mcstan18:


Word just reached my desk that your good news is finally here. I rejoice with you and your family my dear. Congratulations and go prosper bountifully

Thanks so much and amen to the prayers.

vcole:
Congrats @Tojued! In my mind you were already in Canada oh!

Thanks!!! I dey Canada since na. Like Ifeoma said, our bodies are here but we are actually resident in Canada

[quote author=dudujomi post=76208627][/quote]

Thanks sis and amen to your prayers.

Thanks a lot and amen to all your prayers. You will keep share awesome testimonies that will cause others to rejoice with you.

Jasmine17 , candyce , bronze25 , Transformium , toyinana , johnnybravo1990 , mimikoko , EmeraldConsults , MacShiff , Dealkid , efeklvn , junebaby , Xclusivemaama , Youtook , Utonne , Stephanie09 , sibabe25 , JudahO , queenieB , adetola007 , NeneSisi , wisdom77 , joo2018 , Yuyukoko , majjj , opella , FirstTImeUser

FirstTImeUser:



Kwongratulshons....I celebrate the God that has favoured you and sustained you till this moment.
Your speed in destiny will never diminish in the name of Jesus. I am so so so so so happy for you. Enjoy........endlessly

Amen, amen and amen. Thank you.

Jennypharb1:


Congrats dear, the best is ahead of you. Lol, I thought I was weird to have started composing my PPR script. Last last we will be alright

Amen and thanks. Nothing weird about it especially in this era of Professor Snape

reavealhidden:

Huge Congratulations !!!

@19CannyMum @Adaoh @Tojued @Bukzie

Indeed, It has ended in praise!!!

Yes it has! Thank you!

Vancouver4:
Congrats Tojued.... May God favour you in ur new country.

Amen and thanks

[quote author=MysTeerioz post=76185418][/quote]

Thanks dear. Victory always and everytime.

iamkunski:
Congrats Tojued. I remember vividly, my first encounter with this forum was when you wiped the floor with BC - flawless score in IELTS. Stories like this encourage Accra applicants like me that it's only darkest just before dawn. Las las, we go all dey ok.

Na God o! But for sure Accra got nothing on us. Whether they like it or not they must act right and let the PPRs out.

DadR:
Congratulations to toju.ed and buk.zie. Though it tarried, it surely came.

Hakuna Matata

Hakuna Matata it is. Thanks a lot

Thank you so much for celebrating with me. Your joy will always be full

@
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Bukzie:

OUR PPR JOURNEY……………So Sorry it’s a very long post. Please bear with me. I hope this encourages one or more people to keep pushing…….

It's stories like this that make me feel like an ingrate for whining about my situation. Wow! you're the real MVP!

Congratulations and all the best in your new land.

Extremely long post alert. Please skip to the last line for a summary.

Fortunately, I typed this announcement on 30/10/2018, I’m sure the heavens were just looking at me and laughing. If na to type am now ginger no dey I for just drop timeline. But as e be I’ll simply edit what I have already.

All glory to God, all thanks to my real life family and friends, all appreciation to the elders, class prefects, onlookers, provokers, etc. on this thread. Gratitude is my second name.

---

Timeline
Family of 3, Ottawa VO
IELTS – 24/04/2018
ECA – 24/04/2018
ITA (CRS 454) – 24/04/2018
AOR – 30/06/2018
IP1 & ADR – 17/07/2018
Response to ADR – 23/07/2018
MEP – 27/07/2018
IP2 – 29/10/2018
PPR – 26/02/2019

---

Learning Points
I know there’s a lot of folks on this thread for whom money is no object, but we were among those who had good scores, but limited cash. Every single penny spent was counted mehn. I was the research master, looking round every nook and cranny for how to save. In fact, the first step I took to determine if this Canny thing was feasible was to create an excel sheet, draw up a full budget, create saving goals and determine if and how income would meet up with expenditure, etc. Then my goal throughout was to spend less than I budgeted (and I was mostly successful in this). This is my story of how I did things the alaroro way.

1. ECA. Evaluated for only myself, only my (foreign) masters. Tomorrow will take care of itself for hubby’s ECA . Used WES, regular postage to a friend in Canada, and made sure I claimed my HST refund (no longer possible/necessary).
2. IELTS. Prayed like never before, prepared like I never have, took this exam so serious. Why? Could not really afford to write twice lol. Note that I practically read and write for a living so could have been smug, but desperation is real and works. To God be the glory I maxed out in one attempt and shared a testimonious testimony here 
3. POF. This was a very big challenge, we had absolutely no hope as at when we got ITA, but family pulled through in a way I never expected. 100% gift deed from a close family member, bank transfer in USD. Bank statement showing transfers (had to be broken in two cos of money laundering rules), gift deed signed by donor and I and notarised by a supreme court-listed notary public, Bank of Canada exchange rates USD/CAD for the date, bank reference letter in IRCC format and letter on non-indebtedness (account still in my maiden name).
4. Reference letters in IRCC format from the two places of employment I claimed points for. Every other thing was in personal history. Payslips for all the months in question except the last three months rpior to submission, and I included LOE on the omission and bank statement showing inflow for those three months.
5. Proof of family member. My relative was happy (in fact, excited) to give me copies of her ID and proof of residence. Sent me 2 different IDs and different utility bills, insisted I do overkill and use all lol. Used her birth certificate, my dad’s and mine to prove relationship. Did LOE that X(Y)Z is my father’s sister and therefore my paternal aunt (bracket because her name has funkified from what was on birth certificate)’
6. Change of name. affidavit, newspaper and marriage certificate.
7. LOE that open university is part time/distance learning and I’ve been working fulltime while looking for their MBA.
8. PCC. Abuja HQ. Very painfully parted with 20k for spouse and I. It was indeed very painful. Foreign PCC was a breeze and was mailed to a friend in Canada. I requested it same period I registered for IELTS and ECA.
9. ADR. One of my certificates was undated. Apparently it has been undated since eternity and nobody every noticed. I got an ADR for this and you can imagine my fright. I had to send the certificate back to source for them to date and stamp it, write me a letter of explanation. So I sent the dated cert, guilt letter from institution to IRCC. Naim I receive another ADR instantly for dated cert.. just jejely sent only the dated cert. No accompanying explanations.
10. GCMS. Used GCMS buddy, got my notes in 35 days. Was very relieved to see that the dated certificate had been accepted, and my PVO was Ottawa. Saw that my CRS was reduced by 5 points post AOR even though my birthday was post ITA.

---

My story
Any Catholics here? You must love this song:
When I remember, what you’ve done for me, my heart fills with joy for there’s none like you.. there was a time in life when I thought all was lost Lord I am a living testimony of your love… I will tell this story to my neighbours I will tell this story to all my friends… and so, I will give you all I have… for always Lord, you know, that I have given all I have.
(insert edit: so along the way my testimony song changed to this one: … I am never in a hurry, I will wait upon the Lord, he will answer my prayer, when the time comes… Omnipotent reigneth, my redeemer liveth, he will answer my prayer, when the time comes)

It all began in October 2017. My best friend relocated to the Canada. Now I have three best friends, so it was alright.
Fast-forward to January 2018. Another best friend called me and started preaching the Canada gospel. I said mba, for this Nigeria, I was made. For this Nigeria, I go succeed. Where will I even get money for such from? Na so my bestie start her own. She sha sent me nairaland link and told me that I can use pension.

I cameth here and readeth stories and testimonies. It is this easy? Did my overnight stint. Calculated my score. Read IRCCs version of the story. Discovered that I can’t use pension, but there is something called gift deed. Made a deal with canada bestie, migrating bestie, and God: if my contract is renewed permanently, naija I stay. If contract renewed for one year, abroad I go (I really love my job and may never get anything similar to do in the abroad).

Contract was renewed for only one year. Jokingly mentioned Canada to the husband. Husband reminded me that he was born to live in the Canada, and that I was the ‘we will make it in Nigeria’ proponent. I thought long and hard. If we cannot relocate at our young ages, when we go fit? Opportunity no dey knock plenty times o! Informed my family that we are moving to the Canada and started preaching the gospel to my siblings. I shall never stay in the cold alone.

Was planning to take everything slowly, e.g ielts with January salary, WES with February salary, etc. No hurry in life. Then life happened. We had a mini family disaster and my entire outlook on life changed. I can say that my spouse and I became adults. We spent a couple of weeks at home recovering, and in the anger stage of my grief, I lashed out by aggressively tackling this whole EE matter. Borrowed funds from somewhere, paid for ielts, wes, started checking out jobs in the Canada, etc. Also started my ielts preparation with a vengeance. At that point I needed to be sure that Nigeria wouldn’t be one of my future problems.

(Lest I forget, at this stage 3rd bestie called me. She’s getting married and relocating to the Canada as future spouse is a PR. Kilode? I will wake up one day and it’s only me that will be in the Nigeria? No, never. I toldeth her that I’m also on my way to the Canny)

ITA came finally. We sha chilled, because no iota of POF. Took our time with medicals and documentation. Took advantage of a time when most of my bosses were out to get reference letter from the most discrete of them all. Paid a courtesy visit to my previous employer, and one week after requested a reference from them. Spoke with my aunt in Canada, her enthusiasm gingered mine and she sent her docs. Small small sha. One day I got the call that POF was ready and I swung into action to get the bank docs, especially letter in IRCC format. It was pure hell (dealing with the banks). But we finally overcame 

Oya now… AOR. We scan every, fill every. By the way, I had like 14 addresses in my address history (I’m a nomad). My travel history was also more than 10. But I filled in my personal history very religiously, left nothing whatsoever out (I can’t shout). I used Facebook, my emails, everything to crosscheck that information was accurate. Only uploaded current passport data page and stamped pages even though most of the history was in old passport.

And then the long wait. Fear that I’ll go to London because of ADR. Joy that I was in Ottawa. Apprehension that I can be moved to London or Accra at any time. Dread that I’ll get stuck in security due to the nature of my job. Always on this thread so productivity at work dropped.

And so on, and so forth (actually at this point I’m just simply tired of typing).

---

Continues today 27/02/2019

Na so the wait continue after I don type PPR story complete, it was raining on June applicants when I typed my story. Those days ehn, you’ll get IP2 today, ghost tomorrow, PPR next tomorrow. But was that your sister’s case? For where! Silence laik this.

I believe I called IRCC sometime in November. Confirmed that file was still in Ottawa so relieved, but didn’t know the right questions to ask e.g what is status of eligibility, criminality and security.

December there was another rain. Did it touch your sister? Nooooooo.

Dec 30 = 6 months. No show. I raised CSE in January, called IRCC, mailed Ottawa. Generic responses from mails but got to learn that Eligibility, Criminality are passed. Security not started. File still in Ottawa. People who contacted Ralph in their second months, the ones who made him unavailable to the agbayas like us started dropping PPR stories. That thing can vex me ehn . Another thing that vex me is one day that someone sent me a PM and was complaining that she’s tired of waiting, since September fah. To me that was plain insensitive. Madam did not even bother to ask me that how’s my own wait going.

Anyway that’s by the way. Apart from those my mood was generally okay but I was royally pis.sed at the inability to plan. Ordered GCMS notes, still on their way. Will be very interesting to see what delayed my application.

Fast-forward to Monday. I saw a ghost. Normally ghost in Ottawa morning means PPR in Ottawa night so I got excited and braced for the night. Basically did not sleep, but was up checking for mail. Did the mail come? For where…

So I came up with a theory: my ghost means file has gone to Accra or for security lol. Time to start living my life. Relegate Canada to plan B. Paid my NOUN fees, make I complete this semester at least. Basically rerouted my annual plan in my head since I assumed the Canada is not God’s will for me this year. We shall go to the Cannyland next year. In short, what’s so special about the Cannyland?

This morning I woke up very early and sober, remembered that second bestie is leaving this week and I won’t see her for at least a year since I’m not moving again this year. Then became even more sober and emotional. Was a terrible morning but at least the bad mood ensured I was early to work. On my way to work, daily devotion was ‘do not be anxious about anything… and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding… It was so fantastic and perfect. I totally calmed down and was at peace with my decision (or compulsion?) to remain in Nigeria. All this while my data had been turned off, I hadn’t checked my mail since around 4am.

I got to the office and wifi connected while I was in the lobby. I had three mails. Every morning I get two mails for sure: skyscanner alert, and birthday alarm. So when I saw 3 in the notification bar it piqued my interest. I opened my mail app.

And saw the beautiful, darling, Ready for Visa/Pret pour visa sitting there. O glory! (seriously guys just give a wiper anywhere you are )

---

Sincerely, I’m not excited. But I am sooooo grateful, and I feel so humbled, and at the same time scared that something can still go wrong. Las las God is God, and there is none else.

8 months wait is not beans and I doff my hat to all still waiting at different stages of this process. May your own story be one of speed. If it has been slow so far, may it change to a speedy tale.

One advice to pre-AORers, please when filling your application just be honest. The best thing about my wait was that I knew I had been as transparent as possible. There was nothing new for them to unearth, no hidden skeletons. That awareness set me free of anxiety.

Again, thank you to every member of this e-family. This place is the greatest. You guys are all so responsive! Whenever someone I know encounters a hitch, I be like wait 2 moments, my nairaland fam will fix this. God bless you all. I appreciate again and again those who take out their time to research, collate and put out information. My special shout out goes to Jholarharde and Bammy2017. As private and impersonal as TJ can be you guys didn’t give up on me lol. Thanks a lot for checking up on me this last week, you guys did not know about my ghost disappointment but just happened to encourage me at the best time ever. And my bestie reading this, thanks a lot. I wonder how much more difficult the process would have been without you as my sounding board especially all the times I was trying not to infect hubby with my mood swings.

TLDR: It was a long wait but PPR is here and I glorify God, thank you for your service to this thread, and pray MAY YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.

it's a testimony and I'm grateful. now going to study properly so i can pass prof. snape's exam. BRB.

Mamsvee:
Came across this platform again even as I feel so discouraged to go through the process. I have written IELTS 3 times now and keep getting writing as a 6.5, even after remark of the last one. Maybe canny is not for everyone.

People have written ielts 13 times. It's up to you to decide if Canny is for you or not. Of course it's not for everyone.

This journey is not for the faint at heart or anyone who gets discouraged easily or lacks perseverance.

Congratulations on ppr and baby! @whiteulquiorra

Yuyukoko:
NL fam, I'm not feeling well at all. Waiting is so exasperating. Been so long. I'm just tired, everything feels like it's on hold. I'm just ranting. I just want my PPR for me and hubby. And to discover our file is in Accra I feel so heavy especially tonight... Phew.

Biko, you must not allow the long wait pull you down o, just continue living your life. The delay can only be for so long and it will be over. Besides Accra is on fire nowadays.

By the way is it permanent residency you applied for or student visa / SOWP?

Congratulations! @tolulopearl

@kemzyebony congrats! Thanks for sharing your interview story.

Congrats @chandlerbing. Unfortunately I'm too lazy to search for a befitting Monica meme!

Tayodudu:


@ Tojued
i moved some monies from my salary account to my POF account (650k but in trenches not higher than 150k all in a day). Though this doesn't count towards my POF as i got that in gift deed. Would this raise any questions? If it will, what do i need to do?

I believe you've gotten some good answers already.

Sthill5:
I just discovered my file is in Accra.

Completely heartbroken

Don't be. Accra is not a death sentence. PPR in 5 months is very possible with Accra and 10 months is possible with Ottawa.

Just believe that your case will be different.

desmondgaddafi:
Pregnancy come with exceptional intelligence, U wrote dat exam with a brain of two..You result is mind blowing... Congratulations... Maybe dat baby wants to be delivered in Canada, so jump enta pool sharp...

Hahahaha pregnancy causes pregnancy brain... Your smarts are reduced by half when you're pregnant! Also more difficult to concentrate, etc.

Op is a genius for getting such a result.

Palominopeaches:


Yes I was charged 70k. I booked my appointment immediately after I got ITA. And yes they called a few days before the day to re-confirm the appointment and the price

70k for what? Medicals for family of how many?

Gentile700:
i have been trying since Tuesday?

wow. sorry about that. keep trying, just be refreshing and refreshing each time it fails. what's the exact issue/error message?

Topsmamen:
This should be helpful to post-AOR folks.....

Please credit source: https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/application-stages-what-they-mean-mep-ip1-ip2-ghost-update-version-2019.612656/

Yuyukoko:
Many thanks.
GTB.
I'll try it now.

GTB works for international payments so ride on. Any issues call their contact centre.

Yuyukoko:
Hello everyone. I'm trying to order for gcms notes but I'm hanging now. Went to gcmsbuddy as I saw here, don't know how to go about the payment, I don't have a dollar account. Is there another way of using my naira MasterCard? Please reply.

What bank are you using? depending on your bank you should be able to pay using your naira mastercard or visacard.

agriclyf:
Good morning house, Please courses I already passed are still showing under carry over courses. What could be the problem?

Ignore. It's an error. Register only your real carryovers.

Gentile700:
Exam registration is f**king up

This is one of my problems with NOUN

Of course. Today is the last day and the portal never works well on last day because everyone is trying to do last minute registration. This one is your fault, not NOUN's fault.

Congratulations @KunleSteel. Nice start to my day, this type of early morning good news.