Canada Explained

[Lammawitch]

Salmanahm:

It sounds like you have been/are being seriously ripped off by the so-called employment agencies you have encountered.

Some of the practices you describe/allude to are totally illegal!! Paying 50% of your salary to an agency?????? THAT is TOTALLY not normal/acceptable. Contact these guys to find out about your rights:
http://www.workersactioncentre.org

Similarly, regarding housing, you realise you made a mistake initially. Regarding renting, future tenants in Ontario should read & bookmark this site:
http://www.ontariotenants.ca/index.phtml

Otherwise, if you have not already done so, you should contact & avail yourself of the free services provided by legitimate settlement Organisations:
http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/after/OI_AFTER_MULTI.html

 

[salmanahm]

I am gone through all this and pretty much settled now after 6 months. Just sharing the experience so others dont make the same mistake as I did.
Regarding agencies you cant do anything about it becuase every month Harper sent them a letter of appreciation saying that you are doing good business, krep it up. They are legal. For a comparison of their income Magna pays $20/h to employees they hire directly and same amount to the agency for agency employees. Its agency which pays 12/h and all this exploitation is legal.
Another thing is magna and hcr are owned by same owner. There is a story on the Internet about a Phillipines worker who works 12 hours every day and instead of paying overtime they showed 4 hours on the company payroll and 8 on the agency payroll. Simply a financial exploitation. Collective boycott is the only solution to get rid of this evil business.

Salmanahm:

It sounds like you have been/are being seriously ripped off by the so-called employment agencies you have encountered.

Some of the practices you describe/allude to are totally illegal!! Paying 50% of your salary to an agency?????? THAT is TOTALLY not normal/acceptable. Contact these guys to find out about your rights:
http://www.workersactioncentre.org

Similarly, regarding housing, you realise you made a mistake initially. Regarding renting, future tenants in Ontario should read & bookmark this site:
http://www.ontariotenants.ca/index.phtml

Otherwise, if you have not already done so, you should contact & avail yourself of the free services provided by legitimate settlement Organisations:
http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/after/OI_AFTER_MULTI.html

 

[salmanahm]

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/pakistan-application-forum-t19839.58590.html

I have uploaded the file on One drive and shared the statement in the end . You can also dowload from the link I shared on above page.

Thanks again for quick response.

Please also share about your monthly expanses , and best place to live for Pakistanis in Toronto , when ever you have free time.

Best of luck

Reg.
Qureishi

 

[sheray]

Salman

Your post is so far one of the best ones i have read in a long long time.
Thank you sooo much. For your effort and time.
Thank you sincerely.


Regards
Sheray

 

[Lammawitch]

I am gone through all this and pretty much settled now after 6 months. Just sharing the experience so others dont make the same mistake as I did.
Regarding agencies you cant do anything about it becuase every month Harper sent them a letter of appreciation saying that you are doing good business, krep it up. They are legal. For a comparison of their income Magna pays $20/h to employees they hire directly and same amount to the agency for agency employees. Its agency which pays 12/h and all this exploitation is legal.
Another thing is magna and hcr are owned by same owner. There is a story on the Internet about a Phillipines worker who works 12 hours every day and instead of paying overtime they showed 4 hours on the company payroll and 8 on the agency payroll. Simply a financial exploitation. Collective boycott is the only solution to get rid of this evil business.

Ah, I see: I misunderstood your original post where I *thought* you said that you were being obliged to pay the employment agency 50% of your salary (which would have been illegal).

As for your concerns about exploitation, & collective action to remedy it, I think it would be useful to you to contact the workers' action group I linked to.

 

[qureishi]

Dear Salman ,

The link for expanses is not working with me i.e I can't download it.

Can you please upload again in some other format.

Thanks
Qureishi

 

[MNAhmad]

As far as medical is concerned my advice is dont get sick here at least for the first 3 months. Only doctor's fee is exempted under OHIP. You have to pay for costly medication. I will share with u detailed experience. Childcare benefit is very easy to apply. Service Canada will give u forms on Toronto airport fill these and send to tax office. It takes 3 months to arrive.
If ur income ranges under 20000/y for a family for 3 you dont have to pay anything back. I might be wrong because haven't filed a tax return yet.

Do we need any kind of document to bring along for applying the Child Care? Like a tax payers certificate from Pakistani authorities (FBR/relevant tax office)?

 

[ukuk]

Following

 

[salmanahm]

No document required. They will need your PR card and SIN No. Form is available online but you have to send it by regular mail to a concerned office. Please be ready that child care benefit first processing may take 3 months to complete. You will not get any benefit for the month you land. For example if you land on 3rd of November your benefits will start from December. Normally it takes 3 months to process and you will get the combined benefit of December, Jan and Feb and March on 20th of March. It will be transferred in the mothers account and they will only talk to mother of the child for verifications.So very important get a cell phone package for your spouse and write her contact details.

Do we need any kind of document to bring along for applying the Child Care? Like a tax payers certificate from Pakistani authorities (FBR/relevant tax office)?

 

[salmanahm]

I was busy in the certifications but now after all this I am free. I will launched a compaign against this exploitation. It was the only reason we quit our countries NOT to get exploited and if same abuse is being done here than whats the difference. It was the Stupid Harpers government who kept encouraging them.
http://m.thestar.com/#/article/news/gta/2015/03/31/too-many-ontario-workers-exploited-laws-need-quick-overhaul-study-urges.html

Ah, I see: I misunderstood your original post where I *thought* you said that you were being obliged to pay the employment agency 50% of your salary (which would have been illegal).

As for your concerns about exploitation, & collective action to remedy it, I think it would be useful to you to contact the workers' action group I linked to.

 

[salmanahm]

<iframe width="402" height="346" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="https://onedrive.live.com/embed?cid=31346F822CD6265E&resid=31346F822CD6265E%21316&authkey=AO1xMG6aXnwCkuc&em=2&wdAllowInteractivity=False&wdHideGridlines=True&wdHideHeaders=True&wdDownloadButton=True"></iframe>

Dear Salman ,

The link for expanses is not working with me i.e I can't download it.

Can you please upload again in some other format.

Thanks
Qureishi

 

[salmanahm]

BUYING A CAR.
I came with a decision of not to buy a car till winter but believe me it is almost impossible to live in this country without a car. Public transport is too slow and except for heading downtown via GO trains public transport takes 2-3 hours more as compared to cars. Use Google Maps to check the options and timing. Most of the jobs want you to have cars because they are located at routes not accessible by public transit and sometimes job hours don’t match with the transit timing. It’s a handicapped life without a car especially in winter.
Buying a new car is a very good option but be very clear that once you pay for a new car and bring it on road it will lose a value of at least $1000 (Depending on what you buy). Toyota vehicles have the best resale value and Toyota is more reliable than any other vehicle. I am not a Toyota sales person but my experience was wonderful. I bought a 2006 Toyota Matrix from the Toyota Milton. It was a Toyota certified, Toyota serviced vehicle and uptil now worked just perfect. I have driven 10,000 kms and performance is just great. Also it is 1.8L 4 cyl automatic so fuel economy is amazing. I can do 14 km/L on average. 50% highways and 50% regional roads. So depending upon size of your family buy a vehicle. Keep in mind that you can accommodate as many passengers as number of working seat belts. Not like Pakistan where I accommodated 8 guys in a Corolla. Also keep in mind that 80% of the time you will be driving alone so buying a 6 cylinder, 3L will be a waste of fuel if your family is just 4. You can purchase a Toyota YARIS fuel sipper. Keep in mind that
1- Manual transmission vehicles are fuel economic but resale is very difficult. Also Toyota CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) in 2006 and newer vehicles is almost the same in fuel economy as a manual vehicle.
2- If you find a good deal always go for my favorite (Toyota Prius) and enjoy 30km/L. This car is just amazing.
3- You can’t fix a baby seat in the front. Babies are not allowed without a baby car seat and not in the front seat.
4- Always buy a 4 door vehicle. Two door is again difficult to get rid off.
5- If you decide to go for used vehicle then buy a certified car from the authorized dealer. It might be costly but it will save you from lot of problems. Toyota provides free roadside assistance for certified vehicles and in case of breakdown they are responsible if you get it serviced from them.
6- Always read the CAR PROOF papers and look for any accidents or insurance claims associated with a car. Here they can’t hide major accidents because once the insurance pays for a vehicle repairs it is almost impossible to sell it because it will be blacklisted in CAR PROOF papers. Another reason for safe driving and not making an accident.
7- If you decide to go through the bank, differentiate between lease and finance. Finance means you will own the car after you pay the installments. Anyway my idea is if you have money in the account then go for a Cash deal. In dealing with a bank the bank always wins.

 

[kuskus]

Salmanahm:



Otherwise, if you have not already done so, you should contact & avail yourself of the free services provided by legitimate settlement Organisations:
http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/after/OI_AFTER_MULTI.html

This link's not working for me.

 

[kuskus]

BUYING A CAR.
I came with a decision of not to buy a car till winter but believe me it is almost impossible to live in this country without a car. Public transport is too slow and except for heading downtown via GO trains public transport takes 2-3 hours more as compared to cars. Use Google Maps to check the options and timing. Most of the jobs want you to have cars because they are located at routes not accessible by public transit and sometimes job hours don’t match with the transit timing. It’s a handicapped life without a car especially in winter.
Buying a new car is a very good option but be very clear that once you pay for a new car and bring it on road it will lose a value of at least $1000 (Depending on what you buy). Toyota vehicles have the best resale value and Toyota is more reliable than any other vehicle. I am not a Toyota sales person but my experience was wonderful. I bought a 2006 Toyota Matrix from the Toyota Milton. It was a Toyota certified, Toyota serviced vehicle and uptil now worked just perfect. I have driven 10,000 kms and performance is just great. Also it is 1.8L 4 cyl automatic so fuel economy is amazing. I can do 14 km/L on average. 50% highways and 50% regional roads. So depending upon size of your family buy a vehicle. Keep in mind that you can accommodate as many passengers as number of working seat belts. Not like Pakistan where I accommodated 8 guys in a Corolla. Also keep in mind that 80% of the time you will be driving alone so buying a 6 cylinder, 3L will be a waste of fuel if your family is just 4. You can purchase a Toyota YARIS fuel sipper. Keep in mind that
1- Manual transmission vehicles are fuel economic but resale is very difficult. Also Toyota CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) in 2006 and newer vehicles is almost the same in fuel economy as a manual vehicle.
2- If you find a good deal always go for my favorite (Toyota Prius) and enjoy 30km/L. This car is just amazing.
3- You can’t fix a baby seat in the front. Babies are not allowed without a baby car seat and not in the front seat.
4- Always buy a 4 door vehicle. Two door is again difficult to get rid off.
5- If you decide to go for used vehicle then buy a certified car from the authorized dealer. It might be costly but it will save you from lot of problems. Toyota provides free roadside assistance for certified vehicles and in case of breakdown they are responsible if you get it serviced from them.
6- Always read the CAR PROOF papers and look for any accidents or insurance claims associated with a car. Here they can’t hide major accidents because once the insurance pays for a vehicle repairs it is almost impossible to sell it because it will be blacklisted in CAR PROOF papers. Another reason for safe driving and not making an accident.
7- If you decide to go through the bank, differentiate between lease and finance. Finance means you will own the car after you pay the installments. Anyway my idea is if you have money in the account then go for a Cash deal. In dealing with a bank the bank always wins.

Great job.

 

[MNAhmad]

No document required. They will need your PR card and SIN No. Form is available online but you have to send it by regular mail to a concerned office. Please be ready that child care benefit first processing may take 3 months to complete. You will not get any benefit for the month you land. For example if you land on 3rd of November your benefits will start from December. Normally it takes 3 months to process and you will get the combined benefit of December, Jan and Feb and March on 20th of March. It will be transferred in the mothers account and they will only talk to mother of the child for verifications.So very important get a cell phone package for your spouse and write her contact details.

Alright. Thanks a lot for the detailed reply. Much appreciated.