[ritz3645]

I am not denying the fact that Canada is a wonderful place to be. During winter's on TTC some will complain of the cold weather, and I was like, it's Canada. Many people in Canada especially the elders found it surprising, that I left such a nice sunny place to be there. Post coming back my body took months to thaw & adapt to India. I too ran away as wanted to leaving every thing, but Toronto made me appreciate things I have. What I miss is driving, nature.

[basilmabraham]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Guys,

I received my Canadian PR yesterday morning- the application was approved in 22 days flat !

Do let me know if any of guys need any help on Express Entry- I didn't go through any consultant. I had extensive travel history (more than 10 countries), and a family size of 4.

Congrats Jacob for the Canadian PR. Great to see outcome received in less than a month. I had got my Australia PR in 90 days flat in 2015. All the best with the move and settlement.

You may know this already, still thought this would help others too.

If your 'Big 4' , EY?, can give you a transfer, take that irrespective of the job role and salary they offer. It is great to move with a job in hand. Once in the country and settled, you can look around in peace to find your dream job. If that doesn't work, try and get relevant industry standard certifications related to your role which are recognised in Canada and get your resume ship-shape in accordance to the regional standards. Standing apart in a crowd of many look-a-likes, from the same region in the same boat, is the key to being called in for an interview. Once in the room, face-to-face, it is much easier to convince them about how you can adapt to fit the role at hand. Also keep your expectations low from a remuneration perspective, but not too low that the employer thinks that you doubt your skills. This worked wonders for me when I moved to Sydney and had a decent job in my line of work in two weeks after arrival.

All the best again.

[jacobvarughese]

Thanks much, mate. What you have articulated aforesaid are all terrific gameplans. Just hope everything goes well.

How was the whole 'settlement' process for you?

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Guys,

I received my Canadian PR yesterday morning- the application was approved in 22 days flat !

Do let me know if any of guys need any help on Express Entry- I didn't go through any consultant. I had extensive travel history (more than 10 countries), and a family size of 4.

Had put up file on Nov 28, 2016. Yet to get ITA.
If feasible, could you please share CRS, LMIA or anything that can help me ?
My IELTS is getting expired in April 2018.

[jacobvarughese]

I secured 444 CRS points which was enough to receive an invite. Focus on IELTS, and aim for a minimum of 8777, corresponding to Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

I secured 444 CRS points which was enough to receive an invite. Focus on IELTS, and aim for a minimum of 8777, corresponding to Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking.

444 is awesome !
My score is 411.

IELTS is 9-Listening, 7.5-Reading, 6.5-Writing, 7-Speaking.
My sister is in Canada PR holder, that should have helped.

Probably CRS is the trouble ?
Let me plan to meet a few agents here. My earlier experience with agents was far from good.

[HKap]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Congrats on your PR! I just started in my 30s and the question of moving out of India has popped up. I am in IT Support, in BFSI domain. The job is really good but I am having other issues which is affecting my personal life. I feel its better to sty away from it to fix my issues. I am considering Canada & Australia. Can you please share cost details for Canada PR if doing on my own? I did lookup on the canada immigration website, i am still not clear on certain things like - category of PR or visa and fund details i need to show.

For a family of 3 it cost me about 1.2-1.3L including the processing fee, IELTS, WES, Medical etc. You would most likely fall under the federal skilled worker category.

[jacobvarughese]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

444 is awesome !
My score is 411.

IELTS is 9-Listening, 7.5-Reading, 6.5-Writing, 7-Speaking.
My sister is in Canada PR holder, that should have helped.

Probably CRS is the trouble ?
Let me plan to meet a few agents here. My earlier experience with agents was far from good.

You don't need to use the service of 'immigration agents' to do this- it's fairly straight-forward and transparent.

As stated before, if you improve your IELTS scores you stand a good chance.

Originally Posted by HKap

For a family of 3 it cost me about 1.2-1.3L including the processing fee, IELTS, WES, Medical etc. You would most likely fall under the federal skilled worker category.

Almost right- it cost me circa 2.75 lakhs to get everything done for a family of 4 !

[HKap]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Almost right- it cost me circa 2.75 lakhs to get everything done for a family of 4 !

It depends. Did you use an agent?

My costs were

Approx 1500 CAD for the processing and RPRF

Approx 500 CAD for the canadian education equivalent thing (My wife and me)

Approx INR 20000 for IELTS (my wife and me)

Approx INR 20000 for Medical (for the family)

[jacobvarughese]

Originally Posted by HKap

It depends. Did you use an agent?

My costs were

Approx 1500 CAD for the processing and RPRF

Approx 500 CAD for the canadian education equivalent thing (My wife and me)

Approx INR 20000 for IELTS (my wife and me)

Approx INR 20000 for Medical (for the family)

Nope, I didn't use an agent- Canadavisa.com was my Bible, and ofcourse I leveraged the 'real' Bible too.

Here are my breakdown in costs-

2083 CAD (1.2 lakhs INR) for RPRF and Processing fees- Family size of 4
Like you- approx. 500 CAD (25k INR) for ECA (Spouse and myself)
PCC- 25,000 INR (I had India and UK- selected Premium processing for UK and it was the 2nd PCC as the other one was old)
Medical: circa 20k for a family of 4 at KIMS Hospital, Trivandrum
IELTS: 24,000 for spouse and myself
Others (Notary for Legal name change doc/Proof of Funds gift deed etc): 10,000 INR
Dropping passports at VFS (no centre in Kerala): 20,000 INR this includes 4,084 as costs toward VFS and my flight charges (back and forth).

[petrol_power]

How is the current scenario in immigrating to a foreign land help in making some quick money?
My wife is being asked for an onsite in Australia (2 years) and her company is ready to process my work permit as well, as that's the policy in her company when they send a married lady abroad.

So I called up one of my friend's in Australia and he claims the following undeniable expenses which is making me re-think my decision. (I never wanted to go abroad, but finally though of it only if it helps in making some quick money and return within 3-5 yrs).

1. I have a 2 yr old kid and she has to be put in day-care - approx 1.5 lacs in INR.
2. I guess 2 BHK is mandatory if there is a kid(even if not, we prefer not to stay in a single room), and a decent 2BHK accomodation in sydeny is around 1.5 lacs.
3. Atleast 1 lac required for our regular monthly expenses.

All these will make my wife's salary nill. So if I get a basic remuneration of 2 lacs, that's what we can save. And I am sure that amount will be spent in travels and other purchases.

So my doubt is that does it make any sense for a family to move to Australia/foreign land, if the intention is to make lots of money without compromising decent standard of living (decent accomodation, car and trips).

[joe1980]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

You don't need to use the service of 'immigration agents' to do this- it's fairly straight-forward and transparent.

As stated before, if you improve your IELTS scores you stand a good chance.

Is this Canadian PR valid without a Job offer? Is immigrating to Canada can be done without a valid job offer at hand? How would one then cover his living expenses? You take some money with you to survive the first couple of months until you find a good job? Just curious!

[HKap]

Originally Posted by joe1980

Is this Canadian PR valid without a Job offer? Is immigrating to Canada can be done without a valid job offer at hand? How would one then cover his living expenses? You take some money with you to survive the first couple of months until you find a good job? Just curious!

Yes, you can move without a job offer. And yes you will need to bring some money with you.

Originally Posted by petrol_power

How is the current scenario in immigrating to a foreign land help in making some quick money?
My wife is being asked for an onsite in Australia (2 years) and her company is ready to process my work permit as well, as that's the policy in her company when they send a married lady abroad.

So I called up one of my friend's in Australia and he claims the following undeniable expenses which is making me re-think my decision. (I never wanted to go abroad, but finally though of it only if it helps in making some quick money and return within 3-5 yrs).

1. I have a 2 yr old kid and she has to be put in day-care - approx 1.5 lacs in INR.
2. I guess 2 BHK is mandatory if there is a kid(even if not, we prefer not to stay in a single room), and a decent 2BHK accomodation in sydeny is around 1.5 lacs.
3. Atleast 1 lac required for our regular monthly expenses.

All these will make my wife's salary nill. So if I get a basic remuneration of 2 lacs, that's what we can save. And I am sure that amount will be spent in travels and other purchases.

So my doubt is that does it make any sense for a family to move to Australia/foreign land, if the intention is to make lots of money without compromising decent standard of living (decent accomodation, car and trips).

I don't think there is such a thing as quick money. I have a few friends in Australia and they all say that Sydney is very expensive. Melbourne in comparatively cheaper. However, saving in India is also difficult if you don't have your house paid off. So if you're not saving in both places then I'd pick Australia. Of course I can't comment for your case. This is just a general POV.

On a more serious note, I think you will need anywhere between 1500-2000 AUD per month to pay for groceries, travel costs, car payment etc. I'm not sure what insurance charges are out there but you need to provision at least 200-300 AUD per month for that too. As far as day care is concerned the government does give you some sort of a tax break. Not sure what it is but you should check.

Overall, I don't think there is quick money anywhere. It's all the same. I used to save in India twice to thrice the amount that I save/will save here. This was just 3 months ago.

Make it a life decision and not one related to money.

[basilmabraham]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

How was the whole 'settlement' process for you?

It has been good so far. This is not the first time we are settling in a foreign land. Compared to the last time, when we moved to Munich, this time, everything that we do has a long term relevance. In Munich, I was bound by the employment and visa and hence could not take up longer term commitments. Here the case is different, and hence much better.
Simple things like buying a car, furniture and hopefully a house, all can be achieved, or desired for, as we plan to stay permanently and not for a short stint, and not bound by an employment related visa. Presence of Indian community including churches with Malayalam mass every Sunday, ready availability of grocery and a very immigrant friendly cosmopolitan society, helps a lot in settling down. We have moved to a very nice suburb with good schools and plan to buy our own place very soon. So, yes, settlement going well, but many many miles to go.

Originally Posted by petrol_power

How is the current scenario in immigrating to a foreign land help in making some quick money?

So my doubt is that does it make any sense for a family to move to Australia/foreign land, if the intention is to make lots of money without compromising decent standard of living (decent accomodation, car and trips).

I do not think you should immigrate to a first world country thinking of making a quick buck. TO maintain the first world status, there is a lot of tax and fees collected, so it would be expensive. But rest assured, you will get back most of the tax paid in some form or fashion, and you live a much better standard life. Specifically about your questions

1. Long day care is very expensive in Australia, and especially Sydney. We pay $106 per day for my 4 year old daughter. The government pays half of this back irrespective of your income. There are some more rebates available if you fall below a certain income category ($180K for the family, IIRC). There could be places that are cheaper, you only get back what you pay for, so your call.
2. There is no hard and fast rules about the minimum rooms as far as I know. A 2BHK in a decent suburb will cost you minimum of $500 per week as rent. Gas and Electricity charges are on top of this, typically $200 each per quarter. Renters contents insurance, which also covers you against accidents is around $300 per annum.
3. Regular expenses for food and groceries is where you can control a lot. If you do not eat out much and cook your meals at home, you can easily manage a month with less than $1000. But with kids at home and other incidental expenses, this could be more.

Medicare takes care of all your medical needs, however, private medical insurance is good to have, around $250 to 300 for a decent cover for a family of 4. If you buy a car worth $35,000, your weekly payment is around $120 mark. Travel is expensive, public transport would end up around $50 per person per week if travelling to work on train/bus. Trips and drives and camping and what not, if planned ahead can be had for great bargains and would be relatively cheaper compared to many other expenses.

All the details above are my take on the Australian life based on how we are living, I knew what I was signing up for. I have not compromised on anything at all and am living a life equal to or better than as I did in India, with all the added advantages of a developed nation and a highly affluencial suburb. Some generalisation included, please use your discretion and due diligence when taking decisions. As I mentioned earlier you do not move to a city like Sydney looking to save money, move for the experience and the better living standards. Hope this helps, happy to answer any other questions you may have.

[blacksport]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

For all BHPians re-settling overseas permanently I have only one request - please don't become like some OCI's who start looking down on India, on Indians and our ways, our problems, our Govt and so on. Some OCI's simply can't stop descending into a rant at the drop of a hat. Of course not everyone is like that but a significant number are. Sorry for this unsolicited request.

No harm in saying what you feel. In fact all people still living here don't think all is hunky dory here. At the rate things are progressing, this country would become unlivable very soon. Environment, safety/security, bad politics (hate to live under a theocracy), healthcare, liberty etc are some of the reasons. I for one, would like to get out, but since I didn't plan in advance, age and other factors are preventing me from emigrating.