₦airaland Forum

sisicanada:
Hello All,
A big shoutout to everyone giving tips to assist new immigrant. You guys are doing a Fantastic Job
Please I have some question, I will be travelling in March and need clarity on some things before Landing.

1) On my COPR, I have ottawa as city of destination. I remeber picking this location while filling one of the forms
but I did not know it would eventually reflect. My question is, Must OTTAWA be the city i land in? I was considering toronto
But I do not Know if I would be questioned at Point Of Entry on why I am not arriving at the destination stated on my COPR.

You can land at any city of your choice in Canada. You will have no issues at all whatsoever. I filled Edmonton and landed in Calgary without no issues.

2) Has anyone travelled using KLM recently, I will like o know how much an extra luggage cost in Naira.
I tried to pay for an extra luggage online but I am unable to do this. I got a notification saying I can only
make payment prior to checkin at the airport.

You will pay more at the airport. Last April an extra luggage of 23Kg cost about 56K at the airport, that price will be close to double by now.

3)Has anyone used the Prearrival services provided by the canadian government, If Yes please how well did it work for you?
I am considering using BCCA in order to get a Business Analyst Job.

No idea about BCCA but there are a lot of BA groups in Canada that you can join and get guidance. It will be easier for you if you can study, write and pass IIBA CBAP examination before coming. The Certificate will immediately put you on the Canadian BA map and in front of recruiters


I will really appreciate your responses. Thank you all

VGlobal:
WORKING & LIVING WITH NIGERIANS ABROAD

Being a Ghanaian, I’ve had this bad impression about Nigerians. I grew up in Ghana thinking Nigerians were negative energies around anyone. I was literally brainwashed mostly by the media to see Nigerians as thieves, murderers, scammers, etc. But after 6 years of working and associating with Nigerians outside of Ghana, the following are what I’ve found and discovered about them. I’m writing this not because my best friend back in the UK is a Nigerian, and not because my senior manager and team lead at my present employer are Nigerians. This is my honest observation!

Arguably, if you put the average Ghanaian and a Nigerian under the same conditions and environment, the Nigerian would undoubtedly outperform the Ghanaian. They are bold, smart and have this relentless quest and effort for learning and perfecting their craft. What a Nigerian cannot do does not exist. I started a DevOps Engineering program for a career alternative and Nigerians especially their women from different career fields constitute about 60% of the class. I was scared to take this step—to move from risk management to pure IT but I was shocked to see Nigerians in nursing, HR, journalism, sales, etc here in Canada taking on the challenge. I quickly reached out to most of my Ghanaian friends but none seem to be interested. This is a fortune field in IT….and when I asked these Nigerians why many of them are here, they told me “this is the surest way to make money by doing less”. Truth is, if you’re starting anything abroad and there’s no Nigerian in it, just know that that thing has no promise ��. A Nigerian wouldn’t attempt what doesn’t bring any monetary gain or value to them!

I’ve noticed that a Nigerian wouldn’t lie to you unless they’re scared of you or stand to gain something exceedingly beneficial from doing so. This confirms why the most genuine and honest folks I’ve ever associated with outside of Ghana are Nigerians. When a Nigerian is sharing an opportunity with you, they disclose everything dito-dito. They withhold nothing—they tell you as it is. My people would give you a half information and still be all over the place saying that they’ve helped you. You have no idea how many Ghanaians have made themselves demi-gods out here because they’ve been here for ages and feel everything must be ran through them. If you don’t go their way, you’re a target for gossip!

A Nigerian sees an opportunity in every situation, and it cuts across. They’re mostly interested in building a sustainable business than for a quick profit. This explains why wherever there are both Ghanaian and Nigerian traders, the Nigerian merchandise would cost less than the Ghanaian—even if they have the same suppliers. I see that here in Calgary at the various African markets.

Show me any work environment or office without a Nigerian and I’ll show you a work that’s less fulfilling and rewarding. The energy around Nigerians is positive and motivating. Nothing scares them than failure so they work hard for success because success is greatly celebrated in their culture. Where I come from, if you’re making any progress, there’s 100% chance you’ll lose 99% of your friends—they’ll spread lies about you out of dislike. Some would also attribute your progress to things other than your personal efforts. “You see that girl, she’s being chopped by so so and so person. You see that guy, he’s an occult. You see that guy, he’s rushing in life. Etc”. Your own family would turn themselves into avowed enemies—praying to see you fail so that they’ll use you as a bad example like “you see that guy, he was rushing in life but see how he’s crushed like a fragile glass.” My people have a long way to go. They must know that it’s okay for anyone irrespective of age to be great at what they do. In fact, people can build a fortune at age 40 or less through genuine means. Let’s inhale some positivity!

We glorify timidity, ignorance and sycophancy as signs of humility but Nigerians encourage boldness, assertiveness and being daring. If there’s a Nigerian in your trade or profession, get closer, you’ll learn a lot from them. I’ve learned a lot from my association with them and I’m always grateful for having one as my direct supervisor at work!

~The End~
By Jay Kwashie

Naija no dey carry last. Thanks for this. Are you in Cohort 8?

Viccur:
I just lost my job, I can't even describe how I'm feeling at the moment. I lost it same month I got it last year. It is well

Tcrown2020:
Hello.my people . Please, upon.landing in Canada, where is the best place , I mean one with best exchange rate to change USD to CAD ? At the airport , bureau de change or at the bank .
I understand one needs like 1k CAD to open a student account.

Charityjunkie:
Hi all… please seniors that have landed, what was the time frame between landing and getting your pr card? I know it varies but I just want to have a rough estimate so I can plan accordingly. Thank you!

slydog:
Guys, finally got the TD role, same dept but two steps below, a Lil less than 65k. Resumption is on my 59th day in Canada.
I guess I'll start here and build.
Thank you for all your encouragement.

Jayzara:
Hello people. Pls is it compulsory to get a baptismal certificate in order to put my kids in a catholic elementary school? I am not a catholic so it’s been difficult getting a Catholic Church in Nigeria to baptize them.

Pls did any non catholic here get their kids into a catholic school? Pls share how you went about it please! We r going to Calgary.

Ticha:
Pension and wealth planning for the future - very long read.

To access full pensions, we have to pay 35 years of national insurance to access the full state pension in the UK and in New Zealand, a naturalised Kiwi aka us has to pay at least 10 years of income tax. It means we can't access the full state pension in both countries.
In both places, I doubt if we could live on the pension anyway even if we qualified for it. The full UK pension is about £7k a year so £14k for both of us. Yes, you could potentially access other benefits, but it means from age 65 for women and 67 for men, you’ll be living on approx. £1k a month unless you have savings to draw on. If you have savings of more than £16k, you also can’t access any state benefits either. So we have been planning for retirement.

We have a Global Vanguard All Shares account (the name has changed over the years) - managed by Henderson Securities. We've had it jointly for more than 12 years (husbot for much longer) and have dipped into it sometimes (mainly to pay for IVF). We haven't touched it for years now and the funds have grown exponentially. If we continue paying into it consistently, we should have about £600k worth of shares (yay compound interest) by the time I'm 55 and husbot is 52. To give an idea, we've always paid a minimum of £150 each monthly into it since 2010. Henderson does the investing and taxes on our behalf. We haven't bothered to check what they invest it in, but we picked an aggressive growth fund for a long time and that really paid off (hence using the profits for IVF). Now it's in a mid-range growth fund and will remain there. We have upped our monthly minimum payments to £250 each a month now because we can afford to do so. The SOA comes every March, but we don’t check it or even look at it beyond seeing how much is there when the SOA comes.

In New Zealand - we pay into the government Kiwisaver scheme (pension scheme). I contribute 3% of my earnings and husbot contributes 5% of his earnings, the government contributes $521 every year. We can withdraw our Kiwisaver once we've been out of NZ for 12 months (6 years of payments), so we plan to withdraw it and dump it into Henderson when we leave.
Onto tangible assets – We have property in both countries. I sold my house in 9ja once I realised it was an albatross and put all the funds into a UK purchase. Our UK family home although rented out is on a full repayment mortgage. Thanks to the current property boom (which can also go bust!) we have some substantial equity in it. We also have other BTLs on interest only mortgages. We can always sell one to clear off the mortgage on the family home if needed.

The move to New Zealand has been the best thing for us financially. I have no employer loyalty. No one goes into education to make money as the pay is poor compared to the level of work and qualifications involved. I often jump ship every 2 years because that's the only way I can increase my wages. Wages in education are much higher in NZ than in the UK which is weird (5m v 67m) but good for me!
Anyhow, when we moved to NZ, we took opportunity of the higher wages and saved and saved and saved but buying a house seemed out of our reach. Then we met another couple who seemed to have the same values as us (family, financial, moral you name it). We pooled our resources and we bought a house in our name (we bought first because we had higher incomes and better credit). With property values going crazy, we within 6 months refinanced that property and gifted the cash to this family (basically paid them back their initial contribution and extra) so they bought one too in their name. They then refinanced and gifted us the cash and we bought another in our names.
Because we want to exponentially grow the money, we are demolishing the first house to build 5 new ones and then leverage that to give them enough to buy a 2nd property for themselves. They can choose to develop or hold or sell but we will have both walked away with 2 initial properties each.

It does mean we're financially tight until we finish the build March/ April 2023 (build starts in Oct 2022) but it's for our future financial security so we're totally happy to have a few tight years. It also means I can't help my extended family as much as I used to and boy! am I hearing about it! I've thoroughly enjoyed the consent and planning process for the development. We now have land use consent ad have just applied for building consent. It has been stressful and a huge expenditure but also a big learning curve. I almost decided to retrain as surveyor last year when we got the engineering bill ��. When the houses are completed, it'll be leased to Housing New Zealand on a 5 year repairing lease. The income from the 5 after tax is about the same as my before tax income (imagine fa) so we know we can comfortably live on that should shit hit the fan workwise.

Our current NZ home was bought with retirement in mind. We went for the biggest house on a large land. We also deliberately bought in a medium density zone. Basically, we can build up to 6 four bedroom houses on the land if we demolish the existing house. If we decide not to retire in New Zealand, then that is what we would do in about 7 years’ time. If we choose to retire in NZ (I seriously doubt it) then we'll sell the UK family home and pay off the mortgage on the NZ one. It has bedrooms and a full bathroom downstairs and is disabled friendly – no stairs to access the whole of the ground floor. I have no intention of going into a nursing or care home.

Shareswise - we've now opened targeted growth fund accounts for the children with Lansdown Hargreaves. We pay £100 a month into each child's account. They will get full access at 18. Hopefully, they can use that to pay uni fees, supplement apprenticeship wages, down payment on a house or even go traveling before uni/ work starts.

We have also created a family trust. I look at the truly wealthy and what they have for going for them is generational wealth and good financial planning. In my family, I'm the first to be in a position to actually start building generational wealth. The trust will hopefully go on forever as it's for the direct progeny of my husbot and his siblings (both his siblings have no children and want none) and me and my siblings so it means my nephews and nieces will get payments annually out of it once they hit 21 but their parents can’t access any of the funds. We've currently set it so it can only be dissolved by a court and no beneficiaries can sell assets out of it including us once the asset has been placed in it.

2 reasons we have done this – divorce/ separation for us or our children. Even though we all hope to remain married till death, the truth is that divorce and remarriage happens. The trust is set up to protect the financial interests of all beneficiaries. If either of us divorces, we will continue to be paid out of it. Should any of us re-marry, the spouse will not be able to access any funds from the trust. Same with the children. Stats also show that first generation immigrants usually create the biggest wealth and subsequent generations waste the accumulated wealth. It is very likely that our children will not have the kind of drive we have because they have been born into or have lived in plenty enough to be happy with state handouts in the future. Therefore, they might actually see us as a burden as we grow older and infirm.

So hopefully at retirement, the trust can top up our pension but also ensure we remain at home till end of life and not be a burden on the children.

This is not financial advice. Just sharing what we have done.

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N40K

Party Food coolers N10k

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Redwings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N50k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N18K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
[b][/b].

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Redwings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N10K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

contact for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Redwings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N15K
[s]
Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each[/s]

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Redwings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N13K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N40K

Party Food coolers N10k

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Redwings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N8K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.
[s]
Nicely finished Mahogany wood 6ft X 6 ft Bedframe with dressing mirror and bedside storage N100K[/s]

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k each

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Redwings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N15K

Wooden book Shelf N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

12.5Kg Gas Cylinder + control + 2m hose 15K

Panasonic steam/wet pressing Iron N6K
[s]
Panasonic heavy duty pressing iron N10K[/s]

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.
[s]
Nicely finished Mahogany wood 6ft X 6 ft Bedframe with dressing mirror and bedside storage N100K[/s]

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k each

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Redwings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N60k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N18K

Wooden book Shelf N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

12.5Kg Gas Cylinder + control + 2m hose 15K

Panasonic steam/wet pressing Iron N6K

Panasonic heavy duty pressing iron N10K

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.
[s]
Nicely finished Mahogany wood 6ft X 6 ft Bedframe with dressing mirror and bedside storage N100K[/s]

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k each

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Redwings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N18K

Wooden book Shelf N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

12.5Kg Gas Cylinder + regulator + 2m hose 17K

Panasonic steam/wet pressing Iron N6K

Panasonic heavy duty pressing iron N10K

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

Iamacon:
Hi Flakkey,

Can you share details of the email address of the Accra VO?

Thanks.

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.

[s]Nicely finished Mahogany wood 6ft X 6 ft Bedframe with dressing mirror and bedside storage N100K[/s]

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k each

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Red wings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N18K

Wooden book Shelf N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

12.5Kg Gas Cylinder + control + 2m hose 17K

Panasonic steam/wet pressing Iron N6K

Panasonic heavy duty pressing iron N10K

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.

[s]Nicely finished Mahogany wood 6ft X 6 ft Bedframe with dressing mirror and bedside storage N100[/s]K

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k each

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Red wings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N18K

Wooden book Shelf N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

Panasonic steam/wet pressing Iron N6K

Panasonic heavy duty pressing iron N10K

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.

[s]Nicely finished Mahogany wood 6ft X 6 ft Bedframe with dressing mirror and bedside storage N100[/s]K

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k each

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Red wings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N18K

Wooden book Shelf N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

Panasonic steam/wet pressing Iron N6K

Panasonic heavy duty pressing iron N10K

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements

sirabbey:
Chat 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pictures and pick-up arrangements.

Nicely finished Mahogany wood 6ft X 6 ft Bedframe with dressing mirror and bedside storage N100K

Mahogany Wood Centre table + 4 side Stools N50K

Party Food coolers N10k each

4 piece Freezer bowl set N5K

Brand new Red wings Safety shoes N40K

Plastic cloth spreader N15K

Tv/sound system console N70k

Qlink Pressing iron N3K

Siasho Sandwich Toaster (Japanese product) N10K

Grace Artisry Wall Clock N18K

Wooden book Shelf N15K

Toughened Plastic Chairs (3Pcs) N5K each

HP Printer DeskJet 6940 N10k

Panasonic steam/wet pressing Iron N6K

Panasonic heavy duty pressing iron N10K

contact 08028121790 on Whatsapp for pixs and pick up arrangements