₦airaland Forum

Yaayy...God is indeed a faithful God o.My hubby hardly pings me but he pinged me this morning and I asked for the good news.Lo and Behold, @opeyemi8 has been called for medicals today.he applied online ,May 18th and did biometrics 19th.I have been in canada for 2years and was worried all the while cos of the "almighty strong ties" but God surprised me.He will update his documents later.He is still shaky at the moment.God bless everyone here and your good news is here already.

TheBae:
Am I his brain that I would think for him? I agreed with what the young man said about SOP being an optional document so what exactly is the problem? What are you doing on the forum if you don't want to hear other people's opinions?

I dont think he meant any harm. he just stated the we should consider the God factor and should therefore not think for him.Congrats on your medicals

Very valid point. I am not against anyone trying though.

Very valid point. I am not against anyone trying though.

Money should NEVER be the reason why someone does not attempt something. It is better to try and fail than to keep wondering whether or not you would have made it if you had tried. If someone gets admission, gets visa, and then manages to get flight ticket, haba...even if he cannot afford first semester tuition, he should by all means GO! If the door opens, by all means walk through it! If you get pushed back, hey, you'll still end up at the same spot you would have been if you didn't take the step, so, nothing spoil.

It is not only by working than people can get money to pay tuition. What if you get a scholarship in the second year? What if you get an idea that you can sell and make a breakthrough? What if someone you meet over there is willing to help you with half a semester's tuition? There are several other ways money can come your way apart from paid employment.

If you don't have money, then you don't have money! But I can bet you that it will be easier to convince someone to borrow you 100k to complete you school fees when you get stranded in Canada, than to convince them to borrow you 1k to feed when you get stranded in Nigeria.

I've used a couple of extreme examples here but my point is this: the race is not to the swift, the battle is not to the strong, and Canadian education is not to those that have the money for it. Time and chance happens to all men. When its your time you better take your chance! [/quote]

Each person to his faith o. From what I know, It is almost impossible to pay your tuition fee from your weekly 20 hours job.That money you get is basically for upkeep, House rent, transport and food. You will most likely get half your school fees working several hours (40 hrs or more), with may be two jobs and saving for months ONLY during the HOLIDAY and of course as a student.E go tell for body say you work sef.
If you have just 4 hours of lectures a week, you will definitely have crazy assignments that will not make you remember you need to work.You work for every cent you make in this country.Na only naija you fit sit down in front of computer dey browse facebook and you get paid for it.

Gbabeski oooo.it's not beans here o.everything ooo.
Even to your comb abi na hair brush.

earthgreeners: At this point, I presume you have booked your flight and getting set to fly .... Bros plz buy most of the things you need in Nigeria...Cloths, footwear (including boots, all star, palm, snickers, shoe), mobile phone (please don't do contract) and food stuffs wey go last u till u get used to the system here.

The thing is all the fine correct cloth, na winter jacket go still cover everything. You really cant appreciate them except you work in an office environment. some dey try for Ottawa sha but believe me they have a black origin or history. Nigerians dey represent well for here sha. It's just a normal thing except for some that wont stop wearing those tight and undersized aba tshirts. but then, na wetin man get e go wear.

still waiting to see the message.

seir405: I sent you a pm check your mail will be expecting your reply

I think it's possible but I changed mine before applying for future purposes especially if you intend staying in Canada after school. I think it is better and less stressful if you do before applying. if you have the time, you can. i went all the way to Abuja to have my name changed on my passport and it took about 3days. I don't know if it is now done in Lagos.
I learnt even if you drop it in lagos, they still have to send it to Abuja so it might take a while.

funnyem: I wanted to ask if its okay for me to use my maiden name in my application since that is what is still on my international passport. Thank u!

@Chrigo and Kunsoft, thanks a lot.very useful

Kunsoft: Check this link sis. from ChriGO How canny weather
www.canadainternational.gc.ca/united_kingdom-royaume_uni/visas/minors-mineurs.aspx

hi

please does anyone know the process of bringing one's child to Canada. he's just 2years.can one apply for him separately? what documents are needed? you can provide links too
Thanks

I'm in Algonquin.
@Onye oma how far na? You dey ottawa?

Jekyll & Hyde:
[color=#000033]Onye Oma and Laureek,

Good morning. Na Uni of Ottawa una dey?[/color]

Yes o.braiding your hair here is like 16,000 naira o.I did my tiny braids in lagos for just 3,500naira.my cousin makes his wife's hair and wife cuts his hair too.so if you have the time to learn before coming,na serious money o.

Siga: ....Has anyone perfected their barbing skills? ...it will come in handle when u get to Canada ooo... u can even make some nice dollar thru it...

Infact you have said it all.
I got lost uncountable times but canadians are nice people.some things I tried here,I can't in the uk.
Be ready to pay tax too.I got a laptop for 649dollars (the specification for my program) and a microsoft software making 679dolls or more.by the time tax was added,I paid 802dollars.
You pay tax for almost everything except for some kinds of food.well,that was what I was told.
I met a lady who's been here for 12years. She compares prices and keeps talking bout managing money.if someone who's been in this country for that long manages,who am I not to?
Every man for himself here too.
I also think they have good water here.I have been boiling water and putting in my bottle.if you have money sha,you can be buying water.save all you can

Nuendo: Hello all,
Good to see there is a lot of good news in the house. Congrats to all who have been issued their TRV's especially the veteran mr earthgreeners. May all those who are still hopeful have their dreams fulfilled.

I am still settling in slowly here at Calgary. The university is massive and has a massive reputation too. I find myself indeed fortunate to get admission into such a reputable institution. Things are super efficient here. In fact the efficiency would shock you. My greatest shock is that with my school ID and Upass (a sticker on my ID-card) i am able to move around Calgary either by bus or train totally FREE. I also came in contact with my oga, GBoyegaD. Was so happy to meet him and the other Nigerians and forumites here. Please take this forum very serious. You never can tell where this may lead you in life.

My advice to those who have gotten heir TRVs and those wo are yet to get based on my one week here.
1. Please sort out your accommodation before you come / My flight came into Calgary at 9.57pm and I immediately had to take a taxi round town that night for a hotel, this cost me a total of 70 dollars because most hotels were already booked and we moved from one place to the other. I eventually went to one I checked up back home in Nigeria. Funny enough when I arrived there, I was told all the rooms had been taken except for one which was reserved. When I heard this I was suspicious I could be the "one" person they were talking about and to my greatest surprise when I mentioned my name to the receptionist, he said it was me. It happened that I tested the booking feature whether it works back home in Nigeria when searching for a place.

The moral of this story is , sort your accommodation out. It took me 70 dollars to run through the city looking for a cheap place and what saved me from sleeping in a very expensive place was the random reservation I made. Please if you don't get on_campus residency, please make a hotel booking for minimum of 3 nights . If not you may fall into serious wahala.

2. Please carry less clothes when you are coming. Especially short sleeves. This is a cold climate area. The chances that your clothes you bought in niaja would be like wearing nylon here. In other words, tehy would be ineffective against the cold. This is still the end of summer and its already worse than any haramattan i have ever experienced. #this goes to the JJC's like me who are just travelling to colder climates for the first time.

3. Carry beta money for warm clothing. (see 2. Above).

4. Before you pay for rent outside school,come first and see the place physically. It would also be good to see your house mates and places like the kitchen and bathroom (if your sharing) to know whether you can live in such a place.

5. Please prepared to be shocked at the prices you would pay for a room and bath. Before you come, check kjiji.com and other rental websites and see what the range is. So as to avoid stories that touch.

6. PLEASE IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO COOK , YOU BETTER SORT THAT OUT NOW. If not you might spend as much as 30 dollars a day on eating outside (the lower limit ). You'll get almost all major foodstuffs in the malls and superstores. There are also some Nigerian shops where you would buy things like egusi, our won Indomie, cray fish etc. Please once you get here, that should be your first question for Nigerians who have resided here for some time. ALSO CARRY INDOMIE AND PLENTY GALA if you can. They are more important than that fancy short sleeve you are packing. . The gala especially woud be you best friend for the first few days

7. Be prepared for some serious culture shock of which the greatest would be the realization that you may be the only religious person per 400 people you meet. You would be immersed within a generation of atheists, So keep your religious views and opinions /habits to yourself. na OYO things for here oh. Someone got sued here for using a microphone to preach on the streets (true story).

8. Carry some drugs along with you especially flagyl, paracetamol and enuf malaria medicine. medical care here is about 100 times more expensive than back home in niaja. SO its not that I am encouraging self medication but getting malaria here is close to getting typhoid back home. The system here isnt used to the treatment of malaria so it would cost you a fortune. Besides, if you fall ill within the first few days, you may not even know how to get a bus or taxi to the hospital. so USE YA HEAD

9. Once you land. Study the transport system like a book. Its different from Niaja. You may not even see taxi's on the road at all. The bus and the trains are the most efficient means of getting around once understood. You actually do not need a car here. Please this is 2013. Got online and Google the city transit for the city you are in. Also make use of your eyes to read signs . They are extremely helpful.

7. BE PREPARED TO GET MISSING ABOUT 6-7 times before you find your footing around the city/town. When this happens, dont panic. Just ask people around you. People here are very nice.

8. As soon as you land , getting a working line with data/internet connection is more important than eating.the data aspect is particularly important because everything here bis basically on the internet. If you are lost, you can find your way back through your google maps. Please once again, if you are the type that thinks technology isn't so important, be ready to be lost in every single aspect of life. from missing lecture notifications to actually getting lost around your won neighborhood. Your gps/google map would be your best friend here.

9.After you get a phone,the next thing is to open an account at the nearest bank and get a working debit card (naija MasterCard would work too if you have money in it). Everything here is paid preferably through POS terminals using your debit cards.

10. Also get used to coins. you'll be needing them more often than you think.


That's all for now, would try to update as much as possible as i make more observations. I hope i have save some of you some serious money by these tips.

Cheers.

Beans,plenty pepper,poundo,maggi,Garri and ogbono.

shayi12: Hey laureek,hpe u doing good in canny?I just wanted 2 ask what kind of food where u able to take along wid you when travelling?I would be leaving tuesday and also want 2. Pack some foodstuffs.thanks

I got the First bank Visa gold card . I tried not to use it all the while because of the charges but I had to today.I think there's a way you can put the money in your bank account and get a card that won't charge u much instead of the nigerian card .I must say Royal bank is a good bank.well I enjoyed their service especially when other banks were telling me I had to book an appointment before they can open an account for me.
So I just got my bearing yesterday after 5days in canada.it's been nice and kinda rough too but now that I have a place ,Bravo!....I can't even believe people eat all the junks I've seen in this place.I've been drinking water and ate little bread like twice.may be with time,I will be able to eat them.so far,Butty for naija,local babe for canada.The food wey I cook this night ehn.choi!!!,e no get part 2.Never smiled cos of food in my entire life.
I didn't have any problem with immigration.when my mum was packing the food in my box,I objected but now I'm happy I brought them.They will finish sha but before that time,I go don dey try for stuffs here.
Great day pple and all the best to all trv awaitees.

efewhoa: Just got my TRV Submitted on the 18th of april, got my meds on the 12th of July. Did my meds on the 18th of july in Port Harcourt and got my Trv today Really happy right now
God bless everyone one of you on this forum

Big congrats to you.which school?

Wow! God bless you for this response. Thanks

Okay thanks a lot.

Onye oma: @ Laureek...I'll advise u get a hotel booking from 1st september when you arrive and then finalize your accommodation arrangements.

Students of uOttawa, Algoquin college and Carleton University do stay in the same hostels because the schools are not too far from one another...

I'll send u the link for hotel booking as well as various choices of accommodation so you could select the one you want according to the price and area you desire...I believe you'll be fine with those links.

Please exercise a lil patience cos I cant send you a mail from where I am right now due to network ish...will do that once I get home this evening.

Good question.

frederal: Is there any specific amount(regarding living expenses) to be declared to customs when one arrives Canada??
Somebody help

@Nuendo,a big congrats to you dear

31st.

Onye oma: When are you leaving finally

Anyone going to ottawa?

@onye oma, i sent you a mail.still looking for an accomodation @ ottawa....close to woodroofe avenue,how can you be of help?
thanks

Hello people.
Please is it advisable to get a laptop here or in canada.from my research,they seem quite expensive there.my fear is hope i wont have issues using it there if i buy from here because of the system specifications given to me by the school.

At point of entry into canada,is it only the Trv they check fr?what documents should be carried along?kindly respond.

Loooool...yess o.imagine.we even spoke sef.
Happy for you man.you people were eating meatpie and coke when I was so hungry there.

kjbobo: Yea. ..where the one putting on pink? I was on a yellow shirt..came in Honda Ivtec grey...with two guys and a lady!
Can you place the face now?

thanks for letting me know o.na to face front when i rish there.pls anyone heading to ottawa,ontario.pls holla

Jesunro: haaa, sorry, get that straight from here before you land there; whites dont really dig greetings like that..

@chrigo,e get one oyinbo woman wey i greet 3times when dem call me in,she no even answer me.i for say na becos i fine pass am but she no even look my side and am certain shhe's not deaf.Thats a terrible attitude though.awon onikanra pple

are you for real?i gisted yesterday but i didnt say negative stuffs.

kjbobo: Thank you so much for all the wishes!
I feel obliged to this great house...
Even though I had submitted before ever knowing there was anything called Nairaland (strange right? )!This thread kept me going!
I will be rolling out my experience at the CDHC in bits! Cos the issues are quite sensitive and you will need to read in between the lines to get the messages!
Lesson1:
ALL planning to storm CDHC should please not engage in any negative discussions with anyone on whatsoever issues!
They can hear all your discussions inside the embassy!
I am "terribly" sure of what I am saying oo!
Just outside there...rather than join in "unproductive" negative gists.....be praying under your breath!
My experience yesterday with lesson number one was extremely shocking!
Don't engage in negative gists about CDHC, Officials or CANADA....gbam!

CONGRATS
I may have seen you o.what did you wear?
where are you heading to pls?

kjbobo: I just got called officially by CDHC. ...that my passport is ready for pick up...apologising because I was there yesterday and some interesting things happened!
Laureek. ..I think we must have seen yesterday without knowing!
When I am less busy...I go knack una tory!
Submitted:May 7th
Medicals:10th August
Unofficial TRV:23rd August
Official date:27th August
Let the "official" congratulations start pouring in!
Please I want to implore TRV awaitees to please storm the embassy! Its quite productive!

4 Anifowoshe street off Adeola Odeku, V/I

Jesunro: Hello Sis,
Please where exactly is there office? i think the best bet is storming their office tomorrow. Abeg next week na resumption...Thanks