GlitteringStar:



Lol. I will share it one of these days.

Please share it ooo.... Ears dey itch.... Lol.
Favour will locate you.

Blackbuddy:
Hi all, a friend visiting Toronto just sent me these pictures from Union Station. You can see the CN Tower on the outside and pictures of Great Hall inside the station.

The ever busy union station. 4:30 - 5pm and you see people trooping to this station like Oshodi under bridge.

If you are going to school, i suppose you will not be driving anytime. Relax, i expect BC to have good public transport. Your driver's licence can be sent to you whenever it is ready. Go and focus on your school and dont worry about DL yet. Some people even work for a long time without driving especially if their families are not here with them.

charlyduru:


Still waiting

I agree with the below. The initial information is not correct. That letter is gold, if you can get it, get it. It is a life saver for 2 reasons.

1. It shows your driving history hence after taking the written test, you will be given a G1 (learner's) license with its plenty restrictions. If you do not have the FRSC letter, you would have to wait for sometime before taking G2 and G road tests. But with the letter, you can take the G road test immediately.

2. Insurance: if you dont have that powerful FRSC letter, they will assume you have not driven before and charge you very high insurance. But with that letter, they assume you have been driving from the date written on that letter and calculate your insurance. Trust me this will reduce your premium significantly.

Finally, they accept FRSC from Nigeria and I have used it. As much as you can, please get it because it is a life saver.

XX01:


Don't know if this has been addressed but this is not true. The FRSC letter is collected in Ontario.

Good Morning Guys,

Abeg who can help with car insurance coy in Calgary. The quotes wey I dey get na die. I landed in July and I need to get insurance to change my plate number at the registry, so I'm looking for one I can do a monthly payment with. Most of them want full payment and the cost is crazy. Please help a sister out.


Thanks, guys

GlitteringStar:



Amen. Thanks.

Please can I send you a Pm?

Tojued:
Bonjour house (this greeting should work regardless of timezone ). Thanks in advance for reading and responding.

Cost aside, is it really difficult getting a spot in daycare? Calgary to be specific.

I'm seeing news articles of 600 names on waiting list, etc. (mostly ontario sha). If this is the case, will it ever be possible to take advantage of Alberta's new $25 a day ELCC centres?

I prefer proper daycare because the boy is already in KG1 here. Abi do dayhomes have early learning programmes too? In my mind I see them as equivalent of creche here (eat and sleep) But na the ELCC still win am sha, because even with the daily cap, day care subsidies still apply. Meaning you might get to pay almost zero for daycare at the end of the day.

@primeson1, @vcole, @A555, @nekdr, @obeledu, @salford, @salford1, Aka2003, walexlo78, hifyty, @maternal, @oohunt, @hustler, gentleiphy, edababa007, wengerly, KW01, @SOTAJ, @osemigho, @nadina, @vieve111, @daremum, @TBDL @Tone23 @dfanz @wura27

@tojued. you can check out this link for daycare,pre-schools and day homes depending on your location. I was able to secure 2 spots for my kids and you can also get help with care subsidy also. Its https://www.canadachildcaredirectory.com/

vcole:
Registering a car or getting license plates are done at the registries. There is usually one within the community where you live. Google license and registry around xyz and it should pop up their contact info. Insurance companies in my experience cater to everyone. However everyone gets charged different premiums. As you wouldn't have any Canadian driving experience, you would most likely get charged slightly higher. Check out TD insurance. A phone call to get a quote should do the trick. Have your VIN number on hand though.

Sorry to ask this question but when you did your vehicle insurance, did TD request you pay the lump sum at once cos I'm trying to get a monthly payment plan and its been a tall order. The quote im getting from TD IS HIGH TO PAY ONCE. Would appreciate any advise.

Thanks

QSola:
Hi guys. Anyone in markham or Newmarket. I hope I am not the only one and please where can one get cheap used car like max of 3k.

Bro, from my personal experience, I don't think it is a good idea to buy a 3k car.
You may end up spending a lot of money for the mechanic each year. The total cost on different repairs can easily navigate between 2K to 5K each year.

Here are couple options I can suggest you.
Most car dealerships offer car financing where anyone is most likely to be approved.
You may buy a 2 year old car from a car dealer at the amount of 15K.
Your monthly payment for the car can cost around $250 to $300 depends on the length of your loan, 5 or 7 years.
The amount you would pay for the car loan in one year will definitely be less than what you would spend on a mechanic on a used car.
However, bear in mind that any loan always comes with its cost.
You would end up paying 22K in total for the loan on a car that cost 15K.
Therefore, only accept interest rate that is reasonable.

The second option.
If you aren't interested in car financing, I would suggest that you buy the 3K car from an owner and NOT from a car dealership.
You should keep checking Kijiji as a owner may be selling his car for 3K but the market value of the car is way above 3K.
But, when a car dealer is selling a car for 3K, this car most likely cost less than 3K.
You should be diligent on Kijiji. Remember that the car dealers also search for cars on Kijiji. And soon as there is a car on Kijiji with a price that is way below its market value, that car will be gone within minutes. I know people who basically spend every minutes of their lives on Kijiji searching for cars to sell.

smslive2:
Check here for the Immigration Process

Thanks

Lalaska:
I agree with the below. The initial information is not correct. That letter is gold, if you can get it, get it. It is a life saver for 2 reasons.

1. It shows your driving history hence after taking the written test, you will be given a G1 (learner's) license with its plenty restrictions. If you do not have the FRSC letter, you would have to wait for sometime before taking G2 and G road tests. But with the letter, you can take the G road test immediately.

2. Insurance: if you dont have that powerful FRSC letter, they will assume you have not driven before and charge you very high insurance. But with that letter, they assume you have been driving from the date written on that letter and calculate your insurance. Trust me this will reduce your premium significantly.

Finally, they accept FRSC from Nigeria and I have used it. As much as you can, please get it because it is a life saver.

Thanks for the valuable information @Lalaska
However does the frsc letter count even with an expired original license? Can't get mine renewed in the short time before I land.
Again, I understand one can also get the letter from the embassy in Ottawa.
Do I travel with the expired one and get the embassy letter?
Will appreciate your advice...anything to ensure my insurance is not calculated as a first timer.
Thanks

Wndy842003:



@tojued. you can check out this link for daycare,pre-schools and day homes depending on your location. I was able to secure 2 spots for my kids and you can also get help with care subsidy also. Its https://www.canadachildcaredirectory.com/

Thank you.

TheCongo2:


Bro, from my personal experience, I don't think it is a good idea to buy a 3k car.
You may end up spending a lot of money for the mechanic each year. The total cost on different repairs can easily navigate between 2K to 5K

Here are couple options I can suggest you.
Most car dealerships offer car financing where anyone is most likely to be approved.
You may buy a 2 year old car from a car dealer at the amount of 15K.
Your monthly payment for the car can cost around $250 to $300 depends on the length of your loan, 5 or 7 years.
The amount you would pay for the car loan in one year will definitely be less than what you would spend on a mechanic on a used car.
However, bear in mind that any loan always comes with its cost.
You would end up paying 22K in total for the loan on a car that cost 15K.
Therefore, only accept interest rate that is reasonable.

The second option.
If you aren't interested in car financing, I would suggest that you buy the 3K car from an owner and NOT from a car dealership.
You should keep checking Kijiji as a owner may be selling his car for 3K but the market value of the car is way above 3K.
But, when a car dealer is selling a car for 3K, this car most likely cost less than 3K.
You should be diligent on Kijiji. Remember that the car dealers also search for cars on Kijiji. And soon as there is a car on Kijiji with a price that is way below its market value, that car will be gone within minutes. I know people who basically spend every minutes of their lives on Kijiji searching for cars to sell.

Thanks for the tips. Will dedicate more time on kijiji

rainazoe:
Good to know someone has a good experience with EgyptAir. Please hope the Cairo-Lag leg isn't boring and a small craft.

Boss!
Cairo - Lagos
Lagos - Cairo
Its always small and boring aircraft.
But you will surely enjoy the take-off and landing.

TheCongo2:


. I know people who basically spend every minutes of their lives on Kijiji searching for cars to sell.

Private dealers. I have a friend (indian). Makes around 5k per month doing just that. He sometimes gets scammed once in a while too. I think it's an illegal business as they avoid paying tax on the sales.

salford:

Private dealers. I have a friend (indian). Makes around 5k per month doing just that. He sometimes gets scammed once in a while too. I think it's an illegal business as they avoid paying tax on the sales.

Exactly ... I have a co-worker who makes almost the same amount as your friend buying and selling cars on kijiji

Wndy842003:
Good Morning Guys,

Abeg who can help with car insurance coy in Calgary. The quotes wey I dey get na die. I landed in July and I need to get insurance to change my plate number at the registry, so I'm looking for one I can do a monthly payment with. Most of them want full payment and the cost is crazy. Please help a sister out.


Thanks, guys

Try getting a quote with the personal insurance.
It is strange the ones you contacted won't offer you monthly plan. Could it be a problem with the car or status of the car you are trying to register?

Wndy842003:
Good Morning Guys,

Abeg who can help with car insurance coy in Calgary. The quotes wey I dey get na die. I landed in July and I need to get insurance to change my plate number at the registry, so I'm looking for one I can do a monthly payment with. Most of them want full payment and the cost is crazy. Please help a sister out.


Thanks, guys

Give BelairDirect a try. I have been using them for car insurance.
https://www.belairdirect.com/en/contact-us.html

They are in Quebec but they sell cars and houses insurance all over Canada.
I find their rates to be reasonable.
Call them and ask them for a quote
1 866 473.9659
It seems like on their page you can submit a quote application via the link below and get a result within 3 minutes:

https://apps.belairdirect.com/quick-quote/desktop/index.html?prov=ab&lang=en&intcid=ressources:contact us:toppageQQAuto#s1


Edit: Please be advised that there are many factors that affect the price of insurance. Your location or home address is one of the factors that could make a huge difference in how much your pay for insurance.

Bawss1:


I don't think Guelph falls under the GTA at all. If anything it is more associated with the Waterloo Region than any other but it is the seat of Wellington County albeit a separate entity. With a population of about 130 thousand people it is by Canadian standards a reasonably sized city.

Even though Guelph is not dependent on any single industry, manufacturing jobs seem to dominate the city and in comparison with many other cities the unemployment rate is low. You will also find that because of its proximity to the Waterloo region (the tri-cities Cambridge,Kitchener and Waterloo) you see many people who live in Guelph but work in Waterloo or vice versa.

While I think Guelph is one of the nicer cities to live in the region I will advise that new comers in the area set their eyes on K-W proper as Waterloo is fast becoming an attractive hub for Insurance, IT and manufacturing type companies. (Just my views though). Overall, Guelph is a nice city with a touristy feel to it, not overly far from Toronto or the GTA but far enough to retain a slower and calmer pace of life.

You're right

XX01:


It's a small town near the GTA. About an hr 20 mins drive to Toronto. There's a direct train from Guelph if you'll like. Things are cheaper, not much good job opportunities, not as multicultural as the rest of GTA. Would say it's like Akure.

thanks boss, I have given up hope on an answer. God bless you

To be honest I don't know if they will accept an expired license. The letter shows your driving history and is mutually exclusive of your license. You can have a valid license without the letter but the letter will be useless without a license.

Jaycrakk:


Thanks for the valuable information @Lalaska
However does the frsc letter count even with an expired original license? Can't get mine renewed in the short time before I land.
Again, I understand one can also get the letter from the embassy in Ottawa.
Do I travel with the expired one and get the embassy letter?
Will appreciate your advice...anything to ensure my insurance is not calculated as a first timer.
Thanks

Try sharp insurance.. They allow monthly payment.






quote author=Wndy842003 post=70695111]Good Morning Guys,

Abeg who can help with car insurance coy in Calgary. The quotes wey I dey get na die. I landed in July and I need to get insurance to change my plate number at the registry, so I'm looking for one I can do a monthly payment with. Most of them want full payment and the cost is crazy. Please help a sister out.


Thanks, guys[/quote]

Ninichinny:
We go join you soon, PPR please fall on us ooo

Amen

luffyhaki:

Calgary's my kinda weather

Lol, hmmmmm.... I will just say only hmmmmmm

So here is my story and how this journey all began.i would try to be detailed as much as possible..

I have always loved to relocate from naija but my hubby had always been a diehard naija fan,u keep hearing dis country wld get better bla bla but u wldnt blame him now,as a banker dat had spent 9yrs in d bank who was already on top management position he felt the world revolved around banking,i too was a banker but wanted more than that,before i could go and deliver my baby in the US,i had to convince and convince cause he wld just keep saying where you have a child doesnt matter its d upbringing that mattered
Sooo,we had cause to go to the UK on vacation and that experience changed his mentality forever,my daughters passport was just getting stamped freely at d airport while he noticed our naija passport was highly scrutinized,infact we wanted to go into one of this neighbouring countries and we read online u cld get d tourist visa at d airport,when we got there they collected my daughters passport and stamped it without checking and when it got to us d questions started...that was the day hubby told me thank you for the effort i made in having d girl in the US
3 days after we got back to naija,oga no fit sleep,he kept saying so life can be lived freely like dis and dat was how this canada story started.
We shared the job i was the researcher getting all the information i could get,always on nairaland,within a week we had registered for Ielts,started result verification,i schooled far north maiduguri so i had a little challenge with getting transcript but i got it anyway,he had his masters from liverpool(online) so it was pretty easy for him.
Wrote the first ielts,he aced it except reading had a 7 which was pretty low as he was the major applicant,i aced it too except listening where i had 6.5(i no dey hear warin white ppl dey talk),d friday the result came out,he didnt sleep dat nite o he was watching d result,he woke me up at about 3pm say result don commot,oga immediately registered for another one in d morning,abuja was fully booked till 3 weeks after dats how oga went to choose enugu centre,dat we wld fly to enugu to write ielts.ha!!!i started begging o that he shld calm down,lets use d waiting period to prepare more bla bla before he finally agreed(he is actually a goal getter if he wants to achieve something he doesnt mind d cost)so we wrote ielts again,dis time his speaking was messed up but we got to d mark of 435,he had 7 in speaking so dat 0.5 needed to be gotten,thats how he registered immediately again infact he had registered before he told me and that was the deal breaker-he got 9,9,8.5,8 and i took got my required score and we were sitting on 442 waiting...nothing happened tru out december,january till February d draw happened and i saw d 442,immediately i called him and was super excited we are in o,we are in as i was saying d last we are in i saw d tie break,it was may and our profile was created october dats how d we are in turned to tears o...
The next draw of feb 21 favoured us,had medicals done the next day,submitted everything by the 3rd day and the long wait started,oga wld check d profile 100 times to see if eveeything was correct and finally PPR arrived june 8,th way he screamed and ran down d stairs ehn...submitted passport the monday after at VFS abuja,went to FRSC luckily he had sent a mail to do the letter so immediately we got there we just picked up(those guys are very professional).So my research from this good forum and quora really paid off in this journey,no agent needed we did it all by ourselves.Thank you great people i would continue on another page with our landing experience so far..thank you

Sooooo...
We got out passport back exactly after 3 weeks by then i had put in my resignation happily and we had started selling our stuff,i bot everything buyable in the market that i knew i wld need for the first 3,4 months,got some winter shoes and jacket from Jos and aliexpress,we actually had to go to the US for a wedding so we planned we wld just enter canada from there,so we booked airfrance to the US and aircanada to come down,we sent our things thru lagos down to canada,we paid almost 500k to send 375kg worth but the agent we used cheated us seriously,it was from this forum i learnt we could ship down,as we got there,we didnt have a particular agent so we picked him from the gate,we took our stuff up,it was weighed and a quote was given which was about 367 via delta airline,our goods were wrapped up in our front,we got receipt for the payment and we left,only for the agent to call us the next day dat he was trying our lines as we left but didnt go tru,dat he had to change d shipping company to virgin atlantic as d one in d delta line did not give my husband d correct rate,dat we are to balance him 90k and virgin atlantic removed all my food stuff and our electronics,i was so mad ehn,first our phone was never swtiched off,secondly u didnt ask if we were ok with it u just went ahead and then opened our bags when we were not there to pick out things but somehow we moved on,we got to canada did all the landing formalities,nothing serious,u just hold your COPR,show them the list of goods accompanying and within 40mins we were out,went to try to trace our luggage discovered virgin atlantic doesnt ship to canada,we started making calls o so they told us they wld ship by land from the US we shld go and collect from a shipping agent here...
So we decided we were going to stay in guelph as i read it has low unemployment rate and is gud for raising a family but we cldnt get an airbnb in guelp but we got in kitchener which is about 20-30 mins drive from guelph.we checked into our apartment fortunately it was in downtown so that evening all the roads where blocked for a festival,everybody came out and enjoying themselves,we too joon them abi now!!!
By the next day the shipping company had contacted us to come pick our stuff so we needed a vehicle and it was in toronto which is quite a drive,d uber that brot us from d airport charged us about $120 so if we are to do that again besides d car mite not be able to carry the load,so we went to u-haul with our naija liscense and dat international drivers permit,luckily d permit helped us dats how we rented a truck and went to carry the things ourselves,as we got back struggling to take d things upstairs,i was waiting down dats how a wait lady walked up to me and greeted me and i smiled back,she introduced herself and said she knows i am naija and her assistant pastor is naija dat we shld come to church on sunday,i have read from this forrum dat person need connection,dats how we went to church on sunday and i can boldly say that woman has been a life saver,i call her Emily my angel.So by the 4th day we decided to get a car,went to a dealer and a gud car starts from $11,000 den u pay tax,tax in ontario is 13% hmmm,so i kept checking kjiji and we got someone who wanted to sell his toyota venze for $13,000...d good thing here is that before anyone sells his car to you he has to take it for a test from that result u can tell if the car is gud or not,so nobody can hide anything,so we got the car,pretty smooth deal but insurance became the problem nobody wanted to insure a car with naija liscencei got d link posted on dis forum to practise for d drivers liscence test and we did practice got there and d queue was long ehn,i told oga lets come early d next day d man say nooo,today today we must write it,we waited for almkst 4hours and it it got to us,we both passed got our G1,picked a date for G2 test so eventually we got an insurance company that agreed to do insurance for us online,it was done instanstly but very pricey we had to pay for 2 months since none of us is working,to get phone lines,rogers and bell refused to sign us up,no work history,no canadian passport and no guarantor but we got a line with koodo inside walmart,their internet service is pretty expensive,i wld discard dem as soon as i get my temporary drivers liscence.
We went to the multicultural centre too,registered with them,d major help was with writing our cv to canadian format,which d employment agency helped out with and hubby started submitting and the calls for interviews started,got about 4 interviews in a week and he finally settled for a telecom so within 3 weeks he got a job.
Then the biggest challenge -accomodation hmmm,to get house here na serious war o,as we first landed in Kitchener my hubby fell in love with the place so he didn’t bother going to check guelh out(mistake number 1),so we started house hunting in kitchener,all of them asked for pay stubs,work reference,guarantor bla bla d moment they hear u dont have work yet they are not willing to help,we even offered to pay 6 month cash in one condominium,they rejected d offer,hubby was so pained ehn and d houses are pretty expensive 2 bedroom starts from $1400 here except u want to stay where those indians stay but i have a small kid so i need to watch d environment she stays in..so d accomodation thing was d biggest challenge,we had to extend our airbnb so we cld get a place,and that is how Emily my angel helped us get a place,stood as a guarantor,gave them cheques for d balance of six months...somebody dat just met me on d road,i mean..
So all in all we’ve been here for a month today and most things are pretty much settled,kitchener is not a friendly place to me,hubby is now regretting we didnt check guelph out as it looks alot more friendlier dan kitchener.for me i just registered for CSC as i am expectant so i no wan stress myself at all,hoping by d time i am done with baby matter i wld have my cert to fully enter the job market,hubby is taking a course in project management as they are well paid here so we doing a week in toronto(canada oshodi)...
Feel free to ask anything,i would try to respond.
Thank you

Wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

hotD:
Sooooo...

Feel free to ask anything,i would try to respond.
Thank you

management as they are well paid here so we doing a week in toronto(canada oshodi)...
Feel free to ask anything,i would try to respond.
Thank you[/quote]

Interesting read. May the land Favour you and yours

hotD:
Sooooo...

Thank you

thanks for your detailed write up, I'm seriously considering Guelph, so I want to ask you about the impression you had about Guelph when you got there, also your thoughts about waterloo. thanks

Good morning @GLITTERINGSTAR. Hope u r doing great. Ve been trying to get across to u. Please if u don't mind kindly send me on lekanodus@yahoo.com. Thanks so much will be expecting ur mail.

GlitteringStar:



Amen. Thanks.

@hotD this is the best landing story i have read so far. Thanks so much. I can't ask much questions as I am still waiting for PPR but I will save your contact very well. Please advise me from your experience

I am yet to process a new driving licence since my first one expired in 2012. I didnt do biometrics for it, hence i will get a new licence not renewal when I apply.

Please will it help if i get a new one issued here in Nigeria now ( note: my issue date will be less than a year when I arrive canada next year by God's Grace) or should I wait and start everything over there ?