I was thinking of applying for Calgary. One of the questions in the application pack ask's if you ever taken drugs. Yes I taken some cannabis as a youth and before joining the police which has been for over 12 yrs now of what I would consider excellent service. If I answer yes am I black balled straight away? If I answer no and have to sit lie detector test will they find out?
I just want to be honest.

What do you think?

PS What do they ask during these tests.

Hi I have emailed you!

Regards

Gary

You answer honestly and say yes. It's not a big deal. I might be a big deal if you are still using ! If that's the only question on the application that you have to answer 'yes' to, you are doing very well !!

The lie detector test simply goes over every question you put on that form. In detail.

Do not lie or try and get round it. It is not worth it. When they find out, you will be banned for life. Be honest. They've heard it all. And you'd be hard pushed to shock them. The biggest issue is a) lying and b) having done stuff recently and/or while you have been a police officer.

Nicking pens and a pad from work probably won't be an issue. 'Acquiring' seized property, or having a sideline in job loo rolls would be!

Thanks for the reply, I've emailed Blads. Yes I have nothing to hide, but didn't want to waste my time with the whole application process and get knocked back for not telling anyone I'd smoked some weed as a kid over 20 yrs ago.

James

Evening all (Sigh)....

I got back from Calgary about 2 weeks ago having done all of the testing during a weeks holiday. They are doing my background at the moment. Fingers crossed.....

I thought I was going over to a reasonably good wage (top rate PC) but I have just found the fortnightly rate earlier in this thread and nearly fell off
my chair. It seems to work out to about £1600 pounds a month. I know you say you shouldn't convert back into pounds that pay seems really, really low. I think the thread said $1700 is per fortnight. It seems to be a hell of a cut from $75k per year.

Even bringing over a fair bit of equity we would really struggle on this wage.
I am thinking a mortgage of about $1200, council tax, utility bils etc would wipe out the first fortnight and the second fortnight would be food and petrol. Nothing left for childcare and school fees let alone "entertainment". Is this big move really do-able or do you find yourself better off over there?

My main question is to any officers out there who are currently out of training and serving at the moment. I have heard the overtime rate is quite generous compared to the UK. Does this make up for the drop and how many hours is the norm? I know this is like asking how long a piece of string is due the varying exploits of the UK wedge warriors but I am just trying to lift the gloom in my household that this news has brought.

Ta

Good News my file manager made contact today asking what mths I would prefer to take the tests. Ive requested June or July.

Anyone else out there had contact or requesting the same mths?

Hi Sam,

I too got an email today asking what months i wanted to go out in. I opted for June and September as was told that July and August were full up!!!

Sent an email back straight away so here's hoping i get another reply soonish!!!

Good luck to you and anyone else who has heard any news!

DMAPPS

I see that a few people have been contacted recently and invited out for tests. I submitted my application in March and received an email on 26/3 confirming receipt but haven't heard anything since. Just trying to work out at what point it would be appropriate to chase them up, as there is a lot of info on this thread about the process being slow, and remaining patient etc. Any suggestions?

Doug and Jo

If its of any help... i recieved the email saying they had recieved my app on 14/04/2008. so its taken them just over two weeks to respond.

when i initially sent my app to them at the beginning of march there was a problem with it...when they emailed me i rectified the problem the following day by faxing them the additional information... i called them to confirm receipt of the email and then left it.... after 2 weeks i hadnt heard anything so called and was told that the app had been sent back!!!!

I'm not suiggesting that yours has been sent back but it may be worth giving them a call to find out how its going!!!

good luck!

Dmapps

Hi dmapps

I had an email on the 17/04/ to say that my app was now complete and would be passed on to wait a file manager to be assigned. Have you had an email like this?
If so how long before you got an email asking you about dates?

hi 438bs

I had the same email as you on 14th april! this seems to be a general email sent to say they have received it and that it has passed the initial papersift!
I then didn't hear from them until 30th april so just over two weeks later! this was just an email introducing my file manager and letting me know a rough idea of months to go out for testing!
I would suggest that if you don't hear by midweek next week perhaps give them a quick call to see where you're at!

If it helps, I applied April 2007. I was telephoned at the end of September offering me dates for testing at the end of October. For various reasons I actually went to Calgary in December. I was told I had been a offered a job mid February 2008 and yesterday got my PNP offer. Now am waiting between three and seven months for a Visa from the Embassy in London. I am hoping to be on the training course on 17th November 2008 (assuming I can sell my house). It takes a long time!

Hi, Can I just ask what the procedure is once you get the job offer. I went for testing at the end of Jan and got my job offer last week. I take it they send all the PNP info through and you just fill it in. Do Alberta have to accept the PNP application and then do you wait for an actual visa to come through. I take it the visa part is the one that takes the time.

Hi AlanM,

When you get your written offer it will contain all the info for you to fill in the relevant forms. These forms are on the net. I will email you the full details seperate to this blog.
Once you fill them in and send them off back to CPS.
CPS will then counter sign them as long as everything is ok. It is then sent to Edmonton for the PNP process.

Once the goverment office receive your application they will send you an automated email to let you know they have it. This email states it will take 40-60 days to process your PNP application.
They received mine on the 10th April and had processed it by the 14th, it then took six days to arrive back in the UK.

Once you get the PNP nomination you are on the last stage, Immigration. You now have to submit all the immigration forms to the High Commission along with the fee's. This is the stage we are at. I submitted my forms on Thursday this week so back to the waiting game for us.

Regards

Gary

Morning Si

I can see that the pay thing is causing you a great deal of concern and it's good to see you are doing your research before you take a huge life-changing step.

I would advise you to start by assessing what you have at the moment in the UK. Length of service, rank, status, position on the housing ladder, location of work and home, schools, leisure facilities and overall quality of life.

Once you've listed where you are now, stop, and ask yourself why you want to go to Canada? Every single person will have different reasons for having the dream and that dream will take very different branches from the route planned, believe me!

It's true that since summer 2006, Calgary has become a much more expensive place to live, mostly because of a 65% increase in house prices in less than 9 months.

There are a host of things that is keeping the exchange rate down that are way too complicated to go into right now. Find a forum member call cneldred on this expat site and you'll learn a lot about what's going on in that area.

Back to your move to Calgary... with what you are bringing from the UK in terms of cash, you will have to research hard and spend VERY wisely. The basic pay for a 1st class constable will not make you wealthy! How you spend the money and your time not at work will certainly make you a lot happier than most folk in the UK.

I was a top rate Sgt in the UK who rarely got a sniff of overtime :curse: My BASIC pay here as a CONSTABLE is just about exactly the same as what I left behind in the UK. If you are an Inspector or above in the UK, then I can tell you, you will be unhappy here The reason for that is simple. You will be taking a pay cut and you will be returning to the sharp end and will be made to understand there is a pecking order at every stage. I for one support that aspect of their progression system because the UK police service has become a very unfair place to progress. They do not care a jot here for your ethnicity, sexuality, marital status or gammy knees if you don't do the job, earn respect through experience and determination you will not progress. I'm afraid I lost all faith in the British 'Leadership' when they started insisting on filling in the ethnicity type forms with any application for progression/promotion.

In a nutshell Si, take a long hard look at why you want to come to Canada. If it's only for money, then you may well be making a big mistake. I hope you do decide to come here because I know it has so much more going for it than the UK. My two pre-school kids are outside playing in the street right now. They can do so without me standing guard for them in case some druggy or pervert takes an unhealthy interest in them. Every other person in the neighbourhood is also watching out for everyone, that's how it works out here.

Some food for thought for you and anyone else basing their decisions on money. Good luck regardless and hope to see you here one day.

Keith.