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We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Old Jan 5th 2017, 11:53 am
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Default We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Well, as you may be able to guess by the time- My brain isn't yet on the right time zone. But I'm happy to say we arrived into Calgary yesterday afternoon so I thought I'd share our positive experience!

Flew with Westjet direct from London gatwick. Couldn't fault them! Super easy check in (they opened check in super early so people could get rid of their luggage) and it's only £21 to check in an extra bag.
Landed here at 2.30pm local time & went through all the normal passport checks- said to the guy who we had to show our landing card to that we wanted to apply for work permits on landing so he wrote something on top of the card & we carried on.
At very last passport check after collecting luggage we were sent through to customs. We sat for about an hour & a half. There were quite a few people. We it seemed ended up being last. By this point it was half 5 (12.30am in my head) and I was exhausted.

Then- the lovely immigration officer called us up. Asked us why we were there. Said for work. He asked if we'd been issued a permit before flying. We said no- husbands new employer (the university) said we could just do it in the airport as long as we had all the correct paperwork. This is what they told us to have which I had all neatly organized in a dedicated folder:

-The LMIA exception form the Uni had previously completed online & the receipt for it.
-The job offer letter stating salary and length of contract.
-His PhD certificate (because it was a postdoctoral position he'd been offered)
-his resume (though don't think he was bothered about that with the other forms there)
-our marriage certificate.
-a list of things we were bringing into the country (he didn't seem to need that either).

The we say back down while he did his bit on the computer. About 20mins later we were paying $410. $155 for his permit & the rest for mine which was an OWP. He was really nice- helpful. Permits are multiple entry- which we need. They were stapled into our passports then we left!

Overall- a very positive experience! Also thanks to the helpful people on this forum! I'm sure you know who you are! But thanks!!

Now we just need to figure out life here! Bank appointment & we get the keys to our house today!! :-)

(Sorry for that being so long...but it was long!!) haha
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 11:58 am
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Congratulations and glad it went so well.


I look forward to our own landing experience later in 2017, which I will also write up for anyone that might be interested.
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 1:05 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by Hurlabrick
Congratulations and glad it went so well.


I look forward to our own landing experience later in 2017, which I will also write up for anyone that might be interested.
Good luck to you! I was constantly googling things for ages leading up to it worrying that we'd have forgotten something! I've read too many stories where it's not been so plain sailing so thought I'd share a positive experience. Haha
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 1:54 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Welcome to Canada. Glad it all went well and enjoy your time settling in.
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 1:57 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by Engineer_abroad
Welcome to Canada. Glad it all went well and enjoy your time settling in.
Thanks!! Looking forward to it- if not quite daunted by the whole thing!
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 2:09 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by suzeandmatt
Thanks!! Looking forward to it- if not quite daunted by the whole thing!
it is at first but you will settle in pretty quick. The trick is to make enough time for you and your husband to enjoy what the city has to offer that way it wont feel such a chore.

Keep positive through it, you go through stages with moves like these. I found the first was about 6 months in when I couldn't stop comparing everything I didn't like to how it was back home. Beginning to get out of this now and just accept that they are different.

Enjoy!
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 3:18 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:



And glad the landing went well!
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 3:35 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by Engineer_abroad
it is at first but you will settle in pretty quick. The trick is to make enough time for you and your husband to enjoy what the city has to offer that way it wont feel such a chore.

Keep positive through it, you go through stages with moves like these. I found the first was about 6 months in when I couldn't stop comparing everything I didn't like to how it was back home. Beginning to get out of this now and just accept that they are different.

Enjoy!
Yeah that makes sense. I was thinking this morning- as I've done a fair bit of travelling but not really in "western" countries! A lot of the places we've spent a lot of time are around south east asia mainly. And I think you accept before you've even gone that it's going to be vastly different. And I think that almost makes it easier because you're much less likely to compare.
However, obviously despite doing loads of research before we came, there's still a part of you that thinks- how different can it really be?! So you aren't as prepared for all the differences and I think it makes the little differences stand out more!
Last night I needed to buy some paracetamol from the shop in the hotel we're currently staying- I was looked at blankly as nobody knew what I was on about when I asked for it. Cold and flu tablets got me what I wanted in the end. But I hadn't thought of things like that.

Just take each day as it comes I suppose!! :-)
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 3:41 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by suzeandmatt
Yeah that makes sense. I was thinking this morning- as I've done a fair bit of travelling but not really in "western" countries! A lot of the places we've spent a lot of time are around south east asia mainly. And I think you accept before you've even gone that it's going to be vastly different. And I think that almost makes it easier because you're much less likely to compare.
However, obviously despite doing loads of research before we came, there's still a part of you that thinks- how different can it really be?! So you aren't as prepared for all the differences and I think it makes the little differences stand out more!
Last night I needed to buy some paracetamol from the shop in the hotel we're currently staying- I was looked at blankly as nobody knew what I was on about when I asked for it. Cold and flu tablets got me what I wanted in the end. But I hadn't thought of things like that.

Just take each day as it comes I suppose!! :-)
Hahahahaha this made me laugh. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the paracetamol equivalent over here... as well as the normal Ibuprofen (Advil).

You'll find a handful of other things - my husband (British) says actually the biggest adjustment is more just language-related things, slightly different words or turns of phrase, but outside of that hasn't found it much of a culture shock!
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 5:55 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by SchnookoLoly
Hahahahaha this made me laugh. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the paracetamol equivalent over here... as well as the normal Ibuprofen (Advil).

You'll find a handful of other things - my husband (British) says actually the biggest adjustment is more just language-related things, slightly different words or turns of phrase, but outside of that hasn't found it much of a culture shock!
For me it is the everyday (small things). Not having freedom of choice over my energy supplier and car insurance company drove me nuts at the start. Cost of spray deodorant etc. Once you settle in you work out the work around.

To assimilate on culture start watching episodes of 22 minutes, this taught me what Canadians think about things, i.e. what do they think is stupid.

The language thing still gets me very now and again, and i'm married to an American who uses all the wrong words.
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Old Jan 5th 2017, 10:30 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by suzeandmatt
Well, as you may be able to guess by the time- My brain isn't yet on the right time zone. But I'm happy to say we arrived into Calgary yesterday afternoon so I thought I'd share our positive experience!
Congratulations on landing! Myself and my girlfriend are aiming for Calgary too, hopefully it's as smooth for us. Keep us updated

Originally Posted by Hurlabrick
Congratulations and glad it went so well.


I look forward to our own landing experience later in 2017, which I will also write up for anyone that might be interested.
I'll definitely be interested, keep us updated
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Old Jan 6th 2017, 1:25 am
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by Engineer_abroad
For me it is the everyday (small things). Not having freedom of choice over my energy supplier and car insurance company drove me nuts at the start. Cost of spray deodorant etc. Once you settle in you work out the work around.

To assimilate on culture start watching episodes of 22 minutes, this taught me what Canadians think about things, i.e. what do they think is stupid.

The language thing still gets me very now and again, and i'm married to an American who uses all the wrong words.
Not heard of 22minutes. Will have to have a look!
Some things seem quite a bit expensive but others seem much cheaper.
I'm also amazed that you can buy so many drugs just off the shelf! Boxes of 250 ibuprofen at extra strength!! What?!? Haha
I think I'm finding the language thing much easier than my husband. We're from Newcastle so have that annoying Geordie accent and talk really quickly! Haha husband is already finding that difficult. I've told him he'll just have to slow down a tad and speak a bit more clearly! He'll get there in the end- when he's sick of repeating himself!

On the plus side as well today we also very easily set up a joint bank account & credit card after partially setting it up online from the uk.
And we got the keys to our new house & set up the housing insurance for that. Our new house is lovely and ideal for us as well! So far so good!! :-)
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Old Jan 6th 2017, 4:30 am
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Just in time for another cold spell....
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Old Jan 6th 2017, 12:26 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by suzeandmatt
Yeah that makes sense. I was thinking this morning- as I've done a fair bit of travelling but not really in "western" countries! A lot of the places we've spent a lot of time are around south east asia mainly. And I think you accept before you've even gone that it's going to be vastly different. And I think that almost makes it easier because you're much less likely to compare.
However, obviously despite doing loads of research before we came, there's still a part of you that thinks- how different can it really be?! So you aren't as prepared for all the differences and I think it makes the little differences stand out more!
Last night I needed to buy some paracetamol from the shop in the hotel we're currently staying- I was looked at blankly as nobody knew what I was on about when I asked for it. Cold and flu tablets got me what I wanted in the end. But I hadn't thought of things like that.

Just take each day as it comes I suppose!! :-)
Great insight and attitude, especially the first 2 bits I bolded.

I found Canada harder than more "exotic" locations (SE Asia mainly) because of a mainly subconscious feeling of "how different can it be?".

Oh, and "bienvenue au pays" .
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Old Jan 6th 2017, 1:06 pm
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Default Re: We're here! My positive immigration experience yesterday:

Originally Posted by Shirtback
Great insight and attitude, especially the first 2 bits I bolded.

I found Canada harder than more "exotic" locations (SE Asia mainly) because of a mainly subconscious feeling of "how different can it be?".

Oh, and "bienvenue au pays" .
Yeah- definitely with you on that one!

I'm looking forward to a good explore- which I might have to put slightly on hold for a few days as my body has decided it wants to just accept a full blown flu- of all the times to choose!! - which may not be a bad thing looking at the forecast! Haha

And thank you!! Hopefully we like it!!
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