Thursday, November 13, 2014

What would you like to see included here?





Hello Reader!

From whichever part of the world you are...if you were led to my blog to read something about Canada...but didn't find what you were looking for, please comment below and ask away! I will see what I can find out for you or let you know what I think if you want to know about anything in particular.

I would like this blog to help potential immigrants to this beautiful country.
My email is on the top of this blog if you would rather communicate that way.

Waiting to hear from you!

Now that you have landed...what do you need to get done?






You have finally landed in Canada and are now a new immigrant. When you come out of the airport and take your first breath of Canadian air, it finally hits you.....all those years of running around from pillar to post getting documents ready, making photo-copies, getting signatures, writing cheques and looking for lost school records has led up to this moment. Now what?

Here are a few things that you will do after landing to give you a good start to your new life!


1        Apply for important documents like:
o    A Government health insurance card, so you can receive medical care in Canada. You should apply as soon as possible after arriving in Canada.
o    A Social Insurance Number (SIN). You cannot work in Canada without a SIN. Give Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) your new Canadian address, so that you can receive your permanent resident card in the mail.

2. Explore your city or town, and learn about the transportation options available.  Get familiar with the bus and/or subway system. Walk around, get a feel of the place. Locate the nearest Walk in Clinic and Hospital. Find a grocery store. If you have children, see if you can see the school in the area.
3. Learn how to make telephone calls and access the Internet. This is extremely important as you will be using the internet a lot to find phone numbers, address, access maps and directions to different places and to upload your resume.
4.Memorize the national emergency telephone number: 911. If you experience a medical or other type of emergency, call for help.
5. If you arrive in winter, get the proper clothing and boots.
6. Learn the basic map of the city you have landed in. If Toronto for example, learn the basic directions around the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).
7. If you do not have a job, you should start looking for one quickly. You can get information on job postings, on how to adapt your resume for Canadian employers, on mentor-ship programs, etc., at local immigrant-serving organizations. Check your local community library. They often have free brochures, contact names and often a person there to help you get started.

UPDATE: Please look at my blog post of November 28th, 2017 for tips on job hunting.
8. Improve your English and French.
9. Learn about housing and how to search for a place to rent or buy. Check local websites, newspapers, neighborhood store bulletin boards etc for rentals available. Contact a realtor to buy a home.
10. Read about education in Canada to learn things like how to register your children in a school and options available to improve your qualifications and skills.
11. Obtain a Canadian driver’s licence if you plan to drive in Canada. There are several steps involved in this, so make sure you  research how long the process will take for you. If you come with a license from another country, they may allow you to take less time in between each license level. Many jobs require you having a license, and even if you don't drive, a license is a major form of identification here. 
12. Learn about Canadian laws as well as your rights and civic responsibilities as a resident of Canada. This includes how to put your garbage out in the proper manner. You have to separate your garbage, organic waste and recycling. Your local city website will have information on this.
13. Find a doctor or health-care centre where you can go for your medical needs. Make an appointment for a medical check-up and vaccination update when you receive your government health insurance card. Schools will ask for your child’s immunization records when you go for admission.


These are just some of the things that you should and will be doing after landing in Canada. The rest as they say…is up to you!

Back to Winter Dressing




November ...and out comes the boots, coats, gloves and hats. Today was our first 0C temperature...with a little bit of snow predicted later today.

This is part of life in Canada...and if you are thinking of moving here....you have to learn how to embrace it. Of course, part of Canadian life is also complaining about the weather no matter what it is :)

Your first Winter, my advice is to spend some money and get a really good quality coat / jacket and good boots.  Boots have to take care of -25 and below temperatures and make sure you wear woolen socks. If you are going to be walking around a lot in snow because of your job, or to walk to the bus stop.....you may have to invest in two pairs of boots. No one wants to wear a wet and freezing cold pair of boots from the day before.

Also, get used to wearing layers including thermals underneath your pants/jeans and shirts. Thermals and every layer of clothing you have on, traps a layer of heat between you and the cold air. Layers help to keep you warm more than just a big thick coat on top of your clothes. Also, once you are in a warm environment again you have to remove your coat, gloves etc and if you have layers you can keep on or take off what you want accordingly.

Most Winters we end up getting new gloves (somehow these tend to get lost quite easily, and like socks you somehow end up with a pile of just one glove from a few pairs) and also new hats and scarves, just so that you are not bored wearing the same thing everyday.

If you plan on living further up North....you may need even heavier Winter wear including thick thermals.

You don't have to worry too much about how you will know what to wear. Any store you enter will have Canadians happy to help new immigrants with their first Winter wardrobe. Every year I see people in department and clothing stores getting help with the right kind of coat, what to get for the kids and the confusion about the 100's of different kinds of boots that you will find.




You will also have to get a boot tray similar to this one. It is available everywhere including the Dollar Store. Keep it by your front door and keep your boots here. Snow tends to bring in a lot of dirt, and you don't want the melted dirty snow all over your carpet or floor.


Here is a picture of how you will be dressed during Winter. 
Hope this was of some help.

Please email me any question you may have regarding Winter or anything else. Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The Story of Indian Immigration to Canada

The Story of Indian Immigration to Canada


Click on the above link.

Really interesting, don't you think?

The Family Tax Cut in Canada


 Some good news for many families in Canada with an in-balanced double income household.


"The Government is proposing a new Family Tax Cut, a federal non-refundable tax credit worth up to $2,000 for couples with children under the age of 18.
The Family Tax Cut would allow a spouse to, in effect, transfer up to $50,000 of taxable income to a spouse in a lower income tax bracket, providing tax relief up to a maximum of $2,000. Tax relief is calculated on the basis of a difference in federal tax before and after the effective transfer of income.
The Family Tax Cut would take effect starting in the 2014 tax year. Couples would be able to claim the credit when they file their 2014 tax returns. To benefit from the credit, each spouse must file a tax return. Either spouse may claim the credit.
More than 1.7 million families are expected to benefit from the new Family Tax Cut. "


New Application Centres open in India

Here is a link to the Application Centres in India that have opened with information on applying for visas.

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/india-inde/visas/index.aspx?lang=eng&menu_id=4

Current immigration program and Express Entry program.....will you be considered for both?



Will skilled immigrants be considered under both the current immigration program rules and Express Entry in 2015?
 
No. Each application is assessed according to the eligibility requirements and caps in place at the time CIC receives it. In order to be considered for Express Entry, people will have to express interest separately (starting in January 2015) using a new electronic application management system. There will not be any application caps or occupation lists at the launch of Express Entry.


Express Entry Visa 2015

I talked about this on the previous post, but thought it warranted a separate post of it's own. The Express Entry Visa...what is it?



In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will launch a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence in certain economic programs. Canada needs high levels of immigration to meet current and future labour market needs, which will ensure our economic growth and long-term prosperity.
Express Entry will allow us to actively recruit, assess and select skilled immigrants under the following federal economic immigration programs:
  • the Federal Skilled Worker Program,
  • the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and
  • the Canadian Experience Class.
Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry system for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labour market needs. Under this new system, employers will also have a key role in selecting economic immigrants. Employers will access candidates through Canada's new and improved Job Bank and through provinces and territories where applicable.
The Express Entry system involves two steps:
Step 1) Potential candidates complete an online Express Entry profile
Potential candidates will complete an online Express Entry profile where they will provide information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other details. Those who meet the criteria of one of the federal economic immigration programs subject to Express Entry will be placed in a pool of candidates.
Candidates will be ranked against others in the pool. Only the highest-ranked candidates (those deemed to have the best chances for economic success), and those with qualifying offers of arranged employment or provincial/territorial nominations, will be invited to apply for permanent residence.
If a candidate does not already have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer or a provincial/territorial nomination, he or she must register with the Government of Canada's Job Bank which will connect him or her with eligible Canadian employers.
Where applicable, employers will be required to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada. There will be no fee for Labour Market Impact Assessments for permanent residence applications under the Express Entry system. 
Completing an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee that a candidate will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence.
Step 2) Citizenship and Immigration Canada will invite certain candidates to apply for permanent residence and process their electronic applications within six months.
Candidates will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence if they rank among the top in the pool, based on their skills and experience. Candidates who have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer (subject to the Labour Market Impact Assessment process in place at that time) or have been nominated by a province or territory will be given high scores in the ranking system.
Candidates will have 60 days to submit an electronic application for permanent residence through one of the following programs:
  • Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
  • Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP);
  • Canadian Experience Class (CEC); or,
  • A portion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will process the majority of complete applications (i.e. applications including all the necessary supporting documents) within six months or less.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool who do not receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence after 12 months may resubmit their profile and re-enter the pool if they still meet the criteria. This provision will prevent backlogs and ensure quick processing times.
Express Entry will result in faster and more efficient service to potential skilled immigrants. It will also allow the Government of Canada to be more flexible and responsive to Canada's changing economic conditions and priorities.

 This is the link to the above article and more information:




Changes to Canadian Immigration in 2015

Yes, there are going to be many changes to the immigration rules for Canada starting January 2015.

According to Joe Friesen of the Globe and Mail:

"The Conservative government plans to increase immigration levels significantly as it heads into an election year in 2015.
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said on Friday that Canada aims to welcome as many as 285,000 new permanent residents next year, which is the highest planned total “in recent history,” according to the Minister.


The last time Canada admitted as many as 280,000 permanent residents was in 2010. A greater proportion, nearly 65 per cent of all admissions, will be economic immigrants and their dependents. That’s up from a target of 62 per cent in the planning for 2013 levels. Mr. Alexander said the goal reflects the government’s view that immigration is crucial to Canada’s economic prosperity.
“We are recruiting a higher calibre of economic immigrant than we have ever seen before,” Mr. Alexander said. “This [increase in the proportion of economic immigrants] is a goal we’ve had for some time. Many provinces already have 70 per cent economic immigration; that’s the aspiration Canada has as well.”
The hike in immigration levels comes at the same time that the government will be introducing a system known as express entry to select skilled workers, who make up the largest chunk of Canada’s immigration streams. The target range for 2015 is between 260,000 and 285,000 new permanent residents, as tabled in the government’s annual immigration plan."

The Express Entry system is something new that will be launched 2015.

From the Government of Canada website:



In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will launch a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence in certain economic programs. Canada needs high levels of immigration to meet current and future labour market needs, which will ensure our economic growth and long-term prosperity.
Express Entry will allow us to actively recruit, assess and select skilled immigrants under the following federal economic immigration programs:
  • the Federal Skilled Worker Program,
  • the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and
  • the Canadian Experience Class.
Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry system for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labour market needs. Under this new system, employers will also have a key role in selecting economic immigrants. Employers will access candidates through Canada's new and improved Job Bank and through provinces and territories where applicable.
The Express Entry system involves two steps:
Step 1) Potential candidates complete an online Express Entry profile
Potential candidates will complete an online Express Entry profile where they will provide information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other details. Those who meet the criteria of one of the federal economic immigration programs subject to Express Entry will be placed in a pool of candidates.
Candidates will be ranked against others in the pool. Only the highest-ranked candidates (those deemed to have the best chances for economic success), and those with qualifying offers of arranged employment or provincial/territorial nominations, will be invited to apply for permanent residence.
If a candidate does not already have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer or a provincial/territorial nomination, he or she must register with the Government of Canada's Job Bank which will connect him or her with eligible Canadian employers.
Where applicable, employers will be required to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada. There will be no fee for Labour Market Impact Assessments for permanent residence applications under the Express Entry system. 
Completing an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee that a candidate will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence.
Step 2) Citizenship and Immigration Canada will invite certain candidates to apply for permanent residence and process their electronic applications within six months.
Candidates will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence if they rank among the top in the pool, based on their skills and experience. Candidates who have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer (subject to the Labour Market Impact Assessment process in place at that time) or have been nominated by a province or territory will be given high scores in the ranking system.
Candidates will have 60 days to submit an electronic application for permanent residence through one of the following programs:
  • Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
  • Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP);
  • Canadian Experience Class (CEC); or,
  • A portion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will process the majority of complete applications (i.e. applications including all the necessary supporting documents) within six months or less.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool who do not receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence after 12 months may resubmit their profile and re-enter the pool if they still meet the criteria. This provision will prevent backlogs and ensure quick processing times.
Express Entry will result in faster and more efficient service to potential skilled immigrants. It will also allow the Government of Canada to be more flexible and responsive to Canada's changing economic conditions and priorities.

 Here is the link to the above which will take you to more links with relevant information.


The same link shows you relevant information on different types of visas for immigration to Canada on the left. 

I'll update you on more information when I hear anything.


Posting more often

Hello there!



In case you have been a regular reader of my blog from when I started it in 2008 and were wondering why my posts have been few and far between, it is because I was busier than usual with home and kids (two teenagers actually).  My husband was travelling abroad more often on his consultancy work. Then a few months ago I decided to work outside the home which has taken a huge chunk of my free time to post on this blog.  

But the other day, I went over my blog from the time I started it and thought, a lot of work went into this. I don’t want it to go to waste!! So here I am, making a pledge to post something every week if not more often.

A lot has happened in the immigration world and I do get many emails a day from readers which encouraged me to post more often as well.

So for those of you new to my blog…please go back to the beginning and read the posts which will give you  informed information for you to immigrate or thoughts to ponder before you immigrate or decide if you want to immigrate or not.
Whatever you decide….I wish you the very best! Please feel free to email me any doubts you have. I do try to answer the emails as soon as I can.

Have a wonderful  day!!