Timelines and a bit of reality. Pandemic came

 It  was silent... 

Our dream was not provided. 

 It was not yet time.

I had been silent about this. I was almost resigned. I kept rejecting the thought that EE was hard. Mahirap tumaas ang score. Mahirap mainvite. This will give a quick glimpse to what happened. 

I re-entered the EE pool when it expired after a year. I kept applying to jobs. I do not even want to count how many cover letters I wrote and resumes I sent out. I know that I am more than qualified but it was not yet meant to be. 

I researched more and read more. I talked to my friend from Nova Scotia. We met with relatives visiting from British Columbia. Because of my age, I know that I have to take a different path way. But we know we have to sound it off to people who know better. 

2019 was a blur. Suddenly it was gone. 

In February of 2020, we attended the Educanada fair. This time, I have 2 provinces in mind, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. We are not really looking at the big cities and these two appear to be perfect — the right amount of city bustle but with the laid back feel of the countryside with its nearness to nature. 

This time too, I am looking at studying further. Aside from honing my current skills and making me a better fit for our plans, it will also give me the opportunity to have a “feel” of the country. 

I applied at Nova Scotia Community College and New Brunswick Community College and they were already responding and requesting for additional documents. 

But then the pandemic happened. 

The country was in lockdown from March until June. My mind was preoccupied with work and fear of the disease. Almost all the other countries including Canada was in lock down. There was nothing that we can do. 

My IELTS, and with it, my EE expired. There was a big gloom hanging over my head. 

The country only eased the lockdown in June. Still, we were not confident to come out.

In August 6, IDP Philippines conducted a short seminar on studying in Canada. I signed up and scheduled a counseling session for August 29. Since I wanted a Saturday session, that was the earliest they can give me. 

This was the time too that I got in touch with my school for the additional documents. My school took longer to process the documents given the skeletal workforce. 

On the day of my counseling, counsellor AG explained to me what to do. (More about this in another post). She advised me to research and promised to email me additional details. 

We agreed on October for me to submit my documents to her. 

One month to research, to pray more, and to get ready. 

Facts, dreams and an act of faith

 10 days since the re submission of my profile.

Nothing has happened yet. So I do what I should. Read, read and read some more. Trying to absorb everything. There are things I found:

1. Ontario has not yet had its draw since our first EE profile. Their last Notifications of Interest under Human Capital Priorities Stream was in March. I keep hoping that they would soon conduct their draw, and they would find my profile interesting, and nominate me. 
2. Saskatchewan EOI which they launched last July 16 is only for those whose NOC falls under their in demand list. I actually started a profile but could not progress because they were asking me to choose from a specific NOC list only. 
3. Nova Scotia PNP for Category B (for an opportunity occupation without job offer) also still has not opened yet. My chance is to have a job offer as Category A  (with job offer) remains active throughout the year. Currently I am concentrating my job application with Halifax. 

I have been reading about the province. The pictures and what I have read so far have made me fell in love with the place. The waterfront, the sea, some of the festivals I read - these are the stuff of my dreams especially when I read novels. I can imagine my baby E growing up here, and even us growing old.... Sigh. 

I have also been reading fora on the province. How I envy their timelines. And I see that most of the people in the forum have landed. 

Whenever hubby and I discuss our plans, I keep encouraging him, that someday we would wake up and we would be in our dream province, starting a new life for the family. This does not mean that I am always positive. Believe me, there are times when I do not know how to move forward. I feel the weight on my shoulders especially since I am the principal applicant. There are times I just want to cry. But I need to dismiss and just move on forward. And just believe. 

"Faith is the substance of the things hope for, and the evidence of things not yet seen"

I am in my 42nd job application now...

Just continue to believe, and pray. The time will come when we would be the ones to share our success stories and help and encourage others. 

I saw this in one of the fora. I just cant resist to share as I believe it is talking to me. 

Just trudge forward.

Soon. 

Eligible to Ineligible and back

Things got busy at work and I found less and less time to apply. But during the last month too, I was able to get some references from my previous company.

Just a backgrounder, I was seconded and absorbed by my current company. However, my former company closed so I have no idea how to get reference letters. This is one of the dilemma I have been searching on. Various sources cited to just contact former colleagues and managers. I plan to do that but just not yet, as my former manager is also my boss here in my current job, as we were seconded together.

Anyway, when digging through some files, our HR found my old files from my previous employer which were mistakenly kept. I asked her if I can keep it as a “souvenir” since the former company is no longer existing. Imagine my joy when she gave all the documents to me. The documents contain promotions, merit increases, evaluations – documents normally kept as part of the 201 file. Yey! I less worry. I was thinking I can attach this when I finally get to apply.

I was looking at the documents and I noticed that I had some of my promotions, dates inputted wrong. So I tracked the positions I have held, and on July 14, I finally had the time to update my work history and change my NOC code in my EE profile.

But lo and behold, when I clicked update and submitted, my profile turned ineligible. You could not imagine how my heart stopped. I told hubby about this and he couldn’t believe it either. We even had an argument because of this.

I quickly googled on what could have happened and checked how I could rectify it. I learned that with this scenario, there is no other way but to create another profile, as once you are ineligible your profile can only be viewed, but no longer updated.

I quickly gathered my documents and went about filling up the forms again for a new EE profile. When I was filling up my spouse’s information, I stopped, put the baby to sleep, and asked my husband to sit beside me while I fill it up.

I cannot explain how my heart was beating, and how I was praying so hard, when I was putting baby to sleep. All thoughts were running in my head! And I was praying so hard to make me eligible again. This is our ticket for our baby’s future, and the family’s future as well. We cannot afford not to be in the pool.

After a few minutes, I went back to my application. I filled in hubby’s details.  Before I clicked send, hubby and I prayed again to give us the opportunity.

When I clicked send, I waited for a few minutes, and then the email arrived. I was eligible again! I have the same score but still...Whew! You cannot imagine the relief I felt.

I have a new express entry number, and our profile is now valid until July 14, 2019. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, I really don’t know. But the new profile has now given us 3 more additional months in the pool.

It has also renewed my resolved. I think this experience reminded me not to be complacent. But to just trust and move on forward. Not to stop but continue on. Just to trust and everything would fall into place. 

Our express entry and CRS scores

 I woke up at around 5 am today and immediately checked my cellphone for any message from WES. And there it is. An email from WES saying that they have completed their evaluation and that I should log on to my account to view it.

I immediately went to my WES account and was able to download a copy of my evaluation. The report said that my institution is recognized and I have a Canadian equivalency of 4 years. Yey!

So now it's time to complete our express entry.

Believe me, I had butterflies in my stomach as I was filling out the forms. We were very careful with all the details because an error can lead to not being accepted in our application later on, or being barred from the pool for 5 years.

There were a lot of information that we need to be ready with. Fortunately the website had instructions and clarifications.

Finally, we were done and our Comprehensive Ranking System points were generated. We were also given a job seeker validation code. So we went to Job Bank and created a profile as well.

Our CRS was just 359 points, way below to be able to get an Invitation to Apply (ITA). The lowest scores of those being invited were at around 440 and up. 😕

But then I remembered a recent news about Ontario inviting those with scores for as low as 351. This was just in March 2018. There is renewed hope. We prayed after getting our score and we believe that as long as we trust in the Lord, He will continue to direct our path. Right now, all we need is faith and trust in Him, and to continue working towards our goal.

Today is the day! Sort of

 I have been waiting for April 27 for a few days now. Today my ECA results would be released! This also means I can get to file for my Express Entry!

However, we are 12 hours ahead of Canada, depending on the province. So that means,WES would probably release my results tonight.

Anyway, I have been tensed these past few weeks. I think it is also the reason why my skin has been breaking up. 😕

I told myself I would fill out the EE form on April 28.  But impatient me, I have actually filled out the Come to Canada tool, and already have my GC key. I also have created a profile in the CIC website. But stopped short of choosing whether it is for EE, visit or study.

Signing up for an account at the CIC website is actually lengthy. There are a lot of security questions that I filled up. If you are planning to sign up, make sure that username, passwords and all the security questions are hard to guess, but easy to remember for the applicant.

So this is me, excited and anxious about tonight or tomorrow. I know that as soon as I receive an email from WES, then I would start on the EE journey and waiting game.

We just need to pray and trust this plan to the Lord. I know that He will lead the way.

Our IELTS experience

One week before April 7, IDP emailed both me and my husband about our schedule. They emailed us first thing Monday and informed us that our speaking test would happen on Wednesday, April 4 at Marco Polo Ortigas. He is scheduled to have it at 8:50 while I would have it at 10:50.

Both of us were so tense that we were not able to sleep. We woke up at 4 am and decided to get ready. We left the house at 6 am to ensure that we would be in Ortigas before 8am.

To be honest, we were not able to really practice as both of us were so busy with work even though we allotted one month for review. Upon arriving home, time was usually spent with our baby E. I guess this is one of the reasons why we are so tense.

During the speaking test, we were asked about a specific topic and we are allowed to talk about it. The interviewer would give follow-up questions to ensure that the candidate would continue to talk about it. There were also some topics that we need to discuss under a specific time limit.

I think I finished by a little after 11am. Hubby waited for me so we were out of the venue by lunch.

Saturday, April 7, is our chosen exam date. The venue assigned to us was at AIM Center in Makati. Instruction was to be at the venue no later than 8:00 am for the 9:00 am start.

We arrived at Greenbelt at around 6:30, and since we were less tense now compared to the speaking test, we were even able to enjoy our breakfast at Mcdonald's 😁

The Registration
We were at the venue at 7:30 and they were still setting up. There were actually a lot of us already at the venue that early. I guess all of us were afraid to be late.

We were amongst the first to register and go inside the testing room. We brought the same ID we used to register, the same as the speaking test. Bringing a different ID would mean no test. In the venue, our name was assigned to a seat and table. Hubby was actually far from me so I have no idea how they arranged our name. I am not sure if it was alphabetical since my passport used my maiden name so it was still different from hubby's. Once inside, we waited for an hour for all the seats to be filled in.  Belatedly I realized that we should have allowed the others to get into the room first. You see, once you get inside the testing room, you are no longer allowed to step outside.

The actual test
The test started at exactly 9 am, and finished at 12 noon. We started with the listening test with an allotted time of 40 minutes. They provided headphones and I really needed to listen very carefully. Some of the statements were actually confusing. Also, all statements were said only once. We answered on the test booklet, then we were given 10 minutes to transfer everything to the answer sheet.

Then the reading test was actually for an hour. This time we were given some paragraphs on a certain topic, then some questions after. Again, we have to read very carefully. We have to really understand what the topic was. I actually finished early, then had time to re-read the tests. I changed some of my answers during this time. So when I submitted the test, I almost did not know if I answered correctly. 😔

Lastly, the writing test which would last for an hour. There were actually just 2 topics to be answered for an hour. The first topic should be answered in 150 words while the second one should be with 250 words. This was challenging because it has been so long since I wrote anything that long! I mean, most of us use the computer to type now. So it is easy to change items or thoughts in the middle. But the test required that we use a pencil! So longhand, it is.

After the test, it was announced that the results would be released on April 20. Two weeks of waiting! Results can be picked up at the IDP office. Since we also nominated our cellphone numbers, the results would also be texted to us.

I can hardly wait. I felt pretty confident. But I am really hoping to get high scores.

The Results
Come April 20, at 3 am, I have been checking their websites but no results were given. Finally, at 9am, the text came.

My score: Listening 7.5, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0, Speaking 7.0 for an overall band score of 7.0.

The website also gave a preview of the test scores and explained what each score meant. It also gave pointers for improvement.

To be honest I felt disappointed because I really wanted higher scores. I have been reading that higher scores would give higher points in the Comprehensive Ranking System. Still, I am thankful that scores were enough for me to enter the express entry ( I think).

So I suggest that anyone who would be taking the IELTS to practice, practice, practice. Unlike my husband and I. We actually were not able to do any review because we were swamped with work leading to the exam. So we are still thankful that we were able to get good enough marks.  (I actually downloaded practice booklets from here but was really unable to practice). 

One requirement done. Now we just need to wait for the results of my ECA so we can start our express entry profile.

WES and IELTS first

It has been months since I wrote here. Our timeline was disrupted because of some commitments. I also did not know that my hubby JA was actually thinking hard about this decision. A lot.

Finally when 2018 came, he told me that we would pursue it this time. He was actually planning ahead and thinking of scenarios. Then he gave me the timeline. And so here we are. 

Last Saturday, I booked a personal orientation for us at Gateway to Canada. It’s actually the same as pinoy2canada. But this time we went to the Alabang office. Mr. AA gave us the option of the Study Visa given our age. He was actually suggesting the same thing as the first consultant we talked to, when I had a free consultation months back. He mentioned that if we really want to leave early, we can target the September start of classes. We just need to show proof that we can pay the tuition fee.

He almost assured us that we would get a study visa in months time. Admittedly, it was more expensive. For a family of three, with me studying, we need to raise at least Php1.3M.
Breakdown:

• 600,000 for tuition for one year
• 400,000 for living expenses of the student
• 160,000 for living expenses of the spouse
• 120,000 for living expenses of the child.

This does not include other fees. The tuition too is just an estimate. It would really depend on the school that we want to get into. Plus the target is for 2 years so easily, we need to double the amount. If granted,  I can only work part time during that time while hubby will have an open work permit.  We replied that we would study the proposal. 

So here it goes - I thought. I would study again. I don't really know how I felt about that. Plus the bigger amount was not part of the plan. Yes, we were targeting to bring more funds but as living expenses.

That weekend still, after all the discussion, hubby challenged me about my confidence on my work experience. Of course I know my work. I have been in the industry for more than a decade. Then why are we both considering the study option route?

And it dawned on us - our selling point is both our careers and experience. We were not being cocky or arrogant but we have been in our respective industries for so long and we felt that it should amount to something. We prayed hard that weekend that He guide us with our decision. And however long we think and talk about it, the Express Entry pool and not the Study Visa program is the way to go initially. The study visa can still be considered, but perhaps later on. And also for some members of the family that we want to join us. Akala namin ganun lang yun. 

Everything happened a little fast after that. I know that I need to get my ECA and IELTS first before we can even create a profile.

That Sunday, I asked my mom to bring my diploma.

Monday, March 5. Mr. AA emailed me about the study visa program again and I replied that we would pursue the express entry. And that we need to secure our Education Credentials Assessment (ECA) and IELTS first. I also requested for a summary of expected expenses, which he quickly emailed.

I revisited my World Education Services account (I created one last January) and checked the requirements. I also googled and read blogs. I checked my diploma and realized that my diploma was in Filipino.

March 6, when I woke up, I googled for authenticated translations and saw LEXCODE. I checked reviews and it was okay. So I quickly inquired and sent them a scanned copy of my diploma for their quotation. They immediately replied and gave me the quote for Php560 inclusive of VAT. Not bad I thought. When I arrived at the office, I sent them a signed conforme and proof of my online payment. They were actually requiring just 50% for them to start but I don't want to hassle of logging in again. After confirming receipt of the conforme and payment, they said that they would start work on the translations and the document would be released the following day.

That night, I logged into the WES account again and paid the fee. They charged me CAD 322.05 inclusive of their tax and courier of results. I  used my Unionbank credit card and upon conversion, it amounted to Php13,398.17. (This was reflected in my card 2 days after). I also prepared the request form for my school. I emailed it to my husband who will print it in their office, and will also ask someone to bring it to UP. It was nearer to him since he works in Quezon City, while I work in Makati.

Wednesday, March 7, during breakfast, I checked IDP. There are 2 official institutions in the Philippines for IELTS as far as my research goes. One is British Council, while the other is IDP. I checked both their websites and registered with IDP. Why? The website was just easier for me to navigate in terms of scheduling. Also, there is a testing center in Makati. I booked for April 7 for both me and my husband.* We have one month to prepare.

That morning too, Sandie of LEXCODE emailed me and sent me a draft copy of my translations. Once I confirm, they will then finalize the document. I checked and it was okay so we arranged for pick up after lunch.

During this time too, I have been talking to my school over the phone as I need to send an authorization letter for the guy who brought my request. He also had to fill out again all the details. Good thing he is trusted by my husband. I talked to the registrar and explained to me the process. They would need 18 days for the documents to be prepared, plus another 5 days for the courier. They actually gave me the option if they would be the one to send it or should I pick it up. I asked what is usual that they do and they replied that they usually send it in the past. (Which was actually what WES requires too). I was just happy that it was not the first time to encounter the request. So I told them that they would be the ones to send it.

So that Wednesday, I got the authenticated translation and paid my school for the documents for ECA.

I planned to print out the diploma and translations and send it through LBC this weekend (WES does not require the original). 

Thursday, March 8, I went to Metrobank and filled out all the details for the April 7 IELTS as per IDP's email, and paid the fees. I also emailed them the payment slip. I had a meeting in the afternoon so I was not able to confirm if they received the payment.

Friday AM, March 9, I called IDP to check if they received the payment slip for our IELTS exam. The girl I talked to confirmed that they received it. So I was actually a little surprised when I received a notice in my email that they received the payment but the booking expired! And  I had to rebook (You're only allowed 48 hours to pay the fee for the booking to be confirmed). I want to argue with them but I did not have the time as I was on my way out for another meeting.

Was this a sign? I was thinking. Should I move the schedule?  The next schedule available in their site is April 21. That means additional 13 days before the results come out. That would be too long! But we cannot wait longer.

After my meeting, I immediately went back to my station and booked our preferred date. Fortunately, both went through. I also advised IDP that I have rebooked. A few minutes later, I received a notice in both my and my husband's email about the test confirmation. Whee! :)

An eventful week! And the wheel ran fast this week. All we can do now is wait and continue to pray. That soon, we would wake up and we would be in Canada with our baby E

* Be ready with a scanned copy of your passport or other ID that you plan to use for IELTS. The registration only allows 30 minutes for you to finish filling up all the details and uploading your ID. Note that it should not be beyond 1.5 MB.

** I may sound confident now writing this but note that this whole week, I have been having an upset stomach daily and have been waking up in the middle of the night. I was so stressed! I think the nervous fluttering in my heart has become permanent. I know a lot rely on me being the principal applicant. All I know is I rely on the Lord who gave us this dream and controls everything. 

Inquiries and Free assessment 2 - Go2Canada

After talking to the consultant, I found myself chatting with my high school friend who is now based in Ontario. She and her husband together with their then-one-year-old child migrated about 9 years ago.

I asked for her reasons then since she was already a finance officer in a big multinational company while her husband was an engineer in the same company. They have 2 helps and have their own house. They don't really need the money. She mentioned that it was really for their son. They wanted security and safety while their son is growing up. Which was actually our major reason too.

I mentioned to her about our plans and she was very helpful with her tips and advice. Back then, they did all the applications on their own. When I mentioned the consultant and how much their company is charging us, she was shocked! She warned me against scams and urged me to research further. I know the consultant is legit as I have already researched about them. But they are way expensive according to my friend. When computed, they are actually charging us almost half of the settlement fund that my friend brought during that time.

She advised me to check further and read online as IRCC (Cic.gov.ca) gives out complete information for all those who want to apply.

So I went googling again. I stumbled upon www.canadavisa.com and answered their free assessment. Based on my answers, they think I am qualified to be in the express entry pool and they provided me their fees which is payable via credit card. The amount was USD2000, way lower than the initial company I talked to. However, the lawyer is based in Canada so I concluded that it would be harder to communicate.

Google again and I pored over fora. The usual that I have been reading for immigration representatives ranges from Php 80,000 to Php 100,000 ---- waaaay lower than what was initially quoted.

I mentioned this again to hubby and he encouraged me to look for an immigration consultant that would represent us. And then I stumbled upon Canadian Immigration Consultancy (www.go2canada.com) I again answered their free assessment and they sent it to me via email.

CIC has been in the Philippines for more than 20 years and they have various offices in the metro. They also conduct free seminars for a fee of Php500. I tried scheduling a visit in their Paranaque office but somehow it didn't work out. The following week, we had to apply for the baby's passport so it was again delayed another week.

Finally, around Thursday night while I was doing some overtime work at the office, I tried messaging my contact again. Finally, she replied and a seminar was arranged that following Saturday at SM Megamall.

That Saturday, we arrived at their office at the 5th floor of Mega B. We had plenty of time and they asked us to fill out again a profile form. Then the seminar began at 2:30 pm. There were about 3 couples and 2 more ladies.

CIC introduced the company and explained each of the programs in the express entry. What's good about their seminar is they were upfront with their fees. They also said that one can actually apply on their own through the website. The advantage of going through them of course is because you will be represented by a lawyer, and they have done the filling out of applications forms numerous times already. This will eliminate possible errors. A misrepresentation in your form can actually mean denial of application and being banned from applying in the next couple of years.

The seminar was informative but I cannot wait for the one-on-one session so I can ask more personal questions.

When our session with Ms. RA started, she already showed me their initial assessment:

1. I will be the principal applicant as I am 10 years younger than my husband.
2. We need to file soon. Maximum points for age will be given to those until age 35, and I am already past that. Points are lessened as one gets older. The older one is, the lesser the points.
3. My education is almost sure to get an equal 4-years degree in Canada when I file for educational credential assessment. The Canadian government recognizes as an equal only those who graduated from the following schools: University of the Philippines Diliman, De LaSalle Main campus, Ateneo de Manila main campus and the University of Sto. Tomas. Graduates from the other schools or those from the non-main campuses of the 4 mentioned schools would only get an equivalent of 3 years of education by Canadian standards.
4. The target score of 67 we need to get to be able to get into Express Entry.

RA recommended that both my husband and I take the IELTS as it would help us achieve the scores. For the ECA, it can just be me. But it is still an option for my husband to have his credits checked as well. Another point that can increase our score is if we have relatives (immediate family) in Canada, which we both do not have. 

I inquired about the CRS scores which I kept reading about. RA mentioned that it would be generated once we have created the profile in the Express Entry. The higher the score, the better chances of getting the Invitation to Apply (ITA). 

She confirmed that getting a provincial nomination can increase the points by 600. It would also mean that one would live in that particular province for a minimum of 2 years. We inquired about the best places to settle in Canada and she said that there are a lot of nice provinces. The more famous cities Toronto and Vancouver have higher costs of living, plus competition for a job is tougher. 

My hubby and I both acquiesce that we prefer the lesser cities as we are both looking forward to a quieter life. We are both in a stressful industry after all and we feel like we are almost done with the corporate rat race. She mentioned that Saskatchewan is really beautiful and I made a mental note to google further.

Back to their fees, my husband and I are both decided that we would get CIC’s services. It would be easier for us as we are both busy working. RA said that if we go back within 30 days after the seminar, we can pay just Php50,000 then the remaining Php45,000 would be payable after 30 days. We chose this discounted option rather than the installment, which would reach up to Php140,000 in total.

When computed, RA discussed that the total fees until issuance of the PR is about Php265,000. This is inclusive of all the IELTS, ECA, up to the landing fee. The fee is exclusive of course to the settlement funds which we need to raise. All in all, the money that we need to raise is about Php 1 million.

After the assessment, we agreed that we would target creating the express entry profile before my birthday. That would mean getting the ECA by August, and reviewing and taking the IELTS by September.

Here we go. This is real. We felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness as we left the CIC office. In one year’s time, we could be having a different life, all for Baby E and eventually, the whole family.