Fortissimo502:
Hello everyone

I'm an international student in the US and I applied for a TRV yesterday.

I think I made an error on the TRV application form (IMM5257E) regarding the start date of my immigration status in the US.

I put in the earliest admission date on my I-20 instead of the day I actually entered the US, which was 2 weeks later.

Is this grave? What do I do? I'm freaking out bad.

vcole, omobendel24, jayfierce and everyone else abeg

Hi. I think I remember you from the pr thread. How are things these days? I suggest you make use of a case specific enquiry form on their website as well as send an email to the visa office in charge of your application.

I would say so. I filled the imm 5257 form for my mom last month and I completely didn't see the "any other country" on that form. I had answered NO and would have submitted that app form like that if I didn't come on this thread the night before to ask a totally unrelated question and happen upon a post by someone about that particular question. I quickly reviewed the form and realised I had answered No.
On the other hand, I have NEVER missed that question or found it to be ambiguous on the UK visa form. I have also applied for other visas to other countries and haven't missed that statutory question either.

It will be a good suggestion for ircc to split that question into 2, one asking for refusal of entry or visa denials to Canada and the other for other countries.

jayfierce:
Canada: Have you ever been refused a visa or permit, denied entry or ordered to leave Canada or any other country?

UK: Have you been refused a visa for any country including the UK in the last 10 years?

Maybe rearranging that sentence would help as you suggest but can you truly say that's the reason many answer NO instead of YES?

Pidgin2:



Why would anyone want to be on benefits? I think people should make it their aim to work hard so as not to depend on the country's stipends to feed and cloth their own kids

Nice and informative thread

Canadian child benefit is not a "welfare" scheme like the united states system or the UK equivalent.
It's given to support the upkeep of a child and not to "replace the upkeep by the parents" It is given based on the family income assessment on a scale. It's a huge factor to consider when you do have children because the cost of child care is expensive. The monthly cost of child care alone for a low - middle income earning family is higher than the monthly child benefit. So, you are quite mistaken in your assumption of dependency. There is a reason why the CCB exists and the brains behind it are not foolish.

temitope06:


I do have it, my record keeping is A1. One issue tho is did u answer No to 2 stat questions? Cos there are two very similar ones asking about visa refusal.

@record keeping that makes two of us. I can't remember the statutory questions but I answered as applicable to my situation.

lwkmd! Its the person who filled the form for your marriage certificate. I ensured I filled the notice of marriage form and proof read the Form E during my time. That being said, I don't think any amendments can be made to your marriage certificate though but maybe others with more info could help.

Spatz81:
Anyone has an idea as to how to correct a little mistake on Marriage Certificate? I just figured they put Civil Servant as professions for my wife and I.

advice anyone? We have never been civil servants.

Thanks for your advice.

Hello. I actually think you should apply for a remark on your listening. I don't think you have anything to lose. You are already in the pool,
if you get an invite at 420, you'll accept the ITA and then hold off on submitting your application until your remark is concluded. If you do get an ITA and your scores are upgraded and your crs increases and you already got an ITA at 420, you simply write a letter of explanation to that effect attaching the scanned copy of your old and new TRFs and email notification of upgraded result from british council. If you do not receive an ITA at 420 before your request is concluded, be rest assured that if you do get an upgrade, you would get one.

Lordnath:
Hi Guys, thanks to all who have contributed to this topic. I started the journey by reading from page zero, and trust me it's been worth the effort.

Below is my timeline, hoping to keep updating as milestones are reached. I will be participating in the discussion henceforth so as to contribute my quota to this pool of knowledge.

My advice to aspiring pool candidates;
1. Make extensive research- I had all my questions answered right here on this topic!
2. If you're about to take your IELTS, please concentrate more on Listening and Reading. If I had 8 in Listening, my score would have been 478!

Hoping for over 4k invitations and 420- in next draw.


ECA (WES) Applied: 03/03/17
IELTS Test Taken: 25/03/17
WES ECA Completed: 30/03/17 (Equivalent to Canadian Masters Degree)
IELTS Result: 07/04/17 (R-8.5, L-7.5, S-8.5, W-7.5)
EE Profile Created: 13/04/17
ITA: Loading
CRS: 420

@temitope06, I agree with you about post AOR "silence" It would be great if we are able to keep the thread alive with info, waiting time blues, etc etc. That's what the Indians et al do and there is a whole wealth of info on their threads.
I didn't submit a schedule A with my eAPR and I wasn't asked for one through out my application. Make sure you answer the statutory questions correctly and explain as applicable. If you have been refused a UK visa in the past, then you were given a letter detailing reasons for refusal. If you do have that, you can include it. I did alongside my LOE.

@Nogen, congratulations. Persistence does pay after all.@kathyjex and @optionese Congrats!

lol!!!! make i follow u do night vigil

optionese:
I don't even know I would sleep this night . Thank you

I made a long post about POF and other matters only a few pages back. Collect any reference letter the bank chooses to give you and add your 6 months' statement.

Bimpsy99:
Hi Vcole and Fusion23

Please how did you eventually resolve GTB and CIC format for POF. Thanks

It beats me how you highlighted the portion of my post you responded to without reading the paragraph above it. Immigration rules change all the time and for any intending migrant, it is important to always keep tabs. You may want to go a few pages back and read the post by spatz81 which shows that IRCC appears to have updated the rules such that if you do have a birthday after ITA and before submission of eAPR, you lose those 5 points.

Issydebo:
With particular reference to highlighted text, your score freezes immediately you get an ITA (even if your birthday falls the next day after receiving an ITA you wont lose points for age by virtue of that section - A11.2)

Lochinny:
@vcole and @optionese
Thanks for all ur help and suggestions. I understand where u're coming from. He has a B.pharm. but can u go through this i saw on cic.. I think it's indicating on the job u're applying as. He's not applying as a pharmacist. But as a pharmaceutical sales representative which is in category B and not A.where they don't need his licence.
Please help me clarify this coz I'm more than confused now
Thank u so much for understanding

You should cast your net wider in terms of researching for an answer to this. I haven't read of anyone who applied under pharm sales rep with a b pharm so I may not be the best to answer your question. From the screenshot, it appears that it may fly. Find out if the noc under which he's applying requires a license in Canada.

ayxmania:


Thank you. With MA, my crs is 478, with BA, it is 441.
I'm 24 and single, 5 years working experience.

Hurry up and get into the pool. Bird at hand is worth two in the bush. If you don't get an invite by the time you obtain your MA, you can evaluate that and update your profile. However, with the recent trend, you should get an ITA with 441 if you get into the pool asap.

Onlineise:


Yoooo whatever permutation you are doing, just roll with that 6months tbh...We have had testimonies of 2 or 3months here, whereas we have had people with 5months to a little over 6months...it actually really does vary.

We've also had people with close to one year processing time as well. There is no way to know for sure.

ugoiyke79e2:




Thanks vcole for a detailed response.

"Thanks sis"

ayxmania:
Wow!!! So I read from page 0 to 366. The pain is/was worth it. I know virtually everything I need to know. I'll advise all those asking questions to take the pain and read through the pages. I have no ECA and Ielts yet. I am finishing my MA anytime from July. However, with the way the CRS is between 430-445, I'm tempted to use my BA alone instead if waiting for my MA which might not be out till November. Also, I'm presently trying to study the ielts in general. I'm definitely using Iqas for my ECA. Thank you all.

Well done. I know how tasking it could be but it's totally worth it. If your estimated crs with your BA would get you up to 430 and above, it's worth evaluating and getting into the pool.

Lochinny:
Thanks a lot @vcole
My husband is a pharmacist but it was stated that if u are applying as a retail or hospital pharmacist. But he's not applying as both. He's applying as a pharmaceutical sales representative. That's where he has experience and he has a degree in pharmacy. Since I'm not the principal applicant my evaluation is needed for points. So I can be evaluated by others not necessarily the Mcc.(as I was told by a friend.)
So I'm I on track??

As optionese said, it's about the degree. If he had a bachelors or masters in sales for instance, that's different. If his qualification is a B. Pharm or Pharm. D, IRCC will refuse him permanent residence on the basis of ineligibility. He MUST evaluate with pebc. You may wanna figure out how to get a refund from iqas. Try giving them a call during work hours.

I truly wish landed migrants would come and share their experiences here. With my landing coming up in a few weeks, I can share a Lil of my experience thus far.

Having someone in the city you intend to move to is really a great help. We finally decided on Calgary over Winnipeg. Main reason is because of the weather. Winnipeg is colder. Also, rent and living costs in both cities at the moment is similar mainly because of the oil sector down turn.
So, being that I'm pregnant and would be having this baby barely weeks after landing and also it'll be the hubs, my toddler and I arriving, it became imperative to move to a place where someone could help us view apartments prior to our arrival. A friend in Calgary was gracious enough to do so. We spent a while checking out apartments on rentfaster.ca and kijiji.ca and when we eventually found places we liked, we picked 3 and she viewed them and we settled on one, paid the deposit and would sign the lease on the day of arrival. Having someone on ground also helped as she was able to explain to the landlord that we are new migrants and won't be able to provide proof of employment or credit checks.....most of the time, this is required.

There is also the "information" ish. Online info and "on ground" info usually differ. Having someone to direct you helps prevent unnecessary money spending. Please note that most apartments don't come furnished. Also, we opted for a condo over a town house. This is because most condos come with the major utilities like heat, water, electricity included in the rent. A few come with underground parking or outdoor parking with plug ins included in the rent as well. Townhouses have more space and often come with a basement and a small yard. However, utilities would be covered by you. I think that having a condo is better for a newcomer so you get used to the system without having to worry about shovelling snow outta your front door or running up your electricity or heat bill.

I was super worried about the cost of childcare in Calgary earlier and that was the main reason why I wanted to go to Winnipeg. But I found out after speaking with someone on ground that the Alberta govt (Manitoba does as well) subsidises childcare cost (this is different from Canadian child benefit) and that goes a long way in reducing the fees.

As regards flight tickets. Well, its pretty pricey. A cheaper option may be to consider buying one way tickets. Egypt air is also affordable. If you have valid UK visas, you may wanna break your trip by flying to London and then getting an air Canada or westjet or delta or Lufthansa flight from there to Canada. We would be in London for a bit before we land in Calgary so we opted for air Canada.

So far, so good.

@Spatz81, I carefully read through your post. That was a very important update to the rules that you brought to the fore. It means that if an applicant receives an ITA on say April 1st and has his birthday on May 1st and submits his eAPR on May 1st or after, whenever the immigration officer begins to review his application for eligibility checks (i.e. A11.2), he stands the chance of being denied permanent residence based on not being eligible if by virtue of losing points for age, his CRS drops below the required cut off for the draw in which he was invited.
However, if he submits after his birthday and yet even with the points lost for age, his CRS still meets or surpasses the cut off for the draw, his application would be fine. Also, if he goes ahead to submit his eAPR before his birthday on May 1st, his app would be fine.
Bottom line - once you receive an ITA, endeavour to submit your eAPR before your next birthday if you know that your CRS less 5 points would make you fall below the cut off for your draw.

@bimpsy99, pls take note that "your application would not be refused" is not the same as having a successful outcome.

@esosa4real, I got my passport back siiiiiincceee in February. It only took 5 days. Don't worry about your medicals, sometimes it gets updated quickly, other times it takes a while.

@40manlappy,congrats. This has been a long time coming. I wish you a smooth sail from here on.

@markab, I am female oh. I often wonder why "thanks bro" is the default response when someone gives a reply. Is it only men that provide answers? #justsaying

@lochinny, medical doctors can only evaluate their degrees through MCC and pharmacists can only evaluate theirs through PEBC, any other evaluation done by any other evaluating agency would be declared null and void by IRCC. If your husband is the PA and his estimated crs scores WITHOUT evaluating your own degree is 459, then y'all may want to write ielts and get his own degree evaluated and get into the pool asap to take advantage of the wind of low cut off draws.

@ugoiyke79e, that eAPR form can be dicey. You may have to fill all the info again seeing as it wiped off.

Greetings to all. Congrats to all new ITA recipients. And to the hopefuls, hang in there. It'll happen soon.

P.S.
If anyone new here sent me PMs, pls kindly endeavor to ask your questions here as I would be unable to respond to the messages via email.

amindondee:
Please @vcole can i have a copy of the LOE as i am struggling to try and write mine.

I'm sorry but I won't be able to share my loe cos of personal info contained in it. There is no format for a loe. Write it as a formal letter and include all the info that you deem necessary for consideration. I addressed mine to the visa officer, immigration refugees and citizenship Canada.

On the issue of ECA or evaluation of credentials for the purpose of Canadian skilled migration, please note that IRCC specifically states that ONLY YOUR HIGHEST QUALIFICATION needs to be evaluated. This is stated clearly on their website complete with examples of possible scenarios. I do understand that some applicants may be concerned about possessing a "highest qualification" that may not necessarily be in the same area of study as the qualification that may support their current or previous work experiences. In these cases, please note that the IRCC rule still applies. Evaluate only your highest qualification. However, you can mention your other qualification (s) under education and indicate that you did not obtain an ECA for them.

On the issue of POF and bank letters and bank accounts. Please note that the IRCC states that a bank letter for ALL bank accounts of the principal applicant detailing the average balance over a period of 6 months and stating that there are no loans, etc etc is required. in Nigeria, since most banks do not issue letters in the IRCC format, a reference letter from your bank (s) in whatever format they routinely issue alongside a 6 months' bank statement has proven sufficient thus far. So, for all who have questions as regards what to submit if POF is in t bills, FD, etc etc etc. Please note the ALL above and be guided.....submit your other accounts ....ref letters and bank statements alongside other evidence of POF in FD or Tbills.

As for document size......use pdfmerge to merge your scans. you can also scan at 200dpi instead of 400dpi. Then reduce size of merged file online. As long as it remains legible, you should be fine.

As regards WES process and IQAS process of verification.......once IQAS receives your academic transcript alongside a completed request for academics records form from your school, they do not send another verification via mail or email to your school. WES however, has been known to send a verification request to your school after receiving your transcript and docs.

Good evening everyone.

1. If you do not include her as accompanying, that means that you would then have to sponsor her under spouse after obtaining PR status. THis truly takes much longer and I am not sure but she may have to be outside Canada for that period. So, you should seriously consider this and all of its implications. I would advise that you add her as accompanying. She would write ielts and evaluate her completed degree to add to your points.
2. You declare your work experience as it is. Current role and corresponding NOC for the duration and then previous role and its corresponding NOC and duration.

Markab:
Hello house, my wife currently studies in Canada but I don't want to include her as "coming with me to canada" in CRS assessment so as to earn maximum point because including her keeps my point below 400. Is it okay to declare her as not following to canada since she's already there?

2. My current job role in Nigeria falls under category NOC B, property and purchasing officer but im a civil engineer by profession although I have 1yr experience as a civil engineer before taking up this current role 2years ago making it cumulative 3years of work experience. Should I declare Civil engineering or purchasing as my noc?

Please advice and help a brother

Thank you o

Hi all. Thanks to the kind person who responded a few weeks ago to my SOS question. Also, thanks to the thread, on the day I asked, there was a post concerning a question about being refused a visa or entry to Canada or any other country on the form. I had also not read the "any other country" part and was lucky enough to make the correction on my mom's form that night before submission the next day.

Zutlin:


Thanks for your response.

I hear you and I'll do as you've adviced when the time comes. I'll just state that I've been unemployed and also doing a programme. I don't want any complications at all. Yes, my 4yrs work experience falls under NOC B (Administrative Officers).

I'm aware I'll need PCC from Angola and I'm already trying to see how it can be done when the time comes. I'm presently waiting for WES to finish my evaluation and then sit for my IELTS. Can't wait to get into the pool.

I'm grateful for the responses.

I'm with beem on this. 4yrs work experience is enough and that's what you should fill under work history n claim points for.
As for personal history, the period in between when you left that job and when you started schooling, place as unemployed. The period from when you started schooling you place as educational activity.
As for travel history, you also fill your entry and exit dates for Angola.
The choice is yours to take a step further to now write a letter of explanation as to the events surrounding your stay in Angola...for instance, if you did apply for a work permit that was denied, etc etc etc and you feel it would help your app. If you would rather not explain that period then it's also your choice not to and take your chances.
Whatever you do, please be as honest as possible.
My advice is for you to start the process of obtaining an Angolan pcc now. It does not expire as long as you have left d country and would not be going there after issuance of the pcc.

Thank you so much

sundaydammy:
Photocopy but you will need to take original along. Make sure you do your photocopy along with you it somehow expensive at the place go with all do

Hi y'all I truly apologize for asking a question that may have been flogged on this thread. However, I may not be able to find the answer in good time......I am helping my mom put together a tourist visa app for Canada and she intends to submit tomorrow. I just realized that I am not sure if the vfs center collects original documents or photocopies. Please could anyone help with an answer? Thanks in advance.

Thanks 40manlappy and toslad.
He's not chartered. Submitted his transcript, school syllabus and work references.the outcome is attached.

tyosho:


Yes you can assess your skill as both external auditor and accountant.My hubby did just that after he got a negative response from vetasssess as internal auditor.
We used CA and got positive for both.

Hi. Congrats on your recent landing. You got looped in a response to a post I made 2 days ago asking for advice on bsc accounting evaluation.
Pls could you confirm if your husband had any other accounting certification?
A friend of mine used CA and got a non eligible assessment on his bsc accounting. He's not chartered.

Hi everyone. Great info shared on this thread, big ups to all keeping it alive. Please I need your input on an issue. A friend of mine recently evaluated his Bsc accounting degree which he obtained from uniben with chartered accountant of Australia and got his assessment back as not eligible.
Any accounting grads who have successfully obtained a positive assessment with their Nigerian accounting degrees? What evaluating body did you use?
Anyone with info on this?
He's pretty bummed at the moment as he just lost $550 for a negative assessment.
Thanks in anticipation

Congrats to all those expecting an ita in this highly unexpected draw. With the latest trend showing a marked increase in itas, I will like to admonish all who have received ita before now to kindly do all that's possible to submit on time. It's a no brainer that processing time for applications would begin to get prolonged due to the increase in the number of applicants. Also, it's advisable to submit your application before summer when the bulk of student apps start getting priority at visa offices.
This is just my subtle note of warning to some of our peeps cc: boldinc, esosa4real

@shinrambo thanks for your insight. However, licensing is never a straight forward process. It involves a minimum of 2 exams which are not exactly written within a short frame of time. Moving as a health professional anywhere in the world requires consideration because you become a fmg aka foreign medical graduate. Canada especially has an issue with fmgs, so much so that it was news worthy about a year or two ago with Trudeau actually having to make a statement about it with promises on rolling out plans to address the issue over the next few years. So while north america pays doctors well, sometimes it's not just about the money for everyone. There is the need to factor in what can be done in terms of earning an income pending licensing which could take 2 years.Then, getting licensed doesn't guarantee a placement. The residency match system places Canadian citizens and prs with Canadian medical education as top priority and fmgs at the bottom of the cAdre. Sask and NS give some fmgs a pathway into a GP prog. They have a quota yearly. Then there is also the fact to consider that not every doctor wants to be a gp. So, licensing exams are not always the way to go for everyone.

Your post begs a lot of questions. You may get better responses if you are more detailed with your situation and questions. for instance, what kind of visa are you on? where are you traveling to? what are you studying towards? etc etc etc

hunnie001:
hello everyone I'm in a bit of a dilemma. would love to travel before September this year.I have two kids and I intend to also work and school too.how realistic is this thought of mine .just want know where and how hard to hit so as so get a positive result. plus I'm not going with hubby as he's in the states currently and doesn't seem to want us where he is.so right now I'm practically on my own.hoping to get positive answers here.thanks

This is a Living in canada thread oh! all these questions about visas and study, etc etc. There are threads for obtaining canadian visas. This unfortunately isn't one of them. Kindly posty your questions on the appropriate thread to get useful responses. This thread is only 3 pages long and is way too early to start getting jumbled with posts not related to the topic of discuss.

yup

oohunt:
Please I have a question. Going by the requirements for proof of funds:
I have two bank accounts: savings and current with my bank. Do I have to provide a letter and statement for both accounts regardless of which one has the POF amount?