Qadi:
Anyone travelled with over thousand of dollars in cash to Canada and how did it go, any hiccups?

I landed with over $10k in cash. I declared it and there were no issues, they didn't ask to see it or count it. I have friends who came with over 40k in cash. Same thing, there was no issue if you just declare it.

Nice thread so far....I'm a silent follower....still want to redo IELTS before I join you guys here. The thread is my motivator .

Ride on.

primeson1:
Nice thread so far....I'm a silent follower....still want to redo IELTS before I join you guys here. The thread is my motivator .

Ride on.

You're not alone in this IELTS matter. Pls redo and remain motivated.

Hi fam,

My brothers and sisters living and working in canny, i applied for a student visa recently just trying to get some info.

I work in a hospital here in Nigeria as a pharmacist Assistant am a graduate of Pharmacology.

1.how can someone work as a pharmacist assistant over there.

2.Which province are in high demand for this pharmacy assistant.

3.which province could pay higher for this my field.

3.what province can i get nominated easily for PR as regards to it I have ielts 5.5 I got last yr.

debris:

Hi fam,

My brothers and sisters living and working in canny, i applied for a student visa recently just trying to get some info.

I work in a hospital here in Nigeria as a pharmacist Assistant am a graduate of Pharmacology.

1.how can someone work as a pharmacist assistant over there.

2.Which province are in high demand for this pharmacy assistant.

3.which province could pay higher for this my field.

3.what province can i get nominated easily for PR as regards to it I have ielts 5.5 I got last yr.

1. You can work without as a pharm assistant with just grade 12, but due to competition for jobs...some colleges offer pharm assistant programs to give applicants an edge. It is not uncommon to find foreign trained medical professionals without their license yet working as pharm assistant.

2. Probably Ontario, Quebec and BC. (lots of job but their maybe lots of competition as well)

3. NWT, Yukon, Nunavut, Sask, Manitoba and Alberta (The last three likely the lowest paid in the provinces listed in here in number 3.). Basically...

4. Visit the express entry thread.

Wishing you success in your student permit application.

MummyJaygirls:


Thanks,

But wait o, how many family members u get? How did u carry 6 boxes of food stuff minus other belongings

A family of 4. not all the 6 boxes have food stuff only o. Other stuffs inclusive. Ethiopian airline allows 2 bags per person nah.

Ballerz:


Please never tick NO. It is a criminal offense to lie on a landing card. If in doubt, please watch Border Security. Channel 132 on Saturdays and Sundays. It is better you tick yes and if they pull you aside for secondary inspection, your card had indicated a Yes. Never never lie on a landing card. When I landed I simply told the lady the list of food items and all she asked was are you expecting more bags and I said No. Sefini. You are cleared. If you lie on the card and they randomly select you for secondary inspection and see all those food, you face up to 10 thousand dollars penalty and prosecution. God will save you if your foodstuff esp those fishes now have insects.... never lie on a landing card, everyday for the traveller (thief) one day for the Border Officer (farm owner)

@Ballerz thanks for the info. I sure have learnt . From past experiences i get searched and some food stuffs get thrown away but trust me , getting the food stuffs thrown away is no big deal compared to paying such a ridiculous fine.

40manlappy:


Thank you. I would like to know more about;

-Cost of living,
-Housing costs,
-Daycare/schooling for kids and
-Opportunity for jobs

Background: We initially chose Ottawa for a number of reasons but concerns about the availability of jobs made us to second-guess this decision and take a look at the Greater Toronto Area, particularly Mississauga.


However, after reviewing the factors that I listed above, we consider it wise to start small in a medium-sized city and grow from there. We are not ruling out moving to a bigger city in the near future for better opportunities, but we don't want to start up where our settlement funds will be exhausted quickly as new immigrants while we are trying to secure jobs. Thanks in advance for your kind response.

cc: salford1, TheCongo2, Blackbuddy, Fusion23, Gymme

1. cost of living is cheap and respectable. Its a government town, so if the cost of living was as high as Toronto for example, people wouldn't be able to survive.

2. Housing is cheap here. Mine was 260k, though I put 30k of renovations in it. My guy just bought a house with 4 bedrooms and a 2 car garage for 380k.

3. Daycare and schooling is the same as anywhere in the country I believe. Other than Quebec, daycare cost if not subsidized will kill you. Other school is free as it comes from our taxes, except post secondary of course.

4. Here's the catch. Ottawa is a government town so most people are employed by the government. At times it can be hard to get a government, especially if you can't speak English and french. There are some private companies as well, but not as much as government jobs. If you can secure a good paying government job you'll love Ottawa and you won't be going anywhere. That's the key, like in most cities. A decent paying government job, mixed with the low cost of living and you're laughing.

my 2 cents.

impish:
Thanks maternal. I would like to know what the city is like generally, the people, are they multicultural, friendly etc. Also, cost of living - is this in line with Toronto or cheaper/more expensive? If cheaper or more expensive, to what degree?

Thanks for your help. You all do great work and make this site a very useful tool to us intending immigrants.

Best regards,

Mrs. O, mycanadianfling blog

Ottawa is a pretty multicultural city. You have a good amount of west Africans (Nigerians) and east Africans (Somalians). People are friendly. But its Canada, don't start a problem and you won't have a problem. Ottawa is definitely cheaper than Toronto in every aspect. A million dollar house in Toronto would cost you 400k here. My friend who moved from Toronto to Ottawa, as his wife refused to raise their son in the "expensive GTA" as she says, was paying close to 400 dollars per month for car insurance. In Ottawa it went down to like 100 dollars per month. He drives a Toyota. So do the math. These little things add up especially when you have a family to feed here, and family to help out back home. Also no long bumper to bumper traffic like on the 401. It affects your monthly fuel cost, as it'll be cheaper.

I think there's a miscommunication here. I'm simply giving my opinions and 2 cents. I'm not against a new immigrant moving to a big city. Do as you please. I'm just trying to let other new immigrants coming into the country, that other options exist as well. And for those who are in a big city and struggle, you have nothing to prove. There's no shame in looking at other small or mid sized cities. It all depends on your priority at the end of the day, like most things. I personally don't want to pay 1 million dollar for an average house at best, spend hours in traffic everyday, compete with thousands for 1 job, etc. But if you like city life, tall buildings, while hanging with the boyz at suya spot listening to davido, by all means "the 6" is the place for you. I want my time and money to be freed up for myself and family.

my 2 cents

maternal:


Ottawa is a pretty multicultural city. You have a good amount of west Africans (Nigerians) and east Africans (Somalians). People are friendly. But its Canada, don't start a problem and you won't have a problem. Ottawa is definitely cheaper than Toronto in every aspect. A million dollar house in Toronto would cost you 400k here. My friend who moved from Toronto to Ottawa, as his wife refused to raise their son in the "expensive GTA" as she says, was paying close to 400 dollars per month for car insurance. In Ottawa it went down to like 100 dollars per month. He drives a Toyota. So do the math. These little things add up especially when you have a family to feed here, and family to help out back home. Also no long bumper to bumper traffic like on the 401. It affects your monthly fuel cost, as it'll be cheaper.

Good Morning Maternal,
I trust you are doing well.
I just arrived Ottawa a few days ago.
At present, I am loving it already.
However, what advice in general in terms of housing(I intend moving to a one bedroom apartment in a couple of months), vehicle (especially the driver's license acquisition and vehicle purchase in the near future), etc would you give a new PhD student that just moved in?

Thank you.

maziude:


Good Morning Maternal,
I trust you are doing well.
I just arrived Ottawa a few days ago.
At present, I am loving it already.
However, what advice in general in terms of housing(I intend moving to a one bedroom apartment in a couple of months), vehicle (especially the driver's license acquisition and vehicle purchase in the near future), etc would you give a new PhD student that just moved in?

Thank you.

Move to the Quebec side. Rent is extremely cheap there. I've seen 1 bedroom like 6-700 all inclusive. As for your license you'd have to do your research yourself. Call the DMV. Do you have a license from naija ?

maternal:


Move to the Quebec side. Rent is extremely cheap there. I've seen 1 bedroom like 6-700 all inclusive. As for your license you'd have to do your research yourself. Call the DMV. Do you have a license from naija ?

If one has a licence from naija any advantage?

@maternal he's actually from China. @Maziude, how's Ottawa . God bless your hustle bro

maternal:


Move to the Quebec side. Rent is extremely cheap there. I've seen 1 bedroom like 6-700 all inclusive. As for your license you'd have to do your research yourself. Call the DMV. Do you have a license from China ?

maternal:


Move to the Quebec side. Rent is extremely cheap there. I've seen 1 bedroom like 6-700 all inclusive. As for your license you'd have to do your research yourself. Call the DMV. Do you have a license from naija ?

Thank you for your response boss.

At present I am stat in Orleans. By Quebec,do you mean Gatineau/Hull?

And no, I dont have a license from naija. Been out of Naija since 2014.

Markab:
@maternal he's actually from China. @Maziude, how's Ottawa . God bless your hustle bro

Boss,
Ottawa make sense oh.

Your boy dey on low key oh.

Any update from your side?

MummyJaygirls:


If one has a licence from naija any advantage?

Once you pass your knowledge test, naija license qualifies you for the driving test without having to wait for months on a learners license.
It must be the valid real license though...the one with captured biometrics, and you must have been driving for not less than 2 years i think for the waiver to apply.

salford:

Yes. it would get you back on track. I worked in a bank for years in the UK, but the amount being offered was very low compared to my previous earnings back in the UK so i returned to my first love i.e Engineering. I had to go back to school though as my engineering degree from Nigeria was hardly recognized.

I met a naija bros in University too back then. The bros had lots of SAP professional certificates from nigeria. He has a PMP too, but still returned to school to upgrade. Some very few are lucky though by getting jobs at their level of expertise without upgrading at a college or uni...

@salford
Waoh! you mean you went back to school to upgrade your engineering career to Canadian standards. I thought one has to go through E.I.T (to be come a P.Eng through APEGA) a 48month supervised training bf you become a professional yourself.

I am a geologist planning to land in Canada by 1st qtr, 2018. Do you know geologists around you?

1. What is the transition from G.I.T to P.Geo or (E.I.T to P.Eng as the case may be), after the 48month supervised training, is there going to be an exam or the license to practice as a professional will be given automatically.

2. I have read and spoken to people, and from their experience, I understand that employers are reluctant to employ persons without Canadian work experience, irrespective of how long they have practiced outside Canada. So, for a GIT, will the 4 year training count for the Canadian experience requirement.?

Modify: hello everyone, i just started reading this thread yesterday, i intend to catch up to date before asking my questions, i got to the 10th page and i just had to ask my questions above. Lemmi go back and catch up. Pls indulge me. Thanks

@oluwapelumi87 this your problem is more spiritual than physical. You may need to undergo deliverance. Someone back home who is not happy with your progress may have done some things to attack your destiny.

I suggest you do self deliverance or you go to a man of God over there to do it for you. The problem may have even started in Nigeria and we normally think relocating will also relocate the problem. There is no distance in the realm of the spirit.

Deal with it spiritually and see doors opening for you.

Best of luck

czaratwork:
@oluwapelumi87 this your problem is more spiritual than physical. You may need to undergo deliverance. Someone back home who is not happy with your progress may have done some things to attack your destiny.

I suggest you do self deliverance or you go to a man of God over there to do it for you. The problem may have even started in Nigeria and we normally think relocating will also relocate the problem. There is no distance in the realm of the spirit.

Deal with it spiritually and see doors opening for you.

Best of luck

Easy man .... take it easy. Religion can be very misleeding. Sometime all the person needs is the right information and not a deliverance. Even if the problem was spiritual, he doesn't need to see anyone. He can pray to God and God will open a way.

maternal:
I think there's a miscommunication here. I'm simply giving my opinions and 2 cents. I'm not against a new immigrant moving to a big city. Do as you please. I'm just trying to let other new immigrants coming into the country, that other options exist as well. And for those who are in a big city and struggle, you have nothing to prove. There's no shame in looking at other small or mid sized cities. It all depends on your priority at the end of the day, like most things. I personally don't want to pay 1 million dollar for an average house at best, spend hours in traffic everyday, compete with thousands for 1 job, etc. But if you like city life, tall buildings, while hanging with the boyz at suya spot listening to davido, by all means "the 6" is the place for you. I want my time and money to be freed up for myself and family.

my 2 cents

My thought exactly. I also thought there was a missunderstanding. Maternal were trying to tell Oluwapelumi87 that there were so much competitions in Toronto, so much taxes to pay, life is too expensive there. Given that Oluwapelumi87 is struggling financially, it would be better for him to relocate to a more affordable City or province. No one had said that Oluwapelumi87 would never make it in Toronto.
And when Oluwapelumi87 first said that he couldn't find JUST ANY JOB in Toronto, I for instance had also thought that he may not have permission to work in Canada. It is so easy to find manufacture jobs through temp agencies in Toronto (no interview required, no resume). You can just walk in a temp agency to register with them and be send to work right on the next shift.

Oluwapelumi87 should connect with someone like Blackbuddy who have a successful story of integration. At the same time, he shouldn't ruled out the option of moving out of the GTA. Things may have worked out for Blackbuddy, and this doesn't mean it would work for Oluwapelumi87

I believe Oluwapelumi87 has moved on from this already...he/she has been sorted by some responses here.

Not being judgemental at all, I see 3 things here:
*understanding
*interpretation
*approach

One needs to be cautious and take into cognisance these 3 factors in daily dealings with ppl, wherever. So, really no need to correct impressions IMO...I belive we may just allow sleeping dogs snore ...bye...

TheCongo2:


My thought exactly. I also thought there was a missunderstanding. Maternal were trying to tell Oluwapelumi87 that there were so much competitions in Toronto, so much taxes to pay, life is too expensive there. Given that Oluwapelumi87 is struggling financially, it would be better for him to relocate to a more affordable City or province. No one had said that Oluwapelumi87 would never make it in Toronto.
And when Oluwapelumi87 first said that he couldn't find JUST ANY JOB in Toronto, I for instance had also thought that he may not have permission to work in Canada. It is so easy to find manufacture jobs through temp agencies in Toronto (no interview required, no resume). You can just walk in a temp agency to register with them and be send to work right on the next shift.

Oluwapelumi87 should connect with someone like Blackbuddy who have a successful story of integration. At the same time, he shouldn't ruled out the option of moving out of the GTA. Things may have worked out for Blackbuddy, and this doesn't mean it would work for Oluwapelumi87

toyogirl:
I believe Oluwapelumi87 has moved on from this already...he/she has been sorted by some responses here.

Not being judgemental at all, I see 3 things here:
*understanding
*interpretation
*approach

One needs to be cautious and take into cognisance these 3 factors in daily dealings with ppl, wherever. So, really no need to correct impressions IMO...I belive we may just allow sleeping dogs snore ...bye...

Trop fort

Oyamade:


@salford
Waoh! you mean you went back to school to upgrade your engineering career to Canadian standards. I thought one has to go through E.I.T (to be come a P.Eng through APEGA) a 48month supervised training bf you become a professional yourself.

I am a geologist planning to land in Canada by 1st qtr, 2018. Do you know geologists around you?

1. What is the transition from G.I.T to P.Geo or (E.I.T to P.Eng as the case may be), after the 48month supervised training, is there going to be an exam or the license to practice as a professional will be given automatically.

2. I have read and spoken to people, and from their experience, I understand that employers are reluctant to employ persons without Canadian work experience, irrespective of how long they have practiced outside Canada. So, for a GIT, will the 4 year training count for the Canadian experience requirement.?

Modify: hello everyone, i just started reading this thread yesterday, i intend to catch up to date before asking my questions, i got to the 10th page and i just had to ask my questions above. Lemmi go back and catch up. Pls indulge me. Thanks

I would reply when I am back from work..need to get ready.. Its just past 7am here. I never practiced in naija or the UK, so my case was different.

czaratwork:
@oluwapelumi87 this your problem is more spiritual than physical. You may need to undergo deliverance. Someone back home who is not happy with your progress may have done some things to attack your destiny.

I suggest you do self deliverance or you go to a man of God over there to do it for you. The problem may have even started in Nigeria and we normally think relocating will also relocate the problem. There is no distance in the realm of the spirit.

Deal with it spiritually and see doors opening for you.

Best of luck

LOL...my naija people and religion sha....
Not getting a job could be as a result of many factors...competition, better qualified candidates, bad interview skills, job withdrawn, applicant not been sensitive enoughe.t.c basically..it could be anything...
Imagine if i was a muslim and the way he kept referring to bible verses here n subtle insult/attack within those verses.. justwise would have beeen dishing out bans..

[quote author=Oluwapelumi87 post=58929651]

Oluwapelumi..... Your name means God is with me. He shall be with you in Jesus name.
Yoruba people say, when big problem knocks one down, small ones go dey climb person.
That is the reason for all these disrespectful talk. Even if you want to tell someone to consider spiritual angle and more inclination to God, not the brash crude manner in which it is being said. Haba. Some people just open buccal cavity and convulse without thinking it through on how it will impact. Anyway God help us all.

My PM keeps bouncing. Please send me your resume let me help use HR eye to look at it. (adeballer@gmail.com)
Secondly, tailor your resume to each job to ensure fitness and reflect the competencies being asked for.

You can also connect with Blackbuddy (He is on Linkedin), to give you tips and mentoring on Acing interviews. Also, do not forget to pray and let him lead you and guide you. You shall eat the fruit of the Land in no time.

Finally, I saw this somewhere on this Nairaland (I think iT was from Blackbuddy, not sure)which I think you should also follow
[font=Lucida Sans Unicode][i]
Tell me about yourself? Give me 3 strengths and 1 weakness? Give me an example of when you worked in a team? Why XX company and why this role? You may look at the questions and think it's easy to answer them, wrong! There's actually a way to answer these questions effectively which is:

- Tell me about yourself: You need to use the EES approach which is Education, Experience and Skills. So you should talk about your education from your highest degree, then your experience from the most recent, then the skills you've acquired over the years (hint: you need to look at the skills they require from the Job posting and mention some of them).

- Tell me about yourself: You need to use the EES approach which is Education, Experience and Skills. So you should talk about your education from your highest degree, then your experience from the most recent, then the skills you've acquired over the years (hint: you need to look at the skills they require from the Job posting and mention some of them).

- Give me 3 strengths and 1 weakness: If you just list them then you're making a big mistake. You have to mention each one and then give an example. Therefore you could say 'I'm very proficient in the use of Microsoft office suites, for example in my previous job I used Microsoft Word to type out letters to our clients and PowerPoint to give presentations'. Then for the weakness question you have to talk about a weakness you previously had and you've now worked on and how you worked on it.

- Give me an example of when you worked in a team: Talk about how you worked in a team, saw challenges, how you were able to overcome the challenges and the result.

- Why XX company: Check out the about us section on the company website. Also always talk about diversity because many, infact all companies hire ppl from various backgrounds as a policy. Each time I tell them I would want to work for them because they're very good at hiring people no matter the background they come from they always have this big smile on their faces and nod their heads affirmatively, they love it!

- Why this role: Talk about the previous experience you had in this role and how you loved it.
[/i]

Cheers Bro

maternal:


1. cost of living is cheap and respectable. Its a government town, so if the cost of living was as high as Toronto for example, people wouldn't be able to survive.

2. Housing is cheap here. Mine was 260k, though I put 30k of renovations in it. My guy just bought a house with 4 bedrooms and a 2 car garage for 380k.

3. Daycare and schooling is the same as anywhere in the country I believe. Other than Quebec, daycare cost if not subsidized will kill you. Other school is free as it comes from our taxes, except post secondary of course.

4. Here's the catch. Ottawa is a government town so most people are employed by the government. At times it can be hard to get a government, especially if you can't speak English and french. There are some private companies as well, but not as much as government jobs. If you can secure a good paying government job you'll love Ottawa and you won't be going anywhere. That's the key, like in most cities. A decent paying government job, mixed with the low cost of living and you're laughing.

my 2 cents.

Nice also to add Ottawa has some good High IT paying jobs , especially Kanata, but Toronto is still the main hub.
But more population.

.

salford1:

Once you pass your knowledge test, naija license qualifies you for the driving test without having to wait for months on a learners license.
It must be the valid real license though...the one with captured biometrics, and you must have been driving for not less than 2 years i think for the waiver to apply.

Noted, Thanks

@yokus.. I have been seeing your pm and anytime i reply it keeps bouncing back o.