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Showing posts with label Preparation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preparation. Show all posts

01 January 2017

Express Entry Guide 2017 for FSW Canada: Video

Found this video very useful for someone who wants to immigrate to Canada as an Experienced Professional and Skilled Worker.

But, before you start creating an Express Entry profile, make sure that all your documents are ready because it needs most of your information.  Have a list of documents that you need and most importantly, prepare the proof of fund.

Have a quick look on how the Express Entry works.


You can also read more about Express Entry in www.cic.gc.ca.  Here's the link:


If you need the sample documents and some guides to fill up the documents that lack spacing, visit the Resources page of my blog.

MM2C RESOURCES 

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03 November 2016

What Is It Like Living With Changing Temperatures in Canada

Wintertime in Toronto, took this photo while waiting for my wife at Esso gas station.
Let me tell you about what it’s like living in Canada, a country that has 4 seasons, which is spring, summer, fall and winter.

In my entire life, I haven’t had a chance to experience winter. Although I’ve been to Japan but it was the last few weeks of summer. In Philippines, I had visited Baguio, a place with temperatures that can go down 18oC to 10 oC.

But for negative temperatures, I’ve never been to that place at all until Canada.

For newcomers, living in tropical countries in their entire lives, this post will be helpful for you.  It's my way to teach you how to cope up with cold climates.

It's starts with a proper clothing.

Layering of Winter Clothing
Upper Clothing
Layering of clothing is essential during winter. On my first experience of the season, I wore four layers of upper clothing.  

  • 1st layer - Tropical shirt (cotton)
  • 2nd layer - Thick sweater
  • 3rd layer - Sweater with hood
  • 4th layer - Thick winter coat
The sweater with hood was added as the third layer because the winter coat that I used has no hood.

  • If winter coat has no head cover, the cold wind will penetrate our scalp and will easily bring down our body temperature.
Lower Clothing
I wore fleece pants under my corduroy pants.  Corduroy insulates my lower body better than denim jeans.  Denim jeans is my next choice, but it is not a good insulator.  Once it gets cold, it seems like it'll trap the cold air in it's fibers.  So I prefer corduroy than denim.

I got an underpants from SM Bicutan Department Store thinking that it can insulate me well.  It's labelled "Warm Pants".  When I tried it in Canada, it failed.  I still can feel the cold, so wearing it is useless.

Tip: Only buy your body insulators in Canada. Body insulation experts were born here, you know!

Footwear
For the footwear, I wore one thick socks under my waterproof shoes.  It is essential to have a water-proof shoes to avoid melted snow soaking your feet.  That will be freezing.

This Merrell waterproof shoes helped me a lot.  I invested $150 for this shoes and still using it.
Thick gloves is also important.  If you wear nothing, your hands will numb with cold.  Sometimes, you'll get a cut from somewhere and you'll never notice.

Tip: Invest in good footwear and gloves.

At this getup, I can now go out and feel the cold winter season of Toronto.  My tropical body wasn't get used to having this temperature so I shiver all the time even with these layers.  

Temperatures in Toronto can reach up to minus -20 oC.  It can last up to 2 to 3 days and it goes back to minus -10 oC.

At the start of the winter, the temperature will gradually drop from 8 oC to 3 oC . In December, it start to have flurries and temperature may be at around 1 oC to minus -3degC. 

January will start to have snowfalls and cold 100km/hr wind.  

I remembered waiting for a bus and a 100km/hr++ wind was trying to blow me off while holding the bus stop pole.   If that situation was in the Philippines, it would probably be a signal #2 storm.

What You Will See On the Roads?
Cars will travel slower and you can see steam on the mufflers.  You've seen this on TV...

Snow plowing trucks will be around.  They come in different sizes, small ones are like the size of golf carts and large ones similar to bulldozers.  In wide roads like expressways, they plow side by side with each other running 90km/hr.

This little guy is totally insulated with a cute Siberian Husky head gear. :D
How it feels like Winter?
If I were to go back in the days when I was preparing for our move to Canada, I should have practiced my brain on how to cope up with winter.

You're lucky you found this post because I'll teach you how to practice your mind and body to feel the winter while you're in a tropical place.

After reading this blog, do the following to teach your mind about cold.

  • Go to your refrigerator or to a store.  
  • Get a pack of ice and pour it all in a pail. 
  • Add a small amount of water to it until the ice floats.
  • If you have an air-conditioned room, set it at the lowest temperature possible and only wear thin t-shirt and shorts. Wait for 5 to 10 minutes.  
  • Then, soak your hands in the pail of ice and water until you can’t feel anything.  All fingers will feel numb at that moment.
That's what it feels like at sub zero temperatures.

Tip: Do this regularly to prepare yourself for the cold especially if you’re immigrating in winter.


That’s how cold a minus one (-1) oC temperature is.  Just imagine the temperatures lower than that.

If you need other information about the weather in Canada and how and what to wear, send me an email at benalagnam@yahoo.com or samtimerrun@gmail.com.


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01 May 2015

Top 5 Problems We Encountered As an Immigrant in Toronto Canada

Some of our relatives and friends that were in Canada may hide the negative aspects of their lives in the country, which they don't want us to know the real situation.

As always, my style was to give my readers all the positive aspects of a country where I reside in and true when I was in Singapore.

Like My Singapore Story, it's always focused on the positive side because I thought that showing those were easy than focusing on the darker regions.

This time, I had to lay down the "negative" cards in Canada because one of my readers (Anna) emailed me and asked about the problems that I had encountered here.

Here's her message...
"We just received the ITA from CIC yesterday so we will have to hand in the documents in 60 days and after 6 months should get the visa. 
I just read your wife, Net's writing on your blog that she just resigned from her job. How is your family situation now? Is it difficult to adapt there?...
....Please do share with us about your problems. We hope that we can see you soon in Toronto."
After reading her email, it made me realize that I should be starting to post about my problems that I've encountered here.  This is for the benefit of all FSW applicants and new immigrants.

Problems We'd Encountered In Canada
Like you, I was clueless about how Canada look like and how's life inside the country.  I got the information only from my relatives, friends and online forums.  

Although there are government sites that provide us information to settle, but it's not personal.  This time, you will have it straight from me in Toronto, Canada.

I will start from the month before we landed until the present.

1. Budgeting For The Airline Tickets
As we know the fact that the distance between Philippines and Canada is 6,921miles.  This means that the airline ticket is not expensive, but VERY expensive.

The price of our ticket on 2014 was PHP110,000.00 (USD2,500) for 2 adults and 2 kids, terminal fees and travel taxes are exclusive.  Instead of using the amount for my Proof Of Fund, it was diverted to my expenses.


Imagine if we are going for a vacation in Philippines, 4 of us, we might need to save money in 2 or more straight years just for the ticket and I wonder how much would it be then.

2. Permanent Residence Card
As soon as we arrived in Canada, the immigration officer at the airport informed us that we will receive our PR cards 8 to 10 weeks upon landing.

We waited for over that timeframe until I decided to call the CIC customer hotline to follow up our PR cards.  I was informed that they had sent a letter 2 months ago to my address and that it was returned to them due to a wrong address.

I can't remember how I mistakenly stated the address, but maybe I did.  They added that the reason for the delay in the issuance of our PR cards was because of our photos, which the Case Processing Center (CPC) was requiring us to submit a new set.

Usually, when CIC requires me to submit something, they'll send me an email in conjunction with a physical letter.  But, I was wondering, for this time, they haven't sent me an email correspondence.

We've been here for more than 5 months without the PR cards.   The proof of our status was only our COPR copies and passports.  So, we sent a new set of photos to CPC.

Few days ago, the PR cards came at last, but the bad news is, my card wasn't there.  Well, I need to inform them again.   The postman may have accidentally dropped it on his way to our mailbox.  We'll see how it goes.

3.  Effects of Winter in Our Tropical Skin
This is our first time to experience winter with temperatures that reaches -22degC and feels like -30degC.  You will know how it feels with these numbers and units once you get here.
























The first few weeks and months were a total adjustment for us.  We are clueless on the changes, which the cold weather affected our tropical body and skin.  We had experienced nose bleeding, super dry skin, skin pigmentation, clogged nose, and cracked skin that develops into a wound.


4. Time and Schedules
My wife and I were both working days after we've landed.   That was a good start and we're working enthusiastically on the first days and months in our job-site.

Our finances were good, we can buy the groceries we want and need for our daily necessities.  Bills are paid on time and the kids can have their weekend delight and surprises.

Then we realized that TIME was the culprit of us being unhappy with our job and setup.

To give you an idea, agencies hire people who were eager to work anytime and anywhere.  The schedules that they provide were the following:

Morning shift - 7:00am to 4:00pm
Afternoon shift - 4:00pm to 11:00pm
Night shift - 11:00pm to 7:00am
Normal shift - 8:00 to 5:00pm

For me, I was working on a normal shift.  On the other hand, my wife was given an afternoon shift. This is a good setup if we don't have children.  But, it's not the case.

My eldest son, SAM, should be in school at 8:30am to 3:00pm and my youngest stays home the whole day, playing.

I made a chart here to give you a better view of our situation.








The Yellow color is represented as the time when each of us is away from home. On the other hand, Green represents the time that we're at home.

The color that we need to focus our attention is at the Red line.  That means, at this period, me and my wife were both away from home and SAM and TOM's schedules were Green.  It was a big issue for us as to where to leave them with while we're away.

I was lucky to have a sister near our place who had an evening shift.  We send them both to her during our Yellow time.

5. Doing the Chores
When I arrive home from work, I had to fetch the two at my sister's house.  Coming from work, tired and hungry was the worst thing that I don't want to experience at the end of the day.  My wife was out to work and the problems were:

* Who prepares our dinner?
* Who prepares the milk and taking our kids to sleep?
* Who cooks our breakfast and prepares lunch?
* Who cleans the house?

So, my wife cleans the house, cooks dinner and breakfast when she's at home.  For me, I prepare the milk, clean the house, heat the food in the microwave, wash the dishes and put my kids to bed while I'm craving for food and sleep.  *sigh*

It was difficult having this type of setup.  Since we are new, we've closed our one eye and moved on with the uneasy setup for a few months...

If you've noticed, the problem of clothing and furniture were not included in the list, it's because I have my sister who happened to have a network of generous friends who provided us most of our winter, spring clothing and furniture.

If you don't have networks yet, you can buy second-hand clothing or buy at cheap factory outlets here in Toronto and this will be discussed on my future posts.

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20 August 2014

The Complete Mindset of an FSW Canada Applicant

Arranging an appointment for the IETLS test takes a long time.  The test results may reach 6 weeks or even 8 weeks to be delivered to our doors.

During the waiting period, we are there worrying about our band score and how well our results be, can it reach our expectations?

The educational assessment, another thing that we are worried about.  Could it be 4 years, 3 years or just 2 years equivalence?  What if it falls only at the high school/secondary level , what will happen to my FSW points?

Yes, I know...I also experienced those.  I've been trapped with the situation that I couldn't help but get worried about it all the time.

This post is to let you know that you are not alone with your anxieties.  Some applicants will say that they applied just for the sake of experience, but deep inside, they feel the same way too, I'm sure.

One applicant asked me if should he apply now or wait for the Express Entry next year.  He was worried if it might be too late for him, MAYBE the caps for his NOC category will be closed at the time he submits his application.

The only answer to his question is simple.
What's the Canadian Dream Killer?
MAYBE...is a word that will kill our hopes and dreams to go to Canada.  It is a killer of our mindset and the future of our families!

Here are the killer MAYBE's:
  • Maybe the caps of my NOC will be closed
  • Maybe my points are not enough
  • Maybe I can't reached the submission deadline.
  • Maybe my ECA has a low equivalency report, I will not reach the desired FSW points.
Let me explain for just a short while.

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If you really want to migrate and live the rest of your life to another country, do whatever you can to reach it.  It's you and only your mind can achieve that goal.

Your mind dictates your body.  If you're worried, the body will be weak and will never stand up to carry you and start your application.

Even the great Nostradamus can not predict what the Canadians are planning for the next Immigration.

Who have known, on 2007, that they will release the Simplified Application Process? Who have known that they will cancel all applicants who applied before 2008?  As a result, they returned all applications and that includes mine.

Yes, you'll say, I knew it!.. but it'll be too late.

Stop saying MAYBE...and changed it to CAN BE!

What Is the Best Thing to Do Now?
This time is your chance to apply for the current FSW Canada.  Remove all your worries, it will be your burden.  Focus on the gathering of documents, consolidate them as soon as you can.

Use all your resources, ask a favor from your friends and relatives to help you with some of your documents.  This is helpful specially when you're working abroad.

Ask and call them, but don't forget to leave some for their snacks and Starbucks.
   

Gather and collect your documents as soon as you can.

Do the things first that takes time to accomplish like taking the IELTs and sending your credentials for Educational Credential Assessment, and expired passport renewals.

Go on, gather them all and ask me some of your questions along the way.

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09 August 2014

My Timeline: Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Canada 2013 Application

To understand more about the response time of Canada to our application for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, I had prepared my Timeline here so you can estimate the flow of your application.  Take note that this is a FSW 2013 timeline and just a guide for you.

I will discuss here one by one regarding the activities on each event update.  You can click the links provided so you'll see the complete details of that certain activity.

(days) or (months) - red refers to the time difference of a Update from a previous date.
(days) or (months) - green refers to the time difference of an Update from day (0).

Here it goes...

Update 1 (0 days) (0 days)
July 1, 2013 
The full application was ready for submission and I prepared it inside a white envelope and went to DHL to send it to Nova Scotia, Canada.

Update 2 (7 days) (7 days)
July 8, 2013 
I checked with DHL with the help of the DHL online document tracker and found that my documents have been received by the Centralized Intake Office.

Update 3 (3 months) (3 months)
October 10, 2013 
An email was received from the Centralized Intake Office, Nova Scotia Canada.  It has a letter stating that they had received my full application with a positive determination of eligibility and indicated my Unique Client Identifier (UCI) and Immigration Application number

At this time, my application was accepted for processing, the CIO had sent it to the designated Canadian Embassy.   They sent my application at the Canada Embassy in Manila (CEM).

Note: In my application, I indicated Singapore as the "Immigration Office requested for processing this application" but they sent it instead to Manila, Philippines.  The reason might be because I am not a permanent residence (PR) in Singapore.

Update 4 (6 months) (9 months)
April 15, 2014 
A request for Medical for me and my dependents and additional documents (Passport copy, Singapore police clearance, Philippines police clearance) was received though an email from the Canada Embassy, Manila. 

Update 5 (6 days) (9 months)
April 21, 2014 
Went to Raffles Medical in Singapore for my medical examination.  Discussed with my current boss about my future resignation.

Update 6 (4 days) (9 months)
April 25, 2014 
The result of the medical examination was sent by the hospital directly to the Canada Embassy, Manila.

Update 7 (1 month) (10 months)
May 28, 2014 
Due to unforeseen circumstances, my dependents' medical examination were delayed.  They took their medical exam at the IOM Manila Health Center.

Update 8 (2 months)  (12 months)
July 11, 2014 
YESSS!!!!
Our Visas were approved.  This is the happiest moment of my life.  I made a dedicated post for this event at "VISA APPROVED for Federal Skilled Worker Canada: My Experience".

I received an email from the Visa Office of Canada Embassy, Manila informing us that our immigration visas are ready for stamping.  They requested to submit our passports, 2 recent photos and the Appendix A form.

The passport should be submitted at the High Commission of Canada in Singapore through their accredited courier Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC).

Update 9 (5 days)  (12 months)
July 16, 2014 
Sent the passports to Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC) in Singapore.  Here is the post on how I submitted our passports to CVAC "Passport Submission at Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC) Experience"
July 23, 2014 Tendered my resignation verbally.  I informed my employer 2 months ahead so they can hire a replacement for me, and transfer my knowledge professionally.
Update 10 ( 32 days)  (13 months)
August 16, 2014 
As indicated in our passports, the High Commission of Canada in Singapore stamped our visas.

Update 11 ( 12 days)  (13 months)
August 28, 2014 
The Canada Visa Application Service (CVAC) in Singapore informed me that our passports are ready for collection. I personally went to CVAC office to collect the valuable goods.  Feel the excitement at my post here.

September 2014 
Returned to Philippines from Singapore and rendered my final resignation. Cancelled all credit cards, debit and apartment rentals.

October 2014 
Went to my hometown to visit my relatives.

Attended the seminars in Manila.
Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) - required by the Philippine Government
CIIP - Optional, but it's all about how to find jobs in Canada (recommended)

 November 2014
Had landed successfully in Canada.  Got a job after 5 days and worked as an Assembler in  a small scale factory.

 February 2015 
Got a new job in my field of expertise after 3 months of working as an Assembler. Passed a G1 driver's license written test but needs to be with a fully licensed driver to drive.

 March 2015 
Passed the G2 Driving license, and was allowed to drive in Canada alone.  I was also allowed to drive on highways like 401, 407, 427, and etc...with maximum speed of 100kph.

 April 2015 
Went to Quebec specifically in Montreal.  It was the same as Toronto except that drivers can't turn right on a red traffic signal.

Visited Ottawa for the first time.

 May 2015 
Went to Sarnia, Port Hope, Peterborough, Cambridge, Guelph, Brampton and Middleton.   These places are beautiful in many ways.  I've been blessed to have a chance to visit these places.

 June 2015 
Went to Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta and have a chance to visit my best friend there, whom I haven't met for 7 years.

 Present Day 
Now working in my field of expertise taking care of the whole Canada.  This is an opportunity for me to blog more about the country.  So far, I've seen the beauty of the place while it was covered with snow.  Let's see when the spring comes.

The scenery is stunning, for the first time, as I was used seeing places in a tropical and middle eastern countries.

How to Add Your Timeline?
 You can add your timeline in my Google Drive to get these benefits:
  • You can view and update your timeline online
  • You can compare your timeline with mine and other applicants
  • You can track your progress online
  • View other timelines
You can click the link below to view and add your timeline.

 CHECK MY TIMELINE AT GOOGLE DRIVE AND INSERT YOURS TOO!

Sample Snapshot:
Click the photo to Visit
Check out the New Menu bar below for faster navigation.

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21 July 2014

IELTS Test Centers and Locations with Free Practice Materials and My Experience in Singapore

One of the requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program in Canada is to provide a proof of your language skills.  To do this is to take the International English Testing System (IELTS) exam.

The exam is to check your skills in Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking.  Each skill will be measured by a band score, which is then used to compute for the points at your FSW eligibility under the language skills factor.

There are two types of the exam, one is Academic and the other is the General Training.  If we are taking the test as a proof of our language skills for the FSW in Canada, we only need to take the General Training test.

Where to Take the IELTS?
There are many test centers for IELTS that you can choose from.  For me, I took it with the British Council examiner for the following reasons:
  • The name itself, British Council, is legitimate enough to take the English Test.
  • The website of the British Council is easy to navigate and I found no glitch when I tried it with my IELTS application.
  • They will provide IELTS reviewers once the appointment fee is received.
  • The test center, in Singapore, is organized, no hassles.
  • The results delivered at my doorstep was on time as expected.
IELTS has more than 900 test centers and locations in more than 130 countries.  I made a link for you, so you can select the IELTS test center and locations nearest you.  It's up to you which center would you take your test with.


What to Expect During the IELTS Test? 
There are four assessments for the IELTS exam. These are the reading, listening, writing and speaking.  I'll give you an idea based on my experience taking it at the British Council in Singapore.

The test for reading, speaking and listening were done inside an air-conditioned room at the Civil Service College near the Buona Vista MRT Station.

There were 15-20 applicants inside the room seated in rows.  It was a classroom setup with armchairs and a single space gap between applicants.

We were instructed not to take a toilet break or go out from the room during the testing period.  So, for those who will take this test, do not drink a lot of water and never take a heavy breakfast.

There were two audio speakers, paper board and a projector in front that were used for displaying instructions.  The speakers were used for the listening test.

Each test category was given a time limit and was strictly implemented.

Reading - We were given a booklet, inside were articles and short stories provided.  There were three types of passages and need to respond to related questions in a given time limit.

Here are some examples of the test, take note that this is not the actual.  This is only for your reference.
PRACTICE TEST (Reading)
Listening - The two audio speakers in front of us were used at this time.  It played a conversation between two persons and we need to fill in the blanks at the questions provided.
PRACTICE TEST (Listening)
Writing - We were given an specific topic wherein we need to write about it.
PRACTICE TEST (Writing)
  • Questions for Writing practice test 
  • Answers for Writing practice test 
Speaking - This was taken at a different location, at Napier Road. At the moment I entered the room, the examiner asked me about my personal background.  I never thought that it was part of the exam, so I just answered her questions normally.

The next question that she asked me, the actual test topic, was "Do you read newspapers? What do you think about the future of newspapers in this digital world?".

This time, I was quite nervous thinking that it's the actual test question.  What I did was to say everything that I needed to say, the best that I can in an orderly manner.

PRACTICE TEST (Speaking) AUDIO
I got a good score with each of the test and so with my FSW Canada points for Language Skills.

Source of the sample tests and audio: http://www.takeielts.britishcouncil.org

Do You Think Your English is Good Enough for the IELTS?
If you're hesitant on your language skills, you need to study more on it.  Below is one of the IELTS Reviewer that you can purchase at a reasonable price.

You can click below to redirect you to Amazon.com website.

What to expect from this book?
Barron's IELTS Superpack, 2nd Ed.

  • Academics and professionals looking to validate their English language proficiency by taking the IELTS get the most comprehensive preparation available anywhere with Barron's IELTS Superpack.
  • It consists of the new 3rd edition of the Barron's brand-new IELTS manual with 2 audio CDs, 
  • IELTS Practice Exams with 2 audio CDs, and
  • Barron's Essential Words for the IELTS
Other Reviewers for more choices: 
Language Skills (CELPIP, IELTS and TEF) Reviewers

Disclosure: Whenever you buy the products at those links, I can get an affiliate commission and I Thank You for doing so.

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Important: Please read the DISCLAIMER Page

For questions not related to this post, leave a comment at the ASK ME.

If you want to know more about my life in Singapore, visit my blog at BenAlagnam.com

How much you need to prepare for the applications, visit EXPENSES.

Check on what are the documents you need to prepare and more info on RESOURCES.

16 July 2014

Passport Submission at Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC) Experience

Now is the start of my preparation for my Moving to Canada or shall I say Migrate to Canada.

After receiving the Visa Approval letter from the Canadian Embassy in Manila, I was instructed to submit the required documents to the High Commission of Canada in Singapore.  

It's a bit confusing at my part because the Canadian Embassy in Manila has been processing my documents and medicals, but as for the submission of passports, they handed it over to the High Commission of Canada in Singapore.

Anyway, it's their rules and I should just follow it.  I was instructed to prepare the following documents.
  • Original Passports for me and all my accompanying dependents
  • Appendix A - a tabular form that was included in the letter, which I need to indicate all our passport details and other information.
  • Photos (2) pieces passport size - this is specified in the Appendix B, which is also included in the letter.
  • Although the letter itself was not included in the list, better bring it along.  They need it.
I was given 30 days to submit the requirements or else my application will be refused.

Where I Submitted the Required Documents?
It was a perfect timing when I went to Philippines for a vacation because I was given an opportunity to get the passports of my dependents and our photos.

The letter states that I need to submit all the required documents at the Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC). So, I researched the center's location in Singapore. I got these information:


Canada Visa Application Center

20 Cecil St.
#11-02 to 05 Equity Plaza
Singapore 049705



My Experience at the Canada Visa Application Center
Lucky enough that I was given a free time and a chance to go to the Canada Visa Application Center (CVAC).

The night before that, I prepared all the required documents to avoid panic on the next day of submission.

As instructed on the letter, I did the following:
  • Organized the passports according to age (principal appicant to my youngest son).  Removed the plastic covers, left it bare.
  • Placed 2 photos inside a small envelope for each of the dependents and labeled with the details below.  I have a total of 4 envelopes.
Application Number
Name of the Photo Owner
  • Filled up the appendix A and placed the following information at the top left most part of the document.
Name of Applicant
Application Number
Return Address
Contact Number/s
  • Inserted all the documents inside a big envelope for easy handling to CVAC. 
The next day, I prepared the things as early as I can.  Took the MRT GREEN line and alighted at Raffles Place MRT Station.

I followed the way to EXIT E, which is going to the Equity Plaza building.  This is how it looks like standing outside the exit.

Way to Equity Plaza Building
I crossed the D'almeida St. heading to the brown building.  The Equity Plaza is at the next building.

Walked the isle heading to Equity Plaza
I walked pass through the isle going to the Equity Plaza building and saw this entrance.

Entrance of Equity Plaza
 At the right side of the building, there's a small entrance leading to the lobby.

Equity Plaza Building (Canada Visa Application Center) Lobby

At the lobby, the guard asked for my Identification Card (IC) for their recording.  Then he pressed the button to open the gate.

I proceeded to the 11th floor and found few people at the entrance.  The guard at the entrance instructed me to turn off the cellphone and checked my body with a metal detector.  Then he gave me a queuing number.

I went into a small room, labeled VFS Canada Visa Application Center.  There are only two counters because of the room size.

The lady called my number and asked me about my purpose.  After telling her the reason, she instructed me to produce all the documents and asked me to wait for a while.

After 5 minutes, she stamped stickers on each passports and the letter.  Then she asked me to pay for the 4 passports and also offered me if I prefer to collect personally or use the service of a courier.

They also have an SMS service where they will inform the customer about the status of the passport though text message.

For me, I'd rather collect it personally to avoid conflict of time at my house and at least the passports are secured at their premises.

I did not avail of the SMS service since I can check the status online.

Each passport costs SGD32.85.  So I paid a total of S$131.40 for the four of us.  The lady informed me that the process takes 3-5 days if no problem arises.  The whole process took around 30 minutes to finish.

This is it, I need to prepare for our airline tickets.  Follow me by checking my blog from time to time.  I will post the status of each procedures until I reach Canada.

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Ben Alagnam - MeMovingToCanada