Please do you know if only the 9 months diploma could be used or if the other short courses of 6 or 3 months offered by the HRDC would be sufficient

Scandinavian02:


Why PGD? Why don’t you do the Unilag HRDC?
It is evaluated as two or more degrees.

LONG POST ALERT!!! Its not PPR but IELTS success story

**Am able to share this testimony only because God made a way!!!
I want to return all the glory to God who made everything beautiful in its own time. This is not a PPR testimony but I think sharing my timeline as regards to IELTS would help some peeps in my shoe. Who says you cannot ace the exam? Have this at the back of your mind the challenges with this exam will surely pass.

We are obsessed with success that we forgot that failing is also part of life. We should know that it is ok not to succeed at the first time of trying. But, we must pick up ourselves, dust off the dirts and move again. Find lessons in failure and reason to succeed. If you are thinking of yourself, why me, why haven’t I succeeded at this or that, be calm and work harder, your breakthrough will come.

NB: The struggle you are facing is a test to see if you’re truly committed to the life you say you want (living in canny). This is not a pity party. Success is a cycle.

FAIL→LEARN→SUCCESS (Vice-versa)

8 ATTEMPTS: in the LRWS order (I wrote all with BC)
03/03/18 7.5, 7.5, 7, 8

7/7/18 7.5, 8, 7, 7.5

13/10/18 7.5, 7.5, 7, 8.5

9/02/19 7, 5.5, 7.5, 8 (I was so down after the listening module, this affected my reading)

23/03/19 7, 7.5, 7, 7.5

11/05/19 8,6.5,7,7.5

1/06/2019 8,8.5,6.5, 8 (EOR came back unchanged)

23/07/19 8,7,7,7.5 (writing was upgraded from 6 to 7)

I applied for EOR on the 22nd of August 2019 and EOR came out today 6th September, 2019.

To ease your journey use Cambridge materials for your practice sessions http://practicepteonline.com/cambridge-ielts-1-13-tests/ (listening), ieltsonlinetests.com (reading), I used liz paid videos for writing from onset . So many tips have been shared on this thread so I will not duplicate what has been posted by peeps here. Please practice and keep your eyes on the goal. These were my words during the waiting time 2Corinthians 12 v9 and Habakuk 2v3.
I said the prayer of St. Joseph Cupertino (even though am not a catholic but a man like me will do all that is required to pass this exam, I believed in it and it worked for me). Never give up on your dreams. Thanks to everyone here who have shared tips for passing ielts.

Now the PR dream is clearer. Spouse to write ielts soon and hopefully CRS would be in the 450+ range. It will end in praise for us all.

iaatmguy:
yes you can, however do not forget to notify them

thanks. I appreciate

Eraytee:
LONG POST ALERT!!! Its not PPR but IELTS success story

**Am able to share this testimony only because God made a way!!!
I want to return all the glory to God who made everything beautiful in its own time. This is not a PPR testimony but I think sharing my timeline as regards to IELTS would help some peeps in my shoe. Who says you cannot ace the exam? Have this at the back of your mind the challenges with this exam will surely pass.

congratulations

Sarang:
I have a question guys. What if my only proof of a 3year work from 2011-2014 before I left for Canada was paid only with cash. I can only get a job letter but is this enough? No bank statements, no payslip. I intend adding an explanation letter. Is there any suggestions at all or is this okay?

And please can someone send a sample detailed offer letter to me so I can send to my HR to use as reference. Thanks
Udahchidi@gmail.com

This is my situation as well. Pls let me info you get some advise

PopularGingo:
Congrats to you...sometimes it's best to follow up because they drag their feet a lot.

Congratulations Btari, God is faithful!!!!

[quote author=Eraytee post=81981470]LONG POST ALERT!!! Its not PPR but IELTS success story

[b]**A
03/03/18 7.5, 7.5, 7, 8
congrats i know the feeling

[ ]

My people, I am back with the full PPR gist…Warning: very long read ahead o

TL;DR:
Decision to carry our kaya to Canada: Aug 2018
Partner IELTS: 27th Oct 2018 (L8.5 R9 W7 S7.5)
IELTS: 13th Dec 2018 (L9 R9 W6.5 S7.5)  EOR: 3rd Jan 2019 (L9 R9 W7 S8.5)
ECA: 10th December 2018 (ICES - 12 weeks in total)
Partner ECA: 4th Jan 2019 (ICES - 16 weeks in total)
ITA: 9th Jan 2019 (Stream: FSW-Outland, NOC: 2145, CRS: 459)
AOR: 28th Jan 2019
MEP/BIL: 13th Feb 2019
Biometrics completed: 14th Feb 2019
Called IRCC for update: 08th May 2019 (agent could not provide update because file was transferred to London VO)
RPRF: 08th May 2019 (I got tired of waiting and paid RPRF, hoping it would kick-start progress on file, I don't think it worked)
GCMS requested: 14th May 2019
GCMS received: 14th June 2019 (Criminality passed, Info Sharing complete, Eligibility & Security not started)
Emailed Ralph: 30th July 2019 (he replied within 5 hours - Criminality, Eligibility & Security passed, awaiting final review and decision)
Ghost Update: 31th July 2019 (Emailed London VO same day to find out if my application had been approved, no response received)
Called CIC: 09th Aug 2019 (no change, same update as Ralph)
Sent CSE to London VO: 14th Aug 2019 (Told them our medicals will expire in Nov and pleaded for quick approval, as usual no response received)
PPR: 30th Aug 2019
AOR to PPR: 7 months + 2 days
Passports sent to London VFS by post: 30th Aug 2019
Passports received at VFS: 3rd Sep 2019 (took a while for delivery because of weekend and public holiday)
Delivery to London High Commission: 3rd Sep 2019 (same day)
COPR Approval: 4th Sep 2019 (online account was updated)
Passport Return to VFS: 5th Sep 2019
Passport + COPR delivery: 6th Sep 2019
PPR to COPR: Exactly one calendar week

Decision to travel: August 2018. Why? Short answer: Marriage and Work. Long answer: I’ve lived and worked in a few countries and after I got married, the nomadic lifestyle became less appealing. My partner and I dream to have a permanent home somewhere that is not in Nigeria and that we wouldn’t worry about visa restrictions. Added to that, I had a nightmare of a colleague who has been a thorn in the flesh since I started working in the UK and this has really affected my mental health. I’ve been tempted to quit several times but didn’t because that would mean leaving a sane country where most things work and moving to the jungle called Nigeria. So that’s how we decided to start our Canadian PR journey!
ECA:
We used ICES for our degree evaluations, and it was just a nightmare! At that time, estimated completion time was 4 weeks, which was why we chose ICES but ours ended up taking 12 and 16 weeks respectively. Full gist of what happened here: https://www.nairaland.com/4843199/canadian-express-entry-federal-skilled/136#73513974
IELTS:
The plan was to use a previous IELTS result that I used for my UK work visa (L9 R9 W7.5 S7.5). We were hoping to enter the pool and receive ITA before it expires. Alas, my village people were busy laughing at me. ICES took such a long time to complete ECA and my result expired during that time . I was disappointed but no shaking, my eyes were still on the main goal. I registered for another exam on 1st Dec 2018 and the result was disappointing, I had 6.5 in writing. I applied for EOR for both speaking and writing. God being so good, my writing was changed to 7. Full gist here: https://www.nairaland.com/4843199/canadian-express-entry-federal-skilled/295#74478112 My partner aced his own test first time though.
What we submitted for the Education Section:
1. IELTS Result
2. ECA
3. Degree certifications (B.Sc & M.Sc)
PCC:
My partner submitted for 2 countries (Nigeria & UK) while I submitted for 4 countries (Nigeria, UK and two others). I did our Nigeria PCC while on a work trip in Lagos and it cost N15k for both of us (I had not discovered Inspector Moshood at that time and the thing pain me sha). One thing to point out is that our Nigerian PCC had expired as at the time we submitted our application but still met IRCC requirements as mentioned here: https://www.nairaland.com/5187408/canadian-express-entry-federal-skilled/530#81679737
UK PCC was requested online and arrived within a week. The other two countries were not easy. For one of them, I had to travel to another city to request for it while the other one, they don’t even have embassy sef, so I reached out to a colleague who was still working there and he was kind enough to help process it.
I was a bit worried that our application might end up in extended security screening because of the two other countries (they both have questionable reputation) but thankfully it didn't.
POF:
The initial plan was to use a cash fund that I have with my employer for POF (it was more than enough). It’s similar to what Indians call Provident Fund and it is payable in cash when I leave the company. My partner no gree o, he said we should also add cash just in case so we combined funds into our joint savings account. We only had the money in the account for 3 months prior to submission date so we didn’t keep it for 6 months which is absolutely not necessary as per IRCC rules.
What we submitted for POF:
1. LOE with list of documents attached, exchange rate used (bankofcanada.ca) and a table highlighted how much is in each account (joint account + cash fund)
2. Letter from our bank (not in CIC format, it did not have average balance or account opening date)
3. 6 months bank statement signed and stamped
4. Letter from my employer’s cash fund administrators stating total amount of money in the cash fund and when it will be available to me.
Work Reference:
Since I was the PA, we left my partner's work history section blank and instead included his work experience under the personal history section. This saved us the wahala of running around for his own work reference letter because he had changed jobs a lot.
For me, I've worked for my employer in a few countries with different job titles, all of which thankfully fall under the same NOC. I also took one year personal leave from work at some point. So I split my work history the same way it was written in my work reference letter:
Role 1 - country x from xx to yy date
Role 2 - country y from xx to yy date...etc
This meant that I had more than one upload section (one for each role). No wahala, I just uploaded the same pdf in each placeholder.
My HR Department also refused to include job description/roles and responsibilities (R&R), although they included my salary for each job title.
What we submitted in each employment placeholder:
1. LOE explaining that my employer did not provide job description/R&R in the letter and I also explained the acronyms used in the letter.
2. Work reference letter
3. Email from HR stating that they can't include job description/R&R
4. Screenshot from the company's internal website showing my R&R, it’s like my personal career page and it has my picture and details about my job.
5. Last 3 promotion letters
Note: I requested for my work reference letter before creating my Express entry profile, because I wanted to ensure consistency in the dates and job titles. So by the time I finally submitted my application (AOR), my work reference was 3 months old and I submitted it like that.
Medical: My partner had his done in the UK (cost £300 ~ N135K ouch!). Luckily, I was on a work trip in Lagos so got mine done at IOM for roughly N42K.

Waiting Period:
This was hellish, I was constantly checking my profile. I also set up tent with coke and popcorn on canadavisa and nairaland threads. Instead of helping, it was increasing my anxiety so tey I no fit sleep. I needed a distraction so I bit the bullet and registered for PMP since my manager had kukuma been pushing me to do it. So for 3 months, I was completely focused on preparing for the PMP exam, thankfully I passed! Then I resumed my unpaid job on canadavisa and nairaland lol. I also joined the Jan AOR group for support (best.family.ever!)

Fast forward to when our application clocked 7 months, I was so down and frustrated. Not knowing that two days later, I would receive a 'do-not-reply' email that my application has been updated and I would log in to find passport request letter sitting there jejely. God is great!!

We sent off our passports to VFS in London and included special delivery return envelope (cost £7) instead of paying for VFS courier service which would have cost £20
I also sent an email to London VO requesting for COPR validity until January 2020 because our medicals expire in November and we weren’t sure we would have enough time to land. As usual, they never responded. We got our passports back today and surprise surprise, COPR validity is April 2020!! So the email seemed to have worked
So finally, this journey has come to a successful end. Big shout-out to my Jan AOR peeps who were super encouraging and everyone on this thread who took out time to answer my questions or provide reassurance. God bless you all! I pray everyone on his journey will rejoice like this too soon. Cheers!
[/quote]


Hi sis, please I just sent you a pm. Could you please connect me to inspector Moshood for PCC? I'm just trying to work on mine. Also, how did you oh u go about your for the UK from here, I need to process me for Canada, can't be present for that at the moment. Any ideas on how I can go about it?

thanks a lot

mumayo:

congratulations

thanks a lot bro.

[quote author=ednut1 post=81983924][/quote]

Hi guys people who were paid in cash
How do they prove their employment aside letter

Sarang:
Hi guys people who were paid in cash
How do they proof their employment aside letter

Please seniors and elders.... help us with this. Very important!

Hello!
The information you seek is on page 1 already, hence the seeming lack of a response, as the advice is that we research the wealth of information already on the thread so we do not keep asking questions that have been over-flogged.
This is the link from page 1 for persons paid in cash.
There is so much information there that will be very helpful as you proceed with this process. Try to look through and use the search function too when necessary.
I wish you the best.

https://www.nairaland.com/5031893/canadian-express-entry-federal-skilled/142#76663649

Hephzibah2018:


Please seniors and elders.... help us with this. Very important!

Hephzibah2018:


Please seniors and elders.... help us with this. Very important!

I called CIC the guy was just talking blah! That the job is not legal cos it’s cash and I told him it’s not in Canada, things are different where I come from..Anyway I ended the call there after and I found something on Canadavisa, send me pm. Someone applied that way and got his PR. No harm in trying

Asetime:

Some provinces only need you to be in the pool with sufficient scores for you to get an invitation. Few weeks back, on this thread some people got invitations for PNP. Try to invest alot of time in reading as you will have many more questions and some questions MAY not be answered here because they have been over flogged.

[color=#000099][/color]

Muito Obrigado...
(Thank you very much)

I am still waiting to find out if anyone has successfully evaluated this HRDC as 2 or more certs........

SapphireFort:
Please do you know if only the 9 months diploma could be used or if the other short courses of 6 or 3 months offered by the HRDC would be sufficient

mikkyshow:
Good day!!!
Please, for those who have used Gift Deed as POF, kindly help me with genuine response.
I have someone ready to help me with money for my POF and its Gift Deed that I want to use. How long should the money be left in my account after printing out the bank statement?

Please make sure that the someone is a family member to avoid stories that touch

Sarang:
Hi guys people who were paid in cash
How do they proof their employment aside letter

If you go through page one you'll find links to other parts where people have used work experience where they were paid in cash. Especially parts 3 and 4, it worked so just package your application accordingly. Employment letter, ID cards, posting letter, promotion letter, letter from a supervisor stating you were paid in cash etc. Just look out specifically one page one of those threads. If I find it I'll also paste the link here for you

Edited: here you go
https://www.nairaland.com/5031893/canadian-express-entry-federal-skilled/17#75926654

Sarang:


I called CIC the guy was just talking blah! That the job is not legal cos it’s cash and I told him it’s not in Canada, things are different where I come from..Anyway I ended the call there after and I found something on Canadavisa, send me pm. Someone applied that way and got his PR. No harm in trying

OK sure....I just messaged you.

Eraytee:
LONG POST ALERT!!! Its not PPR but IELTS success story

**Am able to share this testimony only because God made a way!!!
I want to return all the glory to God who made everything beautiful in its own time. This is not a PPR testimony but I think sharing my timeline as regards to IELTS would help some peeps in my shoe. Who says you cannot ace the exam? Have this at the back of your mind the challenges with this exam will

Congrats !..could you please help me with the paid videos

mobenjackson:


@Oluwayeminikans... See this to your last question... Hope it helps.

[/color][color=#000099]
Please, when I get ICES évaluation on the HND as 4 years and I get into the pool, am I to choose highest qualification as BSC or 2 more certificate. Note : I am not evaluating my OND as each cost 200CAD.

Oluwayeminikans:

[/color][color=#000099]
Please, when I get ICES évaluation on the HND as 4 years and I get into the pool, am I to choose highest qualification as BSC or 2 more certificate. Note : I am not evaluating my OND as each cost 200CAD.

I will suggest you evaluate your OND too, this will help you to claim 2 or more points which inturns increases your crs points

Jennypharb1:


If you go through page one you'll find links to other parts where people have used work experience where they were paid in cash. Especially parts 3 and 4, it worked so just package your application accordingly. Employment letter, ID cards, posting letter, promotion letter, letter from a supervisor stating you were paid in cash etc. Just look out specifically one page one of those threads. If I find it I'll also paste the link here for you

Edited: here you go
https://www.nairaland.com/5031893/canadian-express-entry-federal-skilled/17#75926654

Thanks

Congrats once again

Jennypharb1:


I apologize for the long story, I sort of started keeping a diary in my PPR story to clear my head during the wait.

Timeline
IELTS 12th May 2018 – L 8.5 R 8.0 W 7.5 S 8.0
ECA 24th August 2018 – Master’s Degree equivalent (WES)
Work experience - Less than 3years
ITA – 5th September 2018
CRS – 456
eAPR – 8th October 2018
AOR – 8th October 2018
MEP – 7th November 2018
BIL – 7th November 2018 (Biometrics enrolled 8th November)
IP1 - I dunno
IP2 – 26th July 2019
Remedicals - 1st August 2019
Actual PPR - 8th August 2019 (10 months post AOR)

It’s PPR + COPR after 10 months !! Brace up for a long read….

BACKGROUND (My IELTS success story as earlier shared in Part 5)

Finally, IELTS has been put to the cross.

I have no choice but to step out from the shadows as a keen and silent observer to motivate and encourage someone in this big family.

1st attempt (BC, April '18)
L - 8.5
R -8.0
W -7.0
S - 7.5
Right from the onset, the aim had been to max out to hit 441 (if u know, you know ). Because of the urge to enter the pool (CRS - 438) and belief that CRS was going to drop based on last year's draws, I didn't bother to request for a remark. After waiting and closely following the draws, I realized that this was not going to happen. I decided to write TEF - I have intermediate French knowledge - in June since I stood a better chance of raking in more points. TEF didn't bulge and humbled me. Still, I refused to be discouraged and remained resolute.

2nd attempt (BC, September '18)
L - 8.0
R - 9.0
W - 6.5
S - 7.0
After putting in extra preparation, BC hit me with this result. I didn't even know whether to laugh or cry but I was certain this was an anomaly. I didn't even think of an EOR as I believed it was a lost cause. As usual, I refused to let it get to me and immediately searched for available exam slots. I decided to give MOD a shot and was lucky to get a seat in less than 1 week outside my town. Yes, the struggle was for 3 additional points but trust me, every single point you can get counts in this journey.

3rd Attempt (MOD, September '18)
L - 9.0
R - 9.0
W - 7.5
S - 8.5
God finally came through for me. Safe to say MOD was the game changer. Waiting for this result was mentally exhausting as I kept second guessing myself all through the waiting period even though I knew I gave my best. To say I am relieved and elated is an understatement. Now sitting at 441 and hoping CRS drops soonest - The next battle !

To everybody battling with IELTS, please do not give up. Remain resolute, prepare harder and heaven will definitely favour you.

TIMELINE
Final decision to migrate - October 2017

IELTS:
07 April '18 LRWS - 8.5, 8.0, 7.0, 7.5 (1st attempt)
28 June '18 - TEF (LRWS - A2, B1, A2, A2)
08 September '18 LRWS - 8.0, 9.0, 6.5, 7.0 (2nd attempt)
29 September '18 LRWS - 9, 9, 7.5, 8.5 (Finally maxed out)

ECA: 18 May '18

EE Profile created: 18 May '18 (CRS - 438)

EE profile updated: 12 October '18 (CRS - 441)

ITA: 15 October '18

AOR: 9 November '18

MEP/BIL: 11 December '18

BIL completed: 12 December '18

IP2: 08 August '19 ( Not certain but most likely came few days earlier cos I didn't check my account for about 1week )

PPR: 08 August '19, 11:05pm

AOR to PPR: 9 months (272 days)

Application Approved: August 28 ‘19

COPR: September 6 ‘19

VO: Ottawa

No ADR

Single Applicant

No Travel History


DECISION TO MIGRATE
I had always wished to leave from the day I could tell my left from my right. My desire to leave the country was not necessarily borne out of the dire situation and bleak future of the country (ended up playing a huge part though) but mostly because I love exploring new places.

I had gotten my international passport since 2015 and had never applied for any form of visa - was practically just using it as a means of ID. LOL. I was bidding my time and waiting for the right opportunity more so because I work in a Multinational organization and doing fairly okay.

By mid 2017, I was beginning to get disillusioned and dissatisfied with my job role. I was running my master's programme at this time and was ready to make a move.

Fortunately, about the same period, a friend told me about Express Entry and the processes but she didn't seem to have a good grasp of the whole process. I took note of the little information I got and moved on. By October, a very good friend of mine intimated me of his desire to leave soonest through the same EE. I quickly latched on that and he was able to give me a better understanding of the whole process and sufficient information to start the whole process. At this point, my mind was made up to follow through but my final exams was fast approaching. I decided to initiate the process in January immediately after my final exams. And that was how my journey started and I made it my topmost goal for year 2018.

Quest for further info then led me to this thread. I joined from Part 3 (I don old small for here but we was on a low *lol*) and I got more than 80% of the info I required for the process here.

ECA
By the time I was ready to start my certificate evaluation in February, I learnt our dear NASU was on strike. This was where my patience was first tested. Fortunately for me, the strike was called off few weeks later. Na so the journey start. I used WES (way before the era of WAEC) and it was actually a breeze. As I was based far away from where I schooled, I got my sister to go to my school to make the application. Got a contact thereafter who was super helpful and he followed through till verification. I never stepped a foot in my school all through. My evaluation was completed within the stipulated timeline.

MEDICALS
Immediately I saw my IELTS result on October 12th, I just had the feeling ITA (I never imagined it was just 3days away) was around the corner and I proceeded right on the spot to book for my Medicals at Q-life Clinic. On my first contact, I was booked for November 28 but I pleaded with them to check if there was any available slot before then. Lucky enough, I was able to get a November 8 date. Few days later (after getting ITA), I called back to confirm my appointment and was lucky enough again to get it moved to November 5.

Flew down from my base to Lagos about 3days before the set date - people based in Lagos and Abuja are very lucky. We are sha beefing you people Lol. On the D-day, I got there quite early but met a sizeable number of people. The whole process was relatively smooth and without stress. Left about 6hrs later. To be open as possible and to avoid any unwanted story later, I declared a benign health condition but which was now under control to the doctor. When the worries of passing medicals set in and my thoughts were everywhere ( I just dey start, I never see anything), I was almost regretting telling the Doctor. My fears were unfounded and worthless as I passed my medicals at the set time without any issue. Hallelujah somebody !! �

PCC
I actually got two PCCs for this journey. First one I got in May by proxy using Inspector Moshood. I was confident back then of getting ITA before it expired but for where?! E no happen till it eventually expired. Got the second one also by proxy in October immediately after I got ITA. This was also hassle free. I scanned and submitted both the certificate and the fingerprints page (wasn’t ready to leave anything to chance).

ITA/AOR
Getting an invitation was my beginning of real test of patience. I had to take the IELTS three times not because I didn't get the minimum score at the first try but because I just had to max out. The aim was to max out and hit 441 and then ride my luck hoping the draws (era of 440+) will be favourable at some point or at the extreme, wait for official completion of my Masters degree.
At that point, I had written the last paper of my Masters degree programme and was rounding up with my project work but then I knew I couldn't just wait on them because the school is notorious for delays and all forms of administrative bottlenecks and frustrations.
Then came October 15th (just 3 days after I had updated my IELTS result), the day of unexpected miracle draw. What a wonderful day !! I had taken the day off from work after so many frustrations to get my project supervisor to grade my work and let me move on. Waiting for him in front of his office bored and tired, I decided to find succour in the thread as usual. Then boom, I saw a post announcing the draw. With all different shade of emotions, I dashed straight to the CIC site for confirmation. There it was staring at me out of the blues, a draw of 440 !
At that point, I didn't even how to react, what to say or what to do. I will never forget that moment. Chaiii...see God blessing me in the arena of my oppressors. Lol. Na so I comot the guy office and didn't even bother going back for a very long time. Safe to say final results were not compiled till April this year. Hmmnn.
Then the journey to gather and sort all my documents started. Because I had spent so much time here, I already knew what and what was expected of me. I had been diligently keeping screenshots of information that was applicable to me all the while I was waiting for ITA. So I found it quite straightforward. Gathered all and finally submitted November 9th.

POF
I used my Stanbic Mutual funds account. Had about 70% of the funds required already in it. Got a gift for the balance from my brother. I prepared the gift deed myself and got it notarized. I didn't have to go to Stanbic bank to get my reference letter. I contacted them via mail and was asked to pay a token of #2625 and it was mailed back to me in less than 3 days. Also got my 6months account balance from them. It was quite easy and straightforward. For submission, I included the reference letter, 6months account balance, gift deed and transfer receipts of the gift.

PROOF OF EMPLOYMENT
Claimed 3 years of work experience from current organisation. Getting a reference letter was quite tricky. Had informed my former supervisor months earlier of the need to sign my reference letter which he agreed to. But by the time ITA dropped and I went back to him, oga started dragging feet o. He suddenly started referring to company policy why he can't sign on a letter head paper and bla bla and I didn't want to explore the idea of preparing it on a plain sheet and notarizing it. At this point, I was confused and getting worried. Because of confidentiality and to avoid unnecessary rumours, I didn't want to go the HR route but at this point, I had no choice. If I go cast, make I cast, the stakes are too high to chicken out. After a couple of back and forth between HR and my current supervisor to endorse my JD as I had prepared it, it was accepted and forwarded to our Head Office for processing. I sha had to lie I was going to visit in the abroad. Lol

After plenty follow ups and frequent calls, reference letter came after about 2weeks but big comma dey dere. Because of a 'company policy' of reference letter not exceeding a page, my JD was muddled up and was looking incoherent. But which kind wahala be this na ?! Well, nothing a LOE can not fix. I simply typed my JD the way it should be on a plain sheet and got it stamped from HR and also included it. Other documents included in the placeholder was my 6 months pay slip, most recent salary review letter and employment letter.

BIOMETRICS
This was supposed to be one of the easiest phase of this journey but the experience I had left a sore taste in my mouth and further convinced me I just needed to move to a system that works. I travelled to Kaduna to spend some time with my brother (and at same time hope to get biometrics done) when I got my biometrics request on December 11. Left the next day for VFS Abuja to get it done. It was straightforward and without stress and my account was updated in no time. Leaving Kaduna back to my base was nightmarish. Journey that was supposed to last less than 4hrs travelling via rail and air eventually took me more than 30hrs plus stress on the road due to inefficiencies and delays both at the train station and the airport. One would think they all planned to frustrate me that fateful day. Very frustrating experience but I'm glad I could recount it with a victory smile on my face.

THE WAIT
This phase forcefully taught me patience and perseverance. It was nothing but nine months of emotional torture and it brought out the mental strength in me I never knew I had. How I managed to pull through I really do not know but was just taking each day as it came. Thinking of my IELTS and ITA struggle, I believed in my mind I was gonna get compensated with a short wait. For where ?! Rather, it was waiting game reloaded.

After submission, I joined the November AOR group created by Ramj and also devoted more time to the thread as usual to get updates and pass away time . Looking at other timelines (especially single applicants), it was not uncommon for PPR to come within 5-6months and I had hoped for that considering my application was as simple as it could be. First few months after submission, I developed the habit of checking my account at least once in a week just to see any form of update. Because I knew it was still early, I wasn't really perturbed. I also made it a point of duty to call CIC agents once every month to follow through. In January, I found out that eligibility was met, criminality and security yet to start and my case file was good. In February, I requested for my GCMS notes believing there would have been more updates on my case file. It came after about a month and everything I heard from the agent was confirmed. From the notes, eligibility was met in December 27. At that point (in March), I strongly believed I was almost there and this heightened my expectations.

Fast forward to 6 months, still no show and I was still patiently waiting. The silence during this period was deafening and I was getting tensed. Not even a single ADR or make ghost even visit me na. Lol. I increased calling the agents to twice a month to get updates, I was been told the same thing - eligibility met, security and criminality yet to start. In fact, this was all I heard for all the times I called. Lots of applicants in my group were getting PPR. To make matters worse, even some single applicants (which we believed CIC was notorious for delaying our applications) that we shared similar profile were getting PPR. Wetin come do my own case file?

At this point, I just had to make peace with my inner self for the sake of my sanity. Stopped checking my account often and also stayed away from nairaland. I took solace in the fact that eligibility was already met and there was no issue whatsoever with my application. I believed it was a case of 'when' and not 'if'. I committed myself to more work and spending more time with my Play Station 4 console just to take my mind off it. Of course, it never worked completely but it gave me little respite. Few friends that knew about my application were already getting worried for me but I was just calm all through or maybe I was just faking it. Lol

Fast forward to August 8th, I was about closing from work and decided to check my account (hadn't checked for over a week) and there it was, my application had been updated. The almighty ghost update had decided to visit me. Yipee !! I couldn't even shout or scream, I was just staring at the computer screen. Finally, I knew it was closer than ever. On my way back home, I was just postulating plenty and hoping it was going to come in the next couple of days - didn't know it was already at my doorstep. Lol. Got home and went to shower. In the middle of it, I heard a notification sound from my phone and I was convinced out of the blues that it had arrived. Checking my phone and there it was at 11:05pm, the long anticipated GOLDEN MAIL ! I had always imagined how I was going to react when PPR drops but there I was numb and smiling sheepishly and just muttering, "thank you God". The relief I felt was indescribable, I felt like the whole world had just been taken off my shoulders. Considering how long I had waited, it was more of relief than excitement. Nine months of second guessing and worrying had come to an end !

COPR
Few minutes after savouring the relief of getting PPR, I got to work by sorting the requested documents and dusted and removed cobwebs from my international passport. Lol. Next day, I dropped them at the courier service for onward transfer to VFS Lagos for processing. Application was approved August 28th and got COPR and stamped passport back on September 6th. The feeling is surreal. Holding my stamped passport and COPR trumped the joy and excitement of getting the golden mail. It is the hard proof that I am going to my new home. Finally, I WON !!



If not for anything, this journey has further reinforced my belief that no two persons’ journey in life is the same. My application was nowhere complex but delayed longer than I could have imagined. Life is not a competition, just face yours squarely and let God settle you. I strongly believe everything happens at God's appointed time because he knows best.

Special shout-out to my November AOR group, you guys are the best. It's a big and loving family and I can't wait to meet up with you guys in Canada. And to this great Nairaland thread, I owe a great part of this success to you. That's why I vowed that no matter how long it took, I must come back to share my story here so that others could learn as I did or be inspired just as I was. For those new on this journey, I know it has been said over and over but I’m going to repeat it again – Nothing beats reading and researching for this life-changing journey. This thread especially is a goldmine of information and some altruistic seniors (May God bless them!) further took their time to carefully sort the information. Please study it. This piece of advice could make or mar the success of one’s application. And to those still waiting, hang on – the end is near. Delay is not denial !

La fin !

no problem send me a PM

Kendrix69:

Congrats !..could you please help me with the paid videos

Congratulations!!! Enjoyed every bit of your story. It ended in praise. May Cannyland favor you and yours

Eben04:
[b]It’s PPR + COPR after 10 months

ECA: 18 May '18

EE Profile created: 18 May '18 (CRS - 438)

EE profile updated: 12 October '18 (CRS - 441)

ITA: 15 October '18

AOR: 9 November '18

MEP/BIL: 11 December '18

BIL completed: 12 December '18

IP2: 08 August '19 ( Not certain but most likely came few days earlier cos I didn't check my account for about 1week )

PPR: 08 August '19, 11:05pm

AOR to PPR: 9 months (272 days)

Application Approved: August 28 ‘19

COPR: September 6 ‘19

VO: Ottawa

No ADR

Single Applicant

No Travel History

Please can anyone help me out with the page to find details on applying for a criminal record check from Canada whilst living in Nigeria? Please and thank you. Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaasssssseeeeee