Think Mauritius

Comment by Aartee

17 January 2007 @ 8:45 pm

Hi there,

I really like your website and I think that it is very useful for people considering moving to Canada like myself.

Could you please talk a bit more about the good side of moving to Canada? Like why is it a good country to live in- from your personal experience?

Thanks

Comment by Patrick Ng

18 January 2007 @ 1:32 pm

Hi Aartee,

Well this is not my website :-), but I like your compliment. I am currently out of town. I will try to write more when I am back home.

Regards,

Comment by Patrick Ng

22 January 2007 @ 4:21 am

Aartee,

I have thought about your question quite a bit and I must say, it’s more difficult to answer than I first thought, because if I were to write everything, I will need to write a book.

From the good side:

- Work Experience. The experience gained is invaluable. I am not saying that I did not acquire valuable experience in Mauritius.
- Continuing education. I am currently working towards a BA (part-time).
- Boxing Day Sales :-)
- Rapid response from the police force. If I call 911 (equivalent of 999 in Mauritius), I won’t get “The car is not here” as an answer.
- Not having to apply for a visa when visiting other countries.

From the “bad” side
- Health system is very disappointing for a big country like Canada (my opinion).
- Dental service can cost a lot if one does not have insurance coverage.
- Sometimes it is very cold in Canada.
- Job security seems to be something of the past. This can be good or bad, depending on what side of the fence you are.

Comment by VIJAY

24 January 2007 @ 2:10 am

Hi patrick,

I really appreciate the ‘bad side’ view for canada.
Health system is a complate disaster and dental services, my goodness it can cost your whole monthly salary for one or 2 visits to the dentist.
Cold weather is indeed one bad side that everyone has to endure but one piece of info for aartee buy a lot of warm clothes in mauritius and dont buy too many traditional clothes unless you are going to vancouver where you can wear them even in winter.

Yeah job security thats like gold if you are able to get it here.At any time you can be laid off depending on the company policies and financial situation. So get prepared Artee and please if you are coming after doing your medical test for canada, if there is any medical treatment and especially dental treatment, please do it in mauritius even if it is costly because here it is very very expensive. This applies to all those planning to come here or are waiting for visas.
BOXING DAY IS EXTRAORDINARY UP TO 60-80% DISCOUNT. UNFORTUNATELY I WAS WORKING THAT DAY, BAD LUCK.

CHEER UP ARTEE AND PREPARE YOURSELF MENTALLY IF YOU WANT TO SETTLE HERE IN CANADA.

Ok patrick c u later

Bye

VIJAY

Comment by Patrick Ng

24 January 2007 @ 3:28 pm

Hi Vijay,

After reading your comment and the comment you made concerning the “Moving to Canada” article, I think it’s safe for me to say that your experience as a landed immigrant and mine have a lot in common.

I like the way that you also stress on the point that Mauritians moving to Canada should prepare themselves mentally and don’t think of Canada as Eldorado (your comment to “Moving to Canada”). Many people when talking to potential landed immigrants don’t mention about the “bad sides” either intentionally or unintentionally. For example, if I go to Mauritius and start eating in “expensive” restaurant and buying “expensive” clothes, some might think that I am making tons of money in Canada. What they are not seeing is that I have saved my money for a while in Canada to buy these clothes in Mauritius because they end up costing cheaper because of the exchange rate.

Therefore, those who have built so much expectations but forgot to consider some of the “bad sides” are in for a big suprise once they arrive in Canada.

Aartee and others, please feel free to ask questions.

Patrick

Comment by Vijay

26 January 2007 @ 8:47 pm

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for the comment and i agrees 100% with you on the following STATEMENT:”For example, if I go to Mauritius and start eating in “expensive” restaurant and buying “expensive” clothes, some might think that I am making tons of money in Canada. What they are not seeing is that I have saved my money for a while in Canada to buy these clothes in Mauritius because they end up costing cheaper because of the exchange rate.”
Here we have to strive if we want to go to mauritius and many mauritians do wait for the offpeak season to pay themselves a relatively ‘cheap visit’ to mauritius.Clothes are very expensive at times and we have to wait for sales to get good stuff at very good prices. As for eating in an expensive restaurant, thats for sure people will say that you have a lot of money, even if these people eat THEMSELVES at these restaurants may be 4 or 5 times a month in mtius. But they dont know that you strive to get this money and afford to eat in that restaurant.Food is not that expensive here but it is sometimes quite expensive to eat everyday in a restaurant in canada, so my advice to all those who dont know how to cook food or even prepare a good cup of tea, please do learn now, it will help you a lot. Thank god i can cook most of the food i want to eat,and i save a lot of money by doing so. So please ladies and gentlemen waiting to come to canada, LEARN HOW TO COOK FOOD AND PREAPARE TEA, or else you will end up with your survival funds used up very quickly.
One thing more, get prepared to work in supermarkets or any small jobs until you get a decent job, SO THAT YOU JUST GET MONEY TO PAY YOUR BILLS AND RENT(ONE OF THE BIGGEST EXPENDITURE DEPENDING ON THE PROVINCE AND THE REGION YOU ARE LIVING).
ANYWAY IM NOT DISCOURAGING ANYONE BUT I KNOW SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HAD GOOD JOBS IN MAURITIUS DOING ODD JOBS HERE BUT THEY ARE HAPPY AND ARE STRIVING BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO INTEGRATE THE SYSTEM.YOU WOULD SURELY AGREE WITH ME PATRICK.

Anyway a warm welcome to those that will land very soon in CANADA.

I strongly apologise if my views are discouraging but im just telling the truth and it may not be the case for some people. Just wanted you guys not to get into an ‘illusion’.Patrick is doing a great job and my comments are just adding to the message that he wants to convey event if the truth is harsh. However, whatever i said will be hardships faced for the first 6 to 1 year or maybe 2 years.After that it will be smooth integration into the society. So take it easy and as an advice.

Hope that these comments will help you guys.

VIJAY

Comment by Patrick Ng

31 January 2007 @ 4:11 am

Vijay is right. We are not trying to discourage anyone from moving to Canada, but help potential immigrants prepare themselves psychologically so that they can be in a better position to succeed.

Comment by Aartee

2 February 2007 @ 8:26 pm

Hey there!

I stumbled on this document while I was reading on Canada. I thought it gave good advice and was encouraging.

http://www.settlement.org/downloads/Alone_In_Canada.pdf

I thought I’d post it as it might be of use to other readers too!

Comment by Vijay

3 February 2007 @ 6:48 pm

Hi Artee,

I congratulate your idea to share this website. I went through it and i must admit that this is the best website that i have ever been through all web sites i visited for canada. It is realistic and it gives all information about canadian culture and all the negative things that new immigrants may face in canada. So if anyone visit this website, then whatever patrick and i have said about canada is a perfect reflection in this website.

So, once more hats off to you artee for this wonderful website.

What i appreciated most is the things about living alone in canada and about our own community in canada.Most of these things are relevant.

Sincerely wish you all the best if you are applying to come to canada.

Bye

VIJAY

Comment by STEPHANIE

14 March 2007 @ 9:11 am

hi u

thank u for this piece of good information. we will be there by next year and i think it is better o be prepared to face those challenges. mauritians do have a fighting spirit and i congratulate all of u for what you have done!! i know and i am prepared to step in any job as i know that it will take time to get a decent job - i would just like to know if canadian experience is a must and how do you feature out having a canadian experience in your field if you need to do small jobs ? how do you integrate the system? regarding health service - is it the case in toronto as well ?

Comment by Patrick Ng

14 March 2007 @ 1:26 pm

“Canadian Experience” does not necessarily need to be in your field. It can be from any job.

Comment by STEPHANIE

15 March 2007 @ 8:57 am

thank you for tour quick response - i would also like to know if there is a work life balance - i am sure it is not like oin Mtius but do you manage having some time for your family?

Comment by Patrick Ng

15 March 2007 @ 6:26 pm

Stephanie,

This is a very tricky question, and I don’t think there is a single answer to that question.

All will depend on how much work you job requires you to do and at what time of the day each of you is working. If both of you are working regular office hours, then you will see each other more than if one of you is working night shifts and the other one is working day shifts.

It’s definitely not the same as in Mauritius :-(

Comment by Vijay

17 March 2007 @ 4:17 am

Hi stephanie,

i appreciate this spirit of yours. Keep it up and with this attitude you will be well prepared to face the hardships (initially if you encounter any)here in canada. Any job in a canadian company = canadian experience. One advice - if you like caring for sick and old people, then follow a course in health care (resident care aide)- You will get a well paid job in health sector and you will always be needed in that job because they do lack a lot of health care workers.
Well if you like that type of job then you will be well off financially in a matter of months.

Hope this will help you.

Cheers and Welcome to Canada

bye

Vijay

Comment by dodo

12 April 2007 @ 9:26 pm

As far as calling home.
Once you have managed to get a PC and Internet here, do a PC to PC call via SKYPE (assuming relatives have a PC in Mauritus). Since last October I am in touch with my brother on a daily basis (2 mins). Before i used to wait for midnight to call home (Mts) and then I got myself a plan with a Long distance carrier but i still had to manage my calls but since last year I am laughing.
As far as airline tickets to go home, work with some Mauritian TAs here ( they have good prices though everything has gone up since fuel went up)

Comment by Patrick Ng

13 April 2007 @ 1:08 am

Yes, using a computer and the internet is the cheapest way to communicate with your relatives. However, it will be a more pleasant experience if the relatives in Mauritius has high speed internet. Skype over a dialup connection can be a pain.

As for the airline tickets, like Dodo said, it’s best to work with Mauritian travel agents. Their prices are cheaper. And if you don’t have kids (school) and can afford to travel during Chinese New Year, it’s even better, because you can have some good deals: about $200 off low-season prices.

Comment by Hazel

9 May 2007 @ 2:55 pm

I like to have penpals from Mauritus and Mauritus living in US and Canada.

I am a 29 years old straight woman living in Canada, and like to have straight female penpals of any age over 25 for friendship only. I have visited your lovely Island once and would like to go there again.

Comment by Ellen

9 May 2007 @ 11:52 pm

Hello everyone,
That’s an interesting site….and I’d like to add my two cents in it! For anyone coming to settle here, make sure you take as many computer courses as you can before coming here, because when you will apply for a job here, you will have to do written tests, especially if you are going through an employment agency. Courses like “Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint” would help you if you want any administrative job! Competition is tough, considering that there are a lot of graduates from Universities here who are also competing for jobs. One advantage that you have though is…being bilingual if you are planning to come to Ontario.

Buy as many sweaters as you can before coming, and bring your stock of DuThe Corson, that will help when you’re feeling down!

To the person who started this Website, i think it’s a wonderful idea to give feedback and help mauritians who want to settle here, keep it up! This is what being mauritian is about, helping each other!
:) Ellen

Comment by Patrick Ng

12 May 2007 @ 2:38 pm

Ellen’s advice to buy a lot of sweaters before coming to Canada is not a bad one, but I would like to add that you should buy sweaters that are machine washable and if possible, dryer friendly as well. I think it’s safe to say that you will be using the washing machine rather than hand wash your clothes. And if you live in an apartment, you’ll be using the dryer more often than not. In some places, the community does not allow you to hang dry your clothes even if you own your house, but rare.

Comment by STEPHANIE

7 June 2007 @ 12:03 pm

Hi to u all /

can somebody advise me on job opprtunities in Edmonton as we have heard that taxes there are low compared to Toronto ? are there as many jobs as in Toronto area
what about taxes in Ottawa ? and jobs opprtunities there ?

thank u

Comment by Vijay

9 June 2007 @ 8:36 am

Hello Stephanie,

Alberta has only one tax and jobs are booming in this province, both edmonton and calgary have lots of jobs. Next boom is in Saskatchewan, so watch out. There are also lots of jobs in Toronto also, from the info i gathered.

Bye

Comment by STEPHANIE

11 June 2007 @ 7:51 am

how many taxes are there exactly in toronto and are salaries higher that in alberta?

i have learnt that there is somem sort of grant for children. does that exists in toronto ?

thks for your help

Comment by Vijay

12 June 2007 @ 2:43 pm

Hi Sthepanie,

Children received around 250-300 dollars /month up to the age of 18 if im not mistaken.Its everywhere in any provinces of canada.Check it out.

Vijay

Comment by STEPHANIE

13 June 2007 @ 8:26 am

thank you vijay . u really of great help. do you know about taxes and salaries in toronto? compared to elsewhere?

Comment by Vijay

14 June 2007 @ 4:12 pm

Hi stephanie,

What i know is that in Toronto they pay more than quebec and in Alberta also they pay higher but only one tax in alberta.However there are things like rent which will be the highest cost, but you will have to look as there are always good deals.Check it out on internet. But taxes are nearly the same in other provinces except alberta which is less and quebec higher.The choice is yours…

Bye

Vijay

Comment by Dodo

18 June 2007 @ 3:42 pm

Just be cautious for lodging in Edmonton and Calgary. It is getting very tough to find good and inexpensive apt to rent an dif you are planning to buy, they are the hot spots

Comment by STEPHANIE

20 June 2007 @ 10:00 am

hi evreybody
still stuck in destination dilemma Toronto or Calgary? from what I gather on the net I can see that the demand for bilinguals is greater in Toronto than in calgary? can somebody advise?

Comment by Patrick Ng

20 June 2007 @ 2:28 pm

Hello everyone,

Stephanie: at some point choosing a destination will become a gamble and you will have to choose one and hope for the better and make the most out of it.

In my case, I decided to settle in Kitchener, which is a very small town in Canada. It’s big enough for me to find almost anything I want, but not big enough to be as busy as Toronto.

As for the demand for bilinguals, I don’t have much information as I have never worked in Toronto nor Calgary. Two months after I arrived in Kitchener, I got a job and have been at the same place for 6 years now. Of course, I have less incentive to move in the next few years now that I am a part-time student at the University of Waterloo and working towards my BA. Universtiy of Waterloo is in the town of Waterloo. Think of Kitchener and Waterloo as Beau-Bassin and Rose-Hill and you have a good idea of how close they are.

Perhaps someone else can advise on the demand for bilinguals in Toronto. Have you checked the following websites ?

http://www.workopolis.com
http://www.monster.ca

Comment by Vijay

21 June 2007 @ 4:02 pm

Hi everybody,

Comment by Dodo

22 June 2007 @ 9:57 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdXvgKkkOFw&mode=related&search=
FWIW;
If you through that site you will have an idea about Toronto. Quite a few videos to give you a feel of the city.

Comment by STEPHANIE

3 July 2007 @ 12:40 pm

hi u all!! can anybody know some mauritians living in alberta to share about life there as we are examining the possibility of landing there. are bilinguals in great demand !!
Vijay was previously talking of alberta region - may be he can advise ???

thanks to u all
and cheers de l’ile maurice

Comment by Vijay

8 July 2007 @ 10:19 pm

Hi Stephanie,

I dont know anyone in alberta, but as i know there are mauritians in edmonton. Sorry for that stephanie. I hope you get some more info from people living there. I think there is someone who was living in rosehill that is now living there i mean in edmonton, but not sure.

Sorry for that dear. I gather all my info from friends who are of other origins apart mauritians.

Anyway hope you will find some help but CALGARY IS EXPENSIVE IN RENT AND HOUSING BEAR THAT IN MIND…….

Ok bye im on my break.

Good luck dear.

Vijay

Comment by Dodo

9 July 2007 @ 3:13 pm

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/dixiex2/calgarycity.htm

Hopefully you will have an idea Stephanie. Like Vijay has mentioned, rent and realestate have gone through the roof. You may have to look and live outside the city

Comment by STEPHANIE

17 July 2007 @ 8:07 am

hi to u all

I would appreciate having your opinion on this issue .

I have recently heard that quite a few mauririans IN TORONTO were confronted to some racism specially in their workplace. they reported that immigrants were not treated the same way as immigrants though they were equally qualified .
is that just in Toronto? any idea about Alberta?

thanks for your comments

Comment by Patrick Ng

17 July 2007 @ 9:35 am

Hi Stephanie,

This is a very tricky question to answer. I don’t if this problem is faced only by Mauritians or not. According to the data of some studies (from my Sociology class), immigrants in general face this problem, regardless of their race. This is especially true for the first job. Once you have gained experience, including Canadian experience, you can change job and negociate for more.

One thing for sure, Canadian citizens will be given priorities over landed immigrants when it comes to government jobs. But, once you’ve become a Canadian citizen, you will be like any other Canadian citizen. Of course, chances of us becoming CEO’s of major corporations are slim to none, unless we start our own companies.

Another thing you will notice is that we come from a different culture, and it takes time to get use to the “Canadian culture” where people do some of the things differently.

To all: correct me if I’m wrong.

Comment by Dodo

23 July 2007 @ 4:33 pm

Patrick

You are right in all you comments and opinions. Even for someone who have been in the workplace for 20 years, I must say that “the real Canadians” or the “pure laine” in Quebec are always one step ahead of us - the non-white. Sorry to be blunt but that’s the way it is. I did my uni and post -grad studies here - so I did not come here as an immigrant per se- but I always have to prove myself to get accepted. One funny thing when i first started - some people were surprised that I could speak and write English or French better than them. Thank god for the nice teachers that I had in Mauritius. When I do have to give technical presentations at conferences- I would always get this comment ” I can detect some British accent or some Parisian French and I am trying to locate where you are from” Duh!!!!

Comment by Devina

24 July 2007 @ 9:23 am

Hi to all,

I have just found out this site and I find it amazing to find some Canadian-Mauritian friends. I am still at a planning stage to move to Canada. I am aware that it won’t be paradise there and I have prepared myself for possible problems there. Alberta and British Columbia (Vancouver)are my preferred locations but I still need your help and in making right decisions and this move.

Please advise

Regards

Comment by Ellen

27 July 2007 @ 12:00 am

Hi Stephanie,
Please do not get discouraged if some people have had some bad experiences! Racism will always be an issue wherever you go, but to different levels. I have travelled quite extensively in my life and can assure you that Canada is still very very tolerant. I did have a few bad experiences when i just landed here a long time ago, but as you get integrated here and learn about the culture and people, you gain confidence. In the beginning, you tend to put everything on “R”. Very quickly you will learn to stand up for yourself. The other thing i’ve learned here is that it doesn’t matter how educated you are or what job you have, people respect each other. I know in Toronto, people are courteous. It all depends on the individual. As far as being bilingual, yes, there are jobs for bilingual people in Toronto, but mostly in call centres, be prepared to work shift hours. I’m not sure about other provinces, but being bilingual in French will always be an asset wherever you go (except Quebec) of course where everybody’s bilingual. It does not matter what colour you are, it’s how you project yourself, how good you are at marketing yourself and your skills in a job interview. That will land you a job.
Hope this helps…
Ellen

Comment by Patrick Ng

27 July 2007 @ 10:29 am

Dodo: it’s true that we do write English and French better than some Canadian-born people :-)

Ellen: You’re right, Canadians are very tolerant in general. Of course, they won’t be happy if you say “We, Mauritians are better, we do this or that in a better way.”

Comment by sharon

1 August 2007 @ 8:25 pm

hi everybody,
i am new to this website but i’ve found it really very interesting and useful for those planning to move to Canada. My application is in process and i’m planning to move with my whole family there. May be it will take two years or more. my hubby and myself are prepared to leave our secured jobs here and stard everything from zero there just for the sake of a better future for ourselves and most importantly our children - for a better education and carreer prospect. I’m planning to settle in Toronto. Both my husband and myself are computer literate and I’m a BSc graduate. We are ready to face any some difficulies at the outset but I would like to know whether everything will be ok with time. I would like somebody to advise me about the accomodation - whether it is advisable to rent an appartment or to buy a house on mortgage right from the beginning. which one will be more profitable. Thanks for your reply.

Comment by Dodo

2 August 2007 @ 10:29 pm

FIRST SORRY FOR HIJACKING THIS THREAD.
I was doing some search for real estate ( may consider living on the island part-time after my retirement- yes I have some 10-15 yrs to go but am planning already ) and i landed on the following site:
http://www.africaguide.com/cgi-bin/forum/dcboard.cgi?az=list&forum=maurit

I have left the country in the 80’s as a student and I don’t have a lot of news from the island except when i do visit once every 4 yrs ( most of my siblings except one are living overseas and my bro has his own biz on the island after concluding that life was better for him on the island instead of working for an International org in Montreal). I also don’t keep up with all the news for lack of time- my fault.

Can someone edify me on why so many Foreigners are being hired as Professionals whilst talented Mauritians are bailing out? What gives? aren’t the citizens qualified enough?

Would appreciate some clarifications? Thank you in advance.

Comment by S

3 August 2007 @ 12:14 am

Sharon:
Unless you buy the house cash, I would recommend that you rent first for many reasons.
1. You have not built up a credit report that would allow you to have a mortgage.
2. You have to be familiar with the different neighbourhoods (especially for schools).

The biggest item that you would buy is a car (or even two).

Comment by sharon

3 August 2007 @ 8:08 pm

hi everybody

hi dodo,
as it is nowadays everyone is looking for better conditions of living and better career prospects which they won’t get or will take a lot of time in Mauritius. They want jobs that are well paid and better education for their children even if it means toiling and sacrificing some welfare. moreover well-off foreigners do not mind coming here to work even if they do not get much in terms of money. some just appreciate our sand, sun and sea. but for Mauritians it’s the opposite. It’s not a question of qualification only.

Well perhaps you, who seem to be so experienced, could advise whether it’s worth leaving everything behind and adventuring there. I know it will be tough in the beginning but i want to be reassured at least that everything will get better after some time. Is it true that racism exists over there? I heard that canada had a multi racial community with so many immigrants coming in there? Please could somebody clarify on this?

Comment by Patrick Ng

3 August 2007 @ 9:18 pm

Hi Sharon,

“Is it worth it?” is the most asked question and also the most difficult one to answer. In fact, I don’t even know if there is an answer to that question.

Only you has the answer to that question because each person’s experience is different. Some will have a very easy ride whereas others will have a very rough one.

Trust your feeling and listen to your heart. Once you’ve made you decision do not look back. I mean if you do make the jump and things don’t go accoding to plan, don’t curse yourself, but stand up and fight.

Comment by Dodo

4 August 2007 @ 12:49 am

Sharon,

As Mauritians, we are persistant and are able to take everything coming our way ( at least that’s what I do believe and experience). I can’t advise you what to do w/o knowing your background and your way of living.

Personally, I decided not to go back home because:
1. I knew I wouldn’t get a job in my field
2. If I did manage to get a govt job ( forget about the private sector- I didn’t have the connections -sorry to be blunt once again) I wouldn’t be able to stay current in the high tech area ( telecommunications)
3. Any way I come from a family ( a line of families to be correct) who didn’t think twice to move to small islands in the I.O. to manage their business and to be self-sufficient whilst at the same time ensuring that their children have a better life.
4. Canada has been good to me whilst other countries in Europe ( I am not taliking about the UK or France) have been good to my siblings. Two of my siblings have been able to be hired by International organizations as Canadians whereas they would not have had that chance in Mauritius unless my dad was a politician or was connected ( circa 1980/1990).

Life was not easy as a student nor as someone starting his career but through dedication, one can earn the trust of the employers/bosses and colleagues. If you have 2 cars in MU, you will be able to have the same here but one has to be patient. We can’t expect to have everything on day one.
Even for buying a house, it is better to rent first so that one knows in which part of the city one wants to purchase a property. Forget about having a nanny or “domestique” as some may be used to.

Racism- I haven’t been subjected per se though I have seen it targetted to other nationalities. We may be in Canada but not everyone is that well-educated ( I did not say instructed) and for some when things are not working in their favour, they will tend to blame the immigrants. I have seen this even amongst so called executives who should know better. I will put it on Jealousy rather than the R word. Most immigrants are a hard-working lot and within 5 years some will be owning a house in a nice neighbourhood with 2 cars in the driveway. The CDNs don’t know the sacrifice these immigrants have been making - forfeited vacations to their home country or during summertime/ extra working hours/ not enough time with their children/ not many R&Rs. Yet you will hear them blaming the immigrants for taking their “jobs” . My answer: Buddy, you have everything been served to you on a silver platter- take the opportunity instead on wasting your time on the couch watching TV. Same thing for education- immigrant kids tend to have better grades at school.

Personally. I was paying 5X more than a CDN for my bachelor degree because I was on a student visa- so instead of wasting my time going clubbing I was maximising my time on 6 courses per semestre so that I can graduate earlier. Once i started working, I had all the time to pick up on my social life. i have had the opportunity to move to the US 3 times ( from 3 different employers) but declined because life in CDA is better for me than the US. I don’t have to live in a gated-community because of security.Here kids on my street leave their bikes outside on the lawn and no one will walk away with them. I know who my neighbours are and we volunteer coaching the kids of other residents.

If you are ready to make some sacrifices at the beginning, go for it.

I asked the question about foreigners moving to the island because I know that the citizens are looking for jobs after their tertiary education.

Comment by sharon

4 August 2007 @ 4:04 pm

Hi everyone,

Thanks Patrick and Dodo for replying so soon. I am really thankful for your advice. As it is i have already made my mind to go ahead. However u know there is always that fear of adventuring in the unknown. But i’ll follow your advice - stand up and fight.

Can anyone tell me about children’s adaptability in schools. Is the transition ok? I mean the level here in Mts compared to Canada.

Comment by Patrick Ng

4 August 2007 @ 4:23 pm

You’re welcome.

I, and I am sure those who have made the move as well, understand your feeling perfectly. The fear of the unknown is natural. I started to feel this even more on the day I received my visa.

As for the kids, they will adapt very easily. Of course, if you land anywhere else except Québec, their French level will be way higher than their classmates.

Comment by Vijay

11 August 2007 @ 3:21 am

Hi patrick dodo and others,

hope that you are fine buddies.Hey sharon if you are coming to canada very soon and planning to buy anything like car and house, PLEASE start by building your credit history.get a credit card from the bank and pay it within terms, in this way you will be able to buy a house or car.
Anyway sharon wish you good luck for your move to canada.

bye everyone

VIJAY
MONTREAL

Comment by Patrick Ng

11 August 2007 @ 3:29 am

Hi Vijay and others,

Vijay: I am fine thank you.

Vijay is right in saying that one’s credit rating is very important. I talked about that in “Moving to Canada.” The best way to do that is to apply for a secured credit card. Without a credit rating/history, it’s virtually impossible to get a credit card, but a credit card is the best way to build your credit rating/history.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Hema

11 August 2007 @ 9:56 am

Hi Vijay, Dodo, and Patrick and team

Hope you are all ok.

I will need to move to Quebec. Once in Quebec, can i move let’s say to Vancouver afterwards.

I am not sufficiently qualified for Federal, so needs to land in Quebec with my family. What do you suggest ?

I am prepared for the any obstacles arising.

thanks for your thoughts.

regards.

Hema

Comment by Dodo

11 August 2007 @ 5:28 pm

Hi Hema,

That’s the way to go if you want to come to Canada ( I didn’t do it since I came on a student visa which was turned into a resident after I started working once i got my M.Eng but I know of people who have used this Modus Operandi). You will not be the first to do this thus no need to worry.
By coming here ( in Quebec- choose Montreal as your city) you will get all the documents required, Social security card, healtcare card etc. I believe that it may even be easier to land that first job because of the Bilingualism factor.
In addition, rent in Quebec is lower than Toronto or Calgary or Vancouver. After a yr or two ( or even earlier , once you’ve got use to the CDN way of living and having a good base in Quebec) you can look to move out west.

Don’t know your family situation- kids will have to go to French schools here but it is not a big hurdle at a young age to switch from one language to another.

The first move is always the toughest one ( though moving across the country from East to West is also a challenge sometimes- just the logistics of reapplying for a new health care card or driver’s license etc).

Comment by Stephanie

12 August 2007 @ 5:59 pm

Hi to all

very happy to see new people joining in . specially sharon as i am in the same process as you we have already done medicals and our passports are already gone to nairobi for final visas we had initially thought of moving to Toronto but finally we are going to alberta due to job opportunities available there .. our departure is now in a few months and we are in preparations. thanks to all those who have provided us with support during this long process . we hope that evreything will be OK our children are notlanding withus at first but they will be coming once we are settled in a job and accomodation . We have friends a Muritian family like ours with 3 kids . they have just landed in eDMONTON AND they are OK at least they are managing .. we allkow that the first two years are not easy but they are in contact with us and we are also in contact with other mauritians in Vancouver where things seems to be harder … but it’s allabout luck and the way you tackle things . .. at start . their children seem ok and the transition is smooth but you need to prepare them mentally for the change ..

WE ARE NOW IN RPOCESS OF PREPARING DOCUMENTS T FIND A JOB THERE ANY ADVICE FROM U ..MOST WELCOME …

THANKS AND BYE

Comment by Anne

13 August 2007 @ 1:59 am

Hi,
I join this discussion at a late stage. I arrived in Montreal in late January and I’ve had to go through the hard times, looking for an apartment, a job, finding a school for my kid, etc..

A major disappointment for Mauritians moving to Canada at mid-career is that it is very difficult to find a job in one’s area of specialisation. Sometimes, even though one might be prepared to start rock-bottom, there might not even be a start. I know people who were excellent communication specialists working as bank tellers, accountants working in travel agencies, and IT people or bio-chemists working as salesmen ine electronic shops, just to pay their bills.

One advice: be prepared to be very modest and to say you want to learn. Canadians like to be flaterred and to feel they have an edge over you. For a start, give them their due. The reason why i got a job was that I played modest (or dum!) initially asking for a posting as a trainee, whatever the pay. I hardly mentionned that I had run my own business in Mauritius or had prior managerial positions. Then, once I was in and they “tried me”, it is all about having a can do attitude and to do things others are just afraid to do or don’t want to do, it might not be nice but it does help.

On the contrary I have a friend from Mauritius who is still wasting his time trying to explain the nice experience in his cv. Useless! He is still looking for a job.

For my part, I am still at notch zero, but the prospects are better and at least I am working in my field of specialisation. In some cases, some people have changed careers altogether, it migt be an option if one is willing to settle in Canada at any cost.

Finally, another advice. If one is well settled in Mauritius, with a house which is already paid and car, one might be losing more in coming to Canada. But it one is struggling to pay the bills and with no assets, then it might be worth coming to Canada. One might struggle for use, but will get something at the end of the day.

once you are in Canada, building a network of Mauritian friends is useful. When the going gets tough, friends are the pillars we rely on.

Regards
Anne

Comment by Patrick Ng

15 August 2007 @ 12:48 am

Hi Anne,

If you have read everything that I have written in my posts on http://www.thinkmauritius.com, you probably noticed that I said that each person’s experience as an landed immigrant would be different. Some will have an easier time than others. A little bit of luck is needed sometimes.

Getting a job in one’s field can sometimes, especially as one’s first job in Canada, be difficult even more if the field’s supply of labour is “controlled” by an organisation.To increase your chances of working in your field, you have to become a member of the orgranisation related to your field. For example, if you want to work as an accountant, you will have to be a CGA (Certified General Account) or a CMA (Certified Management Accountant) or a CA (Chartered Accountant). If you want to work as an engineer, you will have to become a Professional Engineer. Keep in mind, that in both cases (account and engineers), there will be exams to pass, and even some courses to take.

I don’t know if Canadians like to be flattered. It all depends how you approach your interviews. If you display an “I am superior attitude” right away, they sure will not be very happy.

Starting as a trainee is very common in Canada. Volunteering is highly regarded as a very good quality. In fact, employers and Universities love employees and students who have done some volunteer job at one time or another. Myself, I am considering doing some hours as a volunteer…to put on my CV :-)

As for your friend having a hard time finding a job, maybe his CV is not the cause, but his cover letter or his interview skills are. Many people concentrate a lot on their CV’s and neglect their cover letters. However, if your cover letter is not well done, you can be sure the potential employer won’t bother reading your CV. A cover letter is your only chance to differentiate yourself from the competition, you can do that in your CV. Moreover, the way you present yourself at your interview is very important. Studies show that a potential employers already know if they will hire a candidate within the first five minutes: From the time your walk through the door, and you shake hands.

Comment by Dodo

15 August 2007 @ 2:47 am

Here is an article on how Quebec is seen by the French immigrant:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118680079272894989.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
There are some truths in this article but as one knows, some Europeans think that North America is “eldorado”

As Patrick has said, it all comes down to attitude………

Comment by STEPHANIE

15 August 2007 @ 12:35 pm

hi to u all

hi patrick - your previous comment is very helpful for us as we plan to land soon and will definitely need to go for interviews can u give us some useful tips on dressing for interviews .. and cover letters as well as resume

thanks bye

Comment by Hema

15 August 2007 @ 2:03 pm

Good afternoon Dodo & everyone,

All infos are taken into great consideration !!

Vijay, since you are from Montreal. Will very much to have some more info on How is life there ?

kind regards

Hema

Comment by Hema

15 August 2007 @ 2:06 pm

A big thank you to all of you for the continuous support/time you are giving to us

Regards

Hema

Comment by Patrick Ng

15 August 2007 @ 5:51 pm

Stephanie,

There is no doubt in my mind that one needs some luck during an interview. Like I said, if the recruiting person does not like you the second you walk through the door, chances are he won’t like you at all.

But, there is still a few things you can do to increase your chances of success during an interview, like:

1. Dress. Better to be “over-dressed” than “under-dressed.”
2. Avoid strong perfume. A perfume can be like a double-edged sword. The interviewer will either like it or hate it.
3. If you are a smoker, avoid smoking before an interview. Some people just “hate” smokers.
4. Firm handshake (especially for guys).
5. Keep eye contact.
6. Be yourself. Just tell yourself that you are there, and you’ll give it your best shot. If it works, good, but if it does not, it’s not the end of the world. Even if it does not work, you can still get something positive out of that interview: learn from your mistakes. Being yourself can also help you feel less nervous.

As for the resume and the cover letter, a lot of people will tell you that you need to use big words like proficient at this or that, excellent, extensive, work well under pressure…etc. I’ve done it myself.

I have some different ideas but unfortunately have not been able to put them to the test.

My theory:
Don’t overdo it. The guy reading your résumé is not that stupid to not feel that you are overdoing it. It is very likely that almost all the résumé he will receive for a particular job offer will be similar to each other. And if he were to hire someone based on the résumés only, he would have the hardest time in the world to pick one candidate because all the résumés are from “geniuses” with no flaws :-)

And for the cover letter, I think one should be able to be less “strict” and be oneself, and most of all avoid repeating things already in one’s résumé.

Like I said, this is just my theory, you can use it at your own risk or do as everyone else is doing.

Comment by sharon

17 August 2007 @ 11:10 am

Hi, Patrick, Dodo, Vijay, Stephanie and all others,

thanks for the precious info. I am not moving to CDA so soon. I am still at the beginning of the process, still awaiting the medicals. But it’s very useful to know beforehand what’s awaiting you.

Stephanie, Could you tell me about how long i will have to wait before eventually being asked to do the medicals? I mean from the time u receive your file number. I just want to know how long it will take.

Comment by Noor

20 August 2007 @ 8:22 am

Hy all guys..
I wanted to say thats a great job you all doing..It both helps those who still are not sure about leaving mauritius and those already there.
Ive already applied , been one year now since i got my file number…Surely i cant say much about how lifes there in canada apart from what ive read on the net and on other places.I think thats where patrick and others already down there will help a lot..But i would like to share with those who are still on the application process.. I think , from all the opinions and feedback i got from all kinds of people, one thing is for sure… Your motivation for leaving your country should not be vague..What i mean its not just because people are leaving that you need to leave too..You should balance all the pros and cons and see if the final result does weigh a lot in the positive side..Thats a thing which varies from people to people..Because once you gonna get in canada and see the reality in front of you, you will start comparing from how your life was in the past.. And if you didnt made your research well about how your lifes gonna improve, you may really face a hard time and thats where many lose hope and return back…Like Ptrick and others have mentioned, you should expect two years of real hardship before you get used to your new country..If you knew most of the negative sides, then surely you will have the guts and necessary positive attitude to go ahead.. Also dont just listen to people, do make your research on your own and see what youve been told is real..Some people maybe luring you, so be sure you know the truth..Everythings on the net today, so you cant say you didnt know!!Many new immigrants complain about tax, high rents , car insurance are high .. But sorry they are the only ones to blame.. Immigration is not Tourism..You need to search and search as much as you can and make sure youve done the most you could have.. Of course there are a lot unexpected events that gonna arise there, but at least you will not blame yourself for being irresponsible..

One other important thing is that you can also start making friends with people down there, not necessarily mtians..( what ive done already and i got plenty, belive me )There are plenty of meeting groups, chat, forums etc… This will help you know personal experiences and ask questions that you may still be pondering about..Especially about the field of work you are in, family life and most importantly of all, to know in which city you gonna start living in.. Also it will help you to socialise and know some of the way of life of canadians… Dont wait to be there to start looking for friends when you could have started well before…Of course there are things that you need to wait till you are in canada, but do make as necessary research as possible while you are here.. There are many who have paid immigration represantatives for their application.. They think that they have nothing to do and just need to wait for your PR..Dont do that silly mistake cause once your PR is obtained you are the one to live your life…

And please excuse me for some of the tough words but i think i needed to say it like this cause many mtians do make the mistake of following blindly..Each family that has immigrated is a particular case..There are so many factors that will make your experience completely different..Of course with time they may converge to a similar pattern , but i truly belive that the first few years will be the most difficult and lonely ones in your life..So make a must to be sure what youre doing…

Noor Khan

Comment by Patrick Ng

20 August 2007 @ 11:44 pm

Noor, this is a very good comment with some very good points.

Comment by Noor

21 August 2007 @ 7:26 am

Thx patrick…
I really hope others gonna comment about what i said and perhaps add to what i said.. This will help all of us

Comment by Hema

21 August 2007 @ 8:16 am

Hi Everyone

Hi Noor

Thanks for the message. It really helps. You are 100% right.

Will not wait till i am in Canada to make more friends !!.

Can you pls suggest a website/forum to chat with Canadians ?

thanks so much

Hema

Comment by Noor

21 August 2007 @ 9:48 am

Hy Hema

Chat rooms and forums are plenty.. especially if you want to talk with canadians..but first yo should find people who have common interests with you… To start with its much easier to make friends with immigrants , esp Mtians , who are living in canada..Then through their network you can get access to other people..Do try to make friends first with people close to your culture, way of life etc.. In this way it will be easier to start a good relationship with common interests.. Also if people who resemble your way of living, most propably would have had the same fears before they immigrated..In this way you would get people that will help you dissolve some of your worries..
I had started on http://www.hi5.com and http://www.facebook.com. These are meeting groups, mostly populated by young people and University students..It helped me since im only 26 years old and i was able to get answers to questions that a young man asks himself..There are plenty of adults also.. So do create yourself a profile then make a detailed research based on age , religion , sex, home country etc.. Try to find people with whom you wanna talk..you will get a few friends, thats for sure..

Try and let me know

Yours Noor

Comment by Noor

22 August 2007 @ 7:02 am

By the way guys, why dont we set up a network of our own?? what i mean is that, we could , as participants to this blog, exchange our email adresses .We could thus be friends and continue to help each other, be it here or there in canada..
what you think about this guys? let me know if you have other propositions though which we can start by knowing ourselves here and we could also create something where other mtians could join in for a discussion.

Noor

Comment by Patrick Ng

22 August 2007 @ 11:13 pm

Hi Noor,

I think it’s a very good idea. However, I have to warn all of us that usually, people tend to write less over time, not because they don’t want to, but because they are too busy with their own private lives, which at times can be demanding.

I have not been keeping track of everyone’s e-mail address, but if each one of us can post a comment with “Here’s my e-mail” without actually including the e-mail address itself, I will then retrieve the e-mail address and forward it to everyone. Each time there is a new member, I will forward the address to all the other existing members.

If we end up talking about something important, I can then write a post for everyone else to read.

Comment by vishal

23 August 2007 @ 2:51 pm

hi everybody,
Many thanks to patrick, vijay and others for their priceless information.This, indeed helps everyone of us to have an idea about what awaits potential immigrants in canada and, therefore be better prepared.
I have a question about recognition of foreign credentials in canada.I’ve heard that canada does not recognise foreign credentials though they have been obtained from the UK or other countries.I want to know if for example ACCA is recognised in canada.
I’ve read on the internet that a recognition agreement has been signed between CGA(Certified General Acoountant in Canada) and ACCA(Association of certified and Chartered Accountant in the UK, but I want to know if a qualified accountant from ACCA need to start everything from zero, that is, does he need to start his studies from scratch to be able to work as an accountant in canada?
Also, are there many job prospects in the finance sector or as an accountant in canada?

Thanks a lot again guys. you are doing a great job!

Comment by Noor

23 August 2007 @ 5:46 pm

Hy Vishal

Accounting is not my domain.. I hope someone can help you out specifically..
But one advice i could give to anyone is that jobs can be classified as either regulated jobs or non-regulated in Canada..
I take an example, im an air traffic controller and air traffic control is a regulated job and governed by Air Nav Canada.. So whatever experience or knowledge i have in Air traffic will serve only after having done their required qualifications there in canada..
So you need to check if the domain of accounting is a regulated job.. If yes, find out which body regulates that in Canada..Once you have it, you can go on their website for further details..And most of them are there to help out.You can even mail them for any deeper enquiries..Thats one thing

Another aspect you need to take consideration is that whether companies are ready to employ people with ACCA..Having an agreeement btwn CGA and ACCA is one thing, but companies are there to set out their own standard required.. To make it clearer, i take an example that im familiar with.. Say someone has a degree and good experience in Computer Networking.. That guy will in most cases find it hard to get that same field of work in Canada because there they have their own demanded standard..( normally Cisco qualifications are sought ) This happens despite that Computer Networking is a Global field and is the same wherever you go.. So take some time and search on all the big recruitment companies ( example you have workopolis.com && monster.ca) Make a good search in your field and see how much ACCA is being demanded. You will have a good idea then..

This technique to find out whether your field of work and qualifications stands, works for almost everyone.. Of course you will get a general trend, but it helps to clear doubts and plan some steps ahead..

As always
Noor

Comment by Noor

23 August 2007 @ 5:50 pm

RESPONSE TO COMMENT 7509 ABOUT EMAIL ADRESSES

Thats a very good idea patrick… I agree you send my email to everyone interested..In this way also, we can avoid spamming and protect the privacy of everyone..

I also agree that people will write according to their interest and free time. But i think we should start somewhere where individual grievances can be said without having to impose on everyone to read it..
Anyway, all those who want to share with me their email adresses, please feel free to ask patrick to do the necessary..I do believe we can start a good helping group

See you guys
Noor

Comment by Stéphane Lee

23 August 2007 @ 11:20 pm

Re: ACCA/CGA

If you are an ACCA and have working experience, it is possible to convert to a CGA Ontario license. You do not have to start from scratch. You will have to take some courses and do some exams. I know people who have done this route. Please note that the profession is regulated provincially. If you live in Quebec, you will have to go through CGA Ontario. (It does not work with CGA Quebec).

Comment by Patrick Ng

23 August 2007 @ 11:55 pm

Vishal:
If I were you, I would contact CGA. It would be a good idea to check if there is any document you”ll need from ACCA before leaving for Canada. Applying for official documents is way easier when you’re doing it yourself rather than getting someone to do it on your behalf.

Noor:

I agree, we must start somewhere. It would also be a good idea to share the names of forums or mailing lists. Our group will be relatively small compared to these forums/mailing lists. Someone there might have gone through something none from our group has gone through…yet

Comment by Dodo

27 August 2007 @ 6:53 pm

Bonjour a tous
Just want to be different today :-)
I have been thinkingand weighing whether I should post these on this site for all prospective immigrants ( one for Quebec and one in general) - they are a bit of a let down but they are actual experiences of people coming from different countries for different reasons : economic first , political, religious etc.
You can go through them to have an appreciation of what landed immigrant do experience, how some manage to cope or how some realize that it was a mistake -especially the French who had it so good in France but got caught up in owning their Cabane au Quebec.

Just go through them with an open mind and pick on some “mistakes” that you should manage from making or will be able to get through with patience, persistence and your dream for a better life away from the stupidity of the priviledged politicians of the “star of the Indian Ocean” who are selling the island to foreigners:
http://www.immigrer-contact.com/
check the bilans on the site.
Then there is this one, which the Canadian politicans are ashamed of;
http://www.notcanada.com/

Disclosure: I have worked in two provinces Quebec and Ontario but have dealt with customers and regional offices across the land and the US. I have decided to stay in Montreal for family reasons though I was away from home 6 out of the 17 yrs of my career ( commuting to Ottawa/Quebec city and Atlanta on a weekly basis). I have seen all “kinds” of canadians and I have learnt how to “block” the unpleasant ones. I came here alone as a student w/o any family support ( or church group as it happened in the 70s) and learned how to survive and made friends with people that have the same values on campus. I got my first job in Ottawa because it was easier in my field and there also I increased my network of friends to get through that first 2 yrs in my new job.

so good reading and use your own judgement when you read soem of these experiences.

Patrick: I use this current thread since most readers are using it though I believe that I should have posted it in the http://www.thinkmauritius.com/patrickng/2006/08/moving-to-canada.html thread

Comment by Patrick Ng

28 August 2007 @ 12:34 am

Dodo: Don’t worry, I have long noticed that this sort of things were inevitable. In fact, I have realised that these posts were not not meant to be individual posts but rather chapters of a whole book, a bit like the “Lord of the rings.” But one single post would have been too long for a blog.

People thinking about moving to Canada, or any other country for that matter, usually have tons of question and sometimes are even in a panic state.

Comment by jimmy

28 August 2007 @ 1:00 pm

hi patrick
this is such a wonderful website. i need to thank everyone who have posted valuable information which are helping mauritians to better plan their move to canada. i’m actually planning to move to canada and have learned that it takes on average about three and a half years to get the visa for quebec and approximately three years for federal provinces.
Can someone confirm the above information please?
Also,there are some immigration experts here in mauritius who are helping people to migrate to canada.
Since their services cost an important sum of money,i want to know in which way these experts help in the processing of the application. If someone has applied through these experts, please advise me.

Comment by Patrick Ng

29 August 2007 @ 1:39 am

Hi Jimmy,

Unfortunately, I am have no idea how immigration works in Quebec which has its own set of rules. They like you to know that when you are moving to Quebec your are first moving to Quebec. Canada comes in second place.

As as as the immigration experts are concerned, I don’t really believe they actually provide something more than you will get should decide not to use their services. I mean I don’t think they can speed up the process nor guarantee you a permanent resident visa. On top of that, they charge a huge amount of money per client (around R50,000 in 2001). You would be better off saving this money for when you come to Canada.

Personally, I did not hire an immigration expert when I applied for permanent residency and everything went fine. I was lucky to have applied during a time when applicants were not interviewed.

The way it went for me in chronological order:

-Sent letter asking for permanent resident
-Received an assessment form
-Filled assessment form and mailed to Nairobi
-Received a letter asking about my work experience
-Mailed letter about my work experience
-Received letter to go for medical test
-Paid Right of Landing fee (I should have paid this sooner and things would have gone faster)
-Received permanent resident visa

As you can see, you don’t really need an immigration expert for this. Canada is an immigrant country, and will still need immigrants sometimes in the future because it has not reached its optimum population (30 millions Canadians vs. 300 millions Americans) yet. Every year 250,000 immigrants come to Canada.

Now, everyone is free to decide what to do with his or her own money. I don’t want anyone to change his or her mind, and then later blame it on me if he or she is not granted a permanent resident visa. Someone correct me if I’m wrong about the immigration experts.

Comment by Noor

29 August 2007 @ 8:24 am

Hy patrick & Jimmy

Whatever youve said Patrick is completely right.. Immigration consultants cant do anything to speed up the process and if he is honest, he will admit that to you.. But one thing you need to keep in mind is whenever there is any black spot in your dossier and the guys at the immigration bureau need further clarification from you, it may take a long time before they request further info from you ( For quebec nowadays its taking more and more time since their staff amount in Paris is the same but amount of applications is increasing ). And by the time you answer them back, a few months would have elapsed and your immigration process would have been paused for this time. If you pay a consultant, at regular intervals he will verify if everything is going on well in your dossier. If not, he will call you up personally and request any further info or papers..So in this way you might be saving a few months..Also the second most important job that a REGISTERED CONSULTANT can do is that he can make an appeal if your immigration paper has been refused for so and so reasons..
Also if your applying for the province of Quebec you will most of the time be required to go through an interview..Definitely they gonna help you for that..

Thats the 3 main reasons that may make you use the service of a consultant. Also there are secondary services that they offer you.. Example some will come n fetch you at the airport, he will book a room in a hotel for you for the first few days, he will help you get your social id and all papers that required once you are in Canada etc..

Its purely a personal decision.. You can also go and talk to them. Then you can make up your decision..In mtius the 2 main counsultants are SAJ and Mr Leo Block..I dunno about SAJ, but Mr Leo is coming in october..You can always have a nice chat with him or/and attend to his seminar. Then you take your decision. Dont rush, take your time.. Be sure about what your doing so that you dont have any bad feelings after..

Hope i was helpful

As Always
Noor

Comment by Dodo

29 August 2007 @ 1:55 pm

“some will come n fetch you at the airport, he will book a room in a hotel for you for the first few days, he will help you get your social id and all papers that required once you are in Canada etc..”

Disclaimer: With all due respect and I am not targeting anyone. Just want the prospective immigrant to start thinking in the mind set of hunter instead of a farmer. You will get use to that term once you are in the workforce here.

How much will one has to pay for this?
Presumably in addition to the initial fees!!!!!!
Once you land at a CDN airport, you go directly to the Immigration ( after passing through the Canadian Border agents-Customs)
The immigration officials ( be it Federal or Quebec) will give you a list of what documents you will need to apply for in the coming days after landing ( with the addresses). They even have lists of apt hotel for short term stay with tariffs if you don’t have a parent/friends/acquaintances welcoming you.

These agencies are in business and every single thing they do for you will cost you money ( Mauritians ARE NOT the millionaires from Hong Kong who paid thousands to get their residency in Canada) and you would rather keep that money for when you are looking for that 1st job. They are owned by lawyers anyway ( who BTW charge by the hour even when they peek in the file that has been collecting dust in the meantime).

Immigration dept does not work with agents after the fiasco that happened at the Canadian Embassy in Hong Kong in the 80’s - employees were taking kickbacks to advance the files of “not so honest applicants” and members of the Triads.

As far as Quebec, forget about agents. The quebec govt follows its own policies and these days it is hard to decipher which one ( just Google Immigration au Quebec + ADQ). Plus read what I posted in #7386.

If a potential immigrant needs someone to hold his hand all the way by a thrid party instead of fighting the challenges that an application requires, then they should not consider coming because afterwards they will face a hard and difficult situation trying to “survive” one way or the other to make their life here. Once you are here, it is a point of no return unless you can afford to go back to your life in Mauritus in a very short interval.

This is “tough talk” and I apologize to call “a spade a spade” but one has to be a ” debrouillard” as we say in Mauritus to get ahead. Do your homework and don’t get blinsided by an agent whose main goal is making money ( with their ilks in Canada) off of you. By researching and questioning those who have already gone through the process, you will know what to expect. We are lucky these days that we can find every info that we want on the Internet and with the required tools , even affordable accommodations sites and locations and potential employers if one wants to continue in one field ( which does not occur very often)

NB: with all the applications that they receive at the Embassies and Consulates, I doubt these agents can make an appeal on your behalf successfully. Look at the state of the refugee situation in Canada as an example.

JMHO and my two cents on the subject of agents.

Comment by Dodo

29 August 2007 @ 6:59 pm

here is a site that mentions the length /duration for processing immigration applications:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/international/menu-perm.asp

Notice

Immigration representatives

In accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, CIC only recognizes representatives who are members of

a Canadian provincial or territorial law society,
the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) or
the Chambre des notaires du Québec.
No other representative may charge a fee in relation to an application or proceeding, be it inland or overseas, before the Minister or an officer, or before the Immigration Refugee Board.

Applications to CIC submitted by other representatives who charge a fee will not be processed and will be returned to the applicant.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/representative/index.asp

Comment by Patrick Ng

30 August 2007 @ 1:02 am

Hi everyone,

I would like to say that both Noor and Dodo have some good points in their posts.

If you have the money, and think that using the services of an immigration consultant will give you piece of mind, then by all means go ahead and hire one. However, make sure you are not hiring a “player.” And God knows there are many players waiting to take advantage of others in “weak situations.” By the way, you need to be on the look out for them in Canada as well. Be careful before you accept an offer, or you might find yourself locked in a contract for something you don’t really need or want. Please note: I am NOT being sarcastic. Peace of mind is something I take very seriously. I personally believe one cannot be 100% productive nor make a sound decision if one does not have peace of mind.

To be honest, unlike some of you who are “first generations” immigrants, I was lucky to have relatives already in Canada who helped me settled down. I can understand that some of you might be in panic state because they don’t know anyone here, and will be facing the unknown.

On the other hand, like Dodo said, we should think as hunters, to increase of chances of survival. Luckily, most companies, and virtually every government department (Federal and Provincial) have web sites where you can have tons of information. Spend sometime on http://www.cic.gc.ca, there are tons of information there. I admit the site can be overwhelming at the beginning, but stick with it, and you’ll be glad you did. Personally, I wish I had done more of that in before applying.

Once you are in Canada, you’ll notice that the Internet will be the first place you’ll go when you need information about anything: movies, bus schedule, flight schedule, etc..

I would like to point out, that we are not immigration experts, just immigrants who are sharing our experience. I would like to thank both those who are sharing their experience and those who are asking questions, who in so doing, give us the opportunities to talk about our experience. In the end, what we all want to do is to help fellow Mauritians have an easier time settling down. You’ll notice that you’ll be even more Mauritians once you are in Canada.

Comment by Noor

30 August 2007 @ 1:34 pm

Hy patrick

I wana know something..what u meant by ‘i wish i had done more of that’ in the previous comment where you said “Personally, I admit the site can be overwhelming at the beginning, but stick with it, and you’ll be glad you did. Personally, I wish I had done more of that in before applying.”

Does that mean you would have changed your mind about immigration or does that mean that you would have been more knowledgeable?

Personally i do pass a lot of time on the net , browsing everywhere i can..I do agree with you theres plenty of stuff on http://www.cic.gc.ca that many people do overlook or never had the time to look into.. I believe that will save immigrants a lot of time and stressful moments if they make the effort to browse all the essential information on that website.

Comment by Patrick Ng

30 August 2007 @ 2:58 pm

Personally, I wish I had done more of that in before applying.

Hi Noor,

No, I would not have changed my mind. However, I would have found out that at that time, my fiancée could have joined me in Canada on a tourist visa. We would have gotten married, which would have allowed her to stay in Canada, while waiting for her permanent resident visa.

Had I known this piece of information, she would have been in Canada way earlier. And together, we would have felt less home sick.

Comment by Dodo

30 August 2007 @ 8:22 pm

Patrick,

IIRC the process would have taken longer in situ ( applying in Canada) as compared to outside of Canada. Back in 1984, the timing was : 4 months outside Canada v/s 2 yrs ( give or take) in Canada. I have an Iranian friend at Uni who got married to a classmate ( Canadian). She was given that choice ( she did not want to go back to Iran where the CDN Embassy was closed) or she could have gone to the UK or the US ( but that was a vicious circle because she needed a visa to saty there as a tourist). Anyway they got married here and when they went for the interview to convert her student visa to Landed Immigrant , they were questioned separately ( about the wedding ceremony, the reception, in-laws etc) to ensure that they are in “tune” with each other. In addition, her husband was on-hook for her welfare for the next 10 yrs .

I can’t say if things have changed since then with “new” govt :-) taking over .

Comment by Patrick Ng

30 August 2007 @ 8:33 pm

Dodo,

I know it would have taken longer, but at least, we would have been together. You know how it sucks to live on your own, or going to see a movie alone.

In addition, her husband was on-hook for her welfare for the next 10 yrs .

And do you think I’m off the hook ? :-)
When I asked to sponsor her, I agreed to be responsible for her welfare for the next 10 years too. I’ll be off the hook in 2013…six more years to go. Some say loving eyes can never see. I’ll add loving brain can never think.

Comment by Dodo

31 August 2007 @ 2:05 am

Oops!!!!!
Didn’t want to belittle you :-)
If she is working and paying EI, at least she can draw unemployment if she decides to have a baby Ng.
I know about going to the movies/restaurant alone ( i was doing that even when I was married - when you commute or are travelling - it is the pits?
I found an interesting article in the TOL:
http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article2241665.ece
and about Erin aviation that was in the news this week, Mauritius is getting a bad reputation.

Comment by Patrick Ng

31 August 2007 @ 3:42 am

Didn’t want to belittle you :-)

No offence taken :-)

Thanks for the link, I’ll have a look at it.

Comment by jimmy

31 August 2007 @ 5:54 am

hi patrick,noor, dodo and others,

i need to thank you very much.your comments and clarifications are very helpful.

keep doing this great job guys.
thanks again

Comment by Dodo

31 August 2007 @ 5:22 pm

Ci-joint, vous trouverez les péripéties d’un Immigrant de l’île Maurice ( Marie Joseph Emmanuael Boyer de la Giroday) au début du siècle dernier (1905 ou 1908).
En 1926, il retournera dan son île natale pour inviter d’autres Mauriciens à venir s’installer au Canada.
C’est son allocution tenue au Club de Curepipe en 1926 ( Il avait traversé le Canada de l’est à l’ouest pour s’y installer) .

Check the site of his grandson Richard who lives in British Columbia.
http://giroday.thewebworks.bc.ca/familyhistory.html

Comment by STEPHANIE ROSSE

2 September 2007 @ 5:58 pm

hi to all

sharon: sorry for the delay in rsponding was quite busy submitting assignmnets as i am completing my MA before leaving to CDA ..
submission of PAPERS OCTOBER 2004
FILE NO RECEIVED DECEMBER 2004
MEDICALS RECEIVED FEBRUARY 2007 - DELAYED TO JULY 2007 AS MEANWHILE GOT A THIRD BABY ” SAMUEL” SO WE HAD TO WAIT TILL JULY TO GET HIS MEDICAL
JULY 2007 WE PASSED MEDICALS
SUBMISSIO OF PASSPORTS END OF JULY 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007 AWAITING FOR VISAS ..

Comment by Noor

3 September 2007 @ 6:29 am

Hy Stephanie

Would you mind tell us if you applied to Federal govt or Quebec?

Comment by SHARON

3 September 2007 @ 7:19 pm

Hi everyone

Hi stephanie,
Thanks for the info. In fact i’m quite surprised and disapointed to learn that it took so long for u to get the medicals. I’ve applied thro’ an agency and they said that it normally takes 1 to 1 1/2 yr to get the medicals. As it is i’m still waiting for my file number. Have u applied thro’ an agency as well? Anyway wish u good luck as u will be going very soon.

May be others who have gone thro’ similar processes can help as concerns the processing time cos i’ve got the impression that it varies from person to person.

Comment by STEPHANIE

4 September 2007 @ 7:29 am

hi to all
Noor: I applied to federal as we were qualified

I applied through an agency as well and i also think it does take a long time and it varies also from person to person
I have a friend awaiting medical since october 2004 ( date of submission of dossier ) she is also with an agent not the same agent as me … but she is still waiting ..
and i can understand how difficult it is to be in a freezing state as you can’t take any othe r commitment .

I visisted notcanada.com and i wanted to say that i am glad to be aware of some tough realities before moving as we need to be fully prepared mentally to face hardships. Mauritians have a special fighting spirit and i believe that with PATIENCE and PERSEVERENCE we can do it

Comment by Dodo

4 September 2007 @ 2:55 pm

As a matter of fact:

It would be interesting to get some inof and data as far as the processing time for the applications in these different perspectives:

1. Applying on one own directly to the Fed
2. Applying via a recognised agent or representative to the Fed
3. Applying directly to Quebec
4. Applying through an agent to Quebec.

2. It seems that for STEPHANIE it will take nearly 3 yrs from the initial application to actually landing in Canada OCT 2004 - OCT 2007 ( assuming visas are delivered in septemebr 2007)

1.Patrick , it seems that you went through process #1 , albeit in 2001 ( may be pre September 2001) and you did not have to wait for the interviewers to get down from SAfrica or Nairobi for the interviews. Can you tell us how long ( in months) it took you to get the visa from your initial query to the Embassy .

Thanks.

Comment by Patrick Ng

5 September 2007 @ 12:19 am

Hi guys,

Unfortunately, I don’t remember how long it took exactly, but I think it took less than a month in my case. I applied directly to the Federal government. I was lucky to have applied during a time when almost no one was being interviewed. I know that for a fact because two of my aunts applied during the same time and none of them was interviewed.

If I’m not mistaken, during that time, a lot of Canadians were going to work in the US, and Canada was needing qualified individuals. However, things changed after September 11, 2001. The US economy was badly hit and a lot of Canadians came back home.

I strongly believe I would have had my visa way sooner had I already paid my Right of Landing Fee. I received my visa within a month of paying it.

Comment by STEPHANIE

5 September 2007 @ 8:20 am

HI TO ALL OF U

I HAVE A QUESTION GUYS ???

WHAT ABOUT SCHOLARSHIPS IN CANADA

I WOULD LIKE TO ENROLL IN A PHD EDUCATION AS I ENTER CANADA AS I AM COMPLETING MY MASTERS . I KNW PHDS IS QUITE EXPENSIVE BUT IS THERE ANY SCHOLARSHIP SYSTEM OR PART TIME WORK AT UNIVERSITY ALLOWING YOU TO PAY FOR YOUR STUDIES

I AM PLANNING TO ENROLL AT UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT DO YOU THINK OF POSSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYEMENT WITH THE UNIVERSITY WHILE ON PHD AND AFTER PHD

Comment by STEPHANIE

5 September 2007 @ 8:24 am

ANOTHER QUESTION GUYS
MY PARENTS ARE PLANNING TO COME AND VISIT US BY THE WAY THEY WILL BE ACCOMPANYING MY CHILDREN AS MY CHILDREN ARE NOT LANDING WITH US BUT SOME TIME LATER …AS WE WANT THEM TO MOVE IN A COMFORTABLE PALCE SCHOOL ETC ..

WHAT ABOUT VISA PROCEDURES IF I WANT THEM TO STAY A FEW MONTHS WITH US ( LET SAY 6 MONTHS )

Comment by Dodo

5 September 2007 @ 4:28 pm

http://www.doityourselfimmigrationvisa.com/generalinfo.html

Your Rights And Obligations As A Permanent Resident Of Canada
You and your dependents have the right to live, study and work in Canada for as long as you remain permanent resident, and are entitled to most social benefits accorded to Canadian citizens. When you have met citizenship requirements (3 years after obtaining permanent residency), you may apply for Canadian citizenship and a Canadian passport.

There are a few limitations on permanent residents:
You cannot vote in certain elections.
You may be ineligible for certain jobs requiring high-level security clearances.
As permanent resident, you also have the same legal obligations as Canadians, such as paying taxes and respecting other laws.
If you or your dependents commit serious crimes, you or your dependents risk being deported from Canada.

You remain a permanent resident until you become a Canadian citizen or abandon Canada as your place of residence. You may be considered to have abandoned Canada if you have frequent and/or lengthy absences from the country. If you travel to Canada to present your Immigrant Visa to obtain permanent residence and then return to live in your home country indefinitely, you will lose your permanent resident status.

Temporary Resident Visa (Visitor/Tourist Visa)

Many people visit Canada for different reasons. People come to Canada for business, for family reunions with Canadian relatives, for education, and for employment. They also come to see the many beautiful and historical attractions of Canada. Through visiting Canada people enrich the country economically, socially, and culturally.

As a visitor to Canada:

you have a stay of about six months but a visitor’s stay can be extended.
you must be authorized to be able to study or work.
you should have medical insurance for the duration of your stay since visitors are not eligible for provincial health coverage.

To find out more about our Do-It-Yourself Kit for Visitors

Comment by Dodo

5 September 2007 @ 4:29 pm

as far as further studies you should enquire directly:
http://www.ualberta.ca/~publicas/uofa/prospective/grad_admissions.html

Comment by Patrick Ng

5 September 2007 @ 6:09 pm

Hi Stephanie,

Dodo did a great job. You should also be able to find more information about visitors visa on http://www.cic.gc.ca.

As for the PhD programme, you should definitely, like Dodo said, contact the university where you want to go. Each university has its own ways of doing things.

One more thing, please do not write in uppercase letters :-)

Comment by Patrick Ng

5 September 2007 @ 6:28 pm

Now, it’s my turn to ask a question.

Did you send your original documents or certified copies ? I sent my original documents and got all of them back, although I was taking a risk.

Comment by Dodo

5 September 2007 @ 8:48 pm

FYI-Please take not:
After having posted the “DoityourselfImmigration” link , I realized that I forgot to stress out something. There is no need to buy these kits. Just browse the cic .gc.ca site to know where to get all the pertinent info and forms.
All these forms are available either on-line or from the consular dept of the embassies or when you are in canada through a phone call .

By using the Internet, one has all info required on a particular subject. Just take the time to get to do a search and get informed so that you can ask questions when in doubt. Like I said before, we are lucky today to have access to all these info to make an educated decision

Comment by Vijay

13 September 2007 @ 7:47 am

Hi Patrick and the others,

Im in Maurirtius and i can tell you with assurance life is so hard and difficult here, cost of living is higher than in Canada, there is a lack of powdered milk in the markets and everything have shot up pricewise. No offence to any mauritians but i would prefer to return to canada very soon but right now im here for 5 months, i am quite worried how i will spend these 5 months here.

Anyone applying for canada please go but keep in mind that you will face some hardships in the first few months or 1st year but you should be ok within 2 years.

Patrick cost of living is hell here buddy, groceries is so expensive that with 100$ here you wont get as much as you use to get in Canada, price rise is 100% my friend can you imagine that. Electricity costs is now 20% on the rise, a bottle of phoenix beer is Rs 37.50 and if chilled may rise up to Rs 44 depending on the shopkeeper. Whiskhy prices 100% increase.When i imagine that i was drinking johny walker red label at $ 28.95 tax inclusive and here i cant imagine what is the price here. Lentils, dholl and other grain secs prices have more than doubled.

Anyway this is a broad indication of the state of the economy in Mtius, if i have more time i would write on these issues.

C u later buddies and keep it up with our site, it is becoming more and more interesting now with Noor and Dodo sharing their experience and knowledge. Keep it up guys that a lot of info to our mauritian friends planning to come over here. Thanks for these precious info.

Ok bye for now.

Enjoy AUTUMN season buddies.

Vijay

Comment by Dodo

13 September 2007 @ 2:47 pm

Hi Vijay,

I am on daily communication with my brother in Mauritius and he has been feeding me with info ( economy, politics and social issues even the alert about Tsunami over the past 24 hours). This situation reminds me of the 80’s when the govt of the day devaluated the Rs (on the advice of IMF) and I saw all the savings for my 3 yr Eng degree slashed down by 50%. It was tough for my parents ( and I also here) and no matter how they manage to come up with the yearly fees and monthly expenses, the Bank of Mauritius always needed papers ( double and triple copies) to allow them to wire the money to me.

Looks like we are back to the same situation. I was reading that the price of chicken is going up also. Wonder how the poorest amongst the population is going to survive. Yet the govt still wants to double or triple the # of tourists whilst its own citizens can’t get the basic food ( wonder who has first offer to purchase food and other things - the hotels which would then transfer these additional costs to their guests whilst the locals are more or less on fixed income).

5 months in Mauritius- trying to escape the cold Canadian weather :-)
Mind you it is 56 F this morning and pretty soon I will have to harvest my tomatoes though they are not ripened yet!

Comment by stephanie

16 September 2007 @ 4:37 pm

hi to u all
i confirm what our friends just saying on the prices - its a nightmare to go shopping for groceries !!! - am also afraid of the devaluation of the rupee !!!

one question for you do we have to wait for the sincard to work there can’t we get a paper or something to be able to work till we receive the sin card ?

thanks

Comment by Dodo

17 September 2007 @ 1:44 am

“Employers are required under the EI legislation to ask the employee to produce his or her SIN card within three days of the start of employment. If the employee has a SIN beginning with the number “9″, the employer must also ask to see the Work Permit issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Employers must ensure that the SIN is not expired.”

http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/cs/sin/030.shtml

You have FAQ @ the above site.

I started with a SIN card starting with a “9″ because I had just graduated and a company was willing to apply for a work permit on my behalf. This was changed once I became a resident but you will need that SIN card if you want to work ASAP. The employers do not want to do additional paperwork when they don’t have to ( sorry to say that but it is a fact) for the standard deductions that come with your salary remittance.

Comment by Vijay

17 September 2007 @ 10:26 am

Hi Stephanie,

Concerning the SIN card, it will take you 1 month or lesser, i got mine in like 3 weeks. I dont know for other provinces how it is, but i settled in saskatchewan initially, so when i applied for a SIN card, the lady at the government immigration offices, gave me a stamped paper with my SIN number on that and she said that i could apply for jobs using this stamp paper while waiting for my SIN card.Dont know how it work for other provinces.

Hey DODO, you are right buddy, its hell here. Talking of tourism increase and other bullshit issues, thats all that you can hear, nothing on means to find food for the local population.Anyway buddy, our CANADA remains the best when compared to mauritius, NO OFFENCE TO ANYBODY but this is a real fact buddies.

Hey im not escaping the winter buddy, had to come back. Ironically i must say that i have never face the real winter in canada, i mean -40 or -50 oC, have only faced +5 oC in the BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA VANCOUVER during winter LOLLLLLLLLLLL. Hey harvest you tomatoes and eat them as you will be getting USA OR MEXICAN tomatoes for fall and winter, LOLLLLLL, JUST KIDDING BUDDY.

Anyway c u all later. Its only i week since im here, gotta a long way to go.

Ok Bye for now.

Vijay

Comment by Steeven Murden

26 September 2007 @ 5:51 pm

Hello everybody
Hope everything ok on your side. I’m Steeven from Mauritius. 1st I would like to thank Vijay a lot for telling me about this site. Its only yesterday that I came to know about this site and today I have spent nearly 5 hours reading EVERYTHING written here. Well, as a new comer I won’t mention the dhall-gros pois price of MRU but I will simply say that after reading all those stuff, I can assure myself that I am not the only Mauritian to bombard my poor brain with QUESTIONS ABOUT IMMIGRATION TO CANADA DAYS AND NIGHTS. Thanks a lot to patrick, vijay, dodo, noor n others coz your info r really valuable n answer lots of questions.
Very soon (maybe next month) I will start my application with a local recognised agent. Patrick n others, I would like to get some hints and your suggestions please.
Noor, your idea of sharing email address is very good. I would like to know how to proceed with it. Like this, we can know each other here in Mauritius itself before moving to Canada.
Dear Hema and Jimmy, I would like to know if you have already applied because if this is not the case, zen maybe we can make our application together-of course if there are other people from Mauritius who are planning to apply, it will be very great if we can meet and start our applications together.
By the way, bon voyage a toi Stephanie and God be with you there.
Thanks to all of you and hope to hear from you soon.
Steeven

Comment by Noor

27 September 2007 @ 4:17 pm

Hy steven

For the email adress, just post a message here itself and let patrick know that you wanna exchange email adresses. He’ll do the necessary.. Feel free to ask any question cose weve all been thru the decision process of going / no going for the application..
See you
As always
Noor

Comment by Patrick Ng

28 September 2007 @ 1:45 am

Hello all,

Hey Vijay, I know the feeling. Although we can get a lot of rupees when trading Canadian dollars, that does not mean we should not pay attention as to how much we spend in Mauritius because the price of goods is pretty high in Mauritius. MRU 1,000 in a way means nothing nowadays because good are so expensive.

In fact, I did not buy anything really besides two polo shirt at Harris Wilson, the last time I was in Mauritius, because I can get clothes cheaper in Canada during sales, and God knows there are always some kind of sales going on in Canada. That does not mean I hate Mauritius, I still love my native country, and can only wish it, and its population, all the best. I still miss the various dishes available in Mauritius (instead of the same fast food restaurants in Canada) and I certainly miss talking football with friends and colleagues.

Now, because there is a lot of competition going on in Canada preventing companies from increasing their selling price, a lot of jobs are being eliminated (especially manufacturing) and companies are cutting cost everywhere they can. So there is always some kind of trade-offs.

Noor, I will take care of the e-mail address exchange.

Steeven, good luck !

One think I like about Mauritians living abroad is that we feel even more Mauritian than before.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Patrick Ng

28 September 2007 @ 1:48 am

And for those of you who already have a driver’s licence in Mauritius, go to the police station and get a letter stating that your driving licence is valid, when it was issued and that it does not have an expiry date. This will allow you to go straight for what is called a full G licence.

This letter was not required before, but I procrastinated to go for my driver’s licence. Changes were made to the law, and because of that, I have to go through what is called graduated licence and pay more insurance money :-(

Comment by Noor

28 September 2007 @ 4:19 pm

Thx patrick
Thats a very good tip from youfor the driving licence..one question, does the letter has to have some predefined format and does it need to be endorsed by some required stamp?
Im asking that cose im sure when ill go to the police station they gonna tell me ” Missie pa bisin ca… dimoune pe couyone ou…” Or most probably ” Missie passer demain, sergeant la pa la “

Comment by Patrick Ng

28 September 2007 @ 7:42 pm

Noor: You made me laugh really hard. I miss a lot of things from Mauritius, but the attitude of some members of the police force is not one of them.

Concerning the letter, it has to be typed (not written) on plain paper. Please stress this point, as they have a bad habit of using the back of used sheets of paper. The stamp of Mauritius police force is also needed to add to the credibility of the letter.

What needs to be in the letter:
- Valid licence
- Date issued, and valid for what class of vehicles
- No expiry date (I cannot stress this point enough).

Hope this helps.

Comment by STEPHANIE

2 October 2007 @ 11:55 am

hi to u all
you will be amazed… but the police said they can’t deliver me that paper .. i should go back to the dirver’s licence department ..

another mauritian guy told me to also request a driver’s history .. as well as a paper from your former insurance company here .. can somebidy confirm

by the way : welcome to steeven - i am still in mauritius and my departure is just in a few months now.. so i would be glad sharing my email with you , i guess patrick can do that … and best of luck in this painful process of going/ waiting / not going …/going .. but you’ll make it
bye
stephanie

Comment by Steeven Murden

2 October 2007 @ 4:41 pm

Dear all
hope u r fine. patrick n others-can u plz answer my question-what is the proof of fund that an immigrant officer in canada will ask? is it better to apply directly to canada or pass through an agent in mauritius-btw patrick do u know a bit about SAJ in mauritius. plz advise.
Hi noor i got ur email
Hi stephanie thanks; i’ll make the necessary with patrick and will contact u dear.
See u soon
Steeven

Comment by Patrick Ng

3 October 2007 @ 4:36 am

Stephanie:
I don’t know about the paper from the insurance. As for the police station not wanting to give you that letter, this does not surprise. However, I will advise you to persevere as it will save you lots of money and time in Canada.

Steeven:
When you apply for immigration, you need to prove that you have sufficient funds to live in Canada until you get a job. Ask you banking institution to give you that letter. When you arrive in Canada for the first time, you’ll need to see an immigration officer at the airport (first port of entry). You’ll need to show him/her that you brought sufficient funds. The best way to do that is to get a bank draft before coming. Hope this helps. As for SAJ, unless you are referring to Sir Anerood :-), I have not idea what it means, sorry.

Comment by Hema

3 October 2007 @ 5:48 am

Hi Everyone

Glad to hear you all. Almost everyday, i read your inputs which are really very helpful and so kind of you for dedicating your precious time.

Hi Patrick, you may share my email address. It’s a very good idea. Thanks for creating such a wonderful site.

Welcome Steven, I will be applying via SAJ office, agent based in Q/Bornes since i reside at Q/B itself.

Good luck to you Stephanie. Guess you are busy preparign for departure soon.

Vijay, you are 100% right. Life is expensive in Mauritius now. I know many people who are immigrating to other countries.

thanks again

Hema

Comment by Steeven Murden

3 October 2007 @ 2:13 pm

Dear Patrick
Thanks for the reply. Can u please advise me around how much fund must I have with me when I arrive in Canada? Do u think around Rs150,000 will be enough for the first few months once there. Hey what about lodging? Am not looking for a luxury thing but an average one. Approximately how much will it cost me per month?
Thanks
Steeven

Comment by Dodo

3 October 2007 @ 3:29 pm

Steeven

Check comment #7693 in this thread to get an idea of the cost of living in some cities:
http://www.thinkmauritius.com/patrickng/2007/08/saving-your-money.html#comments

Comment by STEPHANIE

4 October 2007 @ 6:38 am

hi to all

steeven i guess that the money u will need at first when u sttle depends largely on where u are going to land, for me i am going to edmonton . our friends the can u confirm?

proof of fund actually for one person is 215,000RS an for 5 persons around 650,000Rs this is what u need to show when u go through immigration counter

SAJ is a local agency . LIke LEO BLOCK i know people who have succeded with both .. now i don’t know the agency and services of SAJ personally.

i have come to understand that for the first months here u need to think of a rent ( that is deposit + 1 month in advance - 2 months approx)
deposit on telephone, gas, mobile, etc

few things to buy to settle in your house etc so u need some cash - dont bring only a draft as clearance of draft takes around 2 weeks and u will need money in the meantime ..i have the cost for edmonton is CAD$ but dont know for other places.

for a family of five in edmonton actually the cost of living i am given to understand is approx $ 2,000 inc rent food transport charges and evreything for the kids as well

may be others can help ?

stephanie

Comment by STEPHANIE

4 October 2007 @ 6:40 am

hi
can somebody advise on papers and procedures when landing at immigration counters in canada ?
thanks
s

Comment by Vijay

4 October 2007 @ 7:30 am

Hi Patrick ,dodo noor and the newcomers steeven,

I hope that you are all fine there in our beautiful canada and mauritius as well.Thanks a lot to noor and dodo as well as patrick for making this website a very good one and with all the information the new applicants will need.

Steeven just bear in mind that you would have a lot and a lot of patience when you are applying , please just let the application go on smoothly even if it is taking a lot of time. And dont be stressed during the application processing, just concentrate on ways to reduce the stress that you may face on arriving to quebec or federal canada. Please dont misunderstand me, i said stress that you may face, i am not saying that you will face them, and if you face them then you are prepared for it.

Stephanie, thats a really good idea to move to edmonton which is cheaper than calgary. Once you arrived there can you please give us some info on how is edmonton like, i mean jobs, standard of living etc, ive been to edmonton but only stopped for 3 hours at the airport could not go to the town as the airport is 25 miles from the city.

Hey concerning cash, one thing that you can do even if you are bringing bankdrafts. If you have an account with HSBC, then you can bring an HSBC bankdraft as HSBC is an international bank and it will be cashed maybe in less than 1 week. I brought a bankdraft from HSBC and it took me around 4 days to cash it.

Yeah patrick is right, get a paper from your car insurance stating that you have a clean driver record as this will help you to pay less insurance and will save you time as well.Well in mauritius its really hard to get these papers but if you can get it then its advantageous for you. Hey dont forget to get the international licence from casernes before you go as it will allow you to drive for like 3 months before you apply for an alberta driving licence which is like the ID card of mauritius-LOLLLL.

Stephanie,Papers and procedures are a bit simple, you just have to go the immigration counters after passing through the custom officers. They will ask you some basic questions found on your landing papers, like where you are going to live so that they can send you and your family the PR CARD, they will give you some booklets on where you can go to get your SIN card(you need SIN number to work)and they will ask for proof of funds. I remember i had 745 Cdn $ with me and bank drafts, i just showed them. After that they will just ask you to sign on the landing papers and they will ask you for recent photos, please click some photos of you and your whole family and please do it according to the canadian specifications, white background ,chin 35 mm if im not mistaken etc etc, this will save you considerable time. If the photos that you have are not according to specifications or you dont have the photos then they will have to take photos of you and each of your family members on the spot.

Anyway hope these info will be helpful to you. I would be very grateful if you could give me your email so that we can communicate. I am planning to move to alberta as soon as i land again in canada in feb or march.Anyway i wish you good luck and a very nice trip. Hey its a long trip my friend, hope that you wont get so tired. If im not mistaken you will have to land in toronto or montreal before taking another plane to edmonton. Am i right stephanie? I think it should be like that. If its like that then you will have to do your immigration procedures at the first port of entry which will be toronto or ottawa, well the first airport that you are landing in canada. Concerning the proof of funds stepahanie, Rs 215,000 is very good for one person, i was asked to show around Rs 300,000 for federal provinces and i had to arrange with friends and relatives to gather this sum of money.

Anyway have a nice trip and keep contact via our site. If Patrick could arrange for the exchange of email add, i would be grateful to him.

Ok guys i have written a lot today as usual lolll.Hope it will be helpful.

My best regards to hema and family.

Bye for now.

VIJAY
MAURITIUS.

Comment by STEPHANIE

4 October 2007 @ 8:21 am

hi vijay glad to know you are around …
no worry will keep in touch once we land in edmonton - i know some mauritians there .. very helpful people very nice too…

no problem to exchange email - thanks patrick … will glad to give u more info ..

for the trip just check out Air MRU .. there is a direct flight for london.. and then u wait some 3 hours and can board directly on air canada to edmonton ,, my friend . tickets are cheaper as from 20 th of january up to april .. its low season.
ask for aller retour and once u are in canda u ask for the refund of retour + tax this brings you to some 24,000RS must confirm exact price

bye

s

Comment by Dodo

4 October 2007 @ 8:33 pm

Vijay,

This news item from Air canada couple of months ago:
Air Canada boosts Heathrow - Edmonton flights

22.08.07

Air Canada has announced plans to increase the frequency of its flights between Heathrow Airport and Edmonton later this year. The airline said that it will boost the schedule for these non-stop flights from 3 services a week to daily ones in time for the winter.

Passengers heading to Edmonton on this service will also benefit from increased winter flight connections to Canadian locations including as Ottawa, Winnipeg, Fort McMurray and Vancouver.

Daniel Shurz, vice president of network planning at Air Canada, said: ‘Air Canada is the first airline to offer year-round, daily international scheduled flights from Edmonton with its non-stop flights to Heathrow, reflecting global travel demand to and from the robust energy region of northern Alberta.’

Comment by Patrick Ng

5 October 2007 @ 1:28 am

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing fine.

Steeven: Your application booklet will tell you how much money you should have. In fact, you’ll need to get a letter from your bank stating that the amount you have in your bank account (in rupees) is equivalent to so much in Canadian dollars (after conversion).

Having said that, you guys know what needs to be done if it has to be done…

Comment by Steeven Murden

5 October 2007 @ 5:18 pm

Hi patrick
According to your experience in Canada, can u just give me an idea about how much money am I supposed to bring with me (please mention in mauritius rupees)so that i can afford to stay for around 1.5 to 2 months. I’ll be moving to quebec.
thanks
steeven

Comment by Patrick Ng

6 October 2007 @ 1:19 am

Hi Steeven,

To be honest, it’s hard for me to say how much money you’ll need as I stayed at my relatives’ place for the first six months, unlike those who came here knowing no one. And when I started renting an apartment, I rented one in the same town. Kitchener is a relatively small town where cost of living was way lower than in Toronto. This is changing however as the town is getting bigger and bigger. I can see more cars on the road than six years ago.

I think it will depend on where you are landing. Maybe others can say more. Sorry I cannot be of a great help here.

Comment by Noor

25 October 2007 @ 7:11 am

Hy you all

For everyone who has already moved or has obtained his PR and is on the verge of flying away or to anyone pondering on that issue, what city have you chosen to move in as your first place… And would you mind explain the factors that have led you taking that decision…
By city i dont mean the first landing airport, i mean the first region where you intend to settle down for a few months.. For example, like our friend patrick, he had gone to kitchener in Ontario and he is still living there till today.. So what about you guys..any idea yet?

Yours Noor

Comment by STEPHANIE

29 October 2007 @ 8:50 am

hi to all
may i start by thanking you all for your support and help during these three years . i’ve got my visa today - 3 years after we started this immigration process . so i would like to share this great joy with you and say THANKS .

we are planning to move on the 15th of march now and we we settle in Edmonton

WHY edmonton ?? some might recall that initially i was planning to settle in toronto we lately made up our mind for edmonton .
as we have got good feedback from there
taxes and job opptunities are the main resons as wella s cost of living which is lower than in biggercities . we hope that we’ve taken the right decision

Comment by Dodo

29 October 2007 @ 3:14 pm

Just FYI

The Albertan Govt will boost oil and natural-gas royalties starting in 2009, thus slowing down activities in that industry. Job opportunties will still be there though it may become a bit more competitive because supply may not be as high as it is today. This is what is being predicted but, as we know, the producers may be making empty threats because they would rather explore in a safe and friendly country rather than in some foreign lands governed by some dictators.

Comment by Noor

30 October 2007 @ 8:34 am

Hy stephanie

Thats great news … So you have a little less than 5 months to plan your departure..Last christmas without snow and cold…

Im really happy for you..make the most of the time left to prepare yurself

Tk care
AS always
Noor

Comment by stephanie

30 October 2007 @ 12:10 pm

hi to all

thinking over preparing for canada … what are your suggestions guys ????????

things to buy here ?
papers to bring ?

thanks

Comment by Noor

31 October 2007 @ 11:16 am

hy there stephanie

I know you did your homework before choosing edmonton as first place to stay.. But i would like to draw your attention to the fact that ( if in case you havent done it )you should take temperature and climatic conditions into consideration and compare the history and predictions of different regions…To support what im saying if you look for temperature trends for 14 days for different regions as from today you would have the following:
London ( Ontario ) :: Max temperature expected to vary btw 11 and 1 degree celcius
Toronto ( Ontario ) :: Max temperature expected to vary btw 11 and 1 degree celcius
Montreal ( quebec ) :: Max temperature expected to vary between 12 and 0 degree celcius
Edmonton ( Alberta ) :: Max temp expected to vary between 6 and -4 degree celcius..

So what i mean is that Canadian temperature and climatic conditions are definitely factors that we mauritians will have to adapt to, and it can prove to be hard the first few months.. So a few degrees higher will definitely help, especially at the start..

As always
Noor

Comment by stephanie

31 October 2007 @ 2:46 pm

hi Noor
I do appreciate your advice … but i fear we will have no choice in choosing our destination due to the fact that we will get support from people there and our priority remains job..search however when we will be there we will see depending on how things work out but for now we remain on edmonton
thanks
s

Comment by Noor

31 October 2007 @ 3:02 pm

Hy steph
Thats good if you have support..By the way whats the job field you ( and your partner if you have one ) are into?

Comment by Noor

31 October 2007 @ 3:12 pm

By the way stephanie,
Just for everyones info and so that you Steph could prepare yourself accordingly,at around 10am the temperature in Edmonton was on average -1 but it felt like -6 degrees celcius.while in Montreal it was 8 and toronto 11 degree celcius..

As always
Noor

Comment by Dodo

31 October 2007 @ 4:54 pm

Fall (Autumn) is not the best time to compare temp. It varies from yr to yr and from locations to locations over the years. For e.g: October has had the same weather records in 1979 and 2007 with the exception that we had some flurries on October 8 1979 in Montreal. Yet I was in T-shirt working in my yard this 8th October.

Whether one is in Quebec or Alberta, January and February are the worst period of the year- snow storms, whiteouts, blowing snow , below 0 degree environment that is not helpful if one adds on the wind chill factor, ice storms if temp is above 0 - so one learns to live with them no matter where one decides to live. One place I won’t live in Winter: Yellowknife where some mauritians work in the diamond polishing business or WhiteHorse. Sun rises at 10 and set ~ 2pm in winter and never sets in Summer. I have been there in may and it was still light outside at 11PM ( whilst we were watching the Ice Hockey championship on TV set inside the hotel room).

Living conditions and jobs availability are the main concerns for the immigrants landing here. After things start firming up, then one can decides to uproot and move somewhere else.

Comment by Noor

31 October 2007 @ 5:51 pm

hy to you all

Just to clarify one thing..My last few comments about temperature was not meant to compare temperature in October or any other month or season..I just wanted to show that there are differences between different regions and i know people who have had a lot of difficulties at the start to settle down because of temperature. And these same people were better abled in regions where the temperature was a few degrees higher..So its one of the “many” criterias ( not the only one ) people can think about in order to downsize the search to an “initial” region for settling down..

Comment by Dodo

31 October 2007 @ 8:48 pm

More Airline options:

As of Monday, Emirates flies non-stop from Dubai to Toronto. So one option could be MRU- DXB -YYZ if one does not want to go through a European airport ( Heathrow is such a hassle these days for travellers)

Comment by Dodo

31 October 2007 @ 8:58 pm

Stephanie

One thing you should tell your parents if they plan to come and visit you here or accompany your children once you have settled in. Please tell them to buy a short-term ( 6/12 months) medical insurance before heading to Canada. This may be a requirement for the Consulate before issuing said tourist visa ( I don’t know about all the rules) but it is better to be safe than having to pay daily medical bills if there is a medical emergency. Look into it for them before you leave

Comment by Noor

1 November 2007 @ 7:58 am

Hy steph

If ever you planning to fly thru dubai, it can be cost effective and the service is great.. But keep one thing in mind, the flight from Dubai to Toronto is a long long one.. So be sure you prepare for it in case you do try to fly on Emirates, especially if you have children… remind you jetlag is really tiring..
But personally for almost the same fare, i would recommend to cut the trip into almost equal halves.. So you could fly thru Heathrow , Paris or Lyon…The option thru heathrow would be Air mtius, Virgin Atlantic or B. Airways.. Thru France, you have Air france, Air Mauritius or Corsair.. As example: On B.airways one way economy ticket for one person in May next year would cost around 29,500 and on Emirates 28,400.. As you see no great difference..

Any flight you are taking just try to have the same airline from departure point till arrival.. This will really be helpful in case there are luggage missing..So for this option you will better fly on B.Airways, Air france or Emirates..

Comment by Noor

2 November 2007 @ 5:54 pm

Hy steph
By the way Virgin Atlantic will start flying to Toronto from Heathrow, probably start of next year..So thats an option too…

Comment by Patrick Ng

3 November 2007 @ 4:57 pm

Hi all,

I have not been here for quite a while having been very busy lately.

@Stephanie
Don’t bring the thickest coat/pull you can get. Because there will time when a think coat will be too hot, like when you are in the shopping mall for example. The trick is to dress in layers. It’s better to have two or three relatively thinner layers rather than one thick layer. Multiple layers will trap air and act as insulation. And if you are too hot, you can always remove one layer.

Comment by Patrick Ng

5 November 2007 @ 12:18 am

Stephanie,

If I am right, you are probably at a stage where you are feeling a mixture of excitement and fear. Excitement because you are about to write a new page of your life’s book, and fear because you are going to face the unknown.

My advice (coming from someone who is more on the pessimistic rather than the optimistic side :-): Focus on the good side. If you focus your attention to just risks, you won’t take any risk. That being said, you also have to factor in the risks so that you can prepare for them. I think you get the idea of what I am trying to say.

Comment by Vijay

5 November 2007 @ 8:28 am

Hi stephanie,

Congratulations for your visa, as i told you there is a small probability that you would get it this year and a big probability that you would get it next year. Im very happy that you received it this year itself, this have certainly relieved you of a big stress of when to get your visa.Now you will have to prepare for your departure and your settlement which are two big steps that may be a bit stressful but dont worry because as you said you had friends over there. Take the maximum help and advices from them as it will help you a lot.

Next year im moving again to canada, maybe ill be moving to alberta, but i may be moving to calgary or edmonton. Have to decide well about this.

Anyway wish you a very nice preparation and a nice trip to edmonton.And faire l’année bien lollllll.

Bye

Comment by Noor

6 November 2007 @ 11:33 am

Hey guys

Just wanted to tell you all that the Quebec govt have started to wave up interview for some people as from the start of this year… So some of you will get their CSQ ( certificat de selection du Quebec ) sooner than expected and that without any interview..
Definitely it saves you a lot of time cause normally the interview is done only once per year in Mauritius and that also for only 20 applicants… Just imagine if you are the 21st on the list, you will have to wait one more year..Its frustrating…
Anyway good luck you all and hope everyone need not go thru the interview

As Always
Noor

Comment by Dodo

6 November 2007 @ 5:14 pm

“Le gouvernement Charest ( Quebec Provincial Premier) veut accueillir 49 000 immigrants en 2008, un bond de 9% par rapport à cette année. Mais le budget alloué à la francisation et à l’intégration des nouveaux arrivants pourrait rester le même.”

http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071102/CPACTUALITES/711020532/-1/CPACTUALITES

Avec le manque des conseillers dimmigrations dans les consulats ( celui de Paris est deborde), le governement pratique des court-circuits pour ” attirer 61 % de nouveaux arrivants qui parlent déjà la langue de Molière, afin de faciliter leur intégration.”

Comment by Noor

7 November 2007 @ 8:06 pm

“”Avec le manque des conseillers dimmigrations dans les consulats ( celui de Paris est deborde), le governement pratique des court-circuits pour ” attirer 61 % de nouveaux arrivants qui parlent déjà la langue de Molière, afin de faciliter leur intégration.”"

Hey DODO in which article is that comment found? The link you gave contain only the first part of your comment

Comment by STEPHANIE

12 November 2007 @ 8:39 am

thanks to all for your advices
i’m going to PLouis today to shop around for tickets and will let you know

bye
s

Comment by Vijay

13 November 2007 @ 1:10 pm

Stephanie,

Let me know what will be the cost of a ticket from mauritius to edmonton please. I will be very grateful to you. Thanks a lot.

Have a nice shopping and a nice preparation.

Good luck

Vijay

Comment by Steeven Murden

14 November 2007 @ 12:24 pm

Dear Patrick and all
Hope everybody fine out there. Next week I will apply for my immigration (Quebec). Patrick (and others also please) can u please give me some advices what things to consider before applying.

Comment by Patrick Ng

16 November 2007 @ 7:04 pm

Hi Steeven,

Unfortunately, I don’t have much experience applying for immigration in Quebec. Maybe others can tell you more.

Comment by Dodo

20 November 2007 @ 5:01 pm

Another perspective on Alberta;
http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20071001_110039_110039

People moving from Quebec to Alberta.

Comment by Steeven Murden

22 November 2007 @ 5:08 pm

Hello Dodo and everybody
Hope everything fine on your side. Dodo, I went through the site u gave about Quebec people moving to Alberta and I read all the stuff written out there. I must say it’s quite frightening and discouraging for people like us who are planning to shift to Quebec. But however I would like to thank you for giving this site because it tells us some realities about Quebec and its people. I myself am applying for Quebec next week but after going through this site, I really can’t take a decision now. So will u please make some suggestions and give some ideas on things to consider for those who are applying to Quebec. Others also can help please.
With thanks
Steeven

Comment by Dodo

23 November 2007 @ 2:08 am

Hi Steeven

First I have to say that I did not emigrate to Canada per se. I came here as a Uni student and was lucky to get hired by a Canadian corporation that had offices and labs across Canada, the US and some overseas countries. It just happens that i came to Montreal for my studies and decided to put up roots after i started my career ( with relo or commute to Ottawa/ Atlanta USA and Quebec city).

It you really want to come to Canada and Quebec is the easiest way to gain a landed immigrant visa, then go for it. Once you are here you can decide after awhile whether you want to move somewhere else or gain some CDN work experience before you make your next move. Whether you come to Quebec or another province, getting the first job will be your main task or worry to survive. Afterwards, you may decide whether you like the city, residents, culture , language or politics and policies.

I don’t agree with some of the things in the province but at the end of the day, I can say that I live in a good environment and have my cocoon of friends that I can rely on.

I can’t tell you what to do or not to do. You must hav eyour own reason(s) for trying to come here and I just wanted to let future immigrants know that they should not expect eldorado in the first yr. I believe that, with others, we have stressed these facts in previous posts.

Good luck in your “demarches:

Comment by Noor

23 November 2007 @ 6:41 am

Hy Steeven

You must first decide whether you are eligible for Federal immigration. If yes, then you have the choice of either Quebec or Federal immigration procedure.. Now you must keep in mind a few things.. Quebec’s procedure is a bit longer, but the proof of fund required is much lower. Second, dont get too hectic with people leaving Quebec for Alberta cause your problem is first to leave Mtius for Canada. Its good to know whats going on , but its of no use if youre still living in Mtius.. So your focus should be first to know if youre eligible for both procedures. Let us know this first, then we can discuss more.. else its of no immediate use.

If you are not eligible for Federal application, then the answer is simple.

As always Noor

Comment by Patrick Ng

24 November 2007 @ 2:22 am

I can’t tell you what to do or not to do. You must hav eyour own reason(s) for trying to come here and I just wanted to let future immigrants know that they should not expect eldorado in the first yr. I believe that, with others, we have stressed these facts in previous posts.

I could not agree more with what Dodo has said here. It’s very hard for us who have already been in Canada to make suggestions because there is no rule of thumb to follow. Each person’s experience will be different.

whether you come to Quebec or another province, getting the first job will be your main task or worry to survive

Very true, again. Getting your first job should be your main objective. I would add that you should not be discouraged if you don’t get a job after your first interview. After your first interview, you’ll get a feel of how interviews are carried out here, and where you went wrong. Each interview should be viewed as an opportunity to learn.

I have not always landed the job after each interview (Mauritius and Canada), but each interview helped me for the following one.

As a reminder, a firm hand shake (especially for guys) and keeping eye contact are not optional :-)

Comment by STEPHANIE

29 November 2007 @ 8:39 am

hi to all
i am still fully involved in preparations as we are moving soon. howver sometines there is a mix of feelings i think you all can understand that !!! sometimes excitement but also a lot of anxiety .. actually one of my frine d in edmonto is sharing herr experience on life there it is -20 and she has nocar and needs o qalk in the snow with a toddler to go to the creche not very easy >>> this is causing me a lotof stress as myself i have a little boy of 18 months and i was wondering how can it be that in such a modern country. there are no other facilities to cope with harsh weather …. as she said that only main roads were cleared from snow ..so how are those candians driving in such conditions?

i am thinking of vancouver even i know that life is more expensive and jobs are not as easy to find as in edmonton ???

i would appreciate if someone could advise me about vancouver // in terms of job ? cost of life ???

and also about how ar epeople coping with such a weather in places like edmonton

thanks

s

Comment by Dodo

29 November 2007 @ 8:50 pm

S
This site will give you some ideas on Vancouver;
Two things that you need to know:
1. It rains a lot there
2. Realestate is EXPENSIVE ( whether u r buying or renting)

thus you will have to live in the suburbs and commute to work if you have to a job in the city. There are some areas that seem to be a “ghetto” for some nationalities - meaning that in some areas you can have a lot of Sikhs, Chinese from HongKong, now some from mainland China, Koreans, Iranians etc. Look up for cities (in the burbs) like Langley, Richmond ,Burnaby, Surrey, Delta.

As far as the weather in the rest of Canada, it comes with the territory ( so to speak).
In montreal I used to travel by Metro and buses when I was studying ( rain, sleet,ice, snow or dry land) U get used to it after the first year ( and once one learns how to walk in winter - snow , slush or icy pavement) and I was fit because one has to run to make sure that one can catch the required bus (es) to reach one destination. The worst was carrying my weekly shopping on a Friday night when i had to walk in downtown Montreal.

I experienced the same thing when I was living in Ottawa ( there’s no Metro there) and one can freeze one butt ( sorry but that’s the expression) waiting for transportation at the bus stop. That’s why one has to be dressed in layers so that when one reaches the inside of a house or office ( which is heated) one can move around comfortably.

As far as driving, one also get used to it after a while. It ’s stressful sometimes but one learns how to cope with winter driving even in whiteouts ( visibility is practically zero). I was a “poltronne” in Mauritus to get my Driver’s license but since I have to go in the field or visit customers I had to learn how to drive let alone in winter. Where there is a will there is a way as we say.

Hope this gives u an idea.

Comment by Dodo

29 November 2007 @ 8:51 pm

Oops I am a sleepy head today ( we had snow this morning and It’s raining now)

http://www.bcpassport.com/vancouver-moving-to/living-moving.aspx

Comment by Patrick Ng

30 November 2007 @ 4:25 am

U get used to it after the first year ( and once one learns how to walk in winter - snow , slush or icy pavement) and I was fit because one has to run to make sure that one can catch the required bus (es) to reach one destination. The worst was carrying my weekly shopping on a Friday night when i had to walk in downtown Montreal.

Hi everyone,

Stephanie: Dodo is absolutely right. You get used to it. Moreover, if you accept the fact that you won’t have a car at the beginning, you’ll be in a better position. It’s all in the head…sometimes. I did not have a car until exactly one month ago. That means, I’ve lived in Canada for six years without a car. It’s very hard, I admit it. Kitchener is a small town, and therefore no subway and no tramway. But because I accepted that I would be without a car for a while, I was able to carry on with my life. In winter, we would sometimes take a taxi to go home after our grocery shopping. When we knew we were going to take a taxi we usually buy enough to make the fare worth its gold. In summer, we would take our respective bicycles.

One think I forgot to metion, even if you are renting, you still need to get renter’s insurance which can be handy in the event that something happens and you are at fault. It’s not a big sum of money each month. As time goes by and if you don’t make any claim the monthly premium will decrease (very little) after three years. Having renter’s insurance for a while without any claim will also be handy when you get a car and need car insurance for the first time in Canada, at least with State Farm Insurance. You see, it does not matter if you have 20 years or even more driving experience in Mauritius, the first time you get car insurance in Canada, you’ll still be considered a new drive. It’s a way for insurance companies to make money. Drivers under the age of 25 and single sometimes pay as much as $400 per month, especially if it’s a sport car or a two-door car.

Comment by Noor

30 November 2007 @ 7:20 am

hy Steph

I think you will not get better advice like those from Patrick and Dodo…
What i could say is that you should identify all the pros of going to Edmonton.. Like you said, you know people there, and if these people will help you to settle down in terms of the basic needs, i think you should say to yourself that anywhere youd be going, someday sometime you will have to face the -20 Celcius weather ( except in Vancouver regions i think but still it has its own lot of problem ).. So tune your mindset and this will make it easier when hard times will come.. Dont let yourself discouraged so easily.. Instead, try to ask people how theyd managed to get around these harsh winters cause i think they too are Human like you and they have children too..
:-) So if they have adapted with time, why not you?

People get tensed when they dont find solution to a possible problem.. Instead of looking elsewhere to move, try to look at the goodside and try to find ways how to workaround the bad side.. Anyway Steph, you will be moving in March, so this will give you plenty of time to adapt to the region before the harsh winter is blowing again in Edmonton…During this time, you will have a better idea how life is there..Then you will be better placed to decide if really there is need for you to move to some other place..

So as a resume, if help is waiting for you in Edmonton, dont look elsewhere.. Let time do its work and with experience you will make better moves..

Comment by STEPHANIE

30 November 2007 @ 7:30 am

to those of u living in vancouver

would you say that jobs are really easily available for people like me that is with 2 kids one baby - ( my husband and i cant afford working night shifts)

can u confirm to me tax for a family with 3 kids

is cost of basic items really higher food petrol house car

thanks a lot
s

Comment by stepahnie

3 December 2007 @ 6:52 pm

hi you guys dodo Noor patrick
i cant tell u how much your help is precious to me u are my best psychologists … in this time full of confusions and doubts ..

my destination will be edmonton after much reflections discussions and deliberations

thanks thanksthabks………….

s

Comment by Dodo

4 December 2007 @ 6:37 pm

S

Guess you made the right decision. IIRC you are planning to come alone ( 2 adults ) then your children will follow after their school yr is over. This will enable you to settle in Edmonton and look for that first job ( please put that graduate studies on hold for the first yr , just the time to take a breather and get used to life in a new country let alone a new city) and settle in.

Once both of you are in the workforce - take a long WE trip to Vancouver just to get the feel ( if you have friends they may help in that area) and compare between Edmonton and Vancouver. From EDM you may even try looking/applying for jobs in Vancouver ( don’t buy a house right away in EDM - know which area is best for you and your family life).

If that first winter is too much for you then you will be in the best position to decide and make the move to Vancouver. You never know , one of you may work for a cross-province corporation or enterprise and there may be an opportunity to ask for a transfer. I am just giving an example for a move ( I don’t know in which field you are working presently nor your qualification)

Main thing : Get that first Canandian workplace experience

Good luck

Comment by Vijay

8 December 2007 @ 4:06 am

Hi EVERYBODY,

Hey patrick, dodo and noor, i must thank you for all the good advices that you are giving to stephanie. I hope you guys are ok and doing fine. However, i know that winter is harsh out there right now. But you guys are used to it eh. Im not that used to that harsh winter having lived in Vancouver for winter.

Anyway guys keep it up. Very soon ill be moving to my lovely country after enjoying our festive december month and new year. Then canada and its routine i mean jobs, rent shopping utilities but i must admit that at times you have so many opportunities to break the routine there- parks, biking, outings, zoos, aquarium, visits to friends…multicultural and multiethnic shows and many others.

Anyway c u later guys.

Have a nice christmas and a happy new year 2008.

Vijay.

Comment by Vijay

8 December 2007 @ 4:34 am

Hi stephanie,

I am quoting whatever dodo said:

”This site will give you some ideas on Vancouver;
Two things that you need to know:
1. It rains a lot there
2. Realestate is EXPENSIVE ( whether u r buying or renting)

thus you will have to live in the suburbs and commute to work if you have to a job in the city. There are some areas that seem to be a “ghetto” for some nationalities - meaning that in some areas you can have a lot of Sikhs, Chinese from HongKong, now some from mainland China, Koreans, Iranians etc. Look up for cities (in the burbs) like Langley, Richmond ,Burnaby, Surrey, Delta.”

He is totally right, ghettos are there, BUT there is no problem living in these ghettos. They are not like our ghettos in mauritius or in african countries. I have been living in delta for 6 months,the whole town is 80% full of SIKHS, and they own nearly each and every business in that town and also real estates.However, they have been very nice to me and others because our main concerns is to get along with them and do business.Mind it no one will bother you especially if you are from a different community. Its everywhere in canada. There are some places that you dont need to go because there are some social problems like drugs etc. The best town you can live in vancouver is Delta city. If ever you are going i would ask you to avoid langley town and maybe guilford town.
Concerning weather, dodo is 100% right, it rains a lot over there. My contacts over there just emailed me and told me that there was 20 cm of snow recently and the next day with rain everything have been washed away and melted, so roads are cleared again.Temp is + 5 degrees everyday in winter. I agree that main roads are cleared when there is heavy snowfall and small roads and suburbs are not and its very difficult to move. Its even worse in other cities besides vancouver because the snow remains there for weeks.
However if you have made your decision to move to edmonton, i congratulate you. Alberta is the best province in canada in terms of wealth and jobs, maybe winter is very harsh but you will get used to it gradually. You will develop some skills on how to cope with the weather and maybe you will enjoy it with winter activities going on each year in every cities of canada. Every cities have its own winter activities, i think dodo and patrick will agree on this.

Anyway enjoy your last 4 months in mauritius and enjoy the maximum sunlight you can as you will miss it there in canada except summer.

I would greatly appreciate if you can give me a quote for the price of a ticket to edmonton from mauritius.

Anyway good luck dear.

Bye for now.

Vijay

Comment by Patrick Ng

8 December 2007 @ 4:45 am

Hi Vijay,

Enjoy the festive period in Mauritius. I have not celebrated New Year in Mauritius since 2001. I really miss this side of Mauritius. As you already know, New Year’s day in Canada is pretty “sad.”

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Dodo

8 December 2007 @ 5:12 pm

Disclaimer:
I apologise for using the word “ghetto” I didn’t mean it in a derogatory way though i should have used the more PC’ed word “enclave”. These enclaves can be good or bad depending in which area they are located as explained by Vijay.

BTW Vijay I have been under 40-45 cms of snow since Monday and though my driveway is cleaned, my walkway to the house is 1/3 done - just enough to move along. Since we go through the garage, my husband told me not to bother clearing the whole landing. We are hoping the snow cum ice will be melt by the afternoon sun :-).

Comment by Vijay

11 December 2007 @ 8:47 am

HI EVERYBODY,

Hey no prob dodo, i didnt take it wrong, ghettos do exist in canada but in some areas. So you need to avoid them completely or have less exposure.

Hey you frightened me loll with your 40-45 cm snow in montreal. Wowwww i wonder how you guys must be living. I still remember last year when i was helping to clean the driveway of my landlord and the footpath, we did it like in 15 mins and mind you it was like 15 cm(very less when compared to yours eh) and it was in Vancouver dear. And i did that only 3 times the whole season lolllllllll.

Anyway enjoy new year and you should be happy dodo, you are gonna have a white christmas this year in Montreal when compared to last year if im not mistaken.

Anyway enjoy the snow dear, here its hot like hell, lolllllll.

Ill be in Montreal in March maybe we can meet before i move permanently from quebec.

Ok bye for now.

Vijay.

Comment by Vijay

14 December 2007 @ 7:59 am

Hi Patrick,

Yeah buddy i know new year is so sad there in Canada, but as far as i know, there are lots of activities and new year celebrations organised by Mauritians especially in Ontario. Well i wish you could enjoy it well this year.

Here its hot like hell and new year celebrations may be disturbed by heavy rainfall predicted by the meteorological services. As you know we are all facing a very severe drought here in Mauritius.

Anyway buddy, wish you and your family a merry christmas 2007 and a happy and prosperous new year 2008. And all mauritian canadians and mauritian permanent residents a happy new year 2008 and merry christmas 2007.

Bye for now.

Vijay

Bye for now.

Comment by stephanie

15 December 2007 @ 7:25 am

hi to all
price of ticket to edmonton on air mru and air canada - 49,000RS aller et retour - 40% refund for return ticket

bye enjoy christmas and happy new year

date of departure : 6th march 2008

s

Comment by Steeven Murden

15 December 2007 @ 10:30 am

Hi to all
hope everybody fine. just wanted to share an important email add where there is a wealth of information on canada on all the provinces. i don’t remember if patrick or others have already mentioned about this site above but i’ll just mention it: http://www.cic.gc.ca. maybe stephanie also can hav a glance at it-am sure it will help u a lot.
Merry X-mas and Happy New Year to all of u
Steeven

Comment by Patrick Ng

15 December 2007 @ 2:42 pm

Hi all,

Steeven: I probably did mention this site (www.cic.gc.ca) before. I am also sure someone else also did. But, it does not hurt to metion it again. It’s the official immigration site from the government of Canada. It stands for Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Noor

17 December 2007 @ 7:22 pm

Hy guys

Do you think theres any importance to buy a two way ticket when your flying away with a mindset that you wont be returning back soon?
IOW is it not worth buying simply a one way ticket?

This is in response to what steph reported as 2 way ticket price .. Cause for the same travel, one way ticket cost around Rs36,000 ( instead of 49,000 2way )

Comment by STEPHANIE

18 December 2007 @ 10:52 am

Hi
just to let u know that no travel agent incl Air MRu are sellin one way ticket so u need to buy the 2 way ticket and asked for a 40% refund any way !!!!!! if u don’t use the retour ticket

allez bye merry xmas enjoy snow and roasted turkey !!!

s

Comment by Patrick Ng

18 December 2007 @ 2:16 pm

Hi all,

Really ? That’s a lot of money lost. You mentioned other travel agents, but what about other airlines ?

You can get to Toronto using:

Air Mauritius
Air France
British Airways
Virgin Atlantic ?
Emirates
Singapore Airline (more expensive because it travels east)

Things have changed a lot if you can’t get a one-way ticket in Mauritius. I was able to six years ago.

Comment by Dodo

18 December 2007 @ 2:49 pm

Second dump of the white stuff over the weekend. Winter has not started yet and we have had 110 cm of snow already ( more than 50% of the average snowfall for the season).
check the video on this site : right hand-side corner ( tempete de neige au Quebec)
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/article/20071217/CPACTUALITES/71217081/6488/CPACTUALITES

Comment by Noor

18 December 2007 @ 3:42 pm

Hy all

If i get you right steph, youve gone to travel agents.. But have you tried thru the airlines bureau themselves for one-way tickets? Like for example Emirates , Air mtius, virgin atlantic etc.. in port louis?

Comment by Patrick Ng

18 December 2007 @ 8:58 pm

Steph: I talked to a travel agent, and it seems that the problem is with Air Mauritius only. You can get a one-way ticket from other airline companies.

Dodo: The pattern is : one snowstorm every other weekend :-) Boy is it fun to drive after a snowstorm !

Comment by Vijay

21 December 2007 @ 7:23 pm

Hey Guys,

Hope you are all fine there and enjoying the snow and busy preparing for Christmas and new Year. Hey according to what Stephanie said, its really a waste of money to buy a two way air ticket just to travel one way and get a 40% refund.

Yeah Patrick you are right because what i know when i wanted to travel back to mru, that Air mtius pilicy is to buy a two way ticket and then get refunded when you lanbd i Mru. Thats why i travelled with British Airways because they had one way fare. Anyway i sincerely hope that it hasnt changed because i wanted to travel back to Montreal by Air mtius in February maybe the end(not yet decided). Or else i will have no choie to travel again with British Airways or try a new airline which may be Air france. Now i have heard that Corsair will be flying to France and from there to Montreal and Quebec city. Have to check and its high time i go to my travel agent Atom travel to get a confirmation.

Hey Patrick Dodo Noor and all our mauritian canadians and permanent residents wish you all a merry christmas 2007 and happy new year 2008. Enjoy the snow and cold, here we are dying with extreme heat and unfortunately with a severe drought buddies.

Bye for now

Vijay

Comment by Noor

22 December 2007 @ 7:05 am

Hy Vijay

Happy festivals to you all…
Vijay, as you know corsair is a low cost airline.so definitely you will save in terms of money but in return expect on board service to be really low and sometimes really stressful especially taking into account the long flight from mtius to montreal via paris or lyon..
I would definitely advise you to go thru air france or BA. Of course the final choice is yours man…

As always
noor

Comment by Vijay

23 December 2007 @ 5:54 pm

Hi Noor,

Thanks for the advice buddy, yeah im planning to fly with either BA or Air France. If Air Mauritius do have the one way fare ill surely fly with it, but need to check that buddy.

You are right with these low cost airline, i dont expect the service will be as that of BA or any other bigger airlines.

Anyway have a nice festival celebrations in Canada and enjoy the cold weather there. If we can exchange some canadian cold for some mauritian heat, that would have been better for everybody lollll.

Enjoy and once again Merry XMAS 2007 and Happy New Year 2008.

Bye for now.

Vijay

Comment by daniel

23 December 2007 @ 8:17 pm

Hi patrick, noor, dodo and others
congratulation for this web site which i have discovered today .you are doing a great job and hope this will go on. i am just envisaging to emigrate to canada with my family i.e wife+3 and the imm. agent has mentioned vancouver.actually we are facing a dilemna :should we apply for australia or canada . From the comments i have read up to now would it be more difficult for us to venture in vancouver or sydney?
i seize this opportunity to wish you all a merry xmas and a happy new year 2008 !
daniel

Comment by Patrick Ng

24 December 2007 @ 2:11 am

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2008 to all of you.

Daniel, thank you for the kind note. If this place has been so successful, it’s because of the contribution of everyone. Imagine if we had to tell jokes and laugh at them ourselves ? Or, as we say it in Creole: “To meme tape tambour, to meme danser ?”

As for dilemma, it’s a tough one. At the beginning I wanted to go to Australia, but did not have any relative there. Do I regret not having move to Australia instead of Canada where it can get very very cold ? No. Keep in mind, however, that I have been in Canada for six and half years. The first five years were tough.

Cheers,

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Noor

25 December 2007 @ 7:56 am

Hy guys

Happy festivals to you all, whether in the cold canada or in the warm mtius… Anyway i think thats the only thing that mtius still offers, a good climate :-}

To you Daniel: Immigrating to a country is a tough decision.. Even more for people like you, at mid career with wife and children.. Whatever be the country you choose, first you should be sure of wanting to leave mtius.. Then choosing either canada or australia is a personal choice .. You need to put the pros and cons of both possibilities and then take a decision.. And be sure that decision taken is agreed by your family ( i mean your wife and if you have grown up children ) .. This will ensure cohesion , cooperation and mutual encouragement in hard times..

Once you made a decision, dont ever come back to it cause it will have the tendency to decrease your confidence… Then you work your way in preparing the big day.. I hope ive been helpful man.. Whatever be the choice you take, you can always come here if you think any person here might be helpful to you.. And of course, if you choose canada, its a must for you to participate :-)
Enjoy yourself

As always
noor

Comment by Noor

25 December 2007 @ 7:59 am

Hy daniel

i forgot to say something.. For your application to australia which route you are being offered? the official immigration procedure as set out by the austalian govt or as many mtians are doing, ie , paying courses to get student visa?

Comment by daniel

25 December 2007 @ 10:30 am

hi all
thanks for your encouraging words and enlightening advices.we have been offered the federal route instead of quebec .i fully concur to your comments on the situation in mru. Though my wife and i occupy very good job positions we are ready to forego all these for the future of our kids . our main worries are job prospects and accomodation.we are conscious that we have to prepare ourselves psychologically to cope with a new way of life etc.
thanks again and enjoy yourselves

Comment by Steeven Murden

29 December 2007 @ 5:46 pm

Hi everybody
hope everybody fine. wish all of u merry x-mas and happy new year. daniel just wanted to tell u that me n u r in the same boat. i also was thinking like u but finally i did applied for immigration at SAJ. go for it man. me also i have a very good job n settlement here but has decided to achieve more. am very much concerned with wat u said,ie, job n accommodation, but where there is a will, there is a way dear. so go for ur application n do it fast coz it takes lots of time. u can inquire at SAJ.
bye
Steeven

Comment by stephie

4 January 2008 @ 6:26 pm

Hi to u all
Hope that u all enjoyed the festive days …. here in MRU it is extremely hot >>>>>> and guess what .. i am so anxious .. I can’t sleep i’m really nervous

flying on the 11th of february - to Edmonton

to those starting the adventure .. good luck and perseverez les amis ….

s

Comment by Noor

6 January 2008 @ 6:04 am

Hy stephie

By the way, which carrier you flying with? Did you stick to the 2 way ticket?

Comment by sharon

27 January 2008 @ 8:09 am

Hi to al,
It’s been nearly eleven mths now since I applied for immigration to the federal. I had applied thro an agent in QBornes. I must say that all of you who are planning to apply should do so quickly because it takes a lot of time.

By the way, Staphanie wish you good luck in Edmonton. Hope the international driving licence for you and your husband which you have taken here will be helpful to you there. I am planning to move to Toronto where most of Mauritians go actually. Can anyone advise me on this place please.

My husband and I, we’ve good jobs and settlement here and my two children also are studying in the best school and college. Still, we have taken this step for the sake of the future of our children.
I advise all those who are still confused to think well over it and should they decide to go ahead, to do so fast.

Comment by noor

28 January 2008 @ 5:57 am

Hy guys

By the way in the province of Ontario, for how long is the mauritian international license valid? I know in Quebec it lasts only 90 days, then you will need Quebec’s driving license.

To sharon: I guess most people that fly to Ontario makes his first days in Toronto. But for all the people i know, after one or two years, they move out to regions like Ajax , Kitchener, London , Mississauga Brampton , Scarborough etc.. the main reason being that the mentioned regions are more easy to live in as a family since Toronto is a really busy city and with time you feel the need for some more peaceful and relaxed regions.
I may be completely wrong with what i said, but thats what i’ve gathered from some of the persons i know who have been living in Toronto and left afterwards.

As always
Noor

Comment by noor

28 January 2008 @ 6:02 am

Hy again

i forgot to mention the most important part, i.e. career in Toronto. For that feature i’ve had a lot of contradicting experiences from my friends. Some say they had a hard time finding a good job since the market is quite saturated , some say that its easier to get a job in Toronto. I personally think that it depends on your field, and some fields are quite saturated since most immigrants get down to Toronto.
Again thats the outcome of a few people i know, it may not reflect reality. But it makes sense though..

As Always
Noor

Comment by stephanie

28 January 2008 @ 7:44 am

hi to all
few days to go … we are moving soon nad believe me we are really depressed … and anxious

HELP!!!

Comment by Vijay

4 February 2008 @ 11:43 am

Hi Stephanie,

Be careful Spring will be very hard, i mean colder than before but just relax and take care. Dont be stressed everything will be fine just get your papers ready and do everything that should be done at the earliest. Sleep a lot before going so that you dont get tired during the long flights.

Good luck and welcome to CANADA.

Bye for now

Vijay

Comment by Noor

15 February 2008 @ 6:31 am

Hy guys
Its been a long time i didnt have access to this blog.. I dunno why it kept telling me php overload. Something to do with the web server surely..Anyway anyone of you got interview for this February..?? They have scratched almost everyone who had applied for Quebec in the years 2005-2006 and all those who were still waiting for an interview.. This year, if im not mistaken there will be around 200 applicants going for the interview, almost 400 % more than their normal rate..The interview is starting in the next few days and ending around mid march… They are reallly going fast nowadays and its a real sign of Quebec’s govt policy to increase the number of immigrants..
Normally you should wait on average 2 years to be called for interview.. Now some have got it in even 1 year..Some even got the CSQ straight away.. So those who havent applied yet, take opportunity of this rush, it may even go faster in some cases than applying straightaway to the Federal govt..

Good luck you all in the interview and good luck to you steph for your first taste of Canada in the next few weeks…

As always
Noor

Comment by Noor

28 February 2008 @ 6:30 am

Hy guys
I know you all busy these days but i just wanted to share my joy.. I got my CSQ (certificat de selection du quebec) yesterday.. So anyone still pondering whether to apply or not might be interested in the fact that Quebec procedures have really speeded up.. Myself i got my interview after only one year.. I talked with the officer in charge from the Delegation du Quebec and she told me they have finally received more than needed staff at their bureau in Paris.This is why things are going really fast now. It can even go faster than if you apply straight away to the federal govt..
So good luck you all especially to Stephanie whose got one feet in the airplane and one in Canada :-)
Cheers

Noor

Comment by Patrick Ng

4 March 2008 @ 12:08 am

Congratulations Noor!

I sincerely wish you all the best. It will be tough at the begining, but if you persevere, you’ll find the light at the end of the tunnel.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Vijay

6 March 2008 @ 7:37 pm

Hi Noor,

Congratulations buddy and good luck in the next immigration steps. As Patrick said perservere and you will find the light at the end of the tunnel. Wish you all the best to you and your family.

Vijay

Comment by stephanie

10 March 2008 @ 2:10 am

hi to all

first hello from the other side - i’m in edmonton since 3 weeks exactly
good news : already settled in house (1st week)
already found a car (2nd week )
already landed in a job (my husband and I )(2nd week)

GREAT >>> GUYS thank you for your support and help - i’ve been able t go through thanks to god for being with us … day and night

if i can be of help to anyone from here please let me know .

Comment by Noor

10 March 2008 @ 11:21 am

Hy Steph

Congratulations.. Youve finally made it and it think your doing quite well too.. You have a house , a car and jobs.. Thats great… :-)
Keep it up…
If you think theres anything you could add on how to get a job or how you personally managed to do it , please do share it with us. That will definitely help.

As always
Noor

Comment by Patrick Ng

11 March 2008 @ 12:20 am

Hi Steph,

Congratulations. House, job and car within less than a month ! You are a real fighter. Keep it up.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Patrick Ng

11 March 2008 @ 12:38 am

Steph,

I don’t know if you have a credit card already, but if you don’t, I would strongly advised you apply for one. Since you don’t have any credit history in Canada, contact your bank to see if you can get a secured credit card which is a credit card where you need to deposit some money as collateral. Building your credit history is very important in Canada. Moreover, if you have to travel on business, you’ll likely need a credit card to book a hotel room. It’s also impossible to rent a car without a credit card. As you can see, without a credit card, travelling on business can be a hassle.

Also, I don’t know if you have a computer already or if you are looking to buy one. Check out http://www.dell.ca, and flyers from Future Shop and Best Buys. You can then compare the prices and go with the one you think will suit your need and buget. And if you kids at school, you can purchase some software at educational discount.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by stephanie

11 March 2008 @ 5:21 am

hi to all
thanks patrick for your advice - in fact i did apply for a credit card already ..as you have mentionned that already somewhere as you can see i was reading carefully and tried to remember all the good recommendations. i did bring along my laptop so i dont need to spend on that one. Mauritians in edmonton are so helpful. we are just a few here but we are really close to each other. in my neighbourhoo we are 3 mauritian families…\

I did follow your advices for finding a job and beleive me - it worked ist interview i got the JOB!!!
the stuff posted in this site is so good it really helps ….so all of you keep posting and sharing.

take care anf if you need some information on edmonton do not hesitate

Comment by Vijay

13 March 2008 @ 12:58 am

Hi stephanie,

Congratulations dear,

As Patrick rightly said you are a real fighter and with the grace of god and your willingness to cope and survive in Canada, you have been able to achieve things that very few mauritians in canada would have achieved. I am very happy for you and your family and i sincerely wish you continue on the same path and positive attitude and you achieve better in the future, why not a house very soon.
Anyway congratulations once more and thanks mauritians out there in Edmonton for being very helpful. Im in Montreal since 2 weeks and i must tell you its hell here with snowstorms twice a week.

Will become your neighbour very soon, i mean i am planning to settle in CALGARY this month itself.

By the way, dear how is edmonton? I mean cost of living, groceries, rent and so on. If you can share some info on these issues, ill be grateful.

Anyway take care and good luck for your future projects.

Bye for now.

Vijay
Montreal

Comment by Noor

13 March 2008 @ 10:47 am

Hy Steph

One question.. you were so scary about the low temperatures before leaving.. So hows been the first few weeks for you and how you managed to adapt? i think its still around the -1 degrees celcius in edmonton..

Yours Noorani

Comment by stephanie

13 March 2008 @ 5:09 pm

hi to you all

yes of course i was scared of the temperatures and i got like -30 one day and at that time we had no car so walking was not easy i would say that in edmonton where temperatures are quite tough sometimes .. you need a car but it was easy up to -20 i am fine walking to work so you see .. we can cope .. its just a bit scary but its ok.

Edmonton is a great city .. in terms of opportunities .. so much of jobs evreywhere like when you walk you would see NOW HIRING just evreywhere …
but its a new city - so nithing to do with the beauty of MONTREAL or LONDON let’s say ..its just a new city ..modern sort of architecture .. transport like bus is a just a hell - cars are a must … not much of bus lots of parking …the health is really not bad at all.
here you are .. rent still quite expensive but going down compared to last year . .. groceries i cant compare food seems not to be that expensive ..

Comment by sharon

14 March 2008 @ 9:45 am

Hi to all,

hey stephanie, congrats dear. you finally made it. Thanks for all the precious info. But i would like to know how r yr children coping there?…with the low temp, new surroundings etc… Hw about schooling facilities in edmonton? Please tell us some more about life there.

Hi Noor, congrats for getting yr CSQ. You said u got it only after one year. this is great. Wish u good luck.

My application is still in process. No new development yet. Seems i will have to be very patient. Anyway please keep sharing your experience. It’s really very helpful to know at least what’s awaiting us. Best luck to all those who will be leaving soon.

Comment by naheda

14 March 2008 @ 8:16 pm

hi noor ,congrats for having yr CSQ.well we got ours within 1 yr and we did not go thru interview.congrats stephanie i read yr comments u r really lucky .anyway u can share with us yr experience.what about PR CARD and other doc u did not need it for a job?well patrick and others are doing a wonderful job for those planning to immigrate to canada.keep it up.

Comment by stephanie

14 March 2008 @ 8:31 pm

my kids are not here yet they leaving MRU for edmonton next week. but i already visited their schools i am so glad … that i made this move beleive me i am in ethe education field and here its just very different from what we know in mauritius … education is great - i live next to a mauritian family and theiir kids have the same age as my kids .. so i can say that they do cope well - .. they cope even faster than adults - they really like edmonton and the school sports leisure etc

but obviously the sea and beaches are far away .. but they seem to enjoy ski snow sports etc

Comment by Vijay

21 March 2008 @ 5:41 pm

Hi patrick and everybody,

Just want to wish you all a happy easter 2008.

Enjoy and take. care.

Vijay
MONTREAL

Comment by Nuvin

13 May 2008 @ 9:07 pm

Hello all,

It seems this blog has been inactive for sometime.

Just wanted to let you know that it’s very resourceful for people in Canada or planning to move to Canada.

Thanks
Nuvin
Toronto

Comment by Vijay

14 May 2008 @ 10:57 pm

Hi Nuvin,

Nice to see someone activating the site. Yeah well said, its indeed recourceful coming to Canada if you compare the actual economic and law and order situation in Mauritius.

Take care buddy and keep in touch with your comments.

Thanks

Vijay
Calgary

Comment by Noor

21 May 2008 @ 9:40 am

Hy guys

Hows life going on in canada? Been away for long since I wasnt getting access for months to the site when i type in http://www.thinkmauritius.com. But when i tried a search on yahoo, the referral page did work, though same address.. Bizarre.. Anyway hope you guys are getting along well, especially to steph whose amongt the fresh mauritians in edmonton..
Here in mtius, things getting worse everyday. Unless someone is blind or he’s got huge amount of money and political affiliation, the talk of the towm is to leave. Just for fun and satisfy my curiosity i have been spying on people going in and out of the various immigration agents in Mtius, be it for canada , ireland, australia etc… Its frightening the enormous amount of people fed up and actually moving away.. And on top of that this wave doesnt consist only of the middle class and lower class people, but even those who got well paid jobs and well placed in society.
I always predicted that young people like me with ambition will find it hard to stay in mtius. But now, it applies to anyone, with or without ambition. Its like a tsunami, you like it or not, you need to move or else the consequences are more than clear.

Bof…i have never felt any patriotism for this country ( Nou pays nou fierte.. hahahaha ), and its even less now.. Anyway hope we can all make it up of moving away and live at least with some hapiness..

As always
Noor

Comment by Patrick Ng

22 May 2008 @ 2:15 am

Hi everyone,

Glad to see that you are still keeping in touch. I have not done a lot for the blog lately, mainly because I have been very busy in the past few months. A lot has changed in my personal life (for the better :-)

For those who are coming, I cannot stress the importance of credit rating/history enough. You need to build a credit history as soon as possible, because every lending institution will use your credit history/rating before lending to you for a mortgage or a credit card.

Comment by stephanie

22 May 2008 @ 4:00 am

hi to all
how are you doing ?
here in edmonton weather is better ad spring is quite here … ouf some sun ..we are enjoying that …

what about spring elsewhere ?????????????

Comment by Vijay

23 May 2008 @ 1:05 am

Hi patrick,

I am sincerely happy that your life have changed for the better and i hope it will be better and better. Yeah credit rating and history is very very important for everything here. So newcomers just go to your bank and get a credit card. At first the bank wont give you but there is a way of getting one, its just by placing a sum of money as guarantee and the bank will give you a credit card. Once the bank sees that you have a very good credit history and rating, it may then give you back the money you placed as security and give you a credit card or the same card with increased limit.

So this should be among your important priorities when landing in canada.

Here Spring have been in since two weeks with hot temperatures at times, have even reach 26 oC in Calgary. All the trees have start to bloom. However, since yesterday and for the whole week end its has been raining heavily and at times lightly. So cloudy weather for the remaining weekdays and week end. Hope it should be ok by next week.

I think in the East the flood periods is over and the spring sun and sunny weather is back.

Ok Patrick and stephanie wish you a nice spring 2008 and enjoy.

Bye for now.

Vijay

City of CALGARY

Comment by Dodo

7 June 2008 @ 9:50 pm

It’s been pretty miserable in the east for the past month. After the snow melted in mid-April, we had a surge of high temp for 10 days and then it was real spring weather - rain and cool weather but since yesterday it is great . 30 Celsius today with some intermittent storms - good for the lawn and the base of trees. No vegetable garden for me this year :-) No time

Comment by Patrick Ng

8 June 2008 @ 3:28 am

Dodo,

I think I caught a cold because of the temperature fluctuating between hot and cool.

Comment by manoj

18 July 2008 @ 3:02 pm

Hi u all

its really great to have people like u - pat, noor, dodo, vijay, steph n others- to give an avant gout to new immi willing to go to canada. thanks a lot to u all to share n help all mauritian going to canada.
its really great…

manoj

Comment by raj

5 August 2008 @ 6:26 am

hi everyone
great site guys specially for mauritian like me who are waiting for their PR and at the same time getting feedbacks what is waiting for us in CAnada. Thanks to you all of you and keep informing us and giving us precious advice. Am very very lucky to have come to this site following which many of my doubts has been cleared.
thank you very much again pat, noor, dodo, vijay, steph n others. MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND FULLFILL ALL YOU WISH.
RAJ

Comment by stephanie

3 October 2008 @ 4:31 am

hi guys
how is it going with u ????

here in edmonton - nice week 27degrees and fall .. with beautiful colors evreywhere … Here we are doing fine but miss family and friends .. that’s the worst part of the adventure in canada but the rest is pretty good … i need to say what abou t you guys? .. i am sure you are all busy !!! any way was nice to come back on this blog . talk to you soon

stephanie

if anybody needs info .. i just did the big move ..here i am ..guys

Comment by sharvin

6 October 2008 @ 2:32 pm

hi stephanie,
i am looking to immigrate to canada and am from mauritius also.
i am applied for fsw in london and i am currently doing my masters having completed my ACCA in London.
i had worked previously in mauritius, so i can claim that for work experience.
i was thinking abt moving to quebec as its faster and i am good at french.
can anyone help me with any suggestion.
thank you
god bless
sharvin

Comment by Vijay

6 October 2008 @ 4:40 pm

Hi stephanie,

Seems we are getting the indian summers in alberta loll. Here also its hot at times but i dont think its gonna be hot as from this week and for thanskgiving day. Fall is indeed so beautiful here.
Anyway wish you all a happy thanksgiving day and take care everybody

Vijay
CALGARY

Comment by Dodo

7 October 2008 @ 5:16 pm

Wow
No one is talking about ” les elections precipitees” ! :-)
For those who are planning to take a mortgage for buying a house, shop around and make sure that you get a good rate and lock it for a couple of yrs. The financial train wreck is looking ugly

Comment by Vijay

7 October 2008 @ 6:33 pm

Hi dodo,

You are right but elections are not as colouful as in mauritius and i dont think anyone is so keen about this election. However, here in SOUTH WEST CALGARY, where i am living, Stephne Harpen has his den over here lolll.
Well i hope that this election brings some economic changes in the country and tackle the inefficent immigration system as stated by Stephane Dion.

Lets see who will be the winner, Stephen harper is still the favourite according to polls.

Ok see you later

Take care

Bye

Vijay
Calgary

Comment by sharvin

7 October 2008 @ 11:07 pm

hi vijay and everyone else,
can i get some suggestions please ?
can i apply thru quebec with acca ?
as the time frame is much faster.
thanks

Comment by Patrick Ng

2 February 2009 @ 12:17 am

Hi Sharvin,

I’m not sure about the ACCA thing. You will have to check online. Each country has its own accounting practice.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Patrick Ng

2 February 2009 @ 12:26 am

@Stéphanie

It’s not 27ºC in Edmonton anymore this time of year, is it? :-) Glad to hear that you are doing well.

@Sharvin
Check out the various recruiting sites such as http://www.monster.ca and http://www.workopolis.com. You’ll have a better idea of the qualifications companies require in various provinces. It’s a bit tricky to say if such and such qualification is in demand mainly because we don’t all work in the same field.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Patrick Ng

2 February 2009 @ 12:30 am

@Devina

Good luck. It’s a tough decision to make. To move or not to move, that’s the question, isn’t it? :-)

@Raj

Glad to hear that we were helpful :-)

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Noor

19 February 2009 @ 5:55 am

Hy Sharvin

Someone had asked the same question about ACCA on this blog. i dont remember on which post it was but im sure that someone had replied with really useful infos. I think it was stephane lee who had replied.
please do go thru all the posts on each section. you must find it
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask

As always
Noor

Comment by Noor

19 February 2009 @ 5:59 am

Hy Sharvin

Look back at post 7524 for your ACCA request

As always
Noor

Comment by Lina

25 February 2009 @ 5:36 pm

Hello people,

Nice to find such site… and info! anyone can help me? am frm mauritius… sent my passport to nairobi in early december 2008 for PR process, medical exam was done in late November 2008… anyone knows how much time it takes before i get back my passport? Anyone wants to share his timeline? Thanks, Lina

Comment by Patrick Ng

26 February 2009 @ 1:17 am

@Lina

It’s been a while since I went through the immigration process now. About ten years in fact. The first question that came to my mind when I read your comment was: “Have you already paid your Right of Permanent Residet fee?” I think it used to be called Right of Landing Fee. If you haven’t, you will have to do so before Nairobi will issue a visa. It’s not a small amount unfortunately.

–
Patrick Ng

Comment by Lina

26 February 2009 @ 2:31 am

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for your reply! Yes i already paid my right of PR fee together when submitting my passport in early december 2008. My concern is how long will it take for me to have back my passport? becoz i badly need it… for my current work purposes… they are planning for a trip at work… and i am in a mess…
Thank-you

Comment by Patrick Ng

26 February 2009 @ 4:32 am

@Lina

I wish I had good news for you, but to be honest, I don’t know how long it will take before you receive your passport. I did receive my visa pretty quick. I waited for a couple of months in vain, but then I paid my Right of Landing fee and got visa in just a few weeks. Usually, when you get to the point where they want you to do a medical test, your chances of obtaining a permanent resident visa are pretty high. That being said, I did not send my passport, but certified copies with a note that I need it for business travel. I had to travel soon after I sent my documents to Nairobi. I can only wish you all the best.

Comment by Noora

28 February 2009 @ 5:48 am

Hy Lina

Did you check the status of your application on the cic.ga.ca website.. normally if they are done with your dossier, your status should change from ‘in progress’ to ‘decision made’. Now to have more info, you can always write to them and explain your situation. They will reply youback in 10 - 15 days.
I believe your best shot is to mail them. Concerning the delay in receiving passports, its varies a lot. Some people have received it after a few weeks only, some in a few months.. a few have even received it one month before the visa expires. So there is no definite delay set but like i said, send an email.

As Always
Noor

Comment by Dodo

6 March 2009 @ 8:58 pm

Hi Vijay,

How is life in Calgary after a year there? Are you being impacted by the budgetary shortfall of the city? I was reading that the city is charging for parking space for transit riders - so it is a lose lose situation- $$$ to take public transportation or $$ for gas for driving the car. Here in Quebec it’s the loss of jobs in certain areas that is the talk of the day so to speak.

Comment by Vijay

7 March 2009 @ 9:19 pm

Hi Dodo,

Calgary is still going strong. Some layoff in some industries especially construction and oil and gas but we do not have that much problem as other provinces. Yeah they are charging higher now for parking in downtown and also parking lots at the C train station wont be free anymore.

Well alberta is in the red with losses in revenues due to oil prices drastic fall.

Anyway talk to you later i’m going to work.

The weather here is very unpredictable but its lots better than the east thats for sure lolll

Take care

Bye for now

Vijay
Calgary

Comment by virginie

11 March 2009 @ 4:50 pm

Hi Lina,

I sent my passport to nairobi in mid feb 09 , it reached the visa office on the 7th of feb 09, did medicals in early jan 09.

I too need my passport quick for a vat refund procedure and dont know what to do.

your timeline makes me worry even more now.

Comment by virginie

11 March 2009 @ 4:51 pm

just to correct it there- should read 17 of feb 09

Comment by Lina

12 March 2009 @ 6:08 am

Hi, Lina here… finally got my visa! i know a hard time is waiting ahead… thinking of moving to toronto…any one knows the job health there following economic crisis? i am in software industry…

Comment by Noor

12 March 2009 @ 6:59 am

Hy lina

How r u ? im happy you got your passports back.. me still waiting for Nairobi to return mine..Im in the IT networking field… so what you do exactly in the software industry, i mean whats your current position ?
Concerning job health, i think you will have a general idea of the situation if you look for job advertisements online… you will see that those industries who have suffered a blow following the financial crisis are rather inexistant on the job market… But i think your worst competitor would be the Indian guys who generally move to toronto and are really good in the software development related industry… I think that we as mauritians, the best shot is that we are bilinguals, that can be really helpful.. Anyway keep in touch cause we are almost ine the same boat .. lol

take care
As always
Noor

Comment by virginie

12 March 2009 @ 11:22 am

Hi Lina,

good news, so this gives me a little of faith then, mine must be on almost on its way! thank you for posting this info

regards

Comment by Vijay

13 March 2009 @ 6:28 am

Hi Lina,
Congratulations for your visa. You are right there is a long way to go now and it may be hard due to recession.
Would like to point out something about jobs in Toronto. Many people from toronto are moving into alberta for jobs. Please take into consideration that whatever studies you made is not or may not be considered equal to canadian education. You may have to go back to school after assessing your education and qualification.
Please note i am not frightening you but the situation for jobs in ontario is quite critical and alberta is also in the same phase but very less severely hit by recession for the time being.

Please prepare yourself mentally and be strong and dont get discouraged.

Anyway feel free if you need any advice or information. Congratulations for your visa and good luck for your trip to canada, its gonna be a long one.

Bye for now and take care.

Vijay

Comment by virginie

13 March 2009 @ 7:13 am

Hi Lina,

would be grateful if you could let em know if your ecas status was updated after your visa was issued. nairobi seems not to be too keen on this. could you please let me know,

regards,

Virginie

Comment by virginie

13 March 2009 @ 8:56 am

Hi Vijay,

I was wondering if you could give some general advice and pointings:
I am to receive my visa soon (hopefully) and will be making the big move soon after, I don’t intend to wait too long to leave the country. I have been working in human resources at managerial level for 5 years and know full well that careerwise it can be tough for me just as for anyone landing in Canada. My plan is to be in Ottawa as I do know one friend of mine there. I was wondering how feasible it would be to look for jobs in my field or related areas in the Ottawa region and the close towns in north Ontario. I once read that that the Ontario govt encouraged immigrants to settle in the smaller Ontario towns. What is your reading of the situation there? Is it feasible to travel to the north Ontario towns from Ottawa for attending interview etc? I see most are like between 100-200 km (or more e.g belleville) far away.

Other questions:

How much does a single person spend on utilities- the min amounts?

How much is a pay-as-you go mobile phone?

Regards,

Virginie

Comment by Lina

13 March 2009 @ 2:37 pm

Vijay, very frightening particularly when you have a good job in mauritius :-(…

Noor, i am in software development field… ya indian guys i’ve been working with them for many years now… and u rite they r our competitors and our strength is our being bilingual

keep in touch guys… i was looking forward to coming there… now i am frightened :-)…. but i am preparing myself mentally for the worst…you never know… :-(

Comment by Vijay

14 March 2009 @ 6:55 am

Hi Lina,

There is nothing frightening in coming here, this country is a land of opportunities but you will seize the opportunity when it presents itself. It may take some time but it will definitely come. If you are going to Toronto, i would advise you to apply for call centre jobs in the meantime. Try Starchoice TV but its in missisauga, i worked at the calgary main centre, and they pay good money and good benefits. And if you are bilingual you may have a chance.
Anyway dont be frightened, you are coming to canada not UK or USA where its hell there with the recession. We are still going strong especially in Alberta and a few provinces but the recession will end but no one knows when.

Lina if you have kids they will benefit a lot from coming here. If you have vacations or if you can take a leave without pay, then take it come here and settle and see how it is. I don’t think you wont like canada because i think 90% of mauritians that came here made Canada their new country. And toronto have so many mauritians there, so you wont feel alone and homesick.

Anyway, prepare yourself and i wish you a happy trip and landing in Toronto and hope you will be here soon in spring where it starts to become beautiful here.

Take care and bye for now.

Vijay

Comment by Noor

14 March 2009 @ 7:28 am

Hy Lina..

Like Vijay said no need to be afraid but you need to be prepared mentally for some difficult times… Every Mtian ive known are well settled now in canada but most of them had some difficult times at start… Be patient, you will succeed..

If you need to talk, dont hesitate .. feel free to ask anything, especially vijay can help you on how to prepare your trip… anyway the blog is full of detailed advise laid out by patrick and others..

Take care
As always
Noor

Comment by Lina

15 March 2009 @ 7:46 am

Hello every1,

Vijay yes i am coming with my kid, hoping that it will be good for him of course… These days am only thinking thinking and thinking :-)….
Anyways, thank you all. You people really help a lot with all the infos that you give. Hope we can meet 1 day…
Am planning to land there mid august. I’ve been looking at weather forecasts at canada. and would want to land there at a climate similar to mauritius so my kid wont feel the ‘difference’. coz i dont want to reach in harsh winter. September/October wud be too cold ya? my visa expires in November :-)
Thanks guys!

Comment by Noor

16 March 2009 @ 6:43 am

Hy Lina,

We might be in the same plane .. Lol … It all depends when they return back my passports but most probably that if i get it back soon , i will move around mid july

Start looking for the different airline tickets, but in general if your looking for the lowest airfare ( like most of us i think) you will get it from BAW. AFR and Emirates are much more expensive.

As Always
Noor

Comment by Steeven

17 March 2009 @ 3:39 pm

Hi to everybody
Hope all of u doing well. Vijay how r u man. I got my CSQ in December and now hav applied for visa. I was told by the Quebec officer my procedure will be completed by mid 2010. First I’ll come to Montreal. Zen I want to shift directly to Alberta maybe Edmonton or Calgary because according to info from CIC, Alberta (and even Manitoba) is one of the best places for job purposes. U plz correct me if am wrong. Can u plz advise me as from now onwards wat can I do to better prepare myself. Sinon how is life in Alberta: job, lodging etc.
Others also are most welcome to advice
Thanks to all
Steeven

Comment by Lina

17 March 2009 @ 6:55 pm

Hi… Anyone wants to share about the weather in canada in the following months: august, september, october, november.
I got some temperature figures from net ya, but cannot imagine what it is in 13 degree… is it difficult for someone who has lived only in the winters of mauritius? ;-)
Thanks!

Comment by virginie

17 March 2009 @ 8:05 pm

Hi,

for all those wanting to know about the timelines for canada applications at the nairobi office:

http://www.trackitt.com.

Quite a useful website, came across it today.

good luck

Comment by Vijay

18 March 2009 @ 6:00 am

Hi Lina,

Hope you are fine.August is end of summer and september to november is FALL season. Summer can be very hot like +35 but its the season where everywhere is beautiful and it can also be cold like +13 depends where you live. Here in alberta its a bit cold in summer at night but in the day time its quite hot but you dont sweat like in mauritius lolll. September the leaves begin to turn different colours and are so beautiful to watch and in the process the leaves will shed and once they shed then you know winter is on. Temperature starts to drop in fall and it can be very cold, +13 is cold for you right now but once you get acclimated to the temperature you will be at ease in this temp. Please note that you will have to wear layers in cold weathers sometimes 3 layers and wear hats
or polos and scarf and also gloves and warm boots.

Its good you will be coming in August its great time and you will acclimate to the weather change. Bring some thermal pants and jeans and also some long sleeved tshirts that covers your neck up to your ears, you know what i mean, sorry i dont have the name of that tshirt in my mind right now.
Anyway got to go now.

Take care

Bye
Vijay

Comment by Vijay

18 March 2009 @ 6:10 am

Hi Virginie,

Hope you are fine. If you are planning to live in smaller towns in ONtario , im not sure if i can give you the right advice. Jobs are very scare now in Ontario and the recession hit that province very hard. However, life in smaller towns can be cheaper than ottawa. Maybe Patrick can help you more on that issue. I dont know about utilities there but i know there is 14% tax compared to here in Alberta and utilities will depend on how much you consume e.g water electricity. If you are planning to live in BelleVille, thats a town that have a big call center for Sears Canada. You can try and see if they have any jobs there, Sears is a good company, i worked there but in the Montreal Call center and you get 20% discount when you buy in that store. Since you are bilingual you will easily adapt to the job.

Anyway ill talk to you later i have to go to sleep as i have to wake up early for my job.

Take care and wish you good luck for you visa. Any advice or info you wanna ask you are the most welcome. Ill try to answer from the knowledge i have about Canada.

Bye for now

Vijay
Calgary

Comment by virginie

18 March 2009 @ 11:32 am

Hi Vijay,

thank you for the reply, i will ask other questions later on. I appreciate your help very much and your answer prompted me to look in general how gloomy all this recesssion might be in canada. this link http://www.newswire.ca/fr/releases/archive/March2009/17/c9689.html talks about the projected scenarios in quebec and ontario and other provinces.

Will be gald to ask you other more specific questions later on. thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Cheers

Comment by Vijay

19 March 2009 @ 5:43 am

Hi Lina,

If you want a milder climate i would suggest Vancouver as its very mild compared to other provinces but jobs may be scarce. You will have to think about it. Winter is very mild but these last 2 years there have been lots of snow compared to the year where i lived there ie in 2006. I went there in december to visit my friends and i must say it was really lots of snow, but the temperature was so mild like -5 lowest -11, nothing like that of Alberta where i faced -41 early in the morning while taking the bus. Let me tell you its not funny at all lolll.

Hey ill talk to you later. Mid August is good just going for the summer fall transition. Summer is especially beautiful in the east and atlantic provinces as well as british columbia. You will love the summer.
Ok dear Bye

Take care and start preparing your journey, it will be a long tiring one lolll.

Vijay

Calgary

Comment by Noor

24 March 2009 @ 6:38 am

Hy guys

ive just received back my passports… so ill be moving around July where it shall be warmer and easier for a debut..

Comment by virginie

24 March 2009 @ 3:49 pm

Hi Noor,

wonderful news you got the passports. could you please tell me your timeline, im waiting for mine as well, just dont know how long it will take from now.

Comment by Dodo

24 March 2009 @ 10:00 pm

@ To LINA

If you are coming with your child , better come at the end of July or beginning of August because school year starts at the end of August. You will have the time to look for housing and subsequently register your child for school. You don’t want to put him/her when school is in full session.
As far as the weather, better get hit by the cold as soon as possible - one way or the other you will have to live through it . It starts cooling off in August and the days start getting shorter.

Comment by Dodo

24 March 2009 @ 10:05 pm

@ VIRGINIE

If you have a friend in Ottawa, go there because it’s good when you are single as you’ve mentioned- someone you can rely on in emergencies . Since you are bilingual and Ottawa is a govt city, it will be easier to land a job even on contract or temporary initially because you can function in both languages. You may reside in ottawa or its burbs and work for the govt in the city or across the river in Gatineau Quebec.

Comment by Lina

25 March 2009 @ 2:06 am

To Noor/ DODO

Great news Noor! so we’ll be in same boat as u said :-)… Thank you DoDo for the infos… Noor, do u want to meet me in mauritius before we go there?

Comment by Noor

25 March 2009 @ 6:35 am

HY Lina

Yea that will be good if we can meet before going..
Ill let you find out how we can do that and let me know..
In the mean time ill leave you my email address nskhan@live.com

u can add me on msn if you want

See yu

Comment by Noor

25 March 2009 @ 6:40 am

Hy virginie..

Well i received my medicals in february ..it took the clinic one week to send the reports to nairobi.. thereon it took 3-4 weeks before my status online changed from in progress to decision made.. After 5 days, i received back my passports and visas.
Mind u, ive got a friend who sent his medicals before me and his status hasnt changed yet.. I guess i was really lucky my application was treated quickly.. In general you should have everything in hand within 3-4 months since your medicals were sent.

As always
Noor

Comment by virginie

25 March 2009 @ 8:10 am

Thank you Noor

Comment by Vijay

26 March 2009 @ 5:50 am

To Noor,

Congrats now and welcome to Canada. Virginie sincerely wish you get yours very soon, dont think its gonna take any longer now. Prepare yourself to get the good news loll.

Ok guys talk to you later.

Vijay

Comment by virginie

26 March 2009 @ 5:41 pm

thank you vijay, although I have to add that seeing Noor’s timeline which is similar as mine I wonder if il be an outlier. worries me a bit, want this to be over now.

Comment by Virginie

2 April 2009 @ 12:54 pm

Finally….Passport and landing papers received today!!!!

Comment by Noor

18 June 2009 @ 8:01 am

Hy Virginie

Finally you got yurs.. so when u planning to go ?
me im flying on the 6th july and gonna land in montreal on the 7th

Comment by Montreal Quebec

18 June 2009 @ 12:46 pm

Question to Vijay:

Hello all, just found out about this website while looking for info. I have just immigrated to Canada and I’m in Montreal—its been 2 months now and I just wanted to ask Vijay this specific question as he seems to have lived in Montreal from what I have read on this site
Will I have any problem with CIC Canada if I decide to move to another province? What has been your experience so far since I can see that you lived here before moving to Alberta? I know of many people who have done so without any problem, but even then im a bit worried about this. It’s not looking too good in terms of looking for a job at the moment and I want to plan ahead as well. I cant manage to get the call centre jobs either as my impression is is that might be considering me as being overqualified or something, i just dont know…i would like a call centre job to get canadian work experience…i know all they ask for is a high school diploma and my application got rejected at a few places. dont know if they are so worried about retention.
Vijay ould you please advise me on this plan of moving away from Quebec, Montreal
Regards,