dipset01:
use oanda

N4,515,604

Please make it 5 million or 5.5 million if you can. The exchange rate is not stable

Chriswazo:


U have ITA now, all of una wan run to WhatsApp and telegram group.
Mtcheew,

Realities differ and humans all respond to their realities. The whatsapp + telegram groups offer more information to ITA holders compared to this channel. And even after securing permanent residence document those whatsapp + teelgram groups become less attractive because people tend to focus more on how to make the transition from Nigeria to Canada. When you arrive and get settle in Canada you may also begin to become anti-immigration despite being an immigrant yourself because you begin to face a different set of realities.

Notwithstanding I have remained on this channel despite securing ITA in 2020 and moving to Canada about a year later. It was very informative and I try to add one or two lines here and there based on the little I know about express entry. I even look up draws every wednesday like someone awaiting ITA lol .

colonelwealth:
This thread is for Nairalanders who have traveled out(relocated) or travel out(foreign visits) either occasionally or frequently.

What are the things; livestyles, culture shocks, cusines, religion, norms, education, government, discoveries that you have noticed in your travels to foreign country/lands that took you by surprise, shocked you, disgusted you or impressed you about your place of visit(country)..?
(Tell us both positive& negative impressionyou had that made you either appreciate Nigeria or criticise Nigeria)


For me: my negative impression was the unnecessary fear for Nigerians.....this made me appreciate Nigerians for their welcoming attitude towards foreigners irrespective of nationality.


While my positive impression was the general contentment and ease with which life is approached.....this made me criticise our mindset of 'get everything by all means necessary " in Nigeria.



I have many other experiences but let me wait for others

Pls, add your experiences....

The word "Nigerians" in the japa context means different things. Your educational level, immigration status, profession and how you moved abroad can sometimes be indicators of how you do and process things.

-There are Nigerians who went to study abroad as international students after completing secondary school or undergrad in Nigeria. These category of Nigerians usually have strong ties to their home country / family/ Nigerian values. They most likely work as professionals abroad and became citizens/residents through one of the pathways available to students. They tend to be from more stable family/economic backgrounds and are less susceptible to cutting corners or using people . I consider these category of Nigerians more trustworthy.

-Then you have the illegal immigrants who either overstayed their visas or got into their host country through the bush. This category of people may be desperate with little or no emotions and can do almost anything to survive. Think about it a person arriving in europe after travelling through the deserts of Niger, Libya and Morocco will have no issue doing anything to survive. In USA some of them come in through Mexico. They can do anything irrespective of whether it is morally right or wrong.

-There are also Nigerians who moved abroad via work sponsorship visas. These category of Nigerians tend to be also sound and live a decent lifestyle free of crime or fraud.

However, I've observed that the post-covid japa wave seems to be a different ball game. Sometime it feels like people don't think again or anymore. It doesn't look like people make plans anymore rather they just want to leave Nigeria and are ready to shut down any other suggestion. This has now sprang up a group of adult students (40+) with families who have sold all they've worked for to be students abroad (particularly UK, USA, Canada). With the weakening naira they tend to be desperate. Reports are rife about increased pressure on the marriage of people in this category. Some have been deregistered from their schools due to their inability to meet up with their fee payment schedule. Out of desperation some members of this group can do or say anything to raise money. The belief in Nigeria is that there is a pathway to permanent residency as a student in UK or Canada. Every family believes they'll be competitive enough to scale through the financial and immigration hurdles ahead. I pray they all do but realistically its not entirely within their control. The canadian immigration system is competitive with candidates requiring high scores to be selected . The UK immigration law also requires students to graduate and find a job sponsor (5 years on worker visa after graduation). With all these outside the full control of the applicant and continuously changing immigration laws may see some returning to Nigeria.

With this sort of pressure and uncertainties, some people will leave their marriages to get married to citizens of their host countries out of fear of moving back to nigeria. Some commit fraud and some will scale through the hurdle. Thus there is no such thing as "Fear of Nigerians" because the circumstances and realities of Nigerians abroad differ across several lines

Parachoko:
Do you know he was invited twice and failed to show up?

Forget the media. It was just a ploy to kick him out. They did same to their former CEO (Austin avuru) and kicked him out of the board. What was the racist atrocity that he committed ? I'm not holding brief for him but if its Seplat that I know its a dog-eat-dog company. Very political and an even unhealthy place for young professionals. Same Roger Brown that was the CFO for many years and prior to that a consultant who helped the company raise finance in its early days. The stakeholders want a corrupt CEO that will open the vault for them. That company is a mealticket to a number of NNPC workers, NPDC and NAPIMS workers. If you carry out a survey I wont be surprised if up to 90% of their staff got in via nepotism as all the people I know there are fond of saying say they got in through the chairman (ABC Orjiakor) or through the MD (Austin Avuru).

irumole1975:
Seriously, I've stopped reading the hype of these guys abroad because they're making some of us feel less achieved.

One was talking about a project of #250M hotel completed in Nigeria and I don't even know if na this same abroad I dey with them too. Also talked about him being here for just two years or so and he's bought a condo home, build many hostels for student in Nigeria and on his way to complete a #250Million hotel in Nigeria also.

I been here in this abroad and I can't even boast of $10k USD. It's well Sha. I just hope they're not lying with all these things they're saying.

One thing I never do is compare myself to others. Grateful for the ups and downs.
On the other hand team work/team investments is a common way to raise money abroad. The Asians do it and win big. Hence I don’t want to quickly judge this as a drug/yahoo scenario. I’ve met two young Nigerians (mid 30s) who have a line of credit of close to a million dollars.
The metrics used in the western world for a lot of things is different from what is used in Nigeria. For instance Nigerians tend to choose their life in partners based on tribe & religion. In Us/canada economic interests/compatibility is a major factor in choosing a life partner. In Nigeria cheap credit is not as readily available as in USA . Hence a $400,000 find may not necessarily be as difficult to raise in USA as in Nigeria.
Again I don’t know the people involved but I’m just saying

Dennyjuff:
Good morning people, please has anyone here got a permanent residence visa after getting a PFL from years back.
i got a procedural fairness letter in my previous application from 5years ago, which i got a refusal afterwards. i am currently applying for permanent residency and background check has been in progress for a long time.
Anyone knows if a PFL from my visitors visa can affect my application?
Note - i wasn’t given a ban but a refusal. Has anyone experienced this please.

Was the PFL you got due to a suspected case of misrepresentation ?

Timmypaul:
They don’t prioritize federal skillled workers anymore with the look of things because I don’t understand the whole process anymore we have been in the pool for years hoping to the ita each time we get closer something goes wrong. Just tired of the whole thing. English exam got expired had to write a new one still nothing sup.

IRCC are very unpredictable. In November 18 2020 I wanted to reject the ITA I got but someone on nairaland encouraged me not to reject it. Unbelievably IRCC suspended draws for about 16 months just a few weeks after I got the ITA. Glad I accepted it and will soon celebrate one year anniversary at my place of work in Toronto.
The moment you get to canada and get settled, your views about immigration may begin to change as your realities change. I haven't seen or met anyone talk about immigration here but from my observation there are a lot of work permit holders as well as about 800,000 students on study permit. The immigration quotas are just not enough to accommodate these numbers thus it will get more competitive. In addition, supply of housing in Ontario is far from meeting demand thus bill c19 ay be used to channel more immigrants to other provinces. Only time will tell but for now they should issue more ITAs so the score can go down

aestake:

Marriage is not for everyone. Marriage shouldn't be mainly associated with immigration too.

lol

Nwaezeudo:
UK no be Naija na

I won’t rule out the race factor. She did not kill anyone . A patient undergoing dialysis does not need all this stress. I wish her quick recovery

aestake:

Yeah. If you wanna register for grade 12 at Ontario rate of 40CAD per a course, you have to be here physically and other konji-related situations.

Lol

aestake:

So time you wanna run off to hit the ground.

A lot of factors. But these days you don’t have to be physically on ground to get some things started. Got mine February 2022 but was valid till January 2023 thus I applied for jobs from Naija and only travelled after I got a job in April (10 days to start date). USD1 was 550 then and I didn’t want to convert naira to spend there.

I’m sure you’ve figured things out.

gbems90:

No update o. I’ve had to move my travel date which is quite painful, the extra cost and the additional wait time

Please has anyone that sent their passport to Ghana through Lagos vfs in December gotten their passport back?

Aren’t COPRs valid for 11 months again ? Why the rush ?

Abercrome:


Good old days lol. I paid N1.69m in December for family of 3. This January, it seems it has increased to N2m

Don’t look back. You’ll recover it. Canada PR gives you the stability to call Canada home and make long terms plans / pursue your goals. You don’t get to worry about changes in immigration policy like Nigerian students in U.K. are currently facing .

babasolution:
I have watched several videos of south Africa,it's not as beautiful as people tout it to be,Pretoria, durban and Capetown resemble Abuja,Johannesburg looks like Lagos,

Nigeria only needs more skyscrapers or high-rise buildings, the focus in Nigeria in bungalows and duplexes instead of high-rises makes Nigerian cities look low key.

There is no city in Nigeria that is comparable to Cape Town . None

pocohantas:


This has always been a topic in Travel section. It is not like it is the UK’s first time of pulling this stunt. I said it here that I would never understand why Nigerians in their late 30s and 40s would sell off everything, even pot, to move to the UK. It is okay when lower middle class do it, but not an established person. They almost ate me raw that day.

Unfortunately it has always been the case. People get emotional when these issues are discussed. You dont want to be caught in the web of work permit related issues as a family man in your mid 30s-mid 40s. It can be very unsettling

EcoBrick:
Rough play. I hope it doesn't get to that. After many folks don sell all their properties for Naija ontop Japa matter, dem wan come pull the rug from beneath their feet, just like that??

I hope it doesnt scale through. Based on precedence I suggested to people I know to not put their all in this UK thing. Its not as if I foresaw this but I just felt it was risky.
At the time I studied in UK I was 21 years old and I met some people who were older than me but settled in the UK. They were like 28/29 . One common thing I noticed among them was that they all claimed to have gone to UK to study for a masters while taking study leave from their place of work. The few that were able to land a good job with prospects after the studies resigned. The others returned back to resume their work in Nigeria. In most cases accommodation was still in tact back home in Nigeria.
Fast forward to 2021/2022 I saw a different trend. Men and women in their late 30s/40s quitting their jobs, selling off everything and moving to the UK on a tier 4 visa. I pray that it works out for all because most people have no option B. Not even a home to return to. UK is one of the few countries that randomly picks people up on the streets and verifies their immigration status. If it is expired they detain them pending removal from the country. It is not like US/Canada where you can stay illegally and wont be disturbed

Zeewirld:
....I love your perspective to life....You have got a great and positive mindset..That has made the universe to align greatly in your favor.



Keep it up.....If say nay Ontario be my target,I for make out time to see you whenever I enter...but me dread Ontario despite it having a lot of jobs in my area of endeavors.I prefer the prairie region.

I have picked a lot of Positive points from your posts.

Thanks and keep firing.

I haven't been outside GTA even hence I'm still not knowledgeable about the country. Been going more to USA (NYC, boston, chicago) where I have family members with cheaper flights and zero accommodation expense. Travel within canada is expensive

Qwertyuser:
Good afternoon all, I see that one can pay his/her express entry application (without right of permanent residence fee) @850cad. Please what are the implications of not paying the right of PR at the same time? Any experience I can learn from please?

If you can kindly pay the entire fee at once. If you pay only the processing fee they'll send you an email later in the process to pay the RPRF probably after your application is approved in principle

saskatoonguy:
Good evening Guys, Kindly help with the step by step procedure for medical booking in Lagos for IOM. i only know about that of QLife.

I will appreciate if i can get the Price for both too. Thanks

Try doing it online. One of them requires you to pay before booking the appointment. I'll recommend Q-life though as its more organized with less crowd

fkj950ax:


Either an overzealous CBP staff made a note and everyone else is paying attention to the note.
Next time you are at CBP, I think you should ask to speak to a supervisor to understand why the constant scrutiny and you’d like to have anything they are looking for clarified and your profile left alone.

Many thanks I’ll do .

fkj950ax:


Your travel pattern (to them) fits that of couriers (drugs or cash) and a previous CBP officer has probably made a note on the system to have you watched or inspected every time you are at any US port of entry.
Frequently taking short trips to various locations with carry-on luggages only.
Even asking if you have been searched this way before is an indicator they (or one of them before), had suspected you being a courier. They only drill if they suspect you are concealing items in your suitcase.

Somehow I feel there is some level of discrimination to this. If I go on a 2 month visit they'll ask me how I intend to fund my stay without working or search for signs that I'll overstay. I go for my short trips as a busy person and they search for signs of money/drug trafficking. This last time I visited I had $0 on me . Just my bank cards. They didn't even ask me about my finances, address or even verify if I was actually going to visit who I claimed I was going to visit. I also thought they did all this to determine admissibility ? Looks like they admit the passenger in first and then do secondary inspection there after. Those guys get rewarded for catching drug couriers and they think a software engineer (trained in one of their universities) with a job and some level of comfort will risk it all by working as a drug courier. The way they think of black people still baffles me.

In February 2020 I arrived New york JFK airport for a five day visit. I used the self service kiosk and it printed a receipt with a black "X". The CBP officer (black american) asked me about my trip and stamped me in after biometric verification (finger printing).Before this she asked me about my trip to USA in 2019 which I denied. I insisted that I did not visit USA in 2019 rather I visited Miami for 7 days in september 2018 and stayed at a hotel in South beach. Afterwards she closed her booth and asked me to follow her. She asked how many checked in luggage I had and I responded that I had one. She joined me to the baggage belt and I got my suitcase. I followed her to a section of the arrival hall where her colleague removed everything in in my bag and scanned the bag. Used a handheld drill to drill a hole on some section of my box. Afterward they took me to a room and searched me before asking me about the purpose of my trip and where I stayed when I visited USA in 2018. They returned my passport to me and jokingly asked me if I had ever gone through this search before lol. I told them No. I left and spent 2 days in new york then 3 days in baltimore before returning to naija.

In May 2022 I arrived USA (Detroit) and when asked the purpose of my trip I told the CBP officer that I was going to Canada. She asked if I was driving to Canada from Detroit and I told her I was going by air from detroit to Toronto. She stamped me in and I sent a few hours in detroit before heading out to Toronto.

Last week I arrived Toronto from Lagos (via cairo egypt air) at 7:15am. Went into the city and returned to the airport at 1pm for a flight to Chicago. There are US CBP staff situated at Toronto pearson airport. The CBP officer (black american) asked me why I was going to USA and I told her I was going to visit my cousin in Chicago. She verified my fingerprint , closed her booth and told me to follow her. We got to the secondary inspection room and she took my passport inside while I sat down. Her colleague later returned with my passport and asked me about my trip and requested that I list out all countries I've been to in the last 3 years. I told him and he asked if that was all. I insisted then he asked about my trip to egypt. I told him I only used egypt air to toronto and transited through Cairo airport for three hours. He then asked about my trip to chicago and if I had any checked-in luggage. I had just a school bag. He checked my boarding pass and wished me a safe journey after returning my passport to me.

I don't know why I had to go through this. I spent only 3 days in chicago (jan 15 - 18) and left USA on wednesday. Surprisingly in both cases they admitted me in for 6 months before directing me to secondary inspection. Thinking of even writing to them because as polite as this whole thing is it makes me feel uncomfortable travelling to USA. Most times I travel to USA I spend less than a week and it seems to be raising a red flag.

vizioo:


You seem dismissive of everyone who posts here because you have had more experiences in Canada, and you know a few people who confirm your beliefs about this situation. That's fair enough. But maybe you'd take me more seriously since I have been in Canada for almost 15 years (and worked a survival job for some of those years).

As @NuCypher pointed out, your story is not the norm, and it really doesn't matter that you know friends of friends who have similar stories. Also, the notion that people are where they are (or that they get the opportunities they get) solely based on the effort they put in is one of the most dangerous narratives in society today. You could have been job searching at a time when the demand was high; your UK credentials could have helped; the fact that you were so established in Nigeria could have also been a factor - the point is that there are SO many other variables (apart for you "trying" ) that helped you get where you are today.

I respectfully disagree with most of the points you used to justify a soft landing, but I guess that's what your experience (and that of the people around you) has been. Of course, that view may broaden as time passes and you talk to more people.

To everyone on this forum, I want to say what a great community this is. I wish I had known about it while processing my application a few years back! I'm only here now because I am helping someone with their application. Reading through this forum allows me to monitor the timelines since people are so kind to post important updates.

Good luck to everyone!

Disagreements are normal and our perspectives are different thus we may not agree on everything as you noted your 15 years experience is different from my 7-8 months encounters in Canada. It will be a great thing if people learn bits and pieces from each others experiences.
It is very painful to see people dissatisfied when they move to Canada with high expectations and get disappointed. I also faced a lot of disappointment in the GTA housing market and wished I read about people's encounter and prepared myself better. Kept extending my stay at an air bnb till I ended up spending 4 months at an air bnb (CAD12,000 +). Imagine if I had a wife and kids. Met two people who ended up renting a home (one at pickering and another Welland) at a place they didnt desire to live in but had to because they couldn't rent at more desirable areas. Boredom, loneliness and dissatisfied with couple blaming each other. Nobody likes to go down lower than where they are that's why companies retrench workers once the economy is in recession . Nobody likes to go from being a professional worker to a menial worker thus I like to encourage professional workers migrating from Nigeria to Canada to try to utilize all possible avenues to transition to a professional or better roles in Canada instead of accepting that its the norm to start as a menial worker.

On another hand support systems are hard to come by among Nigerians in Canada thus the average nigerian moving to Canada needs to plan as well as possible. Glad I came to canada with enough money to finance my 4 month air bnb stay and deposit 3 months rent as a condo. Otherwise things would have been harder than it was

NuCypher:


I disagree with you on this. You are the exception, not the rule. The standard pipeline is to work so-called survival jobs before getting that appropriate (or desired) job. There's no other way you want to spin it.

The problem is in thinking that working so-called survival jobs is denigrating. Working factory jobs isn't the only option available. There are also respectable remote "survival" jobs, and for some other people, the pay is actually what makes it a survival job, not the job itself. In fact, this is pretty much the case for the majority since most people would never really land that lucrative job to start with. If you were working an oil company job paying you over 40m per annum in Nigeria and then moved to Canada to take up a customer service role paying you 45k CAD, then that clearly is a survival job. But if you were working a customer service job in Nigeria earning 4m per annum, and then landed another customer service job in Canada paying you 45k CAD, then that clearly is no survival job. You have, in fact, simply landed in your field of work and should work your way up from there. "Survival" merely depends on the context.

In any case, I never got a job in Canada from Nigeria. I came to Canada for school, applied to jobs for some months after school, and ended up in my desired field with way more than my desired salary. That's also a pathway. Yours, whereby you got a job from Nigeria, is super rare and will not happen to a sizeable handful. Heck, out of 10, it won't happen to 9. Selling that narrative as the likely or plausible scenario for the majority is just outright inconsiderate.

Finally, working so-called survival jobs is not a bad thing and, more importantly, it's not unusual in the Canadian job market, even if it's not necessarily what everyone must do when they land. Key here is that it's the reality of the Canadian job market. Nonetheless, whoever does it only needs to know that they should keep their focus and continue working towards getting into their desired field, something which will inevitably happen if they keep at it. That's the reality of the majority.

We may not agree on this but a petroleum engineer who trained himself/herself in Nigeria should not be deterred from seeking similar roles in Canada. When I got the PR and was asked when I was moving my answer was consistent "I want to get a software engineering job before I move so I wont have to spend my savings". I got a similar response from people based in Canada about how I have to get canadian experience first and how recruiters won't even consider me when I'm outside canada. The main point is that I believed it was possible and worked towards it before luck shined. Many believe its not possible to get a job in their field right away and don't even try . At the moment I know up to 8 people who landed jobs in their field before even landing in canada (banking, consulting, tech, education, business analysis..). Thus I dont believe this is not a common practice.

To digress a bit, this is not new to me. There are many instances where I have tried to do things and have people (including my close family members) tell me I won't be able to and I proved them wrong. I have come to accept that its just my way of doing things. When I graduated from university and moved to Lagos I told those close to me that I wanted to spend my service year in a tech company to gain relevant experience. They told me it was not possible as NYSC only posts people to schools, local govt offices and other public institutions. I ended up serving as a support software developer at one of nigeria's oldest tech companies. When I was looking for a job I was told to forget about computer science nonsense and follow my uncle who held a govt appointment then so he could fix me somewhere. I ignored that and luckily got retained where I spent the NYSC year. A few months later when I attempted to transition into tech in banking they told me banks only hired entry level employees on contract. Someone who had spent 4 years as a Graduate Assistant in the bank also argued with me and called me liar on nairaland when I mentioned that I was offered a fulltime software engineering position at the bank 4 months after NYSC. At the orientation class we were 72 and 3 of us were offered fulltime positions. When I joined the bank I told colleagues there that I wouldnt be on one level for 4 or 5 years as was the practice. They laughed at me saying they also said the same thing when they joined. FastForward to my 13th month in the bank I got another job while working on a project with a tight deadline. My bosses felt I was key in the project and kept asking me to reconsider what I was trying to do. I told them I cannot spend 5 years on one level as was the practice. I was promoted in the 14th month as they did not want me to leave at that time. Mind you I was an ET working on a mini ERP project for the bank. A GM invited me to find out why i wanted to leave and took me to the ED responsible for technology. This may be unnecessary information but I have seen this play out in different phases of my life. Even in Toronto many people ask me how I was able to live in the condo I currently live in 3 months after coming to the country as they believe a basement is usually the starting point. The american property manager also asked me how I was able to build my credit score from 0 to 748 in three months. This is just me and I believe many people can do much better only if they try. I have tried many things and failed many times but I feel better trying something and not succeeding than not trying at all

naijainstinct:
Na them they rush Una.......

Lol 2022 was a good year. People got jobs across multiple sectors easily as Canada faced shortage of employees

bekayy:
What is your occupation abeg. Thanks for your nuggets.

Software engineering

Zeewirld:
... Thanks for your response and beautiful post.

#2 ..Is it possible to build a credit score through soft landing?? My understanding of soft landing is a situation whereby you come in ,get your PR and leave for your country to return in some years or months time..I don't know if that is also what you have in mind??

I asked because my understanding of your explanation/post above is that a partner should come to Canada first, hustle, establish and then bring in his family...Is that what you meant?

I want to believe that housing and jobs shouldn't be an issue in other provinces unlike Ontario

You can build credit via soft landing as all you need to do to build credit is to apply for a credit card and may be sign a mobile phone contract (data/call). Once you are able to pay in a timely manner.
On the other hand, each individual/family's situation is unique and thus there is no rule or path applicable to all. I'm of the opinion that a family man who is the main applicant should consider landing first, secure accommodation, settle down a little bit before bringing in the family. This can take a few weeks or a few months. I say this because I have seen a number of couples argue and quarrel during their early days in Canada. It was not all rosy. Let me give you some instances:

1. A friend of mine moved to Canada with his wife who was heavily pregnant. They sold all they had and moved to Calgary. In Calgary they lived in someone's basement and the wife did not like it there. She was constantly asking that they move to Toronto where she had friends who were posting nice pictures. The guy was annoyed because he was struggling to find a job as the cash they travelled with dwindled. The guy took up a low paying job and his wife wanted them to get a car as she was pregnant. Out of pressure they began to argue frequently. I asked him why he didn't sort out these things or discuss with his wife. On her part the wife told me she had just been promoted at her job in Naija when the guy forced her to move to Canada when she wasn't prepared only for her to come and suffer living in a cold basement. I'm glad they are fine now but the wife does not like Canada as she is not earning well and can't get over how she suffered in the first year.

2. Another person needed a place to stay but everyone I spoke to said if he was alone they could help but housing 4 people (man, wife and 2 kids) is a big project. They ended up living in a dilapidated building all 4 of them in a single room. The man was not happy but still trying. Delay is not denial.

Accommodation and income are one of the things I consider basic. Thus in the absence of support systems, I encourage people to pay more attention to details when planning their move.

Regarding the job market Ontario's economy is well diversified and the job market is huge. Newcomers only need to familiarize themselves with the requirements, update their skills (if need be) and apply . When I started I made sure I applied for 10 jobs daily and had to stop applying after two weeks as I got a lot invitations/calls to interview.

EsoEso:


Your advice is very valid especially the last point. Not carved in a stone though. It is very logical for a man who is the primary applicant, with family, and no bogus money to keep up with expenses for the uncertain period and also has no support of whatsoever on ground. Especially with kids. It's not just Canada alone but any major move to anywhere. A man can somehow rough it out for some time till major balance which basically accomodation. But when kids and wife is involved, it can mess up ones mind.
But if there is enough resources to umbrella whatever comes regardless of the span, by all means whole family can move once; after all many wants to experience that feeling of migrating with a family at once.
If the woman is the primary applicant, hehehe no choice, the ship gat to sail at once.

I can confidently say that the first instance I cited is where most Nigerians belong to. And if I were to be in that shoe I think I will choose this advice of going ahead before family joins. Kids, women are different, so when you asses the situation, better judgement can be made.

Exactly. A man can put up with a friend while navigating the struggles as currently most Nigerians making this move are not financially buoyant due to the disparity in exchange rate. Support system is also not like Nigeria. I moved to Canada with $10,000 and a job offer letter. I was single and started earning a salary three weeks after I landed but I still struggled with the housing thing. My friend who stays with me when he is in Nigeria saw my predicament as a way to make money off me. He wanted me to stay in a room in his house and be paying him $1200 monthly. I never request for money when people stay at my place. In fact while in Canada my rent in Lagos was still valid and my friend lived there for 7 months while I was away. I didn't ask for money from him even though I needed money. I also wont stay anywhere without contributing. These are some of the cultural differences many Nigerians face when they move abroad. The way people chase money and detest doing something for free can make one feel the complete absence of support systems. My intention was to go through the tough phase and get settled thus I took the harder route of building my credit and trying endlessly to rent a house while staying at an Air BnB rented place . It was hard but I'm glad I did that otherwise I wouldn't have settled in within a short time. Staying with somebody is not bad especially when it is temporary. In Lagos I use to get excited when family members or friends visited. We will chat till late in the night, cook together, talk politics , watch soccer together and all. The extra cost was insignificant. But its not so in the west. Regarding finances my uncle told me he spent about $200,000 to move his family to Houston. Most Nigerians cannot afford even half of that. The man had to pay a one year rent upfront, buy a car with upfront payment, furnish the house, enroll wife + children in school. Thus most will have to start working as soon as possible

ednut1:
so if i have a wife and 2 children. I will use 4m naira for flight, airbnb and other expenses when i can get child benefit of 1400 a month

Child benefit of $569 a month per child is nothing compared to the cost of living. Of what use is child benefit when without a house or accommodation ? I'm not saying you should leave your wife and children behind in Nigeria. I only believe that as a man I'll like to sort out accommodation issues before bringing in my kids and spouse. Seen one or two scenarios where a family had to change address every couple of weeks apart with the man getting frustrated and shouting at his wife because she was the architect of the move to Canada from Nigeria where the man believed he was doing well. Being unsettled can really disorient some people. In addition daycare in Toronto can cost up to $2000 monthly per child.

Zeewirld:
..Why do you suggest soft landing?

Because like every society Canada is different from what most of us are used to and has its own difficulties. Some things we take for granted in Nigeria are difficult to get in Canada and vice versa. Thus adjusting to the new environment usually takes time for most people. From the point of view of Nigeria these are some of the issues most people face:

1. Finances. Standard of living in Canada is high thus cost of living is also high. The average Nigerian immigrant to Canada has most likely put in some years of work in Nigeria and elsewhere with savings or an investment such as a home. However, the naira is weak and most people tend to sell off all they’ve worked for before moving to Canada. When they eventually move to Canada they spend all these monies on air bnb & other basics. Would have been better if they were able to reinvest some of these funds in Canada instead of starting from the scratch. In my opinion a soft landing enables one to spend less money and explore the option of getting a job as soon as possible.

2. Credit- Canada runs a credit-based economy. Thus without credit it is difficult to buy a car, rent a home and do many other things except you are paying out of pocket. Your credit report and score influence the outcome of many applications you’ll make thus getting a credit card is one of the first things you’ll need to get after the social insurance number. A score of 700 or higher is the threshold most people find comfortable. Unfortunately Canadians tend not to bend their rules or show understanding towards newcomers with lower scores. Thus a soft landing offers one the opportunity to get a credit card and begin to build their credit scores before making the eventual move.

3. Housing- getting a house in Canada (especially Ontario ) is one of the toughest challenges newcomers face. A lot of barriers exist (lack of rental history in Canada, low credit score , lack of job history in Canada , racial discrimination, competitive rental market…). This problem has pushed many families to start out in very tough conditions moving from one air bnb to another and running out of money easily . Some have even had their relationships with friends and family ruined over this. You tell your friend you’ll spend one month in his house and after a month you’re unable to get a house while your friend/host expects you to honour your word by moving out after a month. You find a family of four moving from one basement air bnb to another . I always wondered why the father didn’t move to Canada first before other members of the family . A man can endure these, get a house after a few months before the wife + kids join him.

4. Job market- Not everyone is lucky to land a job within a short time. I got a job before moving to Canada but for some people it takes a while to land a job. Staying in Canada without a job can push people to take up menial jobs or survival jobs which ordinarily they wouldn’t want to. I have seen videos where people preach about survival jobs being an entry point to the Canadian job market. I don’t agree with that narrative. Survival jobs should be the last option . I got a job in my field before even landing in Canada. More and more people have been able to do so as well.

5- Soft landing allows you to have first hand experience of what living in Canada is like and enable you to plan your move better. Thanks

Profgordons:


Why scared when you should be tidying your travel plans? 481 will get, just a matter of time. Should happen around April to May.

481 is a great score. With patience ITA will come. Regarding packing things please plan plan plan. I’m not a fan of just travelling after securing a visa without making adequate plans. I am an advocate of soft landing before the eventual move .

ChibabyG:
I am here going through the thread and wondering why no one is talking about the NOC system changing to the Teer System.
So my bother and sister in law just entered the pool on Dec 31st 2022. with 453 score, I came to read thread to see if the score is still important since they are moving to in-demand occupation like PNP uses.

Please my Elders, if you have any information on this new Teer system please share with me.

The consultant I contacted to help with their express entry advised that I should hold on with enrolling them to take BCS IT course that the draw will be resumed in April according to what IRCC told them and he believes CRS score will no longer determine ITA but the Occupation.

Has anyone joined the pool of Late?

Kindly be wary of any consultant claiming IRCC told them this or that. Express entry application is something you can do yourself and you can also tell when you’ll likely get an ITA. If BCS IT will improve your scores go for it