₦airaland Forum

pafek:
if truly u re a civil engr. as u claim, then its surprising and sympathetic how u can stand so low and claim dt a builder can effortlessly do d job of a civil engr.
am an Architect, so I will speak for myself. having d knowledge of autocad/revit doesn't make u a master designer(architect). because autocad is just a computer aided software that enables u draft with d computer instead of hand drafting.
Perhaps u re working with draft men in your so called organizations that makes you belittle an Architect.
in a sane country like dubai or usa or uk, do u think a builder can stand a utter a word where an Architect is?
lastly, have you watch the making of burj arab hotel? if not, pls do, that will help u alot in distinguishing d roles of professionals in high tec construction

@pafek
I am not going to say much so it doesn’t seem like I’m bragging. I currently live and work in Australia and we share a very similar system with the UK. I said I studied Civil Engineering but didn’t say I practice as one.. I am currently working in a building construction firm as a project coordinator and only stating how is it being done here.

I never said Architects aren’t important but was trying to clarify that Architect DO NOT have the license to build…simple. They design, liaise with the client and follow up at different stages of the project but the ultimate power to construct lies on the building contractor because they have a better understanding of the overall building process from A-Z ranging from Earthworks, masonry, concreting, roofing in addition to the local governmental council requirements, managing material, labour and equipments in additions to ensuring work health and safety alongside the HSE officer/personnel.

This is how a typical building process(commercial/high rise residential) works here for your understanding:

1. The client/owner meets with a Project management firm and states what they want.

2. An Architectural firm either in house or external is consulted to design according to the clients vision/needs.

3. The design is reviewed and then passed on to the engineering consultants for design and analysis. Architects design so many fancy stuffs to impress the client but engineers do the necessary structural analysis using the appropriate building standards to ensure the Architects design is structurally fit and flag the impossible designs that aren’t structurally possible(if any). Other tests/investigations such as geotechnical & environmental will also be carried out and the results will also be used for the analysis (especially for the foundation design).

4. If the design is approved and necessary documentations (specifications, geotechnical reports, environmental council approvals etc. ) have been done, its then stamped by the registered engineer and passed back to the client who then invites interested/selected building contractors to tender (to ensure its free and fair unlike the naija way).

5. Tenders are reviewed and the contract is awarded to the contractor with the best tender after necessary negotiations and meetings.

6. After the Construction work has started…the Architect and the design engineers only visits site from time to time to inspect and ensure there are no discrepancies but the Builder/construction project manager working for the contractor is the main guy that runs the site all through the construction phase.

That is how it is done here.

Cheers

Its only a country with improper regulations like Nigeria that an Architect think they can compete with Builders in the construction industry. I’m a Civil Engineer currently working in a building construction company and I’d say i totally agree to the fact that Architects are the first point of contact at the drafting stage or a project but normally don’t have much business on site and DO NOT have the license to construct.

The best they can do is to become client side project managers that attend client meetings and can only supervise at intervals to ensure the work is being done in accordance to the approved drawings and specifications.

A builder on the other hand is fully trained to know the A-Z of buildings in regards to structural calculations, building quantity estimations, procurement, building regulations/compliance's (VERY IMPORTANT), contract administration (payment terms, due dates, completion date, progress claims etc.), site management and construction project management which gives them an huge edge over Architects.

I am currently pursuing a second degree in Construction management degree (Building Technology + Project management) and can categorically tell you that we were taught drafting using REVIT/Archicad alongside the Architecture students in our first year which gives us more edge because we acquired the required skills to design and draft low to high rise buildings in additions to building/construction project management skills.

OP should study Architecture only if he truly has a passion for it…but generally speaking, Building is far more versatile and will open more doors if you’re smart, ready to learn and humble enough to work your way up.

Vinsmuft:
My people, see what PTE did to me!! Just one mark from getting my cool 20 points!!!

Listening: 90
Reading : 85
Speaking: 78
Writing : 90

I just got the results today. And what adds salt to the injury is that another draw will be coming up 1st Feb (which is this today by Nigerian Time)

But why!

If PTE was a scam, do you think you would scored 90/90 in Listening and Writing?. This exam is being scored electronically and that is why the results are faster than IELTS. The software programmed to do the scoring definitely has specific requirement in order for you to hit high scores but no one has been able to decode this "specific requirements" unfortunately.

I was also in your shoes and had (Speaking:79, Reading:78, Listening:90, Writing:90). It was painful but i stayed positive and booked for another test 2 weeks from the day i got the first result.

Don't worry too much and just replicate what you did in the Listening, Reading and Writing sections cos you definitely did something right hence the reason why the scoring system was in your favour. All you just need to do is to improve more on speaking by looking into little things like your mic positioning, pronunciation and fluency.

I totally agree with mctowel01. I see no reason why you need to come here for postgrad and spend millions when the ultimate goal at the end is getting PR especially for people(at least i'm sure about Engineers) whose occupation are already on the SOL. Infact, i think its much easier to get good English test scores from your home country than here in Australia (especially PTE Academic) as i've seen more people getting 20 points from their home countries compared to people doing it here. People here believe they give lower scores here deliberately because they know you need it for immigration purposes.

Australia is very expensive for international students and its almost impossible to work and save up your tuition comfortable. Its always better to strategize well, prepare well and patiently get your PR once and for all from Nigeria if your occupation is on the SOL as you will be saving yourself heaps of money and unnecessary pressure except if its hunger chasing you from naija which i don't think can be the case because an average prospective postgraduate student planning to come to Australia is at least middle class in Naija cos struggling peeps cant afford the tuition.

I'd advise people in general to try PR first cos the rules change from time to time and you may not be lucky by the time you try applying when you get here as a student. Apply for PR when the door is still open because PR door can get shut from but student visa door will always be open(there is no country i know of that has blocked entry of international students).

If you're finding it hard to get enough scores for 189 or 190 PR visa, you can look at subclass 489(Skilled regional visa). This visa is not PR but a million times better than student visa and its also easier to get than PR because you get 10 points after your chosen regional area nominates you. The visa gives you 4 yrs unlimited work rights in your nominated regional area which can be converted to PR 2 yrs after arrival if you can prove that you've worked or lived there for that period.

@OP There is something very important that you didn't clarify which is your PR pathways for both countries. Did you get either of the two countries (Canada & Australia) ITA via state nomination?

If Yes, this would be a different ball game entirely as you need to narrow down your comparison based on whatever state nominated you. For example, you can't get Canada PR nomination via Nova scotia and then make your decision based on that cos each province has its own different economy which would greatly affect the time it would take for your settlement and stabiity.

I know its possible to leave the province that nominated you after arrival. Many people have done it and gotten away with it but it now needs to be done carefully as its has been greatly abused over the years and the Canadian government is beginning to crack down heavily on people abusing it. There has recently been increasing report of new immigrants being turned back upon arrival in Canadian airports(especially in Toronto) because they didn't have connecting flight tickets to their nominated province nor any temporary accomodation arrangement there which clearly shows they had no intentions whatsoever to settle down there and the truth is that most of them never would have gotten PR if those states didn't nominate them.

The Canadian government has said people don't have any excuse not trying to settle in their nominated province because its part of the reason why they ask applicants to show proof of funds to cover their living expenses for at least 1 year just in case you don't get a job after arrival. Therefore, the best way to avoid stories that touch is to try at least to settle down in your nominated province for between 6-8 months before leaving just to have enough evidence to show when you're being questioned few years after when you apply for citizenship that you tried settling but couldn't bear it any longer as you probably couldn't find a job and your 1yr proof of funds was burning out fast hence the reason why you had to leave for another province. This can be backed up with evidences like your rental agreement, bill receipt and job application reject mails.

WellEndowed:
I only physically saw Kangaroo twice in regional WA when I went there to do some Locum work. In my weeks there, I only saw them twice and that was when I was driving from one regional area to another at night.

@wellendowed. What part of healthcare are you working in? Sent you a PM

maternal:
It's just friendly lil competition. Nothing personal. After all I have no plans to get up and leave for AU, neither do people living down under to come up here. I'm actually learning a lot about AU in this thread. Just a question. Please don't laugh, but how common is it to see a Kangaroo. Do you have to go to a zoo, or you can find them roaming around freely in suburban areas.

What if i tell you i haven't seen a Kangaroo physically since i got here . They can easily be seen in the Zoo though as well as the regional/semi-rural areas or the outbacks.

maternal:
Comparing the cost of living in Canada (Toronto/Vancouver) to Australia is very bias. Those two cities have the wealthiest people in Canada, especially in their downtown core. Comparing a mid-size city without their wealthiest residents would be more realistic. Also I keep on hearing those who live in Australia say their social benefits are better than Canada's. Yet I haven't seen any facts or better yet I haven't seen a benefit you guys have down there that we don't here. Universal healthcare ? Got it. Unemployment benefits ? Got it. Maternity leave/allowance ? We get up to a full year with 70-100 percent of full pay, and parliament is trying to make it a year and a half. Monthly allowance for a woman with a new born (its called baby bonus)? got it. Interest free student loan until you get into the job market ? Got it. And if you're from Ontario the provincial government will even pay for your university depending on you or your parents salary. Being able to claim certain things on your tax return especially if you're low income ? Got it. Honestly what's so amazing about Australia's social benefits that Canada doesn't have ? This may impress Americans only.


Furthermore, we've established Aussies (Can I say that ?) make a few thousand more per year, but at the same time their cost of living is also higher. Even if costs of things are similar in Canada (which is not) we can just cross the boarder into the states where things are dirt cheap. Another North American perk. And I've shown articles which has proved Canada has the wealthiest middle class. So I'm curious to know how Aussies have more disposable income ? I'm pretty sure the money parents would save in Canada not having to pay for their children's University education would trump (no pun intended) any disposable income an Aussie would have over a Canadian. The price of a post secondary education is getting out of control. I just want to know where this perception is coming from. Now when it comes to one of the highest paid, and an utter idiot making good money, Canada has to be one of the top country for that. It's not uncommon to see people with a 8th grade level education make 6 figures in the oil industry. To begin with not much people would agree to work in the oil-field for under 6 figures. That's even the starting rate. Cleaners make that let alone engineers or people with a red-seal trade.

A few years ago the average yearly salary for a oil-sand worker here was 130k USD per year. That's around 173k Canadian per year. I use to clear 140k easily when I use to take OT. Now with a pikin and family obligations it's around 105-110k per year. The older you get, the less you care for OT. I have a degree which has nothing to do with my work and I have no trade. Even within the city, ordinary transit drivers can make 100-130k per year. The city of Calgary is looking for a receptionist at 37 dollars an hour. That's like 76k per year without OT. These jobs only require a high school education where you can train a retarded monkey to do it. But I've met Nigerians in the oil industry with an education. That's having a red seal trade, engineering degree, or some sort of 1 year diploma. They don't make less than 150k to 300k. I've met so many Africans who came here as a skilled worker, got their PR, rushed to the oilfields, and 4 years later have bought a house and are living good. Establishing yourself and owning a house in a new country within 4 years is impressive.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/salaries+average+Survey/9719742/story.html

https://www.thestar.com/news/city_hall/2011/03/31/300_workers_join_ttc_topearner_club.html


https://recruiting.calgary.ca/psc/pdhr/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_JOB_DTL&JobOpeningId=207999&PostingSeq=1&SiteId=1&

@maternal. This isn't an argument or competition between both countries. If you read my post well, you would see i mentioned the pros and cons of both countries. We are all just trying to advise OP based on first hand info.

Talking about bias comparison, i don't think its bias to compare Toronto/Vancounver to Sydney/Melbourne because those are also where the wealthiest people live. Cost of living is very much cheaper in other cities like brisbane, perth and Adelaide.

Secondly, everyone knows the oil and gas sector pays well in both countries and people working there here in Australia also make shitload of money(same applies to the mining industry).

We all know Canada oil and gas workers gets paid well cos most people aren't too willing to move up north for work all due to the weather condition hence the reason why most immigrants are rushing there cos they don't mind the weather as long as the money is being made.

Like i said earlier, the OP can't go wrong with either of the two countries as they both offer almost the same benefit(s).

shinarambo1:
Point number 6 is very important, and I can relate to that well. I and my madam both work in regulated professions. When the economy of a particular region slows down, we can't just wake up and say we want to apply for jobs in a different province without having the license to practice in that province. Licensing cost money too else it would have been easy to just get a license for each province. Op's wife works in same profession as my madam. In the UK it's very very very much easier for op's wife to get into her profession just by attending a 1 year conversion program at a Uni. In Canada, it is much difficult...it takes the geniuses (1st class grads of Nigerian Uni's) i know, nothing less than two years of self-studying, group studying, writing regulatory exams, OSCE's e.t.c to scale through, and they only have three attempts at it or they would be barred from the profession. I am not sure if Australia has a similar model like that of the UK.

I don't know much about licensure process for immigrant pharmacists but i think it also involves writing an exam and doing supervised internship. In general, i dont think its really much of an hurdle as there hasn't been high level of exam failure/difficulty complaints so far.

@OP My best advice for you is to follow your mind and go for whichever one you want because the decision is still yours at the end of the day.

I was also in a similar shoe sometimes last year because i also got ITA after i was nominated by Nova Scotia but i chose Australia without blinking an eye. I've been in Australia for less than a year and don't regret my decision one bit. I also have friends in Canada and would do a quick comparison based on my Australian experience and Canada knowledge(from friends).

1. Living Expenses: Living expenses in Australia may be a little bit higher compared to Canada but it greatly depends on where you live(city and surburb). I've checked online and some Toronto apartments are even more expensive than Sydney and the same applies to Vancouver. The same applies to buying a house.

The rent is nothing to worry about if you're ready to work, not too picky as regards jobs and don't live above your means because the wages are high(national minimum wage is $18 per hour) and the job market/economy is well structured in such a way that even the casual jobs(jobs that don't require any major skills or education) can earn you 1k Aud per week(thats $52k per year before tax = approx $43,500 after tax) thereby creating little gap between blue and white collar workers.

Do a quick Tafe certificate course in an health related field and you can easily get $30 upward an hour with loads of overtime and weekend penalty rates. Truck driving, construction labouring and other low skilled jobs all pay good $$$ per hr depending on the working condition(s) and location.

The pay difference between non-professional and Professional jobs isn't really significant at the initial stage and only starts widening a bit 5-10 years down the lane as the professionals move up their career ladder hence the reason why lots of Aussies don't fancy getting a uni degree as they can still earn good money and live a comfortable life with just an high school certificate or a TAFE Cert iii, iv or diploma
Food is relatively affordable and prices of other things like Cars and the likes is at par with Canada.

Australian workers are one of the highest paid in the world. Earning 6 figures as a professional is no big deal here as long as you're in the right field and good at what you do. Some graduates in some fields even start on 6 figure salaries (Mining, Oil and gas). Most Aussie professionals with 5-10 yrs experience in most fields earn 6 figure salaries and the tradies(Electricians, Plumbers, Carpenters pull in 150k upwards easily annually). You can lookup jobs on www.seek.com.au and check out the salaries for yourself. Here are few examples:

https://www.seek.com.au/job/32337403?pos=33&ref=beta&tier=no_tier&type=standout&userqueryid=926222f644b2b4cbec16d3b77708fb91-8193709&whereid=1000

https://www.seek.com.au/150kjobs

Australia is a better choice if you're after the money as we definitely higher disposable monthly income than Canada after tax

2. Weather: We have just 3.5 months of winter which barely goes below 4 degrees on an average. You may not even need to put on a jacket on some winter afternoon as it only gets very cold at night and early in the morning. The weather for the rest of the year is very similar to Nigeria and may even get a little bit hotter sometimes.

3. Social Benefits & Allowances: You can look this up online but i know its similar to the Canadian structure (if not better). Examples are medicare, unemployment benefit which is paid fortnightly if you're out of job, maternity allowances for families with new born babies, disability allowances/packages, HECS fee help (interest free student education loan to be paid after you graduate and start earning an annual salary of 53k minimum) e.t.c

You can also get tax refunds at the end of the financial year all depending on lots of affecting factors/situation changes during the financial year.

4. Racial Discrimination / Multiculturalism: From my discussions with my friends in Canada, i think Canada is more multicultural and friendlier towards immigrants compared to Australia. Canada has had more early immigrants from all races compared to Australia firstly because Australia is farther and most african immigrants tend to choose the closer country and also because tuition in Canada is cheaper for international students compared to Australia hence pushing more students towards canada.

Having said all that, i have not experienced any form of ethnic or racial discrimination since i've gotten here.

5. Location/Distance: Canada is very much better in the regards as its closer to Europe, America and Africa. Australias is only close to Asia hence the reason why we have lots of Asians here(majorly indians and chinese).

6. Occupation Regulation & Tax: We don't have provincial sales tax in Australia and regulated occupations have only one national body which simply means you can always relocate to other states for work without going through any form of licensure process in the new state you're relocating to.

7. Activities/Social life: You can research on this yourself but i know Aussies are pretty laid back people that love spending time with family, going camping, bush hiking and boat sailing for those that have boats.

In summary, both countries are very similar in most aspects and whatever choice you finally make would be dependent on what you're really looking for but i can assure you that you can't go wrong with either of the two countries because being a Citizen of either of the two can take you anywhere as regards job mobility. Canadian Passport can enter 170 countries visa free while an Australian passport also gives you access to 167 countries visa free. Australian citizens can easily get work visa in Canada if they get a job offer vice versa. The same applies to working in the US if that is your ultimate goal.

gogochocolate:
Bros imagine you coming straight out of the plane and given a right hand drive car to drive in a new country, be frank would you feel confident to drive it ? Add that to coping with various signs you see in on the roads in Canada, different road design (separate demarcation for turning traffic) and having to depend fully on the GPS of the car because you don't know your way round anywhere. It could be disconcerting for any new immigrant coming from Nigeria where there is basically no form of road signs or traffic laws. I had driven for several years in Nigeria but the first time i drove in Canada with it was almost like i lacked confidence driving for the first time. My first trip my whole family just de pray because for the first time you have to drive and depend on a strange GPS voice for direction. The first time i heard " Keep right or left of the Forth" i was slightly perplexed but after about a three days i was driving my family everywhere in Canada. In the UK, fear never gree me to touch any right hand drive because the move in opposite directions to us in Nigeria. It takes a lot of the mental orientation to be able to cope and deal with that. My experience as a new immigrant with a family showed me that you have to learn to fend for yourself from day one as everybody is so busy to help you and believe me driving is key to settling down. Some kind of interviews i attended during my first few days in Canada the main area of concern for the job agency was if i could drive. Once i said yes, i got the job.

Well, it all depends on the individual. Australia roads also have lots of road signs and i didn't have any problem switching to right hand driving. Its all about being confident and registering it on your mind that you have to do the opposite of what you do in in Nigeria as regards road position and direction. That was the trick i used and it worked like magic...blended in easily.

scrollmeout:
Dear e-fam,

I'm glad to inform you that my 189 Permanent Residence Grant just landed, including grants for my wife and two kids.

Timeline:
Engineers Australia application : March 26, 2015
Engineers Australia +ve assessment: June 29, 2005
EOI lodged: August 23, 2016
Invitation received: Nov 6, 2016
Applied: Nov 12, 2016
CO contact and Meds request: Nov 23, 2016
Request to hold application : Nov 24, 2015
Baby born: Jan 10, 2016
Baby added: Jan 22, 2016
Baby meds submitted: Feb 15, 2016
Grant: March 17, 2016

It was a long wait but well worth it. Thank God

Warm thanks to @okpas 12 and his family for your encouragement and love, regards to @bellong, @Erictack203, @bossladyMo, @missymii @johnsontade @Chuckdee13 @adetoi @FutureDon @NNBB2012 @pingu2k @Ifexsco @ewagbamio @doromel @jorgan @akinnaowu and so many others numerous to mention.

Congrats bro

DeeTus:
Ignorantly mislead him? Please mind your use of English. I am not here for jamboree but to guide those who are really hardworking.

@Deetus. You need to stop giving people wrong advises.

What country are you in presently and what visa have you got?

You don't even know the genesis of this thread and Bellong whom you just quoted hold a PR, currently resides in Australia and has vast knowledge about australia migration.

I'm seriously surprised with your sudden switch from the USA thread to this thread. You sound like a typical agent.

[quote author=lawland post=43510816]Pls contact me if you are in WA and your school is close to Cannington and you are looking for accommodation.[/lquote]

@lawland. Sent you a PM

jukeblam:
I mean the CDR cover page/declaration. Or is that not required with online applications?

Its no longer required. All you need to upload is your 3 episodes(to be uploaded separately), CPD, summary statement and other required supoirt documents like your transcript, cert e.t.c.

Rafaela4u:
Please guys in the house, I would really appreciate if the PTE material can be forwarded to my e-mail address : James_orimoloye@yahoo.com or b.orimoloye@gmail.com.

I will be sitting for the exam in couple of weeks and will really appreciate if a good Samaritan can help with the materials.

I am also using this medium to say a big thank you to everyone that has made this platform a success, may God grant unto each an everyone of us our heart desire in 2016.

The ones i have are large files and can only be shared via dropbox.

Onenigeriangirl:
Stanbic is giving PTA at the moment. You need to have applied at least 2 weeks in advance. They will always tell you no cash but you need to be persistent.

They are giving based on travel dates, so if you are travelling today or tomorrow, they will attend to you. I'm travelling on Sunday so I was treated like someone travelling tomorrow since they won't be open over the weekend. Ask to speak to either Femi or Kemi. Even if they ask you to go, just wait there. You will get.


Best of luck.

Really appreciate the info.

sammywemmy:
One more thing, @johnsontade, where did u write ur exam, how was the centre, in terms of test takers, and distractions during the speaking section? Thanks

Wrote it at Pearson centre Adjacent Lagos state secretariat. Had 3 test takers both times and i cant really say i was distracted despite the small room size.

sammywemmy:
Good morning @johnsontade. How did u handle speaking in Pte? Specifically, the mic. Did u hav to adjust it? At my test centre, I noticed during testing dat the recording wasn't loud, until I brought the mic closer to my mouth, and throughout the speaking section, I had to hold the mic close to my mouth. It may have affected me, and as such I wish to know how u handled ur mic. As well as speaking tips. Thanks.

I didnt adjust the mic both times i wrote it. You should have called the invigilator immediately you discovered it wasn't loud enough. I don't think holding it close to your mouth was the right thing to do because the chances are high that it would record your breath which may affect the your recording.

jorgan:
Try Stanbic IBTC, just open a new account with them. They r the most efficient bank right now with the forex trouble Nigeria is facing. Since they are multinational, they outsource their foreign currency. Guys that have used Stanbic recently said they were able to get PTAs, BTAs and school fees transactions done without much hassle.

Already applied for PTA through them but they said its still subject to availability. Still looking for other options cos i dont want to put all my eggs in one basket.

lawland:
How much do you wish to transfer?

Sent you a PM

adim02:
just open account with first bank they can transfer your cash through western union present all document they we ask you.

Already tried that bro. The limit is 190k per quarter for one person and the queue on ground in most of their branches is so damn much because each branch can't process more than 1 transfer per day.

Imagine them telling me they already have people on ground till June. I'm just so tired of this whole thing.

Hi guys,

I've been finding it almost impossible to move funds to Australia. Please, kindly let me know if you have anyone that may be interested to give me Aud in exchange for naira or any Nigerian bank staff that can help with WU transfer.

jukeblam:
Hello johnsontade,
Does the "documentary evidence of employment" for EA assessment have to be the 'reference letter showing roles and responsibilities'?
Or that's for DIBP Skilled employment points claimed?

Also, can you kindly mail me that EA declaration page? Can't find it online yet...email is my moniker at yahoo dot com.

Thanks.

Documentary evidence for EA has to be your reference letter on your company letterhead showing your roles and responsibilities, renumeration, hrs worked per week, and joining date.

I really don't understand the declaration page you're talking about because i didn't use or fill any for my application.

alaoeri:
Yes its possible.

Is not a must but if you want to claim points for working experience it has to be minimum of 3years which is 5points & you have to prove it.

Its only Engineering Occupations that don't require work experience and thats because EA didn't make it compulsory. Vetassess and other assessment bodies would require you to have at least 1yr related work experience before you can be positively assessed.

Is it still available?

KIKIADE:
sir,
there is something that is not clear to me,you wrote PTE A and used EA as your assessing body. kindly clarify. thanks

Wrote Ielts 2014 and used it for EA assessment. Mentioned it on this forum when i got my EA result.

sammywemmy:
Hello johnsontade, kindly explain what statutory declaration is, and how I can get it. I am currently employed and my company is unwilling to give me reference letter. Thanks.

The statutory declaration is done by yourself and signed in front of a lawyer, judge or other person authorised to sign a statutory declaration. The lawyer does not actually certify the contents of the statutory declaration as being correct but rather certifies that you are the person who signed the documents and that your signature is genuine (you sign it in front of the lawyer). The statutory declaration needs to be supported by evidence in the form of payslips, contracts, correspondence, etc in support of the claims that you are making in the statutory declaration.

I guess they are unwilling because you told them its for a visa application. You should understand that it is your right to get a reference letter from your company upon request and they don't need to address it to anyone or eembassy...addressing it To whom it may concern would fly.

Ifexsco:
Bro, what are your travel plans? When are you planning to leave and to which city? (if you can give reasons for your choice, that will be fine). Hope it is not too personal?

I can't say i really know exactly when i would be leaving..it all depends on how soon i can get things sorted out here as i have quite a few things to do before leaving. I would be going to sydney at least for a start because the job market there is better at least for now and intending schooling part-time at UTS.

Krest3d:
Please chetaRay and others who paid to IOM through their Nigerian bank account I need your help.

They gave me their Nigerian bank account to pay in, but at the bank I was told that the account can not receive the lump sum of money I want to pay for the flight ticket, that they were only instructed to receive payments for medicals only. Could you guys confirm if this is the account number you paid into? See below:

Standard Chartered
Acc Number: 0001855256

Hi, how much were you charged for your ticket?

iphie25:
Thhank you so much. You have been most helpful. What I meant really was if you know any Nigerian lawyer that has successfully migrated under PR. I checked d SLAA's requirements for the admission of foreign lawyers and the IELTS requirement is staggering a band of 8....and writing must be 8. God save my dear soul with d kind of examiners I hear they have at British council

I don't know anyone but i think its pretty lengthy and the requirements are high. NNBB2012 posted a pomsinoz thread link sometimes ago when someone else asked a similar question.

You can read through here http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/migration-issues/211160-solicitor-applying-visa-189-skills-assessment.html

NNBB2012:
It is very possible to write CDR based on undergraduate work and still get positive outcome in the assessment, although it may be difficult to write but with little guidance it will fly.

I know its very possible but why i was skeptical about it is because the people i've seen scale through with this are mainly the Asians especially the Indians and its probably because their undergraduate engineering study is more intensive than ours with more quality school project to prove their competency. Like someone said, through a stone in a crowd of people in India 5 times and you should be sure it would hit engineer at least once

Those guys too like engineering and are being taught intensively and undergo more rigorously research(es)...remember the Theraja & Rajput engineering textbooks we used during our undergraduate days.