₦airaland Forum

Guys, any advice on a phone plan/network provider that would work in both Ontario and Alberta? I need it for just a one month period. Thanks.

einsteino:
I almost asked if his degree lacks some required engineering courses. or maybe he moved from a science degree to a Masters in engineering, that kind of thing.

lol all the resources and time invested on NSE and COREN. it is well.

O boy i taya ooo. All these institutions nor geh Joy!!

dupyshoo:
16 exams? Why na? I went for APEGA as I realised that they accept WES ECA and considering the fact that it is usually the first choice province for Engineers. I started May last year and got my EIT in February this year.

Hi.. Apart from WES what else did the process include? I find it absurd that all the donkey years of experienced have to be waived to obtain that one year Canadian Expr. O ma ga o. Please share your experience if you dont mind. Thanks

einsteino:
16 exams for just EIT? lol thats all the exams i sat for in a whole academic session bk in the university! btw pls i would like to add a question, it may sound funny sha. Does having a COREN by any chance ease the APEGS licensing path for us?

16 Dang Exams. Wetin Happen!!!! I am not sure having COREN or NSE helps in any ways as it is clear they do not value Nigerian formal education. So sad when you consider all what you went through whils in school plus the strikes and what not. Anyone have timelines for start to finish for EIT (APEGA?)

Ehrnie:
My sister - many thanks for the follow-up. That's so thoughtful of you. Thanks again I was actually going to send you a debrief email, but you beat me to it.

Yes, WES have finally sent my completed ICAP to APEGA (just end of last week). Believe me, I had to chase my Nig Uni to verify my transcript again o...I'm so glad that's over now. Thankfully, I was still within the 90 day APEGA deadline, so that was ace.

Have a great day ahead and enjoy what's left of summer.

Nice One Ehrnie... So what next? i have had to put mine on hold cos of the ASUU Strike...

Blackbuddy:
Hope the above helps.

Thanks Champ.

Blackbuddy:
Hi, see above.

Thanks for always being articulate. Let me paint a scenario...

Ms X is moving to Canada on a short landing (<1 month)... Has need to see Family in Province X and will be there for about a week. She ultimately wants to live and work in Province YY. is it OK if she does the following.

1. Have her PR card sent to Family in Province X as she wont be around long enough for 6-10 Weeks delivery period.
2. SIN at Province X
3. Open Bank account at Province X
4. Register for a mobile phone at Province YY (for proof of address)
5. Register for Health cover (if province YY has immediate health cover) in Province YY. She also has Family in Province YY and will stay with them during her stay.
6. Apply for government photo ID in Province YY as she will not have the time to take the Driving knowledge test & road tests.

Is there a conflict in the sequence of events esp the PR card address?. Also is it ok to use a single address (Province YY - final destination) for all listed above? Or can some carry Province X [/b]while others carry [b]Province YY?

Cheers.

vcole:
Hello everyone. Good to see that the thread is progressing.
@ehrnie, there is no need for you to commence the process for obtaining a Canadian drivers license since you are only going to do a short landing. Reason being that it's illegal to hold 2 operator licenses at the same time in most of not all the provinces. The UK license can be exchanged for a Canadian one when you eventually move as long a it's valid at the time.
I do not know what province you intend to land in but I can speak for Alberta based on my personal experience. Your pr card app is done at the airport. It would help if you provide an address for it to be mailed to at that time.
Your SIN can be obtained form the service canada office within a few minutes. Take your international passport and copr along.
Your health card....you apply at the nearest license and registry to you and the card gets mailed to you within 7 days.
A bank account can be opened in one day. I'll recommend Scotia bank. Call beforehand to schedule an appointment and take along your ID - international passport and copr. You'll need a proof of address. Easiest way to do that is to purchase a phone line and use the bill processed for that as proof of address. (Ensure you cancel your cell phone plan after the first month).

Hi, please refer to the emboldened. How long (Days/Months) did this take to get to you? Sorry for my many questions o. I also sent you a PM request... Cheers

vcole:
Yes I landed with my Nigerian license. It was to expire this October while my husband's had already expired. Both were the frsc biometric licenses. We wrote the knowledge test and passed and then submitted our licenses to obtain the gdl exemption which took 3 weeks after which we took the advanced road test and obtained our class 5 licenses.

Hey Ms Vcole, could you please share your experience and how/what you did to ace the knowledge test? Thanks

vcole:
Your cell phone bill or credit card statement or bank statement can be used as proof of address.

Guys will my WES result that was sent to a relatives place serve as proof of address?

vcole:
Someone asked abiut drivers license and frsc abstract in Alberta. Can't remember the moniker. I didn't use an frsc letter or abstract for my DL here. Just my Nigerian license was sufficient.

@ajujuju2, you'll be fine dear. I am able to cope with everything else but home schooling is not one of my strengths. I have adjusted my monthly expenses to include the cost of child care. My toddler goes to a dayhome now. The 4 months he was home with us was h-e-l-l. I mean I love my son but he is that child who lives for the great outdoors and social interaction and can drive you crazy when he's home daily. He goes there at about 8am till 5pm with varied hours sometimes dependent on my availability.

Vcole of life. Thanks for shedding some more light on the Alberta licence. Can you share your experience?

Oyin15:
If you're in Ontario then you get health cover after 90 days/3 months. You will need to bring these documents with you to any Service Ontario location:

1. A completed Registration for Ontario Health Insurance Coverage form which you will get at the office
2. Three separate, original (not photocopies or printouts of electronic documents) identification documents:
A. one that proves your Canadian citizenship or OHIP-eligible immigration status (e.g. Canadian birth certificate, Permanent Resident Card )
B. one that proves you live in Ontario (e.g. Ontario Driver’s Licence, income tax assessment)
C. one that supports your identity (e.g. credit card,passport from any country)

In bold font are the readily available materials to get you registered.


Thanks @ Salford 1 and Blackbuddy and all the seniors in the house for always being helpful . In addition to this i just did my Ontario health card and they accepted our lease agreement as proof of residence so the docs submitted/shown were passport, PR card and lease agreement

PR Card? I thought that came after about 8-10 Weeks. Is one allowed to use COPR?

fabdee:
Na you sabi oooo. Waka pass if it doesnt go down well with you. You dont have to comment to everything.

Ahn ahn.. Someone kennor play with you?? #okbye

vcole:
@pauloverdi welcome to the land of the maple leaf.

@wura27 and yooku, well i don't know exactly how to answer the question....but it all depends on your personality....In my case, I only informed my close family (not extended) and close friends as well which are few in number. Everyone else found out as time went on by "word of mouth" because people always talk. I've kept in touch with my close circle but consciously tuned off from quite a number of people because honestly, relocating is tasking mentally and emotionally and it is important to stay positive and direct your energy towards building a new life and trying to pull on so many strings back home while doing that can be a bit of a struggle. However, we all have different personalities....so for some people, they would draw their strength from keeping all of their social ties going.....only hindrance to that would be time difference. So, in a nutshell, do what works for you.

@wura27 if you are Alberta bound then there is nothing to worry about. They would accept your expired driver's license as long as it is the original one and expired less than 2yrs ago (i stand corrected about the duration though).

@impish, school starts at age 5 in Alberta as well for kindergarten.

@DB14, unless you intend to pay for medical care for child birth, then you should land in either Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba. Alberta gives you health care insurance immediately. Sask and Manitoba give new immigrants within 2 weeks.

Nice write up. I have a few questions. If i land in Toronto because i have some engagements, but ultimately bound to live and work in Alberta... is it ok to wait till i get to Alberta before registering for things like SIN, Health, bank accounts et al?

Kindly advise.

Ehrnie:
I didn't request a separate transcript. All I did was to chase up my Uni to respond to the email they got from WES.

I actually do not know what the re-verification process entails and I have no clue what was contained in the email to my Uni (perhaps WES asked for another transcript). The WES rep told me an email had been sent to my uni with instructions on what is expected of them. My uni kept it confidential as well, and told me they had responded to WES.

It is my understanding that any correspondence between WES and Universities are highly confidential and should not be shared with the applicant - I guess that's why WES insist transcripts must be in sealed envelops. This is my opinion.

Spot on Ehrnie. I was trying to understand whether or not one has to pay for issuance a new transcript as well as DHL/FEDEX fees et al. Thanks for the clarification.

Ehrnie:
Hi - WES was very adamant about the re-verification process. They kept insisting that's how they work. After so many phone calls and emails to them, I gave up and contacted my Nigerian university to re-verify my transcripts. It was quite disappointing I must admit but thankfully I got it all sorted just before the ASUU / NASU strike and my evaluation is now complete.

I wish you all the very best.

Please clarify if you had to request a separate transcript or your Uni just had to re-validate?

Ballerz:
Mrs O. They will only accept the original of the letter.
The kind of screening she gave letter pass the one bank tellers check when customers present cheques.
Kept reading the three document line by line.
She finally asked " what is a class B" . I simply said equivalent to your Class G. I think it is higher sef cos with class B in Nigeria you fit drive lorry.
She tore off the bio data page attached and returned to me that she doesn't need it.
Gave the documents to her supervisor to sign off on it.
Get someone to DHL it to you.
Or, If you send me an email, I can speak to my colleague who is on secondment there to get your letter for you.
Cheers

Hi, any ideas how much this costs? i.e. to get the letter and whats the route of requesting this letter?

impish:
Hi Blackbuddy and thanks for the useful resources.

Just to mention that our scanned copy of the FRSC letter was rejected last week at the Ottawa test centre we went to. We were told to return when we had the original hard copy. Our experience may have just been due to the lady who attended to us, but just thought to mention anyway. We never intended to write the test that day anyway, so we did not push. We had only gone to make enquiries and to see if my husband's temporary licence would be accepted.

Best,

Mrs. O
www.mycanadianfling.com

Hello, was his temporary licence accepted? Please share details. Thanks.

Howdy. Does the FRSC letter of experience (previously discussed on this thread) count when applying for a Class 5 DL in Alberta? Simply put, does my Nigerian DL have any advantages/considerations? Someone with experience please advise. Thanks.

Ehrnie:
or...Enitan, Enieye, Eniafe, Enibukun....

you're absolutely correct

Any of the Eni's

Ehrnie:
really...? With the very girlie display name....?

I honestly thought you were a guy. Is this why you have never accepted my PM request? Hian!!!!

Ehrnie:
I like the sound of that ...making lots of money!

Thanks for your response.

Yes to all 3 questions - EIT is Engineer-In-Training, I have satisfied the academic requirements and I require CAN work experience.

No, I'm not yet in CAN. I'm just trying to get all the groundwork going prior to when I relocate. I presume it's not advisable to complete the First Aid and H2S Alive trainings from outside CAN...is that correct?

Chief, i need your help as regards filling out the WER for APEGA. Can i send you a PM?

Is there anyone on here who has recently completed the PEng Registration? I need some clarification.
Thanks.

czaratwork:
please for landed/settled members here please arrange in order of priority

1. open an account
2. get an accomodation
3. get a phone plan

it seems these three are interwoven because you will need the address for all others and you will need an account for the other payments and you will also need phone number for the other 2.

thank you

What if you have a family member who is resident in Canada, can you use his utility bill etc as Proof of Address? Will this Suffice for those doing a short landing?

alt3r3g0:
Thanks for the info. I have already arranged to have someone collect and send down.

Please don't let anyone send it down. Try to get someone going to Nig who can take it along with you. Cheers.

Howdy Guys,

Do the houses for rent in Canada come with things like Fridge, washing machine/dryer etc?

salford1:
Whichever route you go, you would still need a one year canadian tutorship under a licensed engineer. When one goes the PEng route and skip EIT, that person would have no designation, but the EIT itself is a designation which can help with getting a job to obtain the 1 year experience. When you have your EIT, then you can inform interviewer that you would obtain your PEng within one year. In summary, the EIT status makes you more attractive to employers than someone with no status.

Hello, how did we go about the EIT for APEGA? By default, it took me to the PEng registration straight away. Can you share a link or offer some form of guidance? Thanks.

Ehrnie:
You are most welcome. Below are answers to your questions -
1. Yes you have to list APEGA (that's the main reason for this evaluation anyways). It cost $7 (I think) for delivery to APEGA. You may choose not to pay the $30 for the additional copy to be sent to you (it's up to you really).
2. No, the WES call didn't yield the result I wanted or expected. They only insisted my uni has to verify the transcript (it feels like the WES reps just read out the same scripted message). You can try your luck though - could be different.

All the best!

Looks as if WES is the instrument for generating revenue for the Canadian govt. They must have paid their dues. I sent you a PM, hope you get in touch soon. lol @ scripted message - Awon robot!! lol. Cheers

Ehrnie:
I started from the APEGA website. Put in an application for EIT and was then directed to the WES website where I followed the step by step guide for APEGA licensing applicants. My previous posts gives a break down of the cost. See summary below -

How to Obtain a World Education Services ICAP Report

1.Register for APEGA's Member Self-Service Centre, and receive your ID number. This ID number will be required to order your WES Report.

2.Follow the instructions to continue to the WES website for the next step of the application process.

3.Follow the instructions provided by WES. If you already have an evaluation report from WES, you may need to upgrade that report to an International Credential Advantage Package (ICAP).

4.WES will send the completed evaluation report to APEGA digitally. Physical copies will not be accepted


On the WES website it states that the docs I used for my initial application will be transferred to my new upgraded application (i.e. ECA to Course-by-Course) BUT surprisingly they came back with an email saying they are awaiting verification of my BSc transcript from my University. All other docs (i.e. my MSc + BSc degree certs and MSc transcript verification) were transferred from my previous application so I didn't have to do anything. I don't know if this is now the norm, but yeah that's the process I had to undergo.

Please note that APEGA licensing is for those who will be settling in Alberta and want to practice Engineering.

All the best!

Thank you, this is very helpful. Some few clarifications though:

1. Do i have to list APEGA as a separate recipient as that option comes at an extra cost or is an E-Report automatically sent to WES.
2. I read in your previous email that you called WES to clarify the sending of undergrad transcripts again. Did this effort yield any positive results? Do you know if this cumbersome process can be waived?

I sent you a PM, pls lets discuss when you get a chance. All the best.

Ehrnie:
Yes I am. Thanks for reaching out. Do you work in the oil-patch? I presently do (I've been for over 5 years now) and was just wondering what tips / advise you can share.

What I have done so far; I'm in the process of submitting an application for EIT via APEGA. That's it

What are your thoughts...experiences...advise...etc.

Many thanks,

Hello, how are you going about your APEGA /WES course by course evaluation? Since they already have the transcript, do i really need to go through the entire process again? Please lets discuss. Thanks

Ballerz:
Salford, when did your rain become beans that is being picked (runs away)

Mr Ade ballerz, no put "igbo" for my pocket ooo... E jor oo

salford1:
Destination, Yorkton. Saskatchewan. Pic is downtown Yorkton. The city mall, stores, restaurant, hotels e.t.c are all located in this area.
Yorkton with a population of 18,000 is the 4th largest city in Saskatchewan. A settlement in Alberta with that kind of population will not be given a city status..
Different province, different rules.

Pic 2. Looking down from the hotel window. This hotel is likely one of the tallest buildings in town. Probably one of the tallest buildings in the city.

Pic 3..one lovely thing about Canada is that no matter how small a town or city is, they always have events lined up for the summer...no dulling at all.

Howdy, i have followed your posts for sometime and i would like to have a private chat with you if you don't mind. I am also an Engineer and need to pick your brain on a few topics. Please let me know how best to reach out to you. Cheers.