...The heart to go on in spite of all odds, never failing to loose the strength to take another step, NEVER NEVER give up, its your life and you cant give up on it.
c, Hard work....Try to be the best in whatever you do, don't work hard because you have to or because you are being watched just work hard coz you WANT to. Even if you are polishing shoes and if you are the best in doing that you will achieve glory someday. NOT BORN TO BE A MEDIOCRE attitude.
d, Good Heart.... A good heart to help people in need, may not just be financially (if that is not possible) but a kind word, a passionate hug, an encouraging line to any fellow in need. A genuine good wish and prayer from someone thankful can even move the Heart of GOD.

So, my story then, My God, its just starting, even I am tired already. I'll make it short.

Got my visa after a long and painful wait...Quit our jobs, my wife and me (first mistake, will explain later) scooped up all our savings, got our children out of school with appropriate planning so that they don't miss out a year. Did our lil research, said our prayers and got on the plane. Landed in Vancouver, some website told us that this was the worlds best place to live and raise a family (mistake number two). Checked into the hotel and began house hunting, looked at all the nice neighbourhoods and selected a house based on our budget (third mistake) so far so good, we thought. Put our kids to school and began the mammoth task of job hunting ( 25-30 days and 2000 dollars down).

Me wife and me are well qualified and based on our experiences we made absolutely wonderful resumes and started applying ( fourth mistake). Amazing responses, calls every day but that was that, stopped at calls after realising we don't have any Canadian qualification or experience. We were not too worried initially but as time passed it started to get a little uncomfortable( down by 3 months and 4000 dollars). We then started trying to get help and advise from the locals, mixed responses, very conflicting as everyone were from different circumstances. We then had to downgrade our resumes (as one of the refusal feedback was that we were over qualified) and start applying, still luck eluded us. Every dollar spent was like fire in the belly growing hotter. Five-six months later we were desperate and ready to take any job that was available to us. A month later, my wife got a job and few weeks later it was my turn to get lucky to get a job.

These were not nearly ideal jobs that we were hoping for but some income was better than nothing. It killed me to see my wife doing data entry who was working for ICICI bank back in India and managing a whole branch and had won many awards for being the best run branch , just typing away 8 hours a day. I never really had the courage to ask how she felt seeing me flip burgers when I had 120 employees working for me at Hewlett Packard back in India.

Though both of us were earning still we were not able to make enough money to stop digging away from our savings. The house rent, bills, travel to & fro to work, food and the most expensive of the lot, child minders for our kids, to pick them up from school and take care until my wife gets back home. I was working over time, nearly 12 hours a day but could not sustain ourselves, we then switched our plan and I took up night shift and weekends while my wife worked in the day, I would wake up cook and get the kids back home and put them in front of the telly and pass out on the couch. I was ready to leave for work and would be waiting at the door to rush out to get the train, sometimes I must admit, with wet eyes while walking to the train station.At all time, I tried real hard to put a brave face for my wife and my two little angels, one kiss at the door everyday was all the interaction I had with my wife. That and kisses from my two little angels is what kept me going.

Even though we had figured out a way to save the child minders costs we were just making enough to live a very limited life. My children deserved more time from us, at least from one of us. I dint want them to grow up without that. I forced my wife to work only part time, moved to a smaller house, took up work for 12 hours every night, 6 days a week. I could not miss a single days work, no work no money. Life seemed a little better for a while, at least for my wife and kids.

When all seemed in control ( at least better than a few months ago ) another blow (forgive me for saying that but that's what it seemed like at that time), I was hardly with my wife a few times since we started working and she was pregnant for the second time ( we had twins the first time) in spite of all the caution we had taken. The irony was, we had to try for almost a year the first time around to get pregnant. If that was not all, it was twins AGAIN. The odds of that happening, twins twice, was 10 million to one or so I was told. This was about the time when I could sense my wife giving up. I could not imagine how we could afford the expenses of additional two babies in our present circumstances.

To cut it short, we had to go through more hardships, we had to move again and again until we were in what one would call a single room apartment.

Was this what we left everything and came here? Was this the life in Canada?
How could we have been so wrong in our assessment?
Are we losers and should go back home crawling like one?

BUT WAIT NO, I thought,

If I we had the luck of having two twins which is very very rare then we surely should be blessed. And I will not let all the sacrifices my family and I have made go for a waste, I did not want my kids to see their father give up when I have always told them never to give up. I was even more determined to move on.

Things turned around, of all the mistakes that I made I had done one thing right, I had really put in my best at work, nobody could do stuff in the kitchen like I could. For most people out there this was just a job, for me it was food in my kids bellies and the last straw of hope in keeping my dreams alive.

I got so many appreciations and management started noticing me, My work was perfect no matter there was someone watching over me or not. As a matter of fact I used to perform even better when I was not supervised. the management quickly saw this and moved the night shift supervisor to another branch to save costs. There was no impact on the business even though I was all alone in the kitchen all night. It was barely any time I was made a supervisor and I had enough money now and did not have to work 12 hours and 6 days. But I did, as my wife had stopped working coz of her pregnancy, we took this opportunity to get her to study and get some certifications in her line of work which were recognised in Canada. She came out with flying colours as she was twice as smart than any certification she sat for. She scored 100% in every damn thing.

We had two healthy little angels again, within four months she started applying with the Canadian certifications and she got a decent job, within a very short time her employers realised her potential and moved her to a different role with more responsibilities and more salary as well.

She did not eat for two days until I agreed to quit my job and stay home with my kids and take up some kind of studying myself. The first few days after I quit I slept for 15 hours every day, it seemed like heaven as I had not had so much sleep in many months. I then started studying at home and taking care of the babies while my wife worked. She was getting paid more than what we had earned collectively so it was fine.

I finished a few certifications and also got decent job. We both feel that we can grow in the companies that we are currently in because of our experience and knowledge and also the effort we have put in to get so far.

We have now moved a good two bed apartment and got ourselves a second-had Ford Mondeo, and now we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and any hope of realising our dreams.

Now let me talk about the mistakes I think I made and what I would have done differently if I had to do this all over again.

1st Mistake -, Quitting both our jobs. My wife was working for an Indian Company( ICICI) but I was working for a global company (HEWLETT PACKARD). I should have tried to get a internal transfer, Global companies do hire from within. I agree that it would not have been easy but I am sure not as difficult as what I went through. I might have had to go down several levels and wait for maybe a year or two which is still a worthwhile thing to do.

If that was absolutely not possible I would then quit my job leave my wife and kids behind and go to Canada myself.

2, Mistake - Trying to settle down with out first getting a job. If I am alone I can get a temporary accommodation and be more flexible to move where ever there is opportunity, even move to different cities, with family it is not possible. this will also keep my costs very very low.

3,Mistake - Unless you related to tourism and hospitality industry don't go to Vancouver. Calgary is good for people in oil industry but as a
general rule of thumb there are much more jobs in Toronto that any other place. There are many immigrants there , right, but this is not entirely bad as the employers in Toronto are more used to the Immigrants and are less biased compared to other places.
4, Mistake - I expected to get a great job, like the one I had back in India right away. This does not happen with 99% of the people. You cant just pick up from where you left unless you have some kind of Canadian qualification or internally transferred from within your company.

As soon as you land get yourself some/any job that you can land yourself in and ensure that your monthly expenditure is less that what you earn. Yes you might have to compromise a great deal on where you live and stuff. Make sure you spend as little money as possible from your savings. Immediately get into some kind of course/certification in your line that is recognised in Canada, use your savings for that. Don't waste even one day.

Make sure once you have secured some certifications and you are looking for a job that is in your line of work. You would already have a job, however bad but a job nevertheless. All your focus should be to get a job in your line of work and not towards getting a little more money, this is because if you get to do something in your line of work you will naturally do well.

Once you have set your foot in and fairly confident its time to get your wife..... NOT KIDS, just wife. I know it can be very difficult to leave kids behind but you will have to make some sacrifices to ensure that you do it the right way.

Now that your wife is there, just get her to do some part time work focus entirely on getting Canadian qualification in her line of work.

Always remember there will be totally unexpected things that will come up ( my wife's pregnancy for example ) and make sure you have put away some money for emergencies, however little, something is better than nothing.

Only get a permanent family home when you and your wife are working, in your respective line of work and the get your kids. Things would have been a lot easier if I had done it this way rather than the way I adopted.

THE SATISFACTION YOU GET AND THE WAY YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE IS BOOSTED WILL BE WORTH ALL THE EFFORT. ONCE YOU HAVE SETTLED IN YOU WILL HAVE VERY FEW AND JUST MUNDANE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT, LIFE IN CANADA WILL SEEM VERY ENJOYABLE THEN.

Please feel free to ask me any questions that may crop up, I wish this was helpful and God bless you all.

[sameerkhan]

Thanx for Sharing YokUNNNNNN..

u r so lucky u had twins from both times. congrats man..
and u did well.. i appreciate ur hard work. but i m still afraid that whats going to hapen no body knows.

any ways i would like to hear from you about the certification type u both gained over there...

[Canadian4U]

Yukon appreciate your efforts and thanks for sharing experince from your personal life with canadavisa discussion forum family.

Thanks and wish you healthy and successful life in CANADA.

[kris905]

Dear Kris05 can you please share that what documents you sent.. and in what way u presented ur file..

i mean, all education documents( Originals or Notarized copies) Birth Certificate, marks sheets, any sort of explanatory letters, job experience letters etc etc.. what ever you included in ur application...

and how you presented it. i mean used seperators, tags etc etc etc...

kindly share, becuz evry one needs suggestions for final application filling....

Regards:
Sameer

Hi Sameer,
I used the visa office checklist to organize my documents. The checklist has different sections like Civil status documents, education, experience, travel etc.
I made a label the size of a post card, typed the name of the section in bold, attached all documents in the section together, also included a covering letter in the case i had to explain a missing document.

I put the checklist on top, followed by the forms and then the bundles for each section in the order specified by the checklist. I did not include the PR Fee. Also do not forget to write names and DOB behind each photo.

I notarized all educational certificates for myself and spouse, birth certificate for kid, passport front page for both as we didn't have birth certificate, experience certificates and contract documents.

The originals i sent are, reference letters, PCC, IELTS.

My whole package weighed close to a kilo

Hope this helps, Good Luck

[cuccoo0]

Hi Kris
Man you weigh a little less than me (lolz jus kidding).

What i did is took a folder with 40 slips. Wrote a cover letter a that went in the first slip, followed by the Email by CIO. This was followed by the set of forms (either copies or newly typed forms with same information)+London visa office specifc requirement document+IMM5562 (i m mentioning it as its new and i have seen many people missing it) in the third slip.

Then before start of each section i typed a document (with the name of the section in around 20 Font size). Below this you may type as i did (Note: any thing requiring explanation is at the bottom of this document). Below the heading i typed the list of documents which are being presented for that section and below was the explanation about everything relating to that section (if any).

I put this in a slip and in the next one put the relevant documents.

Same way i did it for all the sections.

This is how i presented.

Well mine weighed around 1.5 Kilos.

KRIS one thing i need to ask you shall i have to write anything about the payment of the fees i mean RPRF (any note mentionining that i shall pay it at a later stage etc). Is there any need to mention about the fee payment form that we used to send fees to CIO

I shall appreciate if i could get a reply today as my whole appliocation is ready just waiting on my Transcripts that i shall get tomorrow.

So if you could please drop a line on the highlighted issues

Appreciated
Regards