The McDowalls go to Canada

Sunday 16 August 2009 - The end of 120 days...

Phew.... well we are racing towards the end of our 120 days, and despite some communication issues with our lawyer in Canada, we are getting there!

Only two employers (one of mine, one one of John's) have not replied, but thankfully we have other documents to prove our time of employment.

In other news, we know have to move house too :(  Our current landlords are returning from abroad and need their house back! So panic stations..... we had the weekend marked out for completing all the documentation, meeting the notary to get everything signed, and putting together our application etc, well that went out the window.  Frantic house-hunting ensued, followed by a deposit on a new house.

Unfortunately it's unfurnished..... which now means we have to go out and buy loads of furniture at a really inappropriate time, when we can little afford it :(

Oh well..... life's always throwing hurdles to make sure we remember how to jump!

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Sunday 26 July 2009 - 120 day letter - stress and worry

It's really a double edged sword.... you are so excited to get the letter, but then reality hits.

You want me to find WHAT exactly?  From TEN years ago?  How on earth.......??

Not only that, but then the realisation that you have to find £7.5k for real, not just talk about finding it.... sell the car, cancel the holiday, cancel Christmas etc.... It's tough.  I don't mind admitting I have shed a few tears, especially for the generosity of my Gran in giving us a big financial boost to help us on our way - THANK YOU GRAN x

Anything worth doing is never easy is it?  Not to mention if we can get through the stress together, our new marriage is strong as it needs to be to get us through this long long process.

So, in practical terms, the police check certificates have been sent off, as have reference requests to all our previous employers, we can only wait and hope that they all reply quickly.  Also the difficult task of telling our respective employers, thankfully they both took it well, and John's boss has been particularly supportive.

Now just trying to clarify a few issues, such as do we have to take a French test?  Do our University certificates need to be in a sealed envelope issued ONLY from the University? (That one is particularly bonkers!).

Watch this space...
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Sunday 19 July 2009 - Where has the last month gone?

86 days to paperwork deadline

So having let over 30 days elapse already since we received our document request... the pressure is on to start getting things together! 

First things first - the police check certificate.  I have got my mug shots photographs done and completed my form, just waiting to see Mr Civil Servant Friend who can sign the photo for me.  Still awaiting husband getting photos done and filling in the form.

Next - got the checklist out to see what exactly needs done. Hubbie and I dragged out our 'filing' and dug through to see what we had.  I was encouraged to see I had more P60's than I thought which is good, however I am missing all proof of employment before 2003....  

Sat down and made a list of all the employers I have had and places I have lived since 1999, which is much harder than it sounds.  I really do wonder how people who are older than me are able to do this, it is so difficult....!  Did I go to Gran Canaria in 2002 or 2003?  Wait, when did I work in Lake Garda, what year did Bally shoes shut down?  Help!!

A helpful lady on the forum gave me the address to contact HM Revenue and Customs to request NI records, so hopefully that will be enough if I can't get any employment details from older employers.

Lunn Poly was bought by TUI in 2004, so no longer exist, and Bally Shoes only have a Head Office address in Switzerland!  Crikey this is time consuming....

No movement on the hubbie front yet with contacting employers, but I am sure when he does do it he will be on here himslef to tell you all about it!


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Tuesday 30 June 2009 - The dreaded paperwork!

Holy moly..... what a HUGE list of documents.......109 days and counting!

Forms:

Schedule 1 Form

Additional Family Information Form

Use of Representative Form

 

IDENTITY AND CIVIL STATUS DOCUMENTS

Birth, marriage, final divorce, annulment or separation certificates for you and

Spouse

 

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND PASSPORTS

Passports or travel documents for you, your spouse or common-law partner and

your dependent children. Include only copies of pages showing the passport

number, date of issue and expiry, your photo, name, date and place of birth.

If you live in a country different from your nationality include a photocopy of your

visa for the country where you currently live. Note that all prospective immigrants

must hold a valid regular passport; diplomatic, official, service or public affairs

passports are not valid for immigration to Canada.

 

EDUCATION/TRAINING/QUALIFICATIONS

For you and your spouse or common-law partner:

Post-secondary education documents: vocational or technical certificates or

diplomas;

College or university documents: certification of completion and the

graduation degree, diploma, or certificate issued by the college or university and

the evaluation committee;

Transcripts: original transcripts of all degrees must be submitted in universitysealed

envelopes.

Professional qualifications certificates: notarized professional qualification

certificates should be submitted if available. (e.g.. Engineer, Computer

Programmer, Accountant, Economist, Translator/Interpreter, Architect etc.)

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

For you and your spouse or common-law partner:

notarized employment contracts from your present and past employers,

accompanied by an English or French translation

Original and up-to-date letters of reference from your past and current employers.

Letters must be written on company letterhead and show the company’s full

address, telephone and fax numbers, and be stamped with the company’s official

seal.

 

Letters must include all of the following information:

the specific period of your employment with the company

the positions you have held during the period of employment and the time spent

in each position

your main responsibilities in each position

your total annual salary plus benefits

the signature of your immediate supervisor or the personnel officer of the

company

a business card of the person signing

 

If you cannot provide a reference from your current employer, provide a

written explanation.

 

POLICE CERTIFICATES AND CLEARANCES

Original police certificates of good conduct or clearances, from each country/

state/territory in which you and everyone in your family aged 18 years or over

have lived for six months or longer since reaching the age of 18.

Submit original fingerprints directly to the authorities conducting the police

checks

If you have obtained police certificates from countries where the authorities will

forward results directly to us, attach a brief explanatory note to your application
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Monday 29 June 2009 - Finally we are through to the next stage

So nearly 7 months after our initial application.....we finally received our 120 day letter on 17th June 2009.

We were on holiday in central Europe (Budapest on that day) and the e-mail from the lawyer came as a huge shock as we had not been thinking about it since we left.

Relief that our application had not been lost, as we suspected, then excitement, then fear!  How are we going to pay off all our debts AND save enough money to get ourselves to Canada and set up there?? 

Some news is that John's job might be offering for him to go to London 3 days a week, every week :( which would mean a significant payrise, but obviously I would miss him terribly!

Will keep you posted on what happens with that.

Clare
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Thursday 11 December 2008 - The start of our journey

Last month John and I took the plunge and submitted our application to the Canadian Government to emmigrate to Canada!

Unfortunately we have picked one of the most turbulent times in Canadian politics, with the opposition threatening to overthrow the minority Conservative Government, the Government putting 'The List' in place which has 38 supposedly high demand occupations listed on it which will be put to the top of the pile........

Who knows what is going to happen?

Watch this space....!


C&J x
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