40th Draw - Ray of Hope

[siddharthbala]

+1 for sharing the dont-let-the-wait-haunt-you-and-keep-yourself-busy-with-your-current-life-and-enjoy-it list.
We all need to stick with this list now (specially those of us waiting for OINP nomination).

Yeah

My view going in was "atleast a year from now, no matter what happens, I'll be slightly richer and healthier than when I was when I started".

Besides, let's not beat around the bush - the first few months in Canada, you're going to be burning through *a lot* of cash, setting up your life all over again. It's daunting, but not impossible and is a good example where every single bit of cash can help, even beyond what you need to show as Proof of Funds, so why not make it easier for yourself. It is, for example, a lot easier to save a few rupees here and there in your day-to-day life right now when you're earning enough than it would be buying something you need in Canada at an exchange rate that will almost definitely be higher than the country you live in now. So with that in mind, you need to factor that purchasing power and foreign exchange difference from the get go to make it a little easier to transition. Get thrifty

As for the "get healthier" bit - Canada is cold. The last thing you'd want when you land, after going through so much, would be to fall sick over there because of exhaustion or because of the weather, so why not toughen up that immune system now? Everyone could stand to lose a few kgs - we mostly lead sedentary lifestyles anyway and some of us create all kinds of excuses to avoid getting fit, so this is as good a reason as any to hit the gym or even go out for a daily walk.

This is all stuff that you have within your power to control, so why not take the opportunity to do so?

 

[LokiJr01]

How I wish everyone thinks like you. We would have a better world if we share the same positive and long term mindset

 

[volodyalysak]

It is just simply impossible : there are always positive and negative, sometimes i'm thankful to see some negative posts or comments here, because it keeps me alert and i don't just live with bright ideas of new life in Canada. For me negative now is that i live in US and work shitty jobs because i have no status here, and i just live and dream that i get ITA and can start my live all over again. For some people it is different, if you do well in your home country and have family and relatives close by : believe me it is the best moments that you should enjoy while you at home.

 

[_Aspirant]

Agreed - We've got a long way to go yet, the ITA is just Round 1 of the fight.

Don't worry, use the time to do some self improvement. I'm sure all of you have certain life goals to do in the meantime. This is a "to do" list I've stuck on my fridge to remind me every morningof why sitting idle is a waste of precious time. Maybe it'll be of some use to all of you while you wait:

• Lose a little weight to be in peak fitness for the future medical you'll need to take
• Budget and save some money to show for your future Proof of Funds
• Collect any remaining paperwork that could be asked in order to strengthen your case
• Try Learning French (or improving your English). I'm currently learning french vocab through Duolingo and spend some time everyday with the app - it's not the best way to learn French, but my comprehension for the language has improved considerably since I started using it.
• Go to industry-specific forums and doing some networking to see what the job scene is like in your chosen province. In my case, I hang around on poly count and Canadian Game developer forums to speak with other artists, get some professional feedback on my CV and portfolio, keep improving and also building fledgling connections.
• Every weekend, pick one aspect of practicalities you should know about life in Canada and do some research. Find out about banks, good localities in your desired provinces, good schools for your kids, the arrivals procedure, timelines, ticket prices, house prices, good economical cars to consider, license formalities, organizations that can help you locally, good times to go job hunting...there's just so much to look up and google is your friend. (Personal Note: The reason this exists on my list is because researching this information often throws up some interesting things you didn't know about and also gives you a better grounding going in. Information is the first line of defense.)

Sure, some of this stuff seems weird, but it serves an important purpose for me which is this - don't be idle. Keep firing on all cylinders so by the time everything doescrystallizes, you don't have to scramble for anything at all. Everything is clear, you've done enough research to make an informed choice and all is well.

Hi Siddharth,

I am an ardent follower of your posts. They give me immense hope and drive me towards a strategic plan.

Thanks

 

[siddharthbala]

It is just simply impossible : there are always positive and negative, sometimes i'm thankful to see some negative posts or comments here, because it keeps me alert and i don't just live with bright ideas of new life in Canada. For me negative now is that i live in US and work *censored word* jobs because i have no status here, and i just live and dream that i get ITA and can start my live all over again. For some people it is different, if you do well in your home country and have family and relatives close by : believe me it is the best moments that you should enjoy while you at home.

Hey man, you're not wrong - seeing negative posts is alright too, if it helps keep you grounded. That's also a good mindset to have simply because if you build up too much on the hopes that you'll get it, you'll set yourself up for some crippling depression in the event that you don't because your dreams just crumble before your eyes.

Ideally, the best way to go is to not worry and work on the things that you can control and things that make you better as a person.

Hi Siddharth,

I am an ardent follower of your posts. They give me immense hope and drive me towards a strategic plan.

Thanks

Thank you and I wish you good luck! Stay positive, work hard, keep fit and don't let the wait get to you.

 

[maleeksha]

It's good to see all this positiveness around!
But what makes the waiting worse is our age (my spouse did not earn any CRS points for age, so I'll let u guess our age :-[ )
The positive is despite our mediocre score for age, we still made it to a CRS of 445 .
When I see the timelines in the forum it's really discouraging. Our main motivation for moving to Canada is the kids' education and future. Hope we'll be able to make it soon enough for their sake

 

[pats2177]

Agreed - We've got a long way to go yet, the ITA is just Round 1 of the fight.

Don't worry, use the time to do some self improvement. I'm sure all of you have certain life goals to do in the meantime. This is a "to do" list I've stuck on my fridge to remind me every morningof why sitting idle is a waste of precious time. Maybe it'll be of some use to all of you while you wait:

• Lose a little weight to be in peak fitness for the future medical you'll need to take
• Budget and save some money to show for your future Proof of Funds
• Collect any remaining paperwork that could be asked in order to strengthen your case
• Try Learning French (or improving your English). I'm currently learning french vocab through Duolingo and spend some time everyday with the app - it's not the best way to learn French, but my comprehension for the language has improved considerably since I started using it.
• Go to industry-specific forums and doing some networking to see what the job scene is like in your chosen province. In my case, I hang around on poly count and Canadian Game developer forums to speak with other artists, get some professional feedback on my CV and portfolio, keep improving and also building fledgling connections.
• Every weekend, pick one aspect of practicalities you should know about life in Canada and do some research. Find out about banks, good localities in your desired provinces, good schools for your kids, the arrivals procedure, timelines, ticket prices, house prices, good economical cars to consider, license formalities, organizations that can help you locally, good times to go job hunting...there's just so much to look up and google is your friend. (Personal Note: The reason this exists on my list is because researching this information often throws up some interesting things you didn't know about and also gives you a better grounding going in. Information is the first line of defense.)

Sure, some of this stuff seems weird, but it serves an important purpose for me which is this - don't be idle. Keep firing on all cylinders so by the time everything doescrystallizes, you don't have to scramble for anything at all. Everything is clear, you've done enough research to make an informed choice and all is well.

+1 Siddharth. Awesome way to be positive and not take unnecessary stress. Trust me, this will go on my fridge tomorrow as well..

 

[shasai]

Do you guys know when is the 40th Draw will takes place....I am hoping atleast this time we see some decrease in points......

 

[Nick~Nick]

Manitoba came up with 600+ PNP recently, so next 1 or 2 draws are not going to be below 480+

 

[LokiJr01]

Next draw might be next Wednesday, August 10.
We can only hope the draws will be in our favor...but if that's not the case, just chill and look forward to the next one.

 

[siddharthbala]

It's good to see all this positiveness around!
But what makes the waiting worse is our age (my spouse did not earn any CRS points for age, so I'll let u guess our age :-[ )
The positive is despite our mediocre score for age, we still made it to a CRS of 445 .
When I see the timelines in the forum it's really discouraging. Our main motivation for moving to Canada is the kids' education and future. Hope we'll be able to make it soon enough for their sake

Oh, I understand perfectly and it's funny you should mention this, because it's something I've been thinking about a lot for the past few months ever since I initiated the process. Eleven years ago, my parents applied for migration to Canada as a family, but due to circumstances beyond our control (the interview was scheduled on fairly short notice on the same day asmy sister's wedding day, without a possibility of changing it or getting the visa without doing the interview).So at that nearly final step to closing the deal and getting to migrate, it fell through. At that time, my parents had to sadly let go of the dream to migrate and settled down to a retired life in India.

In the end though, it would seem that fate somehow had bigger plans - my sister wound up in the US (getting her citizenship this year, in fact) and I'm now on the path to migration myself, ten years on. Oddly enough, by not getting to Canada, my parents gave me the tools, the mindset and education to get me there on my own steam for which I am extremely grateful. My only hope is that I can get there while they're still alive and bring them over to spend time between my sister and I so they can fulfill their dreams for a better life through their children. God knows that after a hard life, they've earned this.

If you are motivated for the right reasons, there is no force in the universe that can realistically stop you from reaching your end goal, even if you might not yourself be the one crossing the finish line.

+1 Siddharth. Awesome way to be positive and not take unnecessary stress. Trust me, this will go on my fridge tomorrow as well..

Cheers, man! Hope it benefits you as much as it does me. I broke my personal bench record while lifting today, so I'm all kinds of happy.

Speaking of exercise and a bit of a side-track - I listen to a podcast everyday during my morning workout and as it happens, there was something very relevant that came out on one of my favorite podcasts that I think all of you should listen to, because it should give you some perspective on the waiting game and a view into the lives of refugees. Here's the link to it : http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/592/are-we-there-yet

Some of you who are tired of waiting should hear the stories of people who are still waiting and don't have a home to go back to.

P.S.: For those of you wanting to improve your listening/speaking skills for IELTS, there's no better way to practice the way I used to: Listening to Podcasts and taking notes.

 

[LokiJr01]

...or if self-motivation don't work for you, just think of the refugees who are suffering and found solace in Canada. Their lives are so much worse than ours, and they are fighting for their survival. While their existence kinda delays our visa processes in Canada, it's for the greater good as we are giving way to others who needed the help right now.

 

[DamhaSirah]

Besides, let's not beat around the bush - the first few months in Canada, you're going to be burning through *a lot* of cash, setting up your life all over again. It's daunting, but not impossible and is a good example where every single bit of cash can help, even beyond what you need to show as Proof of Funds, so why not make it easier for yourself. It is, for example, a lot easier to save a few rupees here and there in your day-to-day life right now when you're earning enough than it would be buying something you need in Canada at an exchange rate that will almost definitely be higher than the country you live in now. So with that in mind, you need to factor that purchasing power and foreign exchange difference from the get go to make it a little easier to transition. Get thrifty

That's one of the things I have been wondering about. After PPR and visa, how long does one have before the time to land in Canada for the first reporting expires? Just asking so I can figure out how long I should be on job in my current country. The longer I stay on my current job, the more savings I will have for living in Canada and the longer I can serve my family InshAllah.

 

[siddharthbala]

That's one of the things I have been wondering about. After PPR and visa, how long does one have before the time to land in Canada for the first reporting expires? Just asking so I can figure out how long I should be on job in my current country. The longer I stay on my current job, the more savings I will have for living in Canada and the longer I can serve my family InshAllah.

Friend of the forums and saviour to many (myself included), Asivad Anac, provided an excellent answer for this in another thread:

You will have to land in Canada at least once before your medical or passport expires, whichever is earlier. Medicals are valid for 1 year. It is important to stay back till you receive your PR card so plan for at least a couple of months. Once you have the PR card, you can return to your country of residence. To retain your PR status, you will need to spend at least 2 of the next 5 years in Canada (can be discontinuous).

 

[DamhaSirah]

Thanks Siddharth! Where are you from in India?