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Dear Pakistani Mates


It wise to make NICOP for all members of family before leaving, http://www.nadra.gov.pk/index.php/products/cards/nicop?.

This is very important and easy to get this from Pakistan, as any error in data or in case of any objection raised , it is very easy to get this settled here in Pakistan.


Processing times at the consulate can be in months , and it costs a lot in terms of effort that is required , specially taking day off , and spending on transport etc.

My cousin faced lot of issues in Sydney , Australia - As on daily basis , consulate came with unique issues , and she was helpless , and was forces to provide all required information to them , including death certificates of her parents etc.


In addition to above do get FRC for your family , your parents family and your spouses family.
Get Nikkah Nama computerized - Its easy to get these now
Stay Blessed
 
salem10 said:
I hope that is true. Unfortunately, my case is still waiting. I know I am May 2010 applicant, but not so far from April. I applied in May 13, 2010. In process April 2012, two medicals, one medical further, and one fairness letter. Now it is 51 months. Last contact is Oct 2013 when I sent my fairness letter response.
I have completed my study and obtained my PhD degree. Now working part time teaching job, and still CIC process PhD students faster than me. I completely tired of this process and decided to ignore it.
I am strive to find permanent job; however, its very hard to be competitive without PR status.
Click to expand...

I hear you
have u contacted your MP?
 
Hi All, I have been an active member of this forum since April 2010 and this forum played a pivotal role in keeping my spirits throughout the immigration process till June 2014 when in landed in Canada. Throughout this duration I have across various threads where people reported desperate stories and than there were happy ones as well. The immigration story is very similar to way general human stories are - some of us luck out and some of us hit it big.

When I landed in mid June this year - me and my family (wife + 1 daughter) were full of mix feelings. We felt excited but we also had apprehensions as well. The task to take all those licenses, fill in all that paper work, look and apply for jobs seemed a daunting task. We felt extremely depressed at times. Felt like crying at some times. But one thing we did not do was not support each other in these moments and tried to keep our heads high. There were moments when we questioned our capabilities to make ourselves a life here and self esteem went rock bottom. The other thing we didn't do was to stop. We kept trying.

The first thing I did in the very first month was to get security guard training and pass the security guard test to obtain a license. This was my plan to avoid any leakages from our savings, if I fail to land a well paid job.

I landed a management position's interview within 4 days of landing and it was the most miserable day of my life. I took the bus for the very first time. walked for 3 min in Toronto to locate the office, went through a pathetic interview experience, lost the directions on my way back, had to walk another 30 min or so and all of that in my dress shoes Grin. So when I finally reached my friend's apartment, I had swelling in my feet. I had to apply for 50 positions each day. Applying for jobs is a job itself. And one should treat it as one. I used to go the library with my laptop and do nothing but search for jobs from 9 am till 5 pm with 1 hour lunch break. So you see what I am trying to say here.

I applied for hundreds of jobs each week, got some calls, gave some telephonic interviews, was invited to some interviews, did not receive any sort of feedback from 80% of the applications I had sent. And I sort of became King of Rejections.

The first break came when I went to two back to back job fares and received job offers from both of them on contracts. The first was a $11.15/ an hour with a major retail chain which was launching a new store in Mississauga and they needed to hire a temp crew on a month's contract with the possibility of a regular job offer when store was launched. I joined them in early AUG and been with them for a month till early sep. I left them since I did not like the job but did not backed away from hard work. I did what they told me to whether it was cleaning or merchandising. Meanwhile after two months at a friend's apartment I rented a great basement apartment with two bedrooms, 2 washrooms, separate laundry, separate entry/exit. I reached for shifts in time, took scheduled breaks and there was never any complaint against my work. This helped me taking couple of solid referrals from two managers which will help in future job referrals. I am starting with another major apparel company next week on $ 13.50/ an hour offer.

While all of this was going the other happenings were also taking place i.e. PR cards, Health cards, bank accounts, credit cards, G1 driving license.

I never stopped applying for jobs in my field and consistently modified my resume and cover letter suiting requirements of each job I applied for. One generic resume doesn't work.

Finally a break has come for me after 3 months (ALHAMDULLILAH)- After 3 very intense interviews in 3 weeks with Senior Manager, Director & Executive Vice President - today I have received a great job offer with a salary which is a bit higher than my minimum expectation. I have cleared G2 license today as well. We are really happy. My daughter is into 3rd week of her senior kinder garten (we got here in summer vacations). she is finally settling down after lot of early challenges of being home sick. that was one tough time. Parents can deal with their own challenges but when kid goes through these settling problems, it is heart wrenching. We have also initiated the process of my wife's credential assessment through ICAS. Thanks to ALMIGHTY we will go on the journey of life.

There are crazy moments and there will be times when newcomers will question their decision of moving to Canada. But if you have made that decisions than stick to it and give it your best under all circumstances.

In the end I really don't know the secret of success other than my own experience and advice here as well.

A- Faith in ALMIGHTY.
B- Prayers.
C- Honesty.
D- Hard Work.
E- Persistence
F- Planning
 
haral said:
Hi All, I have been an active member of this forum since April 2010 and this forum played a pivotal role in keeping my spirits throughout the immigration process till June 2014 when in landed in Canada. Throughout this duration I have across various threads where people reported desperate stories and than there were happy ones as well. The immigration story is very similar to way general human stories are - some of us luck out and some of us hit it big.

When I landed in mid June this year - me and my family (wife + 1 daughter) were full of mix feelings. We felt excited but we also had apprehensions as well. The task to take all those licenses, fill in all that paper work, look and apply for jobs seemed a daunting task. We felt extremely depressed at times. Felt like crying at some times. But one thing we did not do was not support each other in these moments and tried to keep our heads high. There were moments when we questioned our capabilities to make ourselves a life here and self esteem went rock bottom. The other thing we didn't do was to stop. We kept trying.

The first thing I did in the very first month was to get security guard training and pass the security guard test to obtain a license. This was my plan to avoid any leakages from our savings, if I fail to land a well paid job.

I landed a management position's interview within 4 days of landing and it was the most miserable day of my life. I took the bus for the very first time. walked for 3 min in Toronto to locate the office, went through a pathetic interview experience, lost the directions on my way back, had to walk another 30 min or so and all of that in my dress shoes Grin. So when I finally reached my friend's apartment, I had swelling in my feet. I had to apply for 50 positions each day. Applying for jobs is a job itself. And one should treat it as one. I used to go the library with my laptop and do nothing but search for jobs from 9 am till 5 pm with 1 hour lunch break. So you see what I am trying to say here.

I applied for hundreds of jobs each week, got some calls, gave some telephonic interviews, was invited to some interviews, did not receive any sort of feedback from 80% of the applications I had sent. And I sort of became King of Rejections.

The first break came when I went to two back to back job fares and received job offers from both of them on contracts. The first was a $11.15/ an hour with a major retail chain which was launching a new store in Mississauga and they needed to hire a temp crew on a month's contract with the possibility of a regular job offer when store was launched. I joined them in early AUG and been with them for a month till early sep. I left them since I did not like the job but did not backed away from hard work. I did what they told me to whether it was cleaning or merchandising. Meanwhile after two months at a friend's apartment I rented a great basement apartment with two bedrooms, 2 washrooms, separate laundry, separate entry/exit. I reached for shifts in time, took scheduled breaks and there was never any complaint against my work. This helped me taking couple of solid referrals from two managers which will help in future job referrals. I am starting with another major apparel company next week on $ 13.50/ an hour offer.

While all of this was going the other happenings were also taking place i.e. PR cards, Health cards, bank accounts, credit cards, G1 driving license.

I never stopped applying for jobs in my field and consistently modified my resume and cover letter suiting requirements of each job I applied for. One generic resume doesn't work.

Finally a break has come for me after 3 months (ALHAMDULLILAH)- After 3 very intense interviews in 3 weeks with Senior Manager, Director & Executive Vice President - today I have received a great job offer with a salary which is a bit higher than my minimum expectation. I have cleared G2 license today as well. We are really happy. My daughter is into 3rd week of her senior kinder garten (we got here in summer vacations). she is finally settling down after lot of early challenges of being home sick. that was one tough time. Parents can deal with their own challenges but when kid goes through these settling problems, it is heart wrenching. We have also initiated the process of my wife's credential assessment through ICAS. Thanks to ALMIGHTY we will go on the journey of life.

There are crazy moments and there will be times when newcomers will question their decision of moving to Canada. But if you have made that decisions than stick to it and give it your best under all circumstances.

In the end I really don't know the secret of success other than my own experience and advice here as well.

A- Faith in ALMIGHTY.
B- Prayers.
C- Honesty.
D- Hard Work.
E- Persistence
F- Planning
Click to expand...

Haral Sahab,

It is nice to see ur post after a long time.

Like many who have landed in Canada, ur story is also full of struggle. But, the perseverance that u have moved with is remarkable nd, I am sure, the day will descend soon to help u see all that u have wished for .

Sir,I agree that there may be few who hit it big immediately after their landing at the Canadian soil nd yet there are bulk of struggling lot, as well. Somehow, I have felt and experienced that pre-landing preparation helps a great deal.As per advice of senior forum member, I got into act immediately after my medicals in November 2012.The very first thing that I did, was to get my educational credential verified . Simultaneously ,I started preparing a Canadian Style Resume for myself nd got it polished from a very erudite senior forum member.By the time I finished with these basics, I got my visa approval information in Feb 2013.I planed to land at my POE in April 2013.I utilized the intervening period for posting my RESUME in the job hunting sites.Luckily,I got positive feelers from few. Immediately after I landed in April 2013, I applied for associate membership of "PROVINCIAL TEACHER'S ASSOCIATION".By grace of God, I could get a job in Multi brand Mall in its pricing unit @ C$12.75/HR ,side by side a voluntary assignments at Heart and and Stroke Foundations, Canada and Provincial Teachers Association sponsored program (DURING THE WEEK END).The hard work, backed by voluntary assignments experience, helped me to forge ahead. Now,I have been elevated to the position of "TEAM LEADER" with substantial raise in my wages which stands at C$21.50/hr.

I feel motivated to accomplish on-line course in Petroleum Management/Office Management and Auditing.

Sir, I fully endorse ur "A B C D E F" FORMULA. I believe, there is no short cut to success.We have to make ourselves ,"FIRST DESERVE AND THEN DESIRE".

Good luck nd May God bless all !!!!!

Regards,

parhar51
 
Brilliant Sir - GOD speed to you in your endeavors.

parhar51 said:
Haral Sahab,

It is nice to see ur post after a long time.

Like many who have landed in Canada, ur story is also full of struggle. But, the perseverance that u have moved with is remarkable nd, I am sure, the day will descend soon to help u see all that u have wished for .

Sir,I agree that there may be few who hit it big immediately after their landing at the Canadian soil nd yet there are bulk of struggling lot, as well. Somehow, I have felt and experienced that pre-landing preparation helps a great deal.As per advice of senior forum member, I got into act immediately after my medicals in November 2012.The very first thing that I did, was to get my educational credential verified . Simultaneously ,I started preparing a Canadian Style Resume for myself nd got it polished from a very erudite senior forum member.By the time I finished with these basics, I got my visa approval information in Feb 2013.I planed to land at my POE in April 2013.I utilized the intervening period for posting my RESUME in the job hunting sites.Luckily,I got positive feelers from few. Immediately after I landed in April 2013, I applied for associate membership of "PROVINCIAL TEACHER'S ASSOCIATION".By grace of God, I could get a job in Multi brand Mall in its pricing unit @ C$12.75/HR ,side by side a voluntary assignments at Heart and and Stroke Foundations, Canada and Provincial Teachers Association sponsored program (DURING THE WEEK END).The hard work, backed by voluntary assignments experience, helped me to forge ahead. Now,I have been elevated to the position of "TEAM LEADER" with substantial raise in my wages which stands at C$21.50/hr.

I feel motivated to accomplish on-line course in Petroleum Management/Office Management and Auditing.

Sir, I fully endorse ur "A B C D E F" FORMULA. I believe, there is no short cut to success.We have to make ourselves ,"FIRST DESERVE AND THEN DESIRE".

Good luck nd May God bless all !!!!!

Regards,

parhar51
Click to expand...
 
haral said:
Hi All, I have been an active member of this forum since April 2010 and this forum played a pivotal role in keeping my spirits throughout the immigration process till June 2014 when in landed in Canada. Throughout this duration I have across various threads where people reported desperate stories and than there were happy ones as well. The immigration story is very similar to way general human stories are - some of us luck out and some of us hit it big.

When I landed in mid June this year - me and my family (wife + 1 daughter) were full of mix feelings. We felt excited but we also had apprehensions as well. The task to take all those licenses, fill in all that paper work, look and apply for jobs seemed a daunting task. We felt extremely depressed at times. Felt like crying at some times. But one thing we did not do was not support each other in these moments and tried to keep our heads high. There were moments when we questioned our capabilities to make ourselves a life here and self esteem went rock bottom. The other thing we didn't do was to stop. We kept trying.

The first thing I did in the very first month was to get security guard training and pass the security guard test to obtain a license. This was my plan to avoid any leakages from our savings, if I fail to land a well paid job.

I landed a management position's interview within 4 days of landing and it was the most miserable day of my life. I took the bus for the very first time. walked for 3 min in Toronto to locate the office, went through a pathetic interview experience, lost the directions on my way back, had to walk another 30 min or so and all of that in my dress shoes Grin. So when I finally reached my friend's apartment, I had swelling in my feet. I had to apply for 50 positions each day. Applying for jobs is a job itself. And one should treat it as one. I used to go the library with my laptop and do nothing but search for jobs from 9 am till 5 pm with 1 hour lunch break. So you see what I am trying to say here.

I applied for hundreds of jobs each week, got some calls, gave some telephonic interviews, was invited to some interviews, did not receive any sort of feedback from 80% of the applications I had sent. And I sort of became King of Rejections.

The first break came when I went to two back to back job fares and received job offers from both of them on contracts. The first was a $11.15/ an hour with a major retail chain which was launching a new store in Mississauga and they needed to hire a temp crew on a month's contract with the possibility of a regular job offer when store was launched. I joined them in early AUG and been with them for a month till early sep. I left them since I did not like the job but did not backed away from hard work. I did what they told me to whether it was cleaning or merchandising. Meanwhile after two months at a friend's apartment I rented a great basement apartment with two bedrooms, 2 washrooms, separate laundry, separate entry/exit. I reached for shifts in time, took scheduled breaks and there was never any complaint against my work. This helped me taking couple of solid referrals from two managers which will help in future job referrals. I am starting with another major apparel company next week on $ 13.50/ an hour offer.

While all of this was going the other happenings were also taking place i.e. PR cards, Health cards, bank accounts, credit cards, G1 driving license.

I never stopped applying for jobs in my field and consistently modified my resume and cover letter suiting requirements of each job I applied for. One generic resume doesn't work.

Finally a break has come for me after 3 months (ALHAMDULLILAH)- After 3 very intense interviews in 3 weeks with Senior Manager, Director & Executive Vice President - today I have received a great job offer with a salary which is a bit higher than my minimum expectation. I have cleared G2 license today as well. We are really happy. My daughter is into 3rd week of her senior kinder garten (we got here in summer vacations). she is finally settling down after lot of early challenges of being home sick. that was one tough time. Parents can deal with their own challenges but when kid goes through these settling problems, it is heart wrenching. We have also initiated the process of my wife's credential assessment through ICAS. Thanks to ALMIGHTY we will go on the journey of life.

There are crazy moments and there will be times when newcomers will question their decision of moving to Canada. But if you have made that decisions than stick to it and give it your best under all circumstances.

In the end I really don't know the secret of success other than my own experience and advice here as well.

A- Faith in ALMIGHTY.
B- Prayers.
C- Honesty.
D- Hard Work.
E- Persistence
F- Planning
Click to expand...

Simply Superb!

Regards.
NVLN.
 
I am soo bored with this long process.

Now i have gone throught 3rd medical......UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!!!

Never heard 3 medicals of any case.
 
Dear member,
Sorry! I don't know your name but I am really impressed by your true reflection of your experiences in canada. well I want to ask you where have you settled? PLz let me know Most important things one should carry from Pakistan to Canada?

Sweetypal
 
sweetypal said:
Dear member,
Sorry! I don't know your name but I am really impressed by your true reflection of your experiences in canada. well I want to ask you where have you settled? PLz let me know Most important things one should carry from Pakistan to Canada?

Sweetypal
Click to expand...

Dear Mate

Carry CASH / CAD , this counts

Stay Blessed
 
Good to see old members like Haral, Parahar51 is back in forum and also extremely happy to know that they are doing well..

Regards,
Edmonta
 
Edmonta,

I noticed your timeline indicates you have also landed. Please can you share your own story with us?

Thanks.

Liss
 
edmonta said:
Good to see old members like Haral, Parahar51 is back in forum and also extremely happy to know that they are doing well..

Regards,
Edmonta
Click to expand...

Edmonta ji,


First of all, please accept my heart felt congrats. for landing at ur place of choice in CANADA.I am very happy for u.

Yes, after a year and half of being at this dream land, things are turning up relatively for a better time.I am of the view that hard work with little bit of planing does work for everyone.Of course, patience is key to success.It takes time to get used to the Canadian way of life.But then,as I said,one should give one self some time for assimilation in Canadian life style.

I am sure, u should be able to pull along well.

Good luck nd May God bless all !!!!

parhar51
 
Thank you. hope you are doing well. let me know incase I can be of any help

edmonta said:
Good to see old members like Haral, Parahar51 is back in forum and also extremely happy to know that they are doing well..

Regards,
Edmonta
Click to expand...
 
Thanks @Haral.

BTW,I am in Edmonton and doing well.

@ Liss,

Here is my landing experience:


Landing:
Landed on Edmonton Airport from Mumbai-London-Edmonton route through Jet airways –Air Canada and landed @ 6.10 pm Edmonton time on 24th July 2014.
At the Passport Control:
At passport control, informed officers that we have come to do our 'landing'. The officer checked our Disembarkation Card and our passport/s & visa and directed us to "Newly Landed Immigrants' Counter". BTW,We collected our baggages after the passport control .
At the Immigration / Custom Counter:
Lady officer greeted here and asked us to show COPR & PP .She filled up our PR application ,asked us the address where we are going to stay and noted down on COPR as well. She asked us about goods to follow in future and we said no. Here she didn't ask for the POF or carrying goods list. COPR copies were attached to our respective passports and she said “Welcome to Canada and now you are PR of Alberta and Canada as well. Please save your COPR copies well until you get your PR cards as this is the only document on which you can travel back in case of Emergency before your PR card arrives.”She later on guided us towards exit and wished us again with smile. At the exit, my friends had come for pick up and drove us to his house where we stayed for 15 days.
Weather:
Temperature was @ 15 degree and for another couple of days it remained rainy and humid. The nicest thing about weather I found was the day was too long and I remember I played Cricket match @ 9.30pm with full sunlight!!Sunset time here from May to August end is @ 10 pm which is so good to see. In last two months temp. has been fluctuating from 0 to 25 deg.cel.with a day when we had -2 degee and some flurries for couple of hours.But overall the weather here remains pleasant and in the range of 10to 25 deg cel.
2nd day:
My friend took me to Service Canada first in Millbourne mall and got the SIN no. COPR and PP copies are required here so pl.ensure to carry those with you. Went to registry and applied for health card which I received after 10 days. Also opened up a/c in TD bank, submitted d/d for deposit and was informed that it will take 10-15 days for clearance. Got that d/d cleared on 17th day of arrival.( So make sure that u keep enough cash with you as you can see it takes 15-20days for d/d to be cleared.)
Accommodation:
Let me tell you that like jobs, accomdation is also in high demand here so one need to book the apartment, houses in advance .It took me around 10days to find out an apartment so if you are planning to land in Edmonton and have relatives or friend ,ask them to see and book one. Sometimes you even need to pay some application fees also.1 bhk would cost you @ 1000 $ and 2 bhk should be @ 1200.You can even get a bachelor suite with a big room and kitchen if u have a small family or only couple staying.
In Edmonton,Millwoods,Millbourne,South gate are the preferred areas for Immigrants. You will find many Asians particularly Indians and also have lots of grocery,veg. shops,restaurants around such areas. Please avoid downtown-Jasper,north,strathcona,Boney doon area in your initial days of staying as these areas are not safe and sometimes costlier as well.
Also for renting an apartment or house you need to have a cosigner who can sign the leasing documents and need to provide SIN no. or credit history for verification. Most of the apartments will be given to you in2nd week of the month as even if the landlord gets it vacated from the previous tenant, they take a week time to get those apartments clean up, paint, electronics appliance check up and cleaning, carpet cleaning etc.Apartments are mostly equipped with Dishwasher,cooker,refrigerator and shared laundry machines.
Job Search:
You can't ask for anything more when you have just come in Canada, applies on your third day of landing, gets an interview call on fifth day and gets an offer in second week.
YES!!It has happened and I can proudly say that I got selected in a first interview I faced in Canada and that too in my very own field!! The story doesn't end here. I had applied for the post which was in a lower category than what I was eligible for and got a job which was even in higher rank than what I had worked previously. While interviewing, my employer found me more capable of doing the job than they had advertised and offered me the position which I had not even imagined..!!and that is why Canada is called a place of opportunities..On the fifteen day of my landing, I got recruited and started the job with an immediate effect.
Driving License:
One of the things where I did a mistake was about my driving license. Before coming to Canada, I was in Middle East and had a driving license. When I approached the driving registry, they told me that I can drive in Edmonton up to three months and can even buy a car so I was thinking to buy a car and start driving. The issue happened when I wanted to buy a car and approached insurance companies. On this point, I came to know that buying car was not an issue but the real problem was to get an insurance without Alberta driving license. Nobody was ready to give me an insurance without the license so I had to go back to the basics and started preparing for the knowledge test. I wasted around a month thinking that I will be buying a car soon but could not due to the insurance issues. Later on cleared the knowledge test and my road test is due in a couple of days. My Job is only 5 kms from where I am staying and Bus services are good here with reasonably good frequencies. You can get Bus services almost everywhere in Edmonton.
City & Cost of living:
Overall Edmonton city is peaceful. Not very much crowded, people are nice, friendly and helping. It's very green in summer times and full of parks, gardens, picnic spots, walking trails.Edmontonains enjoy their summertime to its fullest and hence organize lots of festivals, sports & entertainment activities in summer times.
Other thing is Edmonton has jobs.I don't know about other places but right from the first day I applied for Canadian Immigration,I was sure about my decision to land in Edmonton and It has paid me back and proved that I was not wrong.Many of my friends,relatives who stays here in Canada or US had repeatedly told me not to choose Edmonton but I can say now that It has got lot of Jobs and those who are in technical field ,production,mfg..don't give a second thought on your landing..You are welcome in Edmonton..!!
Cost of living is higher compare to Middle East countries and even more than US but higher wages makes it in check. You will pay taxes altogether @ 20-25% of your take home salary.
Let me end what I had to say here as the mail has become too long.If anybody wants more info. about Edmonton or Landing, Job hunt, send me pm and I would love to help you guys.
Regards,
Edmonta
 
Hello Everyone
it has been 53 months since the start of my journey on May 2010,and 30 months from processing date April 2012,Medicals were done on May 2013 and extended till may 2015.
Latest email from London VO was on May 2014 extending our medicals till May 2015 and mentioning that I will hear from them shortly and no need to do Short Landing.
I waited 3 month since they said Shortly and then emailed on Aug 2014 but no response,
late Aug I emailed the Minister of Immigration and He responded on September 4 confirming that they contacted London visa office and our records confirm that your application is nearing completion and rest assured that u will be conyacted with regar to the final stage of processing.

I cannot understand the delays ,Medical are great and they extended it for me anf family for another year,My NOC is still in Demand and as per their website they recieved only 260 of 1000 cap this year. funds ready passports ready and I told them in every and each email that I am ready to travel as soon as they stamp the visas.
I know I have been repeating myself over and over ,however consider my pain of waiting more than 4 years .Even my kids do not trust anyword about Canada anymore.

Finally my prayers to all applicants especially the unfotunate 2010 applicants.
 
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