Thesoj's Posts
Nairaland Forum › Thesoj's Profile › Thesoj's Posts
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 (of 36 pages)
 Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 6:25am On Sep 22, 2016 |
Yeah bro! PM me now. This is a good time. michV: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 6:19am On Sep 22, 2016*. Modified: 6:35am On Sep 22, 2016 |
Hi ijeaify: Have you considered getting admission for an MBA or a masters in management? I really think that this will considerably up your chances of getting a TRV. With your 8 years of experience in banking, my fear on your behalf is that the VO will see your PGD admission as merely an attempt to flee Nigeria. Your PGD is in a course area closely related to your banking experience so the VO would wonder why you would pay so much to leave 8 years of banking experience "only" to go get a PGD in an area that you already have approximate expertise in. Just thinking from a VO's perspective here. If you really wanna apply with the PGD, I just want to let you know of the high hurdle your application has to scale in order to be approved. You can get the TRV (I estimate a 20% max probability), but it is a very high mountain to climb! So if you do try your luck with the PGD admission, make sure your application is nothing short of amazing. I still would recommend you get an MBA or masters in management admission instead though. PS: your US and UK visas give you higher chances than the average Naija applicant, but CIC can be very particular when it comes to applicants applying for TRVs using a program level that is not seen as an "academic progression". Without your visa history, I would have estimated your chances to be 10% max. ijeaify: 5 Likes |
| Travel › Re: General German Visa Enquiries Part 3 by thesoj: 11:07pm On Sep 20, 2016 |
We have a lot of guys/gals over at the Canadian thread that want to learn about schooling in Germany. Can someone on here volunteer to make a post like this that summarizes the most valuable information on this thread?  I used to follow this thread a lot and I compiled the links to what I considered to be the most important posts. I will post them later today or in a few days. The info in some of the links I compiled are probably obsolete now (I stopped following this thread closely a few months ago), and I was wondering if someone else on this thread can curate such a list of links so that future newbies can easily get a synopsis of the thread even before spending time reading hundreds of pages. 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 2:26am On Sep 20, 2016 |
@ayooluwatoni @metrecube @mikymiko Thanks for the response to my question. It was very helpful. |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 8:07am On Sep 18, 2016 |
It's finally my turn to ask a question! A family friend of mine is applying for a TRV in a couple weeks. He did upfront medicals, but afterwards decided to renew his passport. Recently he noticed that his completed medicals form has his old passport number on it. The issue is that he will be applying for his TRV using the new passport, but he will be attaching the upfront medicals document with the old passport number. Has anyone ever done this? Did you run into any problems with CIC requesting a new medicals report? Any advice? |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 11:42pm On Sep 15, 2016 |
@Mcowubaba... Totally agree with your post above bro... |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 11:15pm On Sep 15, 2016 |
I really like your positive thoughts about opportunities in Naija, which is true... my view is that many young people don't take enough advantage of them. But bros, have you been to Naija recently or do you have family there? Naija is very hard particularly for young people. Very hard, and it just got much harder with the anemic Naira. It is very hard for the average person to be successful in Naija, especially without connections or very rich parents. I'm not saying one can't be successful in Naija. I have friends that are extremely well-paid in Naija, but a majority of the people I know at home (including some really brilliant people) are literally suffering or barely living from hand to mouth. While I would advise anyone in Naija to maximize their potential there, I also would strongly advise any young Nigerian below/around 30-yrs-old to explore beyond the shores of our country for educational opportunities. The world is a global village now, and even if one wants to live in Nigeria forever it is extremely valuable to see the world. Education is one of the best ways to immerse oneself into another culture. You only live once. Cheers bro. Mcowubaba: 14 Likes |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 1:29am On Sep 14, 2016 |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 1:28am On Sep 14, 2016 |
https://www.nairaland.com/2367106/travelling-canada-part-8/28#34729512 https://www.nairaland.com/3315266/travelling-canada-part-11#48871944 Lastruct: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 10:01pm On Sep 13, 2016 |
Apologies to everyone for derailing the thread. 7 Likes |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 8:10pm On Sep 13, 2016 |
You are dismissive of my opinion without telling me what I am stating wrong. You dismiss most of the advice I gave, but you initially provided none better, which is what started this back and forth. We are here to help each other not to bring each other down. You seem to care so much to come out as the knowledgeable one; I have posted so much on this thread (this is a deliberate sacrifice that I, as a humanist, value) but I am quick to apologize if someone feels insulted by my post; I extended this attitude to you but you insist on trying to paint by views as clueless yet you haven't pointed out what you disagree with. Note that I did not disagree with your position that it is difficult to get a job with foreign credentials. All my advise was how to compensate for that issue, which I feel you did not initially address. A great skill to learn is to disagree with people without trying to sound condescending. Also learn to admit when you may have painted an absolutist picture, which was what your first post did. You've still not said one thing I said wrong. I stand by all the advice I gave, even if you think you know them all already; other readers will benefit. Cheers. PS: I recognize that you were trying to paint a realistic picture, my issue was the excessive pessimism which you began to correct with each subsequent response to me. Btw, I won't toot my own horn about how I know what I know about both Canada and the US (in the interest of anonymity). But paradoxically, the fact that I live in the US doesn't mean I know it all about the US, actually I don't. My living in the US doesn't make me an expert on everything US-related, contrary to your view that living in a country means your views on how things run in that country are accurate. I wouldn't be on this thread if where you live is directly proportional to your knowledge about that place. shinarambo1: 6 Likes |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 5:34pm On Sep 13, 2016*. Modified: 2:04am On Sep 17, 2016 |
I'm not exactly sure what your disagreement is. In any case, I don't think there's anything about my advice that sounds outrageous. You seem to want to hold firm to the idea that all is bad and horrible for foreign degree holders who plan to come to look for a job in Canada. I happen to not fully agree with you on this. (Of course I agree that it is a disadvantage, but not an insurmountable one, you seem to want to paint it as insurmountable which I will never agree with). Also the fact that you live in Canada doesn't mean any different opinions by other people are automatically wrong. Nah. Your residence in Canada doesn't mean people with opinions different from yours are wrong. Sorry. Don't forget that you have your own blindspots influenced by the province you live in, your profession, etc. Before my sister moved to Canada, she had a friend in Canada who sounded just like you which discouraged her from moving to Canada. Now that she's in Canada she is glad she ultimately disregarded her friend's pessimistic opinion. I'm afraid to say that as a reader I don't see why you are harping on how things are bad for foreign degree holders (or people with degrees from other provinces) as though it were unsalvageable. While I am far from being a blind optimist, I like to see problems from the perspective of how they can be solved. Your posts don't do this. Most of your complaints about Canada also happen to apply to the US as well, but you offhand dismiss the usefulness of my post because you think you know so much about Canada for me to have an accurate opinion. Ok. Fair enough. While the US economy is much larger than Canada's, don't forget that there are ten times more people in the US competing for the best jobs. The fact that the US has a much bigger economy doesn't mean that it is wayy easier for an immigrant with foreign credentials to get a good job there than it is in Canada. Anyways, this is not my point. All of your examples about retaking regulatory exams (e.g. for doctors, pharmacists, etc) in Canada also apply in the same way in the US. US employers are very narcissistic and nationalistic, but you think only Canada has this issue hence I have no clue what I'm talking about. Lol. Anyways bro, do your thing. Since you know so much about Canada and you have dismissed my views repeatedly, then it would be beneficial if you expended some effort regaling us all with all the unique info about Canada that posters like me are supposedly clueless about. shinarambo1: 4 Likes |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 7:31am On Sep 13, 2016*. Modified: 7:46am On Sep 13, 2016 |
I appreciate your (equally long) response to my long post. From the tone of your write-up, I can see you may have perceived that I was either lecturing you or writing as though I know more than you. I don't. And I apologize if I came off that way. I just meant to give a different perspective. While you may not agree with what I wrote (I do firmly stand by it all), I wrote it from the perspective of a longtime US resident who has watched and helped new immigrant friends integrate into the system. I also happen to be deeply familiar with Canada as well. If you think the information I gave is wrong and unhelpful, thats fine too (variety of opinion helps to tease out the best ideas), we'll let the readers judge. Btw I didn't write the info on the list primarily for you, I wrote it for other readers like slydog. If the post came off as though I was telling you what you already know, I apologize. But remember that this thread is primarily for other people to learn, the fact that you know the information doesn't mean that we shouldn't provide that information to others. Finally, I wrote my post in order to balance what I had considered to be the pessimistic tone of your post. But then it seems you think I painted an overly rosy picture, which I didn't. I was very clear that no one is entitled to a job because of his/her MBA/PhD etc, a lot of work has to be done to compensate for the foreign degree but of course I never said anything was guaranteed. Even getting a PhD or MBA in Canada doesn't guarantee anyone a job! I have a brilliant friend with a PhD from a Top-Ten American University and he doesn't have a job and he's been looking for a year... so let's not assume that someone with foreign credentials not getting a job is solely because his/her degree was foreign. There are many variables including industry, age, language skills, networking ability, prestige of the person's foreign university, province in Canada, luck, field of study... etc. Please reread your first post to slydog and you will see that you didn't provide any advice for him/her. All I felt you did was paint an all-out negative picture without balancing it with helpful information. Once again, apologies if you feel I offended you or sounded like I know more than I do. I dey humble my guy! shinarambo1: 7 Likes |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 12:57am On Sep 13, 2016 |
@Mcowubaba, could you please modify your quote of my post above so it doesn't occupy too much of the page? All you need to do is delete most of the content that you quoted. Thanks. |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 12:02am On Sep 13, 2016 |
Hmm... that statement is true only to an extent. There are some schools in Canada that are very well recognized across the country... a degree from any of these schools would be looked upon really well, even looked upon better than several other schools in the province of the employer. Examples of such schools are: University of Toronto, McGill, uWaterloo, University of British Columbia, uCalgary, uAlberta, etc. It also depends on the field of study or industry! In any case, my disagreement with shinarambo1 is based on the primary premise of his post. I can agree with him that it is in general better to school in the province you want to work in. But it won't hold you back if you go look for a job in another province so long as you are very strategic about it. As I once again mentioned above, the province won't matter significantly if you went to one of the top or well-known schools in Canada or if you are very strategic about your job search. Mcowubaba: 4 Likes |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 11:45pm On Sep 12, 2016 |
I agree with the bolded. Tarry: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 11:25pm On Sep 12, 2016*. Modified: 12:52am On Sep 13, 2016 |
Your post is excessively pessimistic. The picture you paint of Canada is too depressing and is a blanket generalization. For every person you say went to Canada without being able to find a job due to his/her foreign credentials, I can find you another person who also went to Canada but was able to find a good job (in the first 3-6 months) also with foreign credentials. In order to increase one's chances, new immigrants with foreign credentials looking for a job in a place like Canada (or just about any other western country) will need to do the following: 1. Heavily network with Canadians, and find ways to go to meetups related to your occupation. 2. Modify your accent so that it is extremely clear to the average Canadian. If your grammar is not that good, fix that too. Btw, your Naija accent is fine, just make sure you pronounce and enunciate words clearly. 3. Rewrite your CV so that it fits the style used in countries like the US or Canada (Nigerian CVs have excessive information that make the applicant look unserious to western eyes... no one cares to see your marital status or date of birth or religion, etc) 4. Learn the culture of your new country so that you can easily engage in small talk and humor 5. Do not show outward disdain if you see things that your culture doesn't agree with (e.g. many Nigerians are homophobic and also are outwardly hostile to atheists... many people in western countries will say things that will be opposite your views on these topics) 6. Mingle with people who have different views than you! They will help you learn the new culture and be more tolerant! These same people might have friends that can hook you up with job opportunities. 7. Do your own deep research on how your field of study is practiced in Canada. Don't assume that your PhD/MBA/whatever from Naija automatically entitles you to a job. Nope! 8. Join an active nonprofit and volunteer there to meet and network with tons of people. Also put this on your CV. Bonus points if you join a nonprofit where you can demonstrate and use the professional skills related to your area of desired employment. (Edited) 9. Be extremely competent (by Canadian standards not Naija standards) in your field of desired employment. (Edited) Many new immigrants have a hard time integrating into new countries because they think their degree(s) should be sufficient in getting them a job. Nope! Employers care as much about your cultural fit into their company as they do about your PhD. A Nigerian PhD is not an impediment to getting a good job in Canada. I have a close friend whose brother got a professorship job in Canada, with a Nigerian PhD. PS: I didn't say any of this was easy, but it can be done with the right informed strategy! cc: slydog shinarambo1: 27 Likes 5 Shares |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 3:45am On Sep 10, 2016 |
Welcome!  ...and, congrats on the TRV! yetus: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 3:41am On Sep 10, 2016 |
Go back to the passport office and have them issue you a new one, and since it's their mistake they should be able to cancel and immediately take back the one with the wrong date of birth. Do not use the passport to apply for anything, otherwise it might be assumed that you are deliberately trying to be fraudulent. You don't want that passport in your custody (especially when you are travelling) once it is cancelled, as it is very likely to get you in a lot of trouble at a foreign airport. PS: @churkie's post above is probably more helpful than mine. I just noticed it after I posted. duduyemi02: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 7:45pm On Sep 09, 2016 |
Sorry about your delay bro. I'm not exactly sure if you can apply in the US for a Canada visitor's visa if you are in the US as a short-term visitor (B1/B2 specifically). lol @ bolded. Skiiiwalker: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 10:26pm On Sep 07, 2016 |
I'm not trying to start a debate with you. I just want you to realize that statements you make on here will impact a lot of people who have yet to apply. Because you got your TRV doesn't mean you should go ahead and encourage people (even if unintentionally) to put in mediocre applications "because grace/prayers/god will be sufficient" (quotes are mine). You applied for a TRV for a thesis masters course that was funded, of course the VO is more likely to approve your app even if imperfect. But most applicants don't have your profile. If you really did think that grace/prayers/god is sufficient, you should have applied for the TRV without any supporting documents and see if you would have gotten the TRV; of course you wouldn't have! So stop suggesting that people apply with mediocre applications because "prayer". I am not expressing an opinion on if people should pray or not, all I am highlighting is that it is not a substitute for a well put-together application. My second point in the post you replied to is about being sensitive towards other people. I think we should all keep this in mind. Infinity2020: 6 Likes 1 Share |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 10:13pm On Sep 07, 2016 |
Chai, sorry bro. I think our analysis about change in Naira exchange rates might be spot-on given that the VO only ticked "insufficient funds" for tuition but didn't tick the other "insufficient funds" boxes. It implies that the VO was convinced about your sponsorship but didn't think that the money was enough to cover everything. Usually when the VO isn't convinced about your sponsorship or if the funds are just too little to cover anything, s/he would tick all the "insufficient funds" boxes. michV: 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 10:05pm On Sep 07, 2016 |
With all due respect, I disagree with posts like this that encourage people to think that prayer/grace is more important to your application than how well you put it together. In my view, this attitude encourages a lackadaisical approach to problem-solving, which is the problem with our country. We like unnecessary shortcuts. This is not to say that people shouldn't pray if it helps them feel better about their application, I am solely stating that prayer will not work as a substitute to putting together an excellent application. Also, stating that you only get your TRV by prayers/grace is a bit insensitive towards those who prayed and fasted yet didn't get their TRVs. It in a way implies they didn't pray hard enough or they didn't for some reason deserve grace. cc: @debayoolatunji, @Ethan45 Infinity2020: 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 1:20am On Sep 07, 2016 |
Chrissybaybee:She should explain the source of recent deposit if it is recent and significantly larger than her previous deposit transactions. So if for instance she got the money from sale of property, she could mention it and include the receipt. Having said this, it also depends on the VO. Some VOs might not mind that it was a sudden deposit, but I'd rather play it safe and explain. Chrissybaybee:This is completely fine, and is a wise decision. It may also help if you mention this transfer (and its purpose) in your SOP or a brief "Explanation of Finances" writeup that you attach to your application; sometimes it helps to strategically repeat certain information multiple times in your application. 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 6:58am On Sep 06, 2016 |
You are very welcome bro. michV: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 11:28pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
Ok, great. OJCITY22: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 11:27pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
Sure, it is probably easier for a VO to understand the purpose of visit of a masters student than for a PGD student. But this doesn't automatically translate to assuming that every PGD denial is victim to this possible [and, unfortunately, justifiable] VO bias. Tarry: |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 11:15pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
I can already tell that you didn't read the content of the link I sent you. The post that the link directs you to contains information about how to search for schools in Canada. It will take you a few minutes to type your course into the university search website (embedded in the post) and then browse the department's admission page to see their toefl cutoff (or if it is even required). You will also in the same way find out if they need your bank statement and more. As per your CGPA, you meet the minimum requirement for most schools but this doesn't guarantee admission. You need to write a fantastic SOP and get really good recommendation letters. OJCITY22: 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 11:08pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
The CIC website supercedes what any anonymous/unknown agent at a CIC contact center supposedly said. Not asking for an apology, and none needed. Your statement that you cannot obtain a study permit at the POE with another school's admission letter is categorically incorrect; now a debate can be had about if it is a wise thing to do, but that's a separate topic. lawmerchant: 2 Likes |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 10:56pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
Ministry? Anyways, first I'd recommend you don't spam the thread. You have posted the same long post several times in a few minutes. Secondly, your questions show that you need to acquaint yourself with Google.com. There are so many people willing to help on this forum, but there wouldn't be anyone here to help if no one was willing to do any research to help themselves. Help yourself. For a start, this post may help: https://www.nairaland.com/3315266/travelling-canada-part-11#48871944 OJCITY22: 1 Like |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 10:40pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
It is indeed possible that some VOs are more lenient with masters applicants. But the thing is we can't yet make that generalization because there may be some masters applicants that have been denied for the same reasons (and in the same situation) as you. Remember that we only have a subset of applicants on this thread so we don't really know the overall statistics. Plus, every application is different and every VO is different as well. michV: 4 Likes |
| Travel › Re: Travelling To Canada Part 11 by thesoj: 10:36pm On Sep 05, 2016 |
Bro you didn't make a mistake by expressing your emotions on this public forum. As humans we all are emotional beings. This thread is also in a way a support group, so please don't let anyone tell you that you did wrong by expressing your frustrations or having a backup plan; this is just being human and being wise. I hope things get better. Also, you have been extremely valuable to many on this thread. So rest assured that you have knowingly and unknowingly helped people get their TRVs. Unfortunately life is extremely unfair but just keep pushing, better things will come. michV: 4 Likes |
are you looking at Nigerian standards or your personal advancement and progression... 
, but that don't mean Nigeria is doomed