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Old 11th February 2020, 17:32   #31
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

I was alluding to the latter- try for an internal transfer after you get the PR. It’s always easier to convince a known devil than an unknown angel 😀.
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Old 11th February 2020, 21:09   #32
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

For getting the transcripts and mailing them, I got to know about this website

http://www.mailtranscripts.com/

Anyone has any experience with them?

PS: I am not affiliated with them. I just found it on quora etc.
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Old 12th February 2020, 01:01   #33
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

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Originally Posted by iamwhatiam View Post
As someone who's been living in Canada for the last decade, I'm not sure where you go some of the above points. Clarifications below:
  1. Manufacturing and teaching aren't great sectors to work in Canada. One faces the constant threat of automation, while the other faces low pay.
  2. IT/Tech jobs are exploding, although my (partly naive) viewpoint is that it's much easier to get a technical job than a managerial role
  3. Canada is not a monarchy - it's a democracy that's part of the Commonwealth, although provinces (states) hold a lot more power than what I experienced in India
  4. The rest I don't disagree with - housing costs are high in the major cities, you pay more taxes than you would in India (comparable to many US states), but you get a much better social safety net than either India or the US



Not commenting on procedural considerations as I don't have that knowledge and others have already provided guidance. I'm making a presumption that you're seeking general move-related advice, and that you're from India; apologies if either of those is not the case.

Reflecting on my time here, I would suggest that if you do come here, come with eyes wide open. The easiest is to get a transfer through your company if they have operations here, and once you settle in see if you want to switch. Otherwise, there is only limited value placed on experience outside Canada, so you may need to take a step/steps back in your professional career for at least a 3-4 years till you settle in. It's harder to make Canadian friends as they're generally reserved, so a lot of people end up building social circles with people only from within their community, which defeats part of the purpose of moving to Canada.

Quality of life is comparatively great, though, especially for women and children. Almost no pollution, clean water, lawfulness, and easy (almost boring!) drives.
I love Canada and i repeat , it is a great country but cost of living is expensive and it is easier to emigrate if one is older if one has a job offer and a relative/friend who can assist. I attended a Canadian Citizenship oath ceremony along with my friend's family and below are the exact words they read to obtain their certificate. I found the ceremony quite moving as opposed to the US version which is more informal and also appreciate that system of democracy tempered by a higher authority so i mentioned it in my post. Are you sure you live in Canada?
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Last edited by nickatnite : 12th February 2020 at 01:03.
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Old 12th February 2020, 03:02   #34
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

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Originally Posted by nickatnite View Post
I love Canada and i repeat , it is a great country but cost of living is expensive
That's what I said as well, and has been echoed by others. Cost of living is high - especially in the Toronto and Vancouver metro areas.

Quote:
and it is easier to emigrate if one is older if one has a job offer and a relative/friend who can assist.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I agree with the first part - it is much much easier to emigrate if you have a job offer.

I don't agree with the second - people can assist but it's important to be aware that the job market works differently here. A relative/friend can help connect you with recruiters or professionals in your target industry, but after that it is up to you to relentlessly network to find the right job for yourself.

Quote:
I attended a Canadian Citizenship oath ceremony along with my friend's family and below are the exact words they read to obtain their certificate...Are you sure you live in Canada?
You'd mentioned in your post that Canada is a monarchy, which it isn't. Disregarding the nuances of 'constitutional monarchy', for all practical purposes, the queen has no power or authority on any matters in Canada. The Queen's pledge is an artifact from bygone days, and is increasingly being challenged by new Canadians taking their oaths.

Ah, but of course, you attended one citizenship oath ceremony so you have more knowledge of Canada than someone who's lived here for 8 years
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Old 13th February 2020, 01:42   #35
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Just a couple of more points to consider for people wishing to immigrate to Canada. Sorry if this is OT but just posting it based on the discussion happening here. BHPians who are in Canada can surely correct if anything I state below is incorrect.

Canada was a hugeeee country with very little people. It only made sense they invite immigrants to populate this vast land and let the economy grow. The US Visa rejections only made things in favour of Canada and people started looking at Canada as good option given that healthcare and education is free apart from having good/better infra, lesser pollution etc.

Given the influx of people into Canada, especially refugees, it was sure that it would take a toll on the funds the Government has to spend on free education and healthcare. Alberta is looking at revamping their healthcare policies in 2020 and intends to remove some treatments from the coverage which means in future people will need to pay from their pockets for treatments which is currently covered under the health plan. Its Alberta now and soon other provinces may or may not follow suite.

RELATED NEWS ARTICLE

Public school teachers are on strike in Ontario over cost cuts and possible pay raises. Apparently the government is looking at reducing the spending on public schools which means contract teachers are not being continued and number of students in a class is now being increased to accommodate a lot more than before. There is also a rumor of some kind of a semi private schooling system in consideration from the current public one which means education too may not remain free in future.

As for the child care benefits, I suppose it is revised every year based on a variety of factors. So given that, there are chances this too may or may not remain in the future and even if it is there, may not be of significant value.

The only point of putting this is that do not base your decisions on this alone. Look at the market in terms of the jobs your are getting, the pay you will get and how sustainable the life in Canada would be. Yes you get good infra and better atmosphere (for now) and if that's the sole concern then its a good move. Given that the Canadian Gov is working overtime to get in more immigrants, now is the best time to apply and at least get in the pool irrespective of that age. There surely is no harm in trying

Last edited by centaur : 13th February 2020 at 01:52.
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Old 13th February 2020, 02:34   #36
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

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Just a couple of more points to consider for people wishing to immigrate to Canada...
Great points, and like the poster above, I also hope that I'm not going too off-topic. Hopefully this adds value to people reading this, and exactly why I recommend people go in with eyes wide open and not expect a panacea in Canada.

The reality of the Canadian healthcare and benefits system is that it is an unsustainable model and will bankrupt the government unless something changes. The change will happen either with (a) private pay, (b) higher taxes, (c) alternate means of treatment, or a combination of the above, and you see different models being tested out across the Canadian provinces. I expect you'll see these forms of experimentation continue for at least a decade before a consistent path is set. (On a side note, as someone who works in healthcare strategy, I am both excited and intimidated by the change taking place!) It only takes one visit to the emergency room triage on a Sunday night to long for the medical care you get back in India.

My general rule of thumb that I share with families who're considering moving: apply if you have the cash readily available and no other burning need for it, because it gives you an optionality at least for the next 5 years. However, if you're upper middle class+, living in metros-tier 1 cities, kids are in good schools, have private health insurance, reasonable connections in the government, you won't necessarily have a better quality of life here. Your kids will, especially if they're very young and in primary school and have time to adjust to the culture.
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Old 13th February 2020, 17:17   #37
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Hi Guys,

I am in the process of creating a set of sample documents that one would need to submit for their Express Entry application. Will be sharing a google drive link for the same, for anyone who requires any kind of help in the documentation.

Also an update :

Received an update for my application. I have passed my medicals and have also received a request for providing my biometrics to the Visa Application Centre.

Hence I went ahead and booked an appointment for Saturday for submitting my biometrics.

Days from submission to medicals passed - 12 days

Seems my application is on track (although there is still a long way to go)

Akhil
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Old 14th February 2020, 01:07   #38
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

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Originally Posted by akhil994 View Post
Hi Guys,

I am in the process of creating a set of sample documents that one would need to submit for their Express Entry application. Will be sharing a google drive link for the same, for anyone who requires any kind of help in the documentation.
Akhil
Hi Akhil,

Please share the link with me whenever you create one, as i have a friend in India who is looking to apply and is in the process of creation of an EE profile.

Your input might prove very helpful.
Thanks!
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Old 14th February 2020, 14:55   #39
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

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Originally Posted by abhinavinc View Post
Hi Akhil,

Please share the link with me whenever you create one, as i have a friend in India who is looking to apply and is in the process of creation of an EE profile.

Your input might prove very helpful.
Thanks!
Hi Abhinav,

I will be posting that over the weekend. The bulk of them are already done, just need to finalize a couple of more documents, haven't been able to get enough time for that

Akhil
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Old 20th February 2020, 13:02   #40
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Another update :

Got my biometrics done and the status was updated on my profile almost immediately. As of now, my expected completion date is 31st July as per the online portal, although I would not rely on those timelines.

Please refer to the sample documents that are required while submitting Express Entry profile at this link : https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...Q_?usp=sharing

I will keep adding any other documents that I think can be useful to the same folder.
In case anyone needs any specific document, please let me know and I shall upload the same.

Mods: Please add the link of sample documents to the Original Post
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Old 4th June 2020, 17:20   #41
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

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Originally Posted by akhil994 View Post
IQAS was the most preferred option, since it was quite liberal in awarding Master’s equivalency.


WES or World Education Services , is the most popular agency for credential evaluation, while also being the fastest. However do note, they only award Master’s equivalency if your MBA/M.Tech is from IIM/IIT. Otherwise they assess it as dual bachelor’s or a bachelor and a diploma in case of PGDM.
Hi Akhil,
I just went and checked what my Master's Degree will be counted as on WES' website, and sure enough like you said, they didn't count it as Master's Degree even though it's from one of the top 10 B-Schools of India.

Could you tell me if I get my degree validated from IQAS right now, for how long will that be valid? I'm planning on going to Canada in 2-3 years' time, should I get it validated right now and see if they accept it as a Master's degree?
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Old 4th June 2020, 17:39   #42
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

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Hi Akhil,
I just went and checked what my Master's Degree will be counted as on WES' website, and sure enough like you said, they didn't count it as Master's Degree even though it's from one of the top 10 B-Schools of India.

Could you tell me if I get my degree validated from IQAS right now, for how long will that be valid? I'm planning on going to Canada in 2-3 years' time, should I get it validated right now and see if they accept it as a Master's degree?
I have got mine done through IQAS, my bachelors and masters were from the Queens country UK and Canada is a Queens country too, so I had no issues with the masters being awarded as is.

From what I have read, its valid for 5 years, you can double check again. The process takes 5 to 6 months.
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Old 5th June 2020, 11:17   #43
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

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Originally Posted by DeKay View Post
Hi Akhil,
I just went and checked what my Master's Degree will be counted as on WES' website, and sure enough like you said, they didn't count it as Master's Degree even though it's from one of the top 10 B-Schools of India.

Could you tell me if I get my degree validated from IQAS right now, for how long will that be valid? I'm planning on going to Canada in 2-3 years' time, should I get it validated right now and see if they accept it as a Master's degree?
Although the WES sample degree evaluation tool is not completely reliable or accurate, I would still say that if you want to get a Master's equivalency, with the time frame that you are thinking of, it's better to go with IQAS or CES.

People only prefer WES because it is the fastest and a couple of months can make a huge difference to whether you get invited or not.

Although the ECA is valid for 5 years, as rightly pointed out by @humyum, I would suggest you wait till about 7-8 months before you plan to move, since you will be better equipped to take a decision basis the immigration landscape at that time, since the CRS trends are really hard to predict
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Old 7th July 2020, 09:58   #44
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Thanks Akhil. I have a Masters degree from USA and a Bachelors from India. I am going to opt with WES. Is it necessary to share Bachelors credentials ? As far as I know, IRCC will consider highest degree, no ?
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Old 2nd September 2020, 09:41   #45
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Re: The Federal Express Entry program, Canada : My experience

Hello Akhil, I hope you are doing well. I wanted to know if you have already obtained your PR for Canada? And ideally when would you be moving? I just wanted to get an idea of the current timelines for the PR process as I plan to start mine towards the end of the year.
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