Canadian PR

[panama]

Thanks for upping my points. These prices are from Hipmunk and in CAD, for flights within 1-5 days of ETD, taxes not included. I've never bought directly from Hipmunk so I'm not too sure about whether it's okay to buy online from them, but the prices after tax are close to the prices quoted by Flight Centre.

I usually do a comparison between Hipmunk, Kayak, Flight Centre b&m stores and airline websites. My deciding factors are cost and mileage accumulation so I don't mind flights with 2 connections and US layovers. The flights with only 1 connection and no US layovers are much more expensive e.g. YVR-HKG-SIN upwards of CAD$2300 after taxes are included. You can verify that at Flight Centre stores.

If you're making frequent trips, better sense to stick to Air Canada and accumulate miles.

Again, thanks for the info. I thought the US layovers are a bit troublesome. Firstly, I'm unsure how is troublesome is the security clearance now. Even in Changi, back in 2003, when I board the flight for USA, the security check in Changi is strict. Secondly, I flew SIN-LAX-YVR. The UA plane from LAX to YVR is a small 8 or 10 seater plane. Quite scary for the first time because it is such a small plane. I prefer to have fly a jumbo jet from USA to Canada.

By the way, does Singapore Passport holders still require a visa to enter or layover in USA?

 

[indig10]

I thought the US layovers are a bit troublesome. Firstly, I'm unsure how is troublesome is the security clearance now. Even in Changi, back in 2003, when I board the flight for USA, the security check in Changi is strict. Secondly, I flew SIN-LAX-YVR. The UA plane from LAX to YVR is a small 8 or 10 seater plane. Quite scary for the first time because it is such a small plane. I prefer to have fly a jumbo jet from USA to Canada.

By the way, does Singapore Passport holders still require a visa to enter or layover in USA?

The US security clearances are still troublesome. The trick is to wear a pouch or carry a sling bag to dump your wallet, phone, passport, belt, passport, etc, and also to wear shoes that are easy to slip in and out of. This eases the screening process. The Homeland Security officers just want passengers to be fast in stepping through the screening posts and it gets chaotic if people are not mentally prepared. I've seen passengers who forget to collect their passports or valuables, even small bags which they carry in addition to the carry-on luggages because everyone around them is frantically unloading their possessions to go through the X-ray machines and then lose track of collection at the other end. It is more tedious if you're bringing toddlers and young kids across.

SG passport holders are under the US Visa Waiver Program, but you will still need to apply for travel authorization and pay a fee via the ESTA website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/ to travel through or into US.

 

[panama]

The US security clearances are still troublesome. The trick is to wear a pouch or carry a sling bag to dump your wallet, phone, passport, belt, passport, etc, and also to wear shoes that are easy to slip in and out of. This eases the screening process.
:
:
:
SG passport holders are under the US Visa Waiver Program, but you will still need to apply for travel authorization and pay a fee via the ESTA website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/ to travel through or into US.

Again, thanks for the tip. I think I'm going to avoid passing through USA. I will just fly SIN-NRT-YVR. That should take care of US layover troubles.

 

[nayr69sg]

Today the manager at my branch called me in to ask me if I knew anyone looking for a job who I could feel comfortable working with.

Apparently they have been looking to hire new staff but have not been able to find good candidates. And senior management at the head office asked her to ask me as I had given a good account of myself in learning on the job very fast.

So if there are any hardworking, good attitude Singaporeans out there in Edmonton or coming to Edmonton looking for a starting job, drop me a line. The pay isn't much at the starting level, just to warn you. About CAD$2k a month.

 

[birdie]

Dear nayr69sg, I have been reading your post on emigration to Edmonton and I really have great admiration and respect for you on making this move. My wife, children and myself are actually comtemplating moving to Edmonton like you did ( I must say with your influence :-) and would like to get some advice from you.

1) I understand that the CIC had temporary closed all PR application, do you know of any other way that we can PR other then what was informed in the CIC?
2) We have the full financial resources to purchase a house of up to CAD300K, in your own opinion, is a house of this worth makes a good enough home for a family of 4 with good insulation and provide warm during the harsh winter? ( I am worry about the coldness)
3) We will keep our flat in Singapore and will rent out to provide living expenses for us, a family of 4. The rental income I reckon that will fetch me is about CAD2K / mth, do you think it is enough to provide the basic living like food and utilities expenses?

Hope you can advice your opinion on the above. I actually have some other questions that I would like to seek out your opinion, but I would like to rather ask you through email instead of an open forum, can you please give me your email address? thank you and I look forward hearing from you.

 

[Leongsam]

Dear nayr69sg, I have been reading your post on emigration to Edmonton and I really have great admiration and respect for you on making this move. My wife, children and myself are actually comtemplating moving to Edmonton like you did ( I must say with your influence :-) and would like to get some advice from you.

Have you sold your HDB apartment yet?

 

[nayr69sg]

Dear nayr69sg, I have been reading your post on emigration to Edmonton and I really have great admiration and respect for you on making this move. My wife, children and myself are actually comtemplating moving to Edmonton like you did ( I must say with your influence :-) and would like to get some advice from you.

1) I understand that the CIC had temporary closed all PR application, do you know of any other way that we can PR other then what was informed in the CIC?
2) We have the full financial resources to purchase a house of up to CAD300K, in your own opinion, is a house of this worth makes a good enough home for a family of 4 with good insulation and provide warm during the harsh winter? ( I am worry about the coldness)
3) We will keep our flat in Singapore and will rent out to provide living expenses for us, a family of 4. The rental income I reckon that will fetch me is about CAD2K / mth, do you think it is enough to provide the basic living like food and utilities expenses?

Hope you can advice your opinion on the above. I actually have some other questions that I would like to seek out your opinion, but I would like to rather ask you through email instead of an open forum, can you please give me your email address? you can email at [email protected] , thank you and I look forward hearing from you.

Correct me if I am wrong, but you have not got PR and you have not applied for PR.

So how are you going to come to Edmonton? Even if you apply for PR it will take some time before you get it. In a couple of years things can change rapidly.

When I applied for my PR, the average price of a single family home was about CAD$200k. When I finally had to buy a house in Canada the average price was CAD$400k.

Almost all the houses will be warm, just a matter of how much your utility bill will be.

When you say that you have the resources to buy a house CAD$300k do you mean with a loan or without a loan? With regards to home loans, it was quite a challenge getting a home loan without any canadian working income or credit history. But I managed to get one. If anyone needs help I can refer you.

Don't worry so much about the cold. There are a million people living in Edmonton alone. Can't be that bad. You can learn to dress properly and how to keep the home interior warm and nice.

CAD$2k a month can be a good start. However you have to remember that the income will be taxed. After tax you are probably looking at CAD$1600 a month which will probably be insufficient to give your family a comfortable life.

Having said that I trust that you and your wife do plan to find work and the 2k is more to tide you through the first couple of months.

Can you just drop me a private message here in the forum? I'd prefer not to correspond via email until I know you better. One of the things I was always curious last time was how much exactly does one need to "survive". I wanted to know so that I could plan. Few could answer this question properly saying so much is for comfort etc......

Strangely I find myself answering the same way.

I do have my records of my budgeting from when I first came. So I can share that with you when I write to you. But I would say one can certainly survive on CAD$2k a month if they are more thrifty. (assuming no mortgage to pay, no loans to pay).

 

[birdie]

Have you sold your HDB apartment yet?

Hi Sam,

nope, we intend to keep the HDB and rent it out to provide us an income if we move to another country. We will only sell it when we are successful in getting citizenship of the country of our choice.

 

[Leongsam]

Hi Sam,

nope, we intend to keep the HDB and rent it out to provide us an income if we move to another country. We will only sell it when we are successful in getting citizenship of the country of our choice.

But you've already advertised it for sale.

 

[birdie]

hey sam, you are spying on me :-) this is scary, I just advertise 3 days ago trying my luck.
We are marely testing market and see if we are able to fetch a record price, if price is good, we might consider selling it and wait for price to come down before moving in to buy again.

 

[Leongsam]

hey sam, you are spying on me :-) this is scary, I just advertise 3 days ago trying my luck.
We are marely testing market and see if we are able to fetch a record price, if price is good, we might consider selling it and wait for price to come down before moving in to buy again.

I didn't have to spy. :p You revealed everything yourself.

 

[nayr69sg]

I've looked at the hdb resale transactions in your area birdie. You're a bit over optimistic I think. But no harm trying.

 

[birdie]

I am hoping that some happy new china immigrant will buy it, it is a cosy little apartment. I still can keep or rent it if there's no right offer, anyway I have no mortgage to pay and like you said, no harm trying. Cheers!

 

[malxsin]

Birdie, Have you submitted your PR application? If not, please note the PR application do take quite sometime to process like approx 2 years on avg. You are then given 1 year by CIC to 'land' i.e. relocate to Canada upon your PR approval and you can use this one year to prepare for your relocation incl selling your HDB etc. If you have not even intiated your PR application, any relocation action by you now is a tad too early in my opinion.

 

[indig10]

Apologies, I didn't read your first post carefully myself :-)

Birdie, I suggest you read the www.cic.gc.ca website fully to stay updated, especially on the Federal Skilled Workers class:

"... there is currently a pause on new applications (except for FSWP candidates with a qualifying offer of arranged employment or those applying under the PhD stream), CIC expects to begin accepting applications again early next year."

- CIC News Update section.

Previous processing times may no longer be good estimations of your processing time, if you're applying under this class. Things can happen, HDB prices can swing against your favour by the time you need to sell. Plan ahead carefully.

 

[nayr69sg]

From my experience not much point planning anything if you have not put in your application for PR.

In fact even after putting the application in, you could still end up with nothing as shown by recent moves by Canada to cancel applications and return the application fees.

Things will change and when the time comes you just make decisions and live by it.

You have no idea what the future might spring up.

Find out more about how you can get PR and then take action and put the application in. All else is just pipe dreams.

 

[birdie]

I gave my humble thanks to brother malxsin, indig10 and nayr69sg for your kind advice, me and my wife had actually wanted to file in our PR application last month using the Federal Skilled worker scheme, but unfortunately the application was temporary closed until next year, that is why I have come to this forum to seek out advice from brother nayr69sg here whether are there any other "fast track method" for PR application. Well... I took the opportunity and also try to check out some information like the cost of buying a home and budgeting expenses if we move over and etc..to know more about it for future planning purposes as I know that the waiting period is about 2 years or more.

I think some brother here seem to think that selling my flat is part of my relocation planning, this is not true as I am marely testing the HDB market now and see if I can get a good price for my flat as I contempt the price is going to drop after the next few quarters. This is just part of my personally finance planning.

BTW, after talking to my wife, we think it is best to engage an agent or a consultant to process the application for PR..what do you guys think?

 

[Charlie99]

I gave [ give, present tense, but if you are writing to me after you gave thanks, then you can tell me that "I gave" ] my humble thanks to brother malxsin, indig10 and nayr69sg for your kind advice, me and my wife [ my wife and I ] had actually wanted to file in [ file, not file in, which may be the way a person whose brain thinks in Chinese ] our PR application last month using the Federal Skilled worker scheme, but unfortunately the application was temporary closed until next year, that is why I have come to this forum to seek out [ seek, not seek out ] advice from brother nayr69sg here whether are there any other "fast track method" for PR application. Well... I took the opportunity and also try to check out some information like the cost of buying a home and budgeting expenses if we move over and etc..to know more about it for future planning purposes as I know that the waiting period is about 2 years or more.

I think some brother [ a few brothers, because you can count the number of brothers, unlike something which you cannot count, such as some goodwill ] here seem to think that selling my flat is part of my relocation planning, this is not true as I am marely [ merely ] testing the HDB market [ the resale market for HDB flats ] now and see if I can get a good price for my flat as I contempt [ do you mean contemplate or forecast or project or speculate ] the price is going to drop after the next few quarters. This is just part of my personally finance planning [ personal financial planning ].

BTW, after talking to my wife, we think it is best to engage an agent or a consultant to process the application for PR..what do you guys think?

If you discuss with [nayr69], I am sure he will inform you there is no need to use a paid Agent or Consultant.

Please refer to my suggestions in Green font to improve your English.

 

[nayr69sg]

I gave my humble thanks to brother malxsin, indig10 and nayr69sg for your kind advice, me and my wife had actually wanted to file in our PR application last month using the Federal Skilled worker scheme, but unfortunately the application was temporary closed until next year, that is why I have come to this forum to seek out advice from brother nayr69sg here whether are there any other "fast track method" for PR application. Well... I took the opportunity and also try to check out some information like the cost of buying a home and budgeting expenses if we move over and etc..to know more about it for future planning purposes as I know that the waiting period is about 2 years or more.

I think some brother here seem to think that selling my flat is part of my relocation planning, this is not true as I am marely testing the HDB market now and see if I can get a good price for my flat as I contempt the price is going to drop after the next few quarters. This is just part of my personally finance planning.

BTW, after talking to my wife, we think it is best to engage an agent or a consultant to process the application for PR..what do you guys think?

You remind me a lot of asychee.

 

[chupacabra]

Go to Oz first than apply Canana PR from Sydney. Faster processing time. Thats what I'm doing and I have a kid and 1 more on the way. At least ifcanana pr fail, you are in OZ and not peesai. Work visa in OZ is easy to get. About 1 to 2 months wait. No need agent as pretty straight forward. I was on 457 but now Im applying for another visa outside OZ. Dont go to Perth.