MM2C NEWS: MM2C Subscriber Got A Very Good News!

Helping someone achieve his dream is the best feeling money can't buy.  Few days ago, one MM2C subscriber emailed me to share his good news.

Before I start sharing,  I want to let you know that few months ago, when I was in Singapore, I met him and made a post about it.

Meeting with an FSW Applicant and MM2C Subscriber

What is the Good News?

He sent me an email...

"Hi Ben,
Just want to share with you, I got my PPR.

I have sent my passport using VFS to Visa office and now I am waiting for the passport to return to me with the visa on it hopefully. 

Now, I am worried about finding accommodation in Canada. One of my facebook friends who is living in Vancouver told me that he has room to rent in his house. But I am not sure Vancouver is the right place for new immigrant who is looking for job.

If you have time, please share what is the best option of accommodation for single new immigrant like me. 

How is your life in Canada so far? "

If you are still not familiar with the FSW abbreviations, like PPR, it's a PassPort Request.  When you get this request, that means you had passed the Medical Exam and Police Clearances.  

Then, Canada will give you the most important sticker in the world, the VISA!  Here's my experience with it...

VISA APPROVED for Federal Skilled Worker Canada: My Experience

 My Answer to His E-mail

"Hi Friend,
WOW! Congratulations! 

I'm so happy to know that you have your Passport request and soon to receive your Visa.
My suggestion for you, since you have a friend in Vancouver, that you stay there first and try to find a job.  Your friend can help you settle there in every step of the way.   

The good thing also is that you can have a room to rent with him.
Compared to living in Toronto, it's difficult for you to settle here if you don't have someone to stay with.   

Although there are lots of apartments and basement houses here that you can rent, but you will be with a complete stranger.  It will cost you around C$500-$1000/per month to have a 1-bedroom flat here. It might cost you around C$300-500 for a bedroom or in a basement.  This is only my estimate. 

I am not familiar with the employment in Vancouver. But in Toronto, there are lots of survival jobs here especially when you land during school time.  You can work in factories while applying for the perfect job. 

For now, I'm working in my field, not an assembler anymore. My job is the same in Singapore, my NOC, which is Instrument Technician and mechanic.  My salary is higher than in Singapore.   

If you have read my wife's post in my blog, she is now a full-time housewife.  We can still have our savings with this setup with the help of the Free education for my kids and allowance from the government.  For now, we are good and happy! 

It's up to you to decide and let me know where you want to land."

Federal Skilled Worker application was the most difficult program that I've been through.  A lot of time and money I'd sacrificed.  All I can say for now is that...

IT IS WORTH IT!!!

Please tick LIKE below if you agree!

VISA-Stamped Passport : New Update from the CVAC Singapore

Got an email from the Canada Visa Application Service (CVAC) in Singapore informing me that our processed passports were dispatched from the Canada Visa Office and is ready for collection.

I paused for a while, still holding my mouse, bowed down, closed my eyes facing the floor and said "Thank's God!", with a sign of relief.

At my previous post about sending my passport to CVAC, I had explained there on how to go to their office.  You can follow that post here.

What I Felt at the CVAC Office?

With no time to waste, I went out of our office and headed to CVAC.  I had to hurry because the collection schedule of the passports was from 2:00pm to 4:00pm only.

My heart was beating fast, feet felt numb and had butterflies in my stomach.  This is weird, even if we were already informed from the previous month that our visas are approved, the excitement was still intense. 

Knowing that our passports will be on my hands and touching it in a little while, had me realized that time really flies fast, and now, this is the real thing!

At the 11th floor, one lady applicant was in front of me, holding her folder.  I can also sense how she feels right at the moment.  She's so excited to go inside the CVAC main door, and so was I.

When it was my turn, the guard gave me a queuing number and I'm the second person to collect.  My hands trembled from the excitement.  I can't explain why I am feeling this way, it could be because of the FSW Applicant Syndrome.

How Our Immigrant Visas Look Like?

The attendant pressed the button for the next queue number, and it was my turn.

I handed her my Identification Card (IC) and the CVAC receipt for verification purposes.  She went inside the small room and came back bringing 4 big brown envelopes.

Each envelope has a sticker on it, labelled with our names and particulars. She instructed me to inspect the details of each passports before leaving the room.

I sat down, hands still shaking.  As I ripped off the sealed envelope, I saw my passport initially opened at the center page, with the most valuable sticker in the World, my FSW Immigrant Visa!!!

The most valuable sticker in the World, my FSW Immigrant Visa!!!

The feeling of fulfillment is within me at that moment, I was at cloud nine.  I can still recall the years of anxieties that I have been through, it was refreshed at an instant by this one thin piece of sticker.

What are the Other  Enclosed Documents?

Aside from the passport,  it enclosed 2 sheets of paper and a brochure.

• The paper is the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR), one copy has the photo of the applicant. 
• The brochure is for the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP).

You can see my Timeline for the bird's-eye view of my FSW Canada journey.  Press LIKE if you have also felt the excitement.
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If you have any questions regarding this post, you can leave a comment below or email me at benalagnam@yahoo.com.

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My Timeline: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Canada 2013 Application

To understand more about the response time of Canada to our application for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, I had prepared my Timeline here so you can estimate the flow of your application.  Take note that this is a FSW 2013 timeline and just a guide for you.

I will discuss here one by one regarding the activities on each event update.  You can click the links provided so you'll see the complete details of that certain activity.

(days) or (months) - red refers to the time difference of a Update from a previous date.

(days) or (months) - green refers to the time difference of an Update from day (0).

Here it goes...

Update 1 (0 days) (0 days)

July 1, 2013 

The full application was ready for submission and I prepared it inside a white envelope and went to DHL to send it to Nova Scotia, Canada.

Update 2 (7 days) (7 days)

July 8, 2013 

I checked with DHL with the help of the DHL online document tracker and found that my documents have been received by the Centralized Intake Office.

Update 3 (3 months) (3 months)

October 10, 2013 

An email was received from the Centralized Intake Office, Nova Scotia Canada.  It has a letter stating that they had received my full application with a positive determination of eligibility and indicated my Unique Client Identifier (UCI) and Immigration Application number. 

At this time, my application was accepted for processing, the CIO had sent it to the designated Canadian Embassy.   They sent my application at the Canada Embassy in Manila (CEM).

Note: In my application, I indicated Singapore as the "Immigration Office requested for processing this application" but they sent it instead to Manila, Philippines.  The reason might be because I am not a permanent residence (PR) in Singapore.

Update 4 (6 months) (9 months)

April 15, 2014 

A request for Medical for me and my dependents and additional documents (Passport copy, Singapore police clearance, Philippines police clearance) was received though an email from the Canada Embassy, Manila. 

Update 5 (6 days) (9 months)

April 21, 2014 

Went to Raffles Medical in Singapore for my medical examination.  Discussed with my current boss about my future resignation.

Update 6 (4 days) (9 months)

April 25, 2014 

The result of the medical examination was sent by the hospital directly to the Canada Embassy, Manila.

Update 7 (1 month) (10 months)

May 28, 2014 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, my dependents' medical examination were delayed.  They took their medical exam at the IOM Manila Health Center.

Update 8 (2 months)  (12 months)

July 11, 2014 

YESSS!!!!

Our Visas were approved.  This is the happiest moment of my life.  I made a dedicated post for this event at "VISA APPROVED for Federal Skilled Worker Canada: My Experience".

I received an email from the Visa Office of Canada Embassy, Manila informing us that our immigration visas are ready for stamping.  They requested to submit our passports, 2 recent photos and the Appendix A form.

The passport should be submitted at the High Commission of Canada in Singapore through their accredited courier Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC).

Update 9 (5 days)  (12 months)

July 16, 2014 

Sent the passports to Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC) in Singapore.  Here is the post on how I submitted our passports to CVAC "Passport Submission at Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC) Experience"

July 23, 2014 Tendered my resignation verbally.  I informed my employer 2 months ahead so they can hire a replacement for me, and transfer my knowledge professionally.

Update 10 ( 32 days)  (13 months)

August 16, 2014 

As indicated in our passports, the High Commission of Canada in Singapore stamped our visas.

Update 11 ( 12 days)  (13 months)

August 28, 2014 

The Canada Visa Application Service (CVAC) in Singapore informed me that our passports are ready for collection. I personally went to CVAC office to collect the valuable goods.  Feel the excitement at my post here.

September 2014 
Returned to Philippines from Singapore and rendered my final resignation. Cancelled all credit cards, debit and apartment rentals.

October 2014 
Went to my hometown to visit my relatives.

Attended the seminars in Manila.
Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) - required by the Philippine Government
CIIP - Optional, but it's all about how to find jobs in Canada (recommended)

 November 2014

Had landed successfully in Canada.  Got a job after 5 days and worked as an Assembler in  a small scale factory.

 February 2015 

Got a new job in my field of expertise after 3 months of working as an Assembler. Passed a G1 driver's license written test but needs to be with a fully licensed driver to drive.

 March 2015 
Passed the G2 Driving license, and was allowed to drive in Canada alone.  I was also allowed to drive on highways like 401, 407, 427, and etc...with maximum speed of 100kph.

 April 2015 
Went to Quebec specifically in Montreal.  It was the same as Toronto except that drivers can't turn right on a red traffic signal.

Visited Ottawa for the first time.

 May 2015 
Went to Sarnia, Port Hope, Peterborough, Cambridge, Guelph, Brampton and Middleton.   These places are beautiful in many ways.  I've been blessed to have a chance to visit these places.

 June 2015 
Went to Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta and have a chance to visit my best friend there, whom I haven't met for 7 years.

 Present Day 

Now working in my field of expertise taking care of the whole Canada.  This is an opportunity for me to blog more about the country.  So far, I've seen the beauty of the place while it was covered with snow.  Let's see when the spring comes.

The scenery is stunning, for the first time, as I was used seeing places in a tropical and middle eastern countries.

How to Add Your Timeline?
 You can add your timeline in my Google Drive to get these benefits:

• You can view and update your timeline online
• You can compare your timeline with mine and other applicants
• You can track your progress online
• View other timelines

You can click the link below to view and add your timeline.

 CHECK MY TIMELINE AT GOOGLE DRIVE AND INSERT YOURS TOO!

Sample Snapshot:

Click the photo to Visit

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How to Check Your FSW Program Canada Application Status?

You've read the Red Maple Leaf eBook, I assume that you have done gathering all the documents in your full application for the FSW Program in Canada.

You have packed and sent the full application to the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) in Nova Scotia, Canada as instructed.

So, What's the Next Step?
Like me, you probably used the services of couriers such as DHL, Fedex or UPS in sending your application to Canada.

You should have a tracking number by now, which you can track the documents online and even know the name of the person who received it.

If you used a courier, other than the regular mail, you can click the links below to track your documents.

DHL Online Tracker
FEDEX Document Tracker
UPS Tracker

It will specifically indicate the time and location of your documents.  This will ensure you that it will arrive at the destination on time and have a peace of mind.

How Do I Know If My Application is Being Processed?  

You've tracked your documents and found that it was already received by a CIO personnel.  The next question that you might ask is,

"How do I know the status of my application?" 

The procedure is that once the CIO had reviewed your documents and found that you're eligible for the program, they will send you a positive eligibility response to your email and by a regular mail, and provide you the Unique Client Identifier (UCI) and Immigration Application number in the letter.

This time, they will encash the cheque or process the credit card payment of your application fee.

Take note that the application number will be useful in checking your application status in the Canadian Application Status (eCAS) at the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website.

The CIO will inform you that your application will be forwarded to a visa office for further processing.  The assignment of the visa office depends on where your current residence or country of origin is.  It's up to the CIO to decide.

Based on my experience, although I'm working and staying in Singapore as a Pass holder, and had chosen Singapore as the visa office in my application, they still sent my application to the Canadian visa office in Manila, Philippines.

You might have used a bank draft, a credit card or a manager's cheque in paying the processing fee.  This is the perfect medium where you can trace your application if it has been successfully processed in Canada by simply asking the bank's manager if your cheque had been encashed.

If you used credit card, log in to your account and check whether the fee was billed in your statement.  If it's  billed, you are now confident that CIO has started processing your application.

It took 3 months for me to receive the positive eligibility response from the CIO.

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If you have any questions regarding this post, you can leave a comment below or email me at benalagnam@yahoo.com.

Important: Please read the DISCLAIMER Page

For questions not related to this post, leave a comment at the ASK ME.

If you want to know more about my life in Singapore, visit my blog at BenAlagnam.com

How much you need to prepare for the applications, visit EXPENSES.

Check on what are the documents you need to prepare and more info on RESOURCES.