braine:


This is quite insightful.

I have taken my mind off all IRCC shenanigans and have started looking at the jobs in my field and some of the other things you highlighted.

So when you say the system is designed for two people household, you mean it’s easier with a spouse? I've always thought being a single guy would be an advantage, as per german german level

It’s easier as a single person but when you start thinking about making investments two people (husband + wife) can achieve a lot more than one single person provided both are productive.
Another angle is that when I moved to Nigeria in 2015 colleagues senior to me in age and job grade use to come borrow money from me and link it to their wife needing this and that. It was more like they carried a lot of responsibilities which is not bad especially if you can afford. But in Canada men who do that tend to achieve a lot less than men with supportive partners which breeds resentment over time. Just as electricity works , traffic light works same way you’re meant to work efficiently and honour all financial obligations (rent, utility payment…) on time

braine:


I'll take this advice.

Please let that day for the story come fast. It'd be nice to learn from your experience.

Lol I’ll start by reminding that Canada is an expensive country due to the high standard of living and a system in place to push/pull as many people as possible towards the middle income bracket. However it’s worse for naira earners due to exchange rate issue. There are somethings we take for granted in Nigeria which is quite a big deal in canada for instance home ownership. Please if you own a house or land do not sell it . Work towards earning the money you intend to spend in Canada in Canada. It’s very possible as I did it and most of my friends also did. You can do it by getting a job before landing or if you’re a family person land first and your family joins you after you get settled as this way you get to spend less of your naira savings. It is also easier for a friend to house you than to house you + your family .

I also believe that moving to Canada for a high skilled work should be more of continuity and not necessarily restarting life. Many will tell you about starting with survival jobs and all but please aim for the high skilled jobs right away. It may not be easy but the more you try the higher the outcome. Try to spend more time around people who moved to Canada via express entry like you’re doing and less time with people who came via aduro. The mindset is different as they may be advising you on how to work around the system to get this benefit or that benefit. Kings don’t live on benefits.
Lastly my boss once told me Canada is designed for two people (household). Make proper plans and you’ll be alright . God bless.

braine:


I called IRCC and they mentioned my application is with RROC. Other applicants with the same AOR date in other VOs already have their PPR. Its tiring.

With IRCC it may be worth focusing on the transition to Canada and worrying less about IRCC. They will issue your COPR when they are ready. When I received my passport and COPR I was very happy that the expiry date was 11 months away (re-medical was done shortly before PPR). Gave me enough time to prepare, interview for jobs remotely and accept a good offer. The transition phase is very important though most people I know simply sold what they had and moved after receiving COPR. I don't believe in that though a story for another day.

braine:


Wawu. Those guys are slow!

At that time it was blamed on Covid but I didn't mind because the canadian economy was on lockdown and my friends in Canada advised me to wait even if it came out on time due to hiring freeze in most companies

TwinHeart:


I got it as an email

Ok

braine:


How long did your application at RROC take? All my application parameters have been completed over a month now, yet they are taking forever to finalize.

One year. January 2021 to February 2022

huzzman:
Good evening everyone, I’ve been a silent reader here.

Please,I really need your genuine answer on this,someone I know said there’s a Canada sponsorship work visa going and the visa comes with free plane ticket to Canada as well. That he knows a company here in Nigeria that runs the package, the amount I’m to pay 165k for the visa fee and code fee as well.

I want to know if this is real?

Lol we can’t know as you joke the person more than we do. But if you want to move to Canada via express entry you can read from page 1 of this thread

TwinHeart:
RFV don show!

Timeline for Family of 2;

August 2021 - Decision to apply for Canada during the Resident Doctors strike. (The anyhowness of the government was just jarring for me)

August 2021 - Created physiciansapply account and got ECA.

April 2022 - Wrote IELTS and we both maxed out

8th April 2022 - Created EE profile with CRS score of 484

Waited in the pool sotey

23rd March 2023 - ITA for 484 was drawn but I missed the opportunity because I didn’t transmit my profile after updating NOC back in November 2022.
Tried to do the NOC update and profile changed to ineligible.
Created another profile and re-submitted

29th March 2023 - ITA

11th May 2023 - Upfront Medicals

24th May 2023 - AOR

13th June 2023 - ADR for IMM5406 (Additional Family Information)

15th June 2023 - MEP/BIL

22nd June 2023 - Biometrics

19th July 2023 - ADR for spouse’s renewed passport (It expired after AOR)

20th July 2023 - ADR for Updated POF (We submitted in ₦ so it lost value following devaluation)

31st July 2023 - Submitted Spouse’s passport and updated POF

2nd August 2023 - Another ADR for IMM5406. We used electronic signature for the first one. This time around we printed out and signed by hand.

15th August 2023 - RFV/PPR

VO - CPC-O

Grateful to God and everyone for the help and support!

Does this RFV come as an email or in the GcKey ? Mine was in the GcKey last year though visa office was RRoC

D9065ele:


Thank you. I received the passport request letter and i was asked to respond in 30 days but i am scheduled to be married just few days after the the 30days elapses. So i sent the webform to explain that.

What forms and documents did you fill for your spouse?

You’ll need to inform them after getting married as you’ll need to submit the marriage certificate and the dates need to be in the past not future

Marike2:
Hello everyone, pls help me with answers to these questions;

1)Pls can POF be in more than 1account?
2)If I transfer $ from virtual account to Gtbank , how do I withdraw it?
3) How do you show POF at the Port of Entry? Phone App or bank statements?
4) How can I have access to my $ in Gtbank in Canada?

🙏🏼🙏🏼 Thanks

For simplicity of application (if you can) submit one bank statement. There have been cases where the visa officer omitted a second bank statement

Tolifefun:
forget about visitor visa, go through study route. It is the easiest

It use to be but a lot has changed now. The applicant's individual profile is what matters . That person A went to Canada to study and became a PR after two years doesn't mean it will work the same way for person B. Age, highest degree, area of specialization, language proficiency (english, french), province of study, availability of funds and many other factors play a role.

As for the visitor visa route it looks like its a deadend especially if the holder is unable to change to a work permit within six months of landing.

leopardinatree:


From what i know, your eligibility for PR will only come through once your wife completes her studies. Before spouses used to take advantage of getting PR before completion of studies and thus making the student pay less in fees and sometimes discontinuation of studies etc. For this reason new measures were put in place to ensure the spouse gains eligibility for PR upon completion of principal applicant's studies.
My advice would have been to find a way to increase your wife's CRS without having to go on study permit. But that is probably my lack of POF talking. The amount spent on the study route POF for student and accompanying spouse could have been used for POF for PR and wife could have studied french at a much smaller cost and gained required points or selection via french category. I feel it would have been a more feasible, less tedious process.
What can be done to increase your wife's CRS? 2 years MSc is just too long to wait. What about french classes in canada along with MSC? I am focusing on your wife because she has better chances in my opinion unless you try for STEM category. Perhaps maxing the ielts if not already done.

Just to digress a bit. Let us also encourage posters going to study to focus on their studies seriously. I've noticed a trend whereby studies is just used as a pathway to residency to the point that its placed in the back. Reaping the benefits of both studies and residency far outweighs having just the residence permit. The computing degree I undertook in Scotland was very intensive and eye opening. The knowledge I gained from the program boosted my confidence and skills to the point that when I attended interviews for my first job I spoke more about my experiences in computing projects I took in school and was able to communicate with the professionals. I built on that foundation.

In the past two months I have met 6 people in the greater toronto area who came to Canada to study (on study permit) but are already looking other things to do with no interest to even enroll in their respective programs. Employers in Canada are not in sync with the immigration department and hire strictly based on candidate profile and performance at interviews/assessments. Canadian education and work experience is usually a plus.

It is also cheaper to arrive Canada as a permanent resident than as a student. Permanent resident fees are far cheaper and there is access to a wider pool of jobs and credit facilities.

franchasofficia:
Tunde answer his question and leave the issue of securing visa to him; can he secure a job in Canada with a tourist visa?

Canadians generally comply with rules and regulations. The rule for employers is to only employ candidates with a valid permission to work in Canada. The regulation in place also makes it impossible for an employer to process a salary/payroll payment to an employee without permission to work. Employers need a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) to process payroll and transfer tax component of pay to CRA. You need the social Insurance number to also open a bank account. Thus with a visit visa you will not be able to operate a bank account and you will not be able to pay taxes/receive salaries. Hence even if an employer is willing to employ you these regulations stand in the way. The employer will have to sponsor your work permit. However, to be able to do that the employer has to prove to the government that no permanent resident or Canadian citizen meets the job requirements and this tedious process dissuades a lot of employers.

On the other hand, the Canadian economy is not cash driven. You can spend 6 months in Canada without needing to use cash. Electronic payments and transactions are the order of the day. In addition, the economy is pretty much credit driven. However, a visit visa holder will not have access to any credit. You need a credit profile to be able to rent a house, buy a car and do many other things. Some employers of menial labor may opt to hire you for cash payment but in such cases they'll pay you less than minimum wage due to your lack of work permit. A 45 year old home owner is probably in the middle class and doesn't need this kind of stress.

Lastly a visit visa holder who stays longer than 6 months in Canada will not be able to travel back home for anything as if they do they may not be permitted to return to Canada for overstaying. Family emergencies and many other reasons can necessitate travelling to nigeria

diogo23:

I totally understand you but I don't have any one in Canada but i want relocate with visit visa,, do I have a chance of getting work ?

Have you explored the PNP /Express entry option ? To be honest I cannot tell the outcome of your voyage as I'm also still new in Canada. Moved here early last year.

diogo23:

So are you saying it's not good to travel to Canada with a visit visa?

Its fine if you want to visit friends/family or tour some of canada's towns/cities. However, the context in which the OP posted the story suggests that the visa holder wants to use it to relocated to Canada. And from what I have seen and heard and also witnessed its suffer head. A hawker in ojota traffic can take the risk but for a homeowner that is in his 40s its suffer head. There will be too many hurdles to scale.

Please beg him to rethink it . I witnessed two brothers quarell over this on Friday . The elder brother is a dual Nigeria/Canadian citizen and the younger brother works at a bank in Abuja. The younger brother hid his plans to move to Canada from the senior brother. He arrived on a visit visa 2 months ago and has now been kicked out of from where he was staying. No employer is willing to interview him because he fails the “do you have a permission to work” question.
The senior brother told him to sort himself out because he hid his plans from him. He probably needs to look for jobs that will pay him in cash

Profgordons:
Looking like you don tey for abroad. Who will lend you money using house as collateral? It is not that easy, the process of perfecting that loan is prohibitive, better to sell if one is sure of leaving. Later in life one can always buy a new property if the zeal still exists.

Not really. Was in Nigeria last month and was also in Nigeria in December. My suggestion is based on differences between both societies. Spending naira in Canada (after changing to CAD) places one at a loss because of how weak the naira is. And 20M is about CAD30,000 . Rent in Toronto alone can take CAD25,000 whereas with a land you can become a home owner more easily. It’s Canada that made me value landed properties even more because housing issue is a big issue among many Canadians.
Easiest and cheapest funds in Nigeria can be from friends/family. In the absence of that if you have a job/regular income zedvance, renmoney… are options to raise money.

Enculer2:


It is indeed an expensive venture. Uou also have to budget for airbnb when you land.

I got a job in my field before landing, slept on my friend’s sofa for 2 weeks and 4 days. Moved to air bnb the day I received my first pay. Landed with USD4,000 from PTA exchanged at 417. Today I no longer hear about PTA and family men moving right away with wife+children will start spending the moment they arrive

Tegnaworld23:
Good afternoon from Toronto, my good people nairaland please I just landed in toronto 4 days ago, and I gotta discovered that my college is not eligible for PGWP. Now, I'm planning to request for refunds and find another school that I can get the PGWP.

Please what advise can you guys give, and do I need to contact IRCC in this regards of changing school? Thank you for you doing guys.

Check the permissions and restrictions on your study permit. Also consult a licensed immigration lawyer. The good ones charge between $100-$150 for consultation

Samuelobiora19:
Hello House, plz for my POF I want to sell a land my dad helped me acquire way back, the land documents are in my name..The whole value of the land would amount to about #20M, and I want to use it for my POF... Would I have to present the whole land documents while submitting my application to explain the lump sum or just an LOE with the Receipt of payment...I believe I am at the brink of receiving ITA, plz I am waiting for a reply

Please consider using the land as a collateral to raise liquid cash. Life is a continuum and I discourage as many people as I can from giving up their hardwork for Canada. You can move/transition into Canada without losing any of your assets. It is very possible today. The naira is weak at the moment and the canadian economy will drain your naira very easily

So10:
Please can POF for Canada PR come from a buyers account? My mum is selling a property for my POF but she gave him my account details to send the money directly to me. Although she said she'll still do the gift deed and sign

As most PR applications are processed in Canada some of our unstructured financial practices may be strange to some of these visa officers. The best way to go around it is to build our account in the year preceding your application date such that you can have an average 6-month balance above the threshold. For gift deed your application is stronger if its coming directly from your parents

littyprincess:

Omo see what IRCC has caused lmaoooo. Since these French draws started, I’ve seen more than 50 types of these questions. Anyways no. You must have an in-depth knowledge to succeed in this exam

Lol Canada has become one unpredictable entity. Before covid we were sure of draws every two weeks. I met a lady that entered Canada via express entry with a score of 435 in 2018. Now even 481 (maxed IELTS, under 30, MSc and 3+ years foreign work experience )struggling to get ITA. Last last first mover advantage is the easiest. The amount of money people are spending on this canada matter now is funny because people spent just a fraction in 2019/2020 and some of them are citizens already.

Visa mining colleges are propping up sponsoring study visas in exchange for thousands of dollars annually and at the end lots of people will get into the pool with high scores. I reconnected with my good old friend and former classmate who spent about 10 years in USA (Bsc, Msc, MBA, Phd) but wasnt able to get permanent residency hence opted to move to Canada to study. Now at a college in Ontario studying for a two year diploma with the hope of getting a 3 year work permit and joining the pool after working for a year or two. Canada movement is draining cash. The day I paid CAD1,300 for my express entry visa application fee I was very angry because I felt it was too expensive and Naira/Cad was almost 400 . But now that I've spent over a year in Canada and seen people sell their house/cars to fund this Canada study movement I just thank God quietly.

The word japa is vague. Or do people just leave Nigeria for the sake of it ? With $3,000 a month you can live comfortably in Nigeria but please don’t assume that money will keep coming as anything can happen. At the same time please don’t take your hard earned money and give any school for the mere sake of japa. I have nothing against schooling abroad because I also once attended an ancient British university to study computing but it was solely based on academic reasons at a highly rated university.

Fast forward to a few years later people now use study as a pathway to japa spending millions and attending lowly rates schools paying the amount of fees that even Anglo Saxons cannot afford. People have always moved abroad via study but not at this rate. Not everyone is doing great abroad and depending on how you go abroad the system can take much more than you’ll get out of it. There is a cost of living crises in many advanced economies right now and I also had my own share of challenges when I left Nigeria.

I applied to live in Canada via express entry while working as a software engineer shortly after covid. I was 30 and had a good income. It took about a year to get the PR approved but I later developed a cold feet towards moving abroad because it didn’t make sense to me to leave my job and take dollars to Canada. I opted to look for a remote/hybrid job in Canada and accepted one before moving. I landed a few days before the job start day and stayed at a friend’s house for two weeks , earned my first salary before moving to a temporary accommodation.
Renting a house was difficult because no landlord trusted me ( Color , lack of credit history, lack of job history in Canada and other factors ). I saw the good side and the bad side. Canadians were complaining about cost of living and house prices. Housing was a debate everywhere. I began to wonder why Nigerians sold their properties to come and start life in Canada. Most Canadians today cannot qualify for a mortgage hence if you own a house you should be a proud home owner and not dispose it easily to finance flight tickets , school fees and a few months of rental.
If you want to japa try and get a job that will finance your work permit and some of your initial costs. Alternatively apply for one of these tech immigration programs that won’t cost you too much.

For those that went to U.K. as students the will pay international student fees, annual health surcharge and will continue to wary about visa extension/ visa switching / immigration issues till they become ILR holders which will take anything from 7 to 10 years of uncertainty. As with anything in life there are pros and cons . Career opportunities in software engineering are more in U.K./Canada compared to Nigeria there are many other things we want and desire as individuals

TwinHeart:
Just got an ADR saying “ Funds, proof: It appears you no longer meet the required funds due to the drop in value of the
Nigerian Naira. A family of 2 is currently required to demonstrate CAD$17,127 in available funds, unencumbered by debt or obligation. Please demonstrate proof you have this amount available to you.”

And I’ve been slacking in putting the funds together. Will it be advisable to convert all our ₦ and put in my dorm account at this point?

Did you liquidate the account after AOR ?

The world has changed and continues to change. I have never heard about Nigerian men struggling to find love in Canada or UK. Its always the women. Men rather find one fault or the other amongst the different women that flock around them. It points to one things. Women may consider reviewing there expectations.

In the western world marriage is a bit transactional and nobody wants to be the loser in the transaction. In Nigeria men tend to work very hard to satisfy their women/partner financial needs while in the western world couples work together to build wealth for themselves and children.

It is very hard for a man to recover from marrying wrongly all over the world but it is worse abroad thus this trend is likely to continue and women are better off moving abroad with their partners & not a single women.

For me I made a lot of friends in secondary school and a lot more in university. But as I got older the number of friends I made reduced. My university friends (undergrad and grad school) are still the group of people I feel most comfortable around. This is because we all lived in similar neighborhoods and buildings, studied in the same environment partied together, went through winter together and got to know each other well over the years. I found that while working, friends in the workplace were competitors and were out there to chop each other thus I found more comfort in my older friends. I met my partner at a birthday party of our mutual friend. She also attended same university with us & we had mutual friends. We had some things in common. It would have been different if we were in naija but in the western world people hardly take chances

Afolavid:
In anticipation for ITA in the next general draw/next few draws, I'm gathering documents that are applicable to my profile/status. From my findings, these are my observations -

1. A FSW applicant who is temporarily living in Canada doesn't need to do a medical examination for their PR application if they have already done it in their previous application (Work or study), unless otherwise stated by the VO during the app processing. - Screenshot 1 ✔️

Note: I thought I should share this since I've seen a couple of FSW applicants already in Canada worrying about getting medicals done.

2. Concerning PCC, IRCC stated 2 conditions that would make a supposedly expired PCC valid for FSW applicants who are already in Canada (prob the one they got during their study/work permit app before leaving their home country). - *** Screenshot 2 ***

1st condition - Was issued after the last time you stayed for 6 months or more in a row
2nd condition- It is not for the country where you currently live

However, I see a lot of applicants worrying about getting PCC even when they seem to meet these conditions (those already in Canada). Is there anyone who has used their expired PCC in such situation.? Opinions please !!!

Lastly, what are the other documents (apart from the usual ones such as ref letter, test result, eca) to gather ahead of an ITA..?

ITA’s are too costly now unlike in the past when a rejected applicant could simply get into the pool and receive another ITA in two weeks. A friend reached out on this same matter after receiving an ITA with CRS 481 in March 2023. I told her to look at the cutoff scores and ask herself what will happen if her application got rejected for being incomplete. She ended up paying getting another set of police reports and medical.

2023Blessed:
can I send you a private message PLEASE? 🙏🏼

Sure

Brunobia:


Lol I guess many of us on this journey feel the same way. When I started this my japa journey in 2020 nobody in my institution was even thinking of japaring. I'm still here after over 2 years. Not even an ITA or NOI. Over 200 staff in my workplace (federal university) have japaed and gone. Although 98% went to UK so that's what I use to console myself. But I weep inside. Wondering who did I offend. Why did I not start this journey in 2018 when the crs cut off was friendly. My perfect ielts expired early this year. I had already sworn I was not taking it again that canada can go and use their head to hit wall lol
But when I saw more and more persons japaring from my institution even those I never thought would leave I decided to write again. I really went to the exam center with an I don't care attitude cos I was demotivated and so over the whole thing. I was even practicing on my French app while waiting for the ielts exam to start...lol.to show you how I really didn't give 2 fcks about them.
Result came out 3 days later (I took the computer based test)
LRSW 8.5, 9, 8, 7.5
I'm sitting at exactly your score now due to my age. I felt akin to your comment cos our scores are almost at par and we both gave up at one time.
Cheers!

please don't compare yourself to others as we all have different paths in life. Its possible that when Canada eventually works out things will happen so quickly that you'll be glad you didn't move earlier on. Its also possible that you'll get most of the things you desire (lifestyle inclusive) and lose interest in Canada. UK offers temporary study/work visa within a few weeks if the applicant can pay. There is no guarantee that they will all be able to settle permanently in UK. In fact many who moved to UK between September 2021 and now are struggling spending a lot of money to finance their fees and for those working its mostly care jobs. The wave favored people with in-demand tech/consulting skills.

Thank you for your contribution Sir. The bolded is exactly what I plan to achieve. Your response alongside that of others who have graciously shared their knowledge is the right motivation I need to forge ahead. I'm grateful.

As regards to the job she just got, I am the one urging her not to let go as a matter of fact. I quite agree with you that there are higher paying jobs in Canada but I'd like to mention some of the perks of this job in Nigeria viz;
1. It is a permanent Federal government job. ****
2. The agency is responsible for the children's education up to university (up to 6 children).
3. The agency offers free medical services to staff and their nuclear families. This is independent of NHIS.
4. The remuneration/allowances per annum is *** for her level and gets better as she rises through the ladder. She has ** years left in service.
****, the agency will cater for the relocation expenses of her spouse if he wishes to join her.
7. Staff are encouraged to learn at least a foreign language (especially French) and the cost of that is fully borne by the agency, etc.

Now, I know this may not be a lot for some people but it is for me. In my opinion, we can have the best of both worlds. I don't want to be the husband who will be relocating from one country to another with my wife and living on her employer. That's why I want to pursue my own hustle. The only way I can also bring something worthwhile to the table in terms of finances is by seeking better opportunities in a place like Canada. Already, I am about to enrol for training in digital skills (either web development, data analysis or cyber security), so that in the long term, I can consider remote jobs while globetrotting with my spouse.

Thank you once again for your input. God bless you

Sounds more like NI . If my guess is right kindly seek legal advice on the Canadian PR so you/wife don't fail the security screening. Canada, USA and other countries tend to turn down residence permit/citizenship applications from applicants who have a history working in agencies like this. You can read Section 34 of the CSIS Act which deals with inadmissibility based on security.

NuCypher:

If you can become a citizen of Canada after staying three years in Canada, you can go back and live with your wife in Nigeria while she holds a PR. That way, she can stay everlastingly out of Canada as a PR and still be able to renew her PR.

Ultimately though, there's no kind of lucrative job she can have in Nigeria that will be much better than a lucractive job in Canada, if she searches well for one. She should continue searching for a job in Canada while she is in Nigeria. Good jobs in Canada will ultimately pay more than good jobs in Nigeria, except she got a CEO position in a top bank. And even at that sef, there are regular tech jobs in Canada that beat CEO pay in Nigeria. Let me put this out there.

I disagree with you on the second paragraph. There are many things people in Canada desire that they cannot get but people in Nigeria stand a chance of getting. Nigeria is an emerging economy and successful entrepreneurs can make the kind of profit margins they will not make in Canada. It is also easier to get appointed to a senior public position in your come country than as a minority in Canada. The list is endless. Individuals and families weigh the pros and cons before deciding on what direction to go (remain in Nigeria or move to Canada). I can assure you that both have their pros and cons. Its not 100% better in Canada and 100% worse in Nigeria.

Thanks for your response. Please is there a stipulated time for her to stay in Canada after "soft landing"? I am guessing the maximum time she can get off work will be 30 days, which will be her annual leave.

How we arrived at 499?
My age: 33
My highest qualification: MSc (ECA completed in 2020)
My IELTS: 8.5,8.5,7.5,7.5 in LRSW (April 2023)
Work experience: 8 years+ (not in healthcare, IT or any of the high demand occupations in Canada)



Her age: 2**
Her highest qualification: MSc
Her IELTS (July 1, 2023): 8.5, 9.0, 8.5. 7.5 in LRSW
Work experience: 5 years+ before this new appointment.
Applying as a couple both coming to Canada puts us on 499.

Thanks

Only requirement to be able to renew her permanent residence card is 720-750 days in 5 years.