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Proudly New Canadian

mgurux — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:33:00 +0000

We are really happy to be CANADIANS

Honestly, you never stop being impressed by this wonderful country. Our ceremony was SPECTACULAR. It lasted a little bit over 5 hours but you didn’t have time to get bored. Lots of people volunteering, helping and happy that you were becoming a Canadian Citizen. Only 80 candidates to become citizens but over a 100 volunteers just to make it happen. This is a brief step-by-step description of the ceremony:

a. Arrived to the ceremony center and we were welcomed to enter the facility
b. We line in order to check our documentation and paperwork
c. They took our permanent resident cards away (Make sure you take a picture as a nice memory) and stamped our Landed Immigrant Form (the stamp says: “NO LONGER A PERMANENT RESIDENT)
d. We entered a room for round table discussions (lasted 1 hour and a half)
e. After that, we entered the Ceremony Room.
f. They gave us quick instructions on how the process was going to be
g. Judge and RCMP arrived and started the ceremony
h. We took the Oath and received our Citizenship Cards
i. Time for the National Anthem
j. Ceremony closing
k. Entertainment acts.

Just to mention, during the entire process, food, beverages, information, services were available and everything was DONATED! and the people were VOLUNTEERS! Once you have the time to be here, at the ceremony, you realize how important are immigrants to this country…they make you feel part of this community. Honestly, I cannot find any words to describe the feeling…

Questions or comments are welcome…

Funding to help newcomers settle in Kitchener-Waterloo

mgurux — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:26:00 +0000

This initiative is AWESOME. For those in the IT field, this is great news. Kitchener-Waterloo is the home of RIM (Research In Motion), the guys that made the Blackberry. There are tons of work opportunities there and at the same time, for those looking to study, the University of Waterloo is located nearby. This university is locally and internationally recognized as one of the best.

Additionally, the Kitchener-Waterloo area is located around 50 min from Toronto and it is a great place to live. Living costs are way cheaper compared to Toronto or other neighbor cities.

Take a look at this:

“The Government of Canada wants newcomers to succeed,” said Mr. Albrecht. “This funding will give immigrants in Kitchener-Waterloo access to the support they need as they settle into our community. From language training to help finding a job, the five organizations we are supporting today deliver valuable services to newcomers. Their success is good for Kitchener-Waterloo and good for our country as a whole.”

Our citizenship ceremony tomorrow…

mgurux — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:15:00 +0000

Finally!

We have our Citizenship ceremony tomorrow. Can’t wait. This is one of the things we were working for and now we can proudly say: “Mission Accomplished”

For those who are on the process, even thinking of applying to become a permanent resident, don’t give up and always keep the faith. It is a long way but at the end, you quickly notice how many doors open up for you (career, quality of life, family, etc).

Tomorrow, I will post here some details about the citizenship ceremony and the overall process.

Thanks to everyone!

Checklist Three: First Year

mgurux — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:08:00 +0000

You will need to

❒ Get a valid driver’s licence
❒ Practise and improve your language skills
❒ Register for adult continuing education classes
❒ Take time to relax and participate in community activities
❒ Understand your rights and responsibilities under Canadian law
❒ Know that you can apply for Canadian citizenship after living in Canada for three years

Checklist Two: First Few Months

mgurux — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Useful checklist to help you on your first months:

You will need to:

❒ Find permanent housing
❒ Get a telephone installed
❒ Register your children in school
❒ Get a family doctor
❒ Have your children immunized
❒ Open a bank account
❒ Look for a job
❒ Carry your address and telephone number with you
❒ Try to make friends
❒ Know where the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) assessment centre is in your community and register for language classes
❒ Apply for the Canada Child Tax Benefit
❒ Apply for the GST/HST credit; use form RC151, Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) credit application

Checklist One: First Few Weeks

mgurux — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 03:47:00 +0000

Reviewing some of our old documentation, I’ve found this useful checklist to help you on your first weeks here in Canada:

You will need to:

❒ Exchange your money for Canadian currency (Use bank institutions – avoid currency exchange places at airports or malls – they will rip you off with the rates)
❒ Find temporary accommodation (Bed & Breakfast are your best options)
❒ Have some identification (ID) with you
❒ Apply for private health insurance during the 90 day waiting time for OHIP coverage (REALLY important – a leg fracture cost around CAD$5,000. Manulife offers good prices and can be done online)
❒ Get a map of the area and find out about transportation in your area (better if you have a computer)
❒ Get your own telephone book
❒ Contact an immigrant-serving organization in your community (this is free and really good help at your service)
❒ Fill out the forms for a Social Insurance Number card and a health insurance card

How long will it take?

mgurux — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:20:00 +0000

Immigration application times could vary from each case to another. We need to remember that each case is unique and process timelines will be based on particular requirements and conditions. Additionally, processing times will be subject to immigration applications processed inside or outside Canada. If you already reside in Canada, your application could take from 30 to 60 days (depending on the CIC centre) but if you are outside, it is a different story. Processing times could take from 1 year (lucky ones!) up to 5 years…Yes, you read it right: FIVE YEARS!. As I have mentioned before, cases are individually reviewed and each country has its own Visa Office(s) with specific and sometimes limited resources. For many of us, time is money so, if you are still undecided you better hurry up. In our case, we applied as a Skilled Worker through Quebec. It took exactly 1 year, from submitting the first application to the stamping of our passports. Just to mention that we started the process in 2003 and settle in Canada in 2004. Currently, the demand from people opting to immigrate to Canada has increased considerably.

Again, my advice, stop thinking about it and JUST DO IT! – I think I’ve heard this before .

Modernization of the immigration system

mgurux — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:59:00 +0000

Government of Canada introduced legislative amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to modernize the immigration system. The idea behind this is to reunite families faster and to give priority to skilled workers applications. It is no secret that wait times and number of applicants are increasing, specially in the skilled workers category. This amendment will allow Citizenship and immigration Canada to have more flexibility in processing new applications, especially from skilled workers and address those to current labour market needs. They expect to reduce wait times and improve service. On the other side, these measures will only apply to new applicants under the skilled workers category which applications were received on or after February 28th, 2008. Additionally, it will not apply to refugees and those who applied before February 28th 2008, will be left out in the cold ( old and messy process).

The Second Coming…FOR REAL!

mgurux — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 01:35:00 +0000

I apologize to everyone. Lately, many things have happened to me, good things of course. One of them took place last Monday, I had my citizenship test. It is incredible to see that 3 years have passed so fast. During all this time, after reading tons of information, finally we have reached our goal. It is an AWESOME feeling. Thanks everyone!

As I mentioned in one of my past posts, I’m planning a Second Coming in order to help people immigrate to Canada successfully and BTW, making use of the Internet as an information resource.

Do I really want to leave?

mgurux — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:33:00 +0000

Starting a new life in Canada is a serious business. You will need to be prepared and well informed about cultural, social and economic details that could help you in your upcoming life adventure. For many of us, immigration is a matter of life and death but for others it is just a new opportunity to live our live in a well organized and respectful society. I’ve seen some many frustrated people thinking that Canada is not what they were expecting or what other told them. Remember, this “life adventure” is not for everyone!. In order to help others realize if they are ready or not, I have put together several questions to make you wonder: Am I really prepared for this?

Have you ever leave your hometown for more than six months to study/work/live somewhere else?
What’s the main reason for leaving your country? (job oppty, political/economic turmoil, etc)
How will your family react with your decision?
Are you an adventurer or have some of it?
Would you return if a relative is really sick?
Are you willing to take any “survival” jobs?
Are you aware about your upcoming lifestyle changes?
Would you “invest” your lifetime savings in this challenge?
“I really need to take my Dog with me…”
Is the cold weather a huge concern?
Am I willing to learn/upgrade my English/French language skills?

Well, as you can see, these are simple questions but with huge implications in your success on becoming a permanent resident of Canada.