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Showing posts with label Medical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medical. Show all posts

25 August 2014

Photo Requirement: Make a Good Quality Photo But Cheaper

When I started my Federal Skilled Worker Program application in Canada, I encountered this small problem.  It's about the photo that I need to provide.

It was stated at the FSW form IMM7000 - Appendix A that the photo should follow a certain standard size.  There is a minimum and maximum size of the face and it should look like this...


3 Ways to Have Your Photo Taken
  1. Have your photos taken professionally.
  2. Photo booth it!
  3. Do it yourself.

Have Your Photos Taken Professionally

Have your photo taken by a professional photographer, the one with pricey cameras and photo editing softwares in a studio, who charges you around SGD10.00 or more.  This is for applicants who has no more time to look for photo booths and can spare extra costs.

The good thing for this approach is that you can have a nice image with a quality photo paper.  Studios have the proper lighting and you have the option to choose which suit you would want to have.  They can even edit a picture of a suit and insert it at your photo to make you look professional.

It is more convenient since you only have to show the Appendix A form and they'll know what to do next, it's because they are professionals.

Photo Booth It!
If you want a brand new set of photos but with lesser quality than the professional ones, you can have it at a photo booth located inside the Singapore malls and other public places.

I saw one near the Choa Chu Kang MRT Station and bus interchange...it is specifically located at the corner of Block 304 , just beside the OCBC Bank.



Another location is at the Jurong Point Mall at Boonlay MRT station.  You can see it at the bus interchange waiting area of Bus # 193, 181.

If you don't have an idea on how it looks like and though it's a common machine, it should look like this.

Photo Booths in Singapore
Take note, you need 6 photos for the FSW application and this booth will only provide you 4 pieces for a price of SGD7.00.

Do It Yourself 

Because of this Settlement Fund issues, I am now tight with my budget.  Even a few cents makes a big impact on my view of my money.  Saving for the Proof of Fund is serious and you will know it once you have been approved.

Inside my wallet, I had a passport size few-week-old photos, but left 2 pieces of it because I already used some for other important matters.

The problem is that I need to provide 6 pieces for the FSW Canada full application and that also includes all my dependents.  I don't want to waste these 2 photos.

I thought of a way on how to save it.
  • I scanned one of the photos and edited it in a free photo editing software, then pasted it in the Microsoft Word.  Arranged it to fit at the photo paper.
  • Printed it in a photo paper that I bought from the Popular office supplies. 
  • Cut it using scissors and it's good!
What if I don't have any existing photos?
Well, your problem is not a problem.  It is a matter of a simple tactic. If you have an iPhone or a DSLR, then use it.  If you don't have, ask a friend that has one. Take a photo of you with a proper suit, position and a good lighting.

Take note, DO NOT TAKE SELFIE!

Have a white background to ease up the editing.  Edit it using the free photo editing software.  I recommend to use the Paint.Net, which I'm using it for 5 years now, by the way.  If you want to learn more, ask me then.  If you don't know how, I can also do the editing for you.

Then print the photos as what I did with mine.

Photos are required during these stages in FSW.
  • When you submit your full application package.
  • Medical Exam
  • Visa Stamping
You will appreciate this technique when you have a family of 4.  Press the Like button below if you agree.
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01 June 2014

Experience with IOM Manila Health Center Medical Exam for FSW Canada

It was time for my wife and kids to undergo a medical exam in the Philippines as requested by the Canadian Embassy for our FSW application.

My medical exam was already done in Singapore and the result was already forwarded to the Canadian Embassy in Manila.  It was directly sent by the Raffles Medical to the embassy.

What are the Things to Prepare for the FSW Medical Exam
My wife prepared all the documents and photos according to embassy's instructions.  These are the list of what she prepared.  Some of the list are not included in the instruction but was asked by the Hospital during the appointment.

1. Medical Report Form (IMM1017E) and the cover letter from the Canadian Embassy, Manila.
2. 5 pieces of passport size photos with white background for each dependents
3. My wife's eye glasses and her contact lenses
4. Passport of my wife and kids
5. List of medicines taken recently
6. Birth Certificates (not included in the form but required by IOM)
7. 2 Identification Cards (Philhealth and company ID)
8. Ballpen

What Hospital Did We Choose for the Medical Exam?
A week before that, my wife and I were discussing about where they should take the medical exam.

The embassy had provided us the list of the Panel Physicians in the Philippines.  Since they are in Manila, my wife have two choices of centers, those were IOM and St. Lukes. 

IOM Manila Health Center
15th Floor, Units A&B Trafalgar Plaza,
105 H.V. Dela Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City, 1227,
E-mail address: mhc.can@iom.int
Smart mobile: +(63 2) 0919 993 4667
Fax number: +(63 2) 883-9377
Telephone: +(63 2) 883-9333/ +(63 2) 511-8770
/0917 593 4688 Globe mobile
Spoken Languages: English, Tagalog

Here is the Map of IOM Manila Health Center:

St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinc/ St. Luke's Medical Center
1. St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinic, 1177 J. Bocobo St., Ermita, Manila 1000,
2. St. Luke's Medical Center, 10'th Floor, Room 1002, Medical Arts Bldg, Bonifacio Global City,
Rizal Drive, Taguig City 1634,
Website: www.slec.ph
Fax number: +(63 2) 526-0208
Telephone: +(63 2) 521-0020/ 521-8647 (Manila)
+(63 2) 789-7702/ 789-7703 (Taguig)
Spoken Languages: English, Tagalog


Sources: www.cic.gc.ca, www.google.com

My wife made a call to St. Lukes and it was all busy the whole time.  So she called the IOM and they were fast enough to book an appointment.  So, they were scheduled for the Medical Exam 5 days after the call.

The reason why we took the service of IOM is also because of their location.   They are located near the Canadian Embassy, Manila RCBC Plaza, which is just 5 minutes away from them. Their messenger will be fast enough to deliver our results, just my thoughts.

Latest Posts:  Read It Here

Medical Exam Experience at IOM Manila Health Center
My wife and kids took a taxi from Paranaque to IOM Manila Health Center in Makati and paid P250. They arrived at 8:05am at the entrance, logged in at the guards log book and surrendered her company ID. 

After logging in, they went up to the 15th floor and was given a queuing number 14.  The number was labelled Canada because this Center also conducts medical exam for United Kingdom applicants.

My wife paid in cash since she was informed that they don't accept credit cards.  She paid a total of P9,000 for her and my 2 kids.

Wife - P5,000
Kids - P2,000/kid

At 9:00am (an hour after), IOM staff started to call the patients/applicant.  As their number was called, my wife showed all the requirements (please see above) with the Medical report form (IMM1017E).

Tip:  Do not forget to bring the IMM1017E Medical Report Form
Here is Why?
A man was complaining at the IOM staff because he wanted to have the medical exam but he don't have the Medical Report form.  He told the staff that he did not saw that letter in his email and was only instructed by his wife to proceed to IOM for the medical exam.

The staff explained to him that he can still undergo the medical exam but will manually trace back the results once the medical report is available. 

The staff warned him that this will be a tedious process since he will trace it against so many applications at their office and with the embassy.  This will take 3 months.

The best option is that he will just print the form IMM1017E and come back on his next appointment.

After the submission of documents, the IOM staff pasted the photos on the form.  My experience in Raffles Medical in Singapore, I have to paste the photos by myself.  The Raffles staff just gave me a glue.

The staff then took the photocopies of the NSO birth certificates, handed my wife with an IOM form to sign and took a photo of my wife and kids.  They were asked to wait for their number to be called.

The first call was at the X-ray station for my wife only and followed by a urine test for my wife and my 9 year old kid.  They were then instructed to wait for the nurse. 

The Nurse
They went in to the room with the nurse and were interviewed about their medical history.

A blood extraction was done for my wife only.  They took her blood pressure, weight, height and checked her vision.  She was asked by the nurse to wear her eyeglasses for the eye vision check.

The nurse took the blood pressure and eye vision for my 9-year old kid. For my 2-year old, she took the height, weight and the measurement of the head.

The Doctor
It's their turn for the physical exam and they were asked to enter the doctor's room.  For my wife and my 9-year old, the doctor checked their ears, tongue, eyes, throat, stomach, and checked their chest using the stethoscope.

She was then asked to remove all her clothing except the underwear and the doctor checked if there were any lumps at her breast.

Medical Exam Done and What's Next?
The whole medical process was finished until 1:00pm. My wife was given a piece of paper with a telephone number to call if she wants to follow up the result. 

She was also informed that the results will be forwarded directly to the embassy within 21 days if there were no problems with the exam.

The next part is the request for the passport or maybe an update for some of our documents. Hopefully it would be only for the passport request and the waiting starts again...

Update: VISA APPROVED for Federal Skilled Worker Canada: My Experience

Questions Regarding Your Application?
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