Thread for Outland LONDON, UK Applications!

[dannypee]

So I flag poled today at Coutts Alberta the whole process including being admin refused on the US side took 30 mins super nice people all round,i heard some horror stories about Coutts it clearly pays to call people sir and mam and smile and be polite!! Can anybody please tell me is my visa and stamp in my passport enough to get my SIN I already have Alberta health and a driving license as ive been posted in Canada for 4 1/2 years already. ;D

 

[Sweden]

So has anyone else found it really hard to get a job?

Being a computer programmer I was hoping to carry on in the same vein, but all those jobs are down in Toronto which is too far a commute for me. I'm literally applying for everything right now and I just can't get a break.

I had an interview with Pita Extreme last week and they called me back to say I didn't get the job. I can't even get a job making sandwiches lol.

I don't know if lack of Canadian experience is an issue, or if it's the fact I've only ever worked in computers. It sucks though, we really need the money, and I'm getting restless being at home 24/7.

Hey Korma ( and all the others looking for work),

I had the same struggles, but can't really complain. Landed a good job exactly 3 months after landing as a PR, which of course now doesn't seem so much, but I remember the feeling of looking and not finding anything, and being told that I was missing "canadian experience" - huh? of course.... I'm an immigrant!
Not sure if it's applicable to all, but might be worth looking for a recruiter - or several for that matter. They are free for the applicant, and they help ( in my case it did). They do the background check, contact former employers to get references etc, so when they put you forward for a job, the future employer doesn't have to bother checking overseas/different time zones former employers, as it's already been done. A good way to come around the "lacking canadian experience", also you can get a recruiter and talk to him, and convince him about your qualities, before applying for a job.
Good luck all!
Sweden

So I flag poled today at Coutts Alberta the whole process including being admin refused on the US side took 30 mins super nice people all round,i heard some horror stories about Coutts it clearly pays to call people sir and mam and smile and be polite!! Can anybody please tell me is my visa and stamp in my passport enough to get my SIN I already have Alberta health and a driving license as ive been posted in Canada for 4 1/2 years already. ;D

Congrats and welcome to Canada as a PR! Yes - visa and stamp in passport (dated from the day you landed) are enough, you can go with your signed COPR + passport to any Service Canada office and get a SIN in 10 min. THe card itself arrives 10 days later, but the number is active right away.
Sweden

 

[Eabie]

Right... so, I've sent another case specific inquiry to London and hope it won't cause any issues that I've sent two, asking pretty much the same thing, within about a week. It turns out I did in fact misspell my email address the first time so even if they chose to respond, they wouldn't have been able to. Does anyone think this will cause any problems? They say not to send the same email twice, but I did explain in the second one that I had miswrote my email address the first time around. I just asked for a status update and to make sure that I hadn't missed any communication from them, like requests for documents.

It's a fairly simple reason for the mistake. I use a Hotmail address for everything, but they wouldn't accept it as valid for some reason. So I had to use my yahoo address, which I hadn't even logged into for several months. When I logged in, I wrote it as "yahoo.ca" and it worked, so I assumed that was my address. But if you actually send email with .ca at the end, it comes back as a mail delivery failure notice. It's actually "yahoo.com." If Yahoo hadn't allowed me to log in when I was misspelling my email address, I would have realized it was wrong. Such an annoying and stupid little mistake on my part.

 

[jackmb]

So everyone who is having difficulties finding a job.

Would you say it is worth me obtaining a writen reference from my previous employers. I am on good terms with them all so should be easy enough.

I know this won't remove the "canadian expereince" problem but it will mean they don't have to contact them directly and have the time zone/phone cost issues.

 

[claire_09]

indeed, mine did the same - home address in Canada and 8h later - DM! so you should be very close!
Sweden

Mine went 'In Process' on the Friday, address changed on the Wednesday, DM on the Thursday and the COPR was received in the post in the UK on the Thursday..hope that helps!

 

[Sniprat]

So everyone who is having difficulties finding a job.

Would you say it is worth me obtaining a writen reference from my previous employers. I am on good terms with them all so should be easy enough.

I know this won't remove the "canadian expereince" problem but it will mean they don't have to contact them directly and have the time zone/phone cost issues.

Is this "Canadian Experience" thing really an issue? I mean, it is not like we are coming from 15th century outer Mongolia.

 

[mic_midd86]

Is this "Canadian Experience" thing really an issue? I mean, it is not like we are coming from 15th century outer Mongolia.

In my case yeah. One place I went into with my resume looked at it and said that they couldn't hire me as not all my references were in Canada. I mean really?
I've worked in Canada previously for 2 years, but that was 2005-2007. I never thought not enough Canadian experience would ever be a problem!

 

[Eabie]

In my case yeah. One place I went into with my resume looked at it and said that they couldn't hire me as not all my references were in Canada. I mean really?
I've worked in Canada previously for 2 years, but that was 2005-2007. I never thought not enough Canadian experience would ever be a problem!

That is completely absurd and frankly discriminatory. (I'm Canadian btw.)

If an employer said that to my husband I'd have half a mind to go down to their business the very next day myself and give them an earful about how their hiring policies are blatantly anti-immigrant. And I wouldn't care who overheard me. I'm not an especially aggressive or angry person but that just infuriates me.

 

[mic_midd86]

That is completely absurd and frankly discriminatory. (I'm Canadian btw.)

If an employer said that to my husband I'd have half a mind to go down to their business the very next day myself and give them an earful about how their hiring policies are blatantly anti-immigrant. And I wouldn't care who overheard me. I'm not an especially aggressive or angry person but that just infuriates me.

I thought it was pretty awful also!
On the up side.... I just had a phone call and an email about jobs! So I have an interview this afternoon and one at 5!!!

 

[AlanJB27]

OK, so I got this email from CIC in response to my reeust for an update.. This was on the 7th of May..

- We are in the process of conducting the required background/ security checks for your application. We will proceed towards finalising your application as soon as the process has been completed..

So, knowing that this is a generic response, I replied asking for something more specific.. Sent this on the 8th May..

Today I get this response :


Good morning,



The background checks are a lengthy process that can take several months. We are unable to provide a specific timeframe for the completion of this procedure but will be in contact as soon as there have been developments with the processing of your file.



Regards,
CDD

I was sooooo hoping that after 9+ months I'd be making at least some progress.. So damn frustrating..

 

[Sweden]

So everyone who is having difficulties finding a job.

Would you say it is worth me obtaining a writen reference from my previous employers. I am on good terms with them all so should be easy enough.

I know this won't remove the "canadian expereince" problem but it will mean they don't have to contact them directly and have the time zone/phone cost issues.

ye s- it's worth it. I did that, and the recruiters that I talked to always asked for a written reference. THey might contact your previous employers anyway, but it will save a little bit of time..

Is this "Canadian Experience" thing really an issue? I mean, it is not like we are coming from 15th century outer Mongolia.

it was for me as well... one way to go around it is recruiters, but also "canadian certifications" ( which I obviously didn't have!)... so it feels like starting almost from scratch again. I got a position here that is interesting but with less responsability than I used to have... just because I don't have "canadian experience"... oh well!
Sweden

 

[scottishmaple]

OK, so I got this email from CIC in response to my reeust for an update.. This was on the 7th of May..

- We are in the process of conducting the required background/ security checks for your application. We will proceed towards finalising your application as soon as the process has been completed..

So, knowing that this is a generic response, I replied asking for something more specific.. Sent this on the 8th May..

Today I get this response :


Good morning,



The background checks are a lengthy process that can take several months. We are unable to provide a specific timeframe for the completion of this procedure but will be in contact as soon as there have been developments with the processing of your file.



Regards,
CDD

I was sooooo hoping that after 9+ months I'd be making at least some progress.. So damn frustrating..

You have the same timeframe as me and they are just doing your background checks? I thought that was the first thing they did....doesnt give me much hope for mine being finalised soon....

 

[DGT]

OK, so I got this email from CIC in response to my reeust for an update.. This was on the 7th of May..

- We are in the process of conducting the required background/ security checks for your application. We will proceed towards finalising your application as soon as the process has been completed..

So, knowing that this is a generic response, I replied asking for something more specific.. Sent this on the 8th May..

Today I get this response :


Good morning,



The background checks are a lengthy process that can take several months. We are unable to provide a specific timeframe for the completion of this procedure but will be in contact as soon as there have been developments with the processing of your file.



Regards,
CDD

I was sooooo hoping that after 9+ months I'd be making at least some progress.. So damn frustrating..

Wow. Do you have any idea why it's taken so long? Do you have a complex travel history at all? I sure hope it doesn't take as long as what they're saying...

 

[AlanJB27]

You have the same timeframe as me and they are just doing your background checks? I thought that was the first thing they did....doesnt give me much hope for mine being finalised soon....

I was under the impression that this was already done.. I really hope yours get finalised soon.. I want to get the 365 before you.. lol..

Wow. Do you have any idea why it's taken so long? Do you have a complex travel history at all? I sure hope it doesn't take as long as what they're saying...

DGT, not really.. Lived in the UK for the first 10 years of my life.. 19 in South Africa and back in the UK the rest..
I have a daughter who lives in SA with her mother.. They insisted that I send her for a medical.. Much drama and bergaining later, her Mom took her and the forms got send through here.. That was April.. For the record.. My daughter is 17, lives in SA and has no intention whatsoever of immigrating to Canada.. I told CIC this and they still insisted on getting her medical done.. I thought when that was done I'd be finished.. Seems not..

 

[Sweden]

I was under the impression that this was already done.. I really hope yours get finalised soon.. I want to get the 365 before you.. lol..

DGT, not really.. Lived in the UK for the first 10 years of my life.. 19 in South Africa and back in the UK the rest..
I have a daughter who lives in SA with her mother.. They insisted that I send her for a medical.. Much drama and bergaining later, her Mom took her and the forms got send through here.. That was April.. For the record.. My daughter is 17, lives in SA and has no intention whatsoever of immigrating to Canada.. I told CIC this and they still insisted on getting her medical done.. I thought when that was done I'd be finished.. Seems not..

CIC is always very very reluctant to let any parent in Canada without at least the medicals for the child, and they won't really process the file before that is solved - so maybe that's why.... it takes a while for the medicals to arrive, be matched to your file, and then the background checks.

You have the same timeframe as me and they are just doing your background checks? I thought that was the first thing they did....doesnt give me much hope for mine being finalised soon....

Your case is quite different as your daughter was included from the beginning, so most likely they're done with that part for you, and as soon as they can match the medicals etc, it should be solve soon ( I know, we've all been telling you it's soon for quite a while!).
Good luck!
Sweden