From Atlanta to Calgary MY LANDING EXPERIENCE!!!!

[cchabert]

Hi Cchabert,

Just wanted to ask about the Driver's License. Would they ask you to get additional documents i.e. bank accounts/bills bearing your name and address?

Thanks!

For the driver license they ask me for my USA License and the Driving History from USA, they'll keep the old driver license, made an eye test to you and gave you a provisional one, later on the mail (one week) your new driver license will come.

 

[abelkwh]

Ok this now my Health Insurance Card and Driver License experience:

Here in Alberta the offices of AAA (Alberta Automovil Association) offer the services to register for your health insurance card and driver license, but only to his members, lucky us the lady who receive us she is an active member so we went an ask if we can do it using her membership and they agree.

1.- Health Insurance card: I just fill the form and show our passport w/corp and a copy of the leasing contract, she (again another lady) input the computer and 3 minutes later she told us that the cards will be on our mail in one week.

2.- Drivers License: She ask for our GA drivers license and our driving record, she fill a form and then she told us to go and do the eye test, nothing different that the one we do in GA, after that she gave tha papers to a guy that he finished the process of filling our temporary driver license, taking a picture, (they keep the drivers license from GA) also we paid the fee of $130 CAD for both licenses for 5 years, yes I know more expensive than in the USA, and that was pretty much it, we'll got our official license on the mail also in a week. we got the class 5 license that means we don;t have restrictions, I hear a case of a guy who came from the USA and let his driving license expire and they gave him a class 7 one, means he can't drive alone he need to drive with someone who have a class 5 license for 2 years period, different rules of course different country.

The whole process take about 40 minutes, and yesterday Friday I got on the mail ours SIN (Social Insurance Number) on the mail, so now I complete the process to register and have all the paper I need here, the next step is start hunting for a job, the things here are in a different pace than in Atlanta, here people is more relax and more family oriented, people go home and eat with the family and return later to continue to work. so far super very good this country has treat us.

Questions? please have them I'll do my best to answer them.

Peace!

Hi,

Thanks for the great write up. I am also going to land in Calgary sometime later this year and have been following yr write up and really appreciate the audorous effort on yr part. Was just wondering what if i have had alberta drivers licence long time ago and have expired and currently holds another country's drivers licence, would it be possible for them to retreive my record or can i just use my current drivers licence, take the theory test and not have to take the practical drivers test and then get the alberta drivers licence? Appreciate if u could answer this.

Also, did u mean that CAA did the health insurance for u as well? dont have to go to Alberta health care centre in calgary to do it?

Thanks

 

[cchabert]

Good Day! Well about your old driver license I don;t think they'll have a problem on retreat your old records, and the CAA also offer the services to register for the health card as well, but remember we went with a friend who have the membership and they agree to help us, I suggest to buy the membership and then do the registration of driver license and health card if are planing to buy a car, I think is a good choice if you get stuck in the snow in the middle of no where up to 160 km from Calgary.

Good Luck!

 

[abelkwh]

Thanks CCHABERT, Really hope the drivers issuing body can retrieve my old drivers licence record and also use my current licence to get the new alberta licence without having to take the theory or even the practical exam.

 

[WaitingForPR_09]

Good Day! Well about your old driver license I don;t think they'll have a problem on retreat your old records, and the CAA also offer the services to register for the health card as well, but remember we went with a friend who have the membership and they agree to help us, I suggest to buy the membership and then do the registration of driver license and health card if are planing to buy a car, I think is a good choice if you get stuck in the snow in the middle of no where up to 160 km from Calgary.

Good Luck!

Hi CChabert, Thanks for sharing these details on landing and getting settled. This has definetly gave me some confidence that i can also have same smooth process. Request you to please share your experience in getting a job. I keep on reading negative feedback on various sides which I believe to be story of one side of the coin. Please share your esperience on job search and steps I can take. I have applied in NOC code 0213.

 

[cchabert]

Ok guys, this my personal experience on this first 3 months on Calgary on finding a job:

1.- I start opening and account in Workopolis and Service Canada, also reading the Calgary Herald and The Sun, and I sent my US resume (keep and eye on this I said sent, not SPAM) to the jobs that look interesting to me. I found out that for example in the banks if you apply to all the positions the system will block you for 6 months, so remember..DO NOT SPAM YOUR RESUME!!

2.- On March I enroll to a 3 weeks course on resume writing, interview preparation, cover and thank you letters and business cards, I extra highly recommend this course, they simply change completely my resume and cover letter, also I found out that:

a) 95 to 99% of people coming to Canada even if they have a high degree in Harvard, Germany or the ones you liked, they'll have a hard time to find a job on their field because the lack of Canadian experience.

b) The more certified are you the better, here even the guys who walk dogs need to be certified, so depends on your profession get certified when you get here.

c)Volunteer here is a big thing, you'll get more interviews if they saw that you have volunteer, here is 2 types of that, the informal one and the formal one, this is the want you need to fo because they gave a certified for the hours that you volunteer, also if you volunteer on something related to your career you can add that to your resume and that counts as a Canadian experience.

The institution where I got the course was:

http://www.ccis-calgary.ab.ca/

And don't get the name miss lead you, this organization have nothing to do with religion, they talk to everybody regardless of that, they have many ways to help you, like the mentor program, I just enroll on this one and they'll found a professional who will coach me for 4 months on how to get a job in my field, how to gain Canadian experience, etc. and the better part of all is that is free. Also they gave me a list of about 500 links for websites to find jobs on each area like engineering, accountant, etc. great list!

3.- In the last week of the course on CCIS I found out by this organization:

http://www.immigrantservicescalgary.ca/

About a job fair by Home Depot, and I went and pass the screen plus 2 more interviews so this is my first job in Canada and my survival job. My CCIS counselor told me to keep looking to a job related to my career and get certified, so also I went to the CGA Association of Alberta and gave them my school grades, in the next 2 weeks they'll told me if I need IQAS or not, also they'll mention the courses I need to take to get my CGA, this can be done in approx. 1 to 2 years, but you don;t have to wait until the end, as soon you become a member you can put that you;re a student in your resume and get more interviews and also is common for the employers to paid for the courses.

So don;t just stick with one association, all of them offer different things, if all of them offer the same the government will shut them down, take advantage of all the wonders that the system offer to you as a new immigrant and don;t lose your focus.

To finish: Be open, shoot high but Don't come with high expectations on it as a quick or easy search it's better to be realistic and be surprise with a good opportunity, because it's possible however most people has to start from scratch and build their self's up, and be patient, remember that you're coming to another country and don;t expect to have the same life style since day one.

 

[Mahender]

Hi,

I have received my Canadian Permanent Resident Visa recently few months back under Alberta

Provisional Nomination Program.

I have booked the ticket and planning to land in Calgary on May-31st Night, Can someone

provide me their mailing address to be provided to the authorites at airport.

So that my permanent resident card will be mailed by authorities to the address mentioned...I

will greatly appreciate your help for my life long!!!!.

Hoping for Quick Help!!!!!!!!!!.

Regards,
Mahender.
email : mahenderreddy8@gmail.com

 

[Mahender]

Hi All,

I have received my Canadian Permanent Resident Visa recently few months back under Alberta

Provisional Nomination Program.

I have booked the ticket and planning to land in Calgary on May-31st Night, Can someone

provide me their mailing address to be provided to the authorites at airport.

So that my permanent resident card will be mailed by authorities to the address mentioned...I

will greatly appreciate your help for my life long!!!!.

Hoping for Quick Help!!!!!!!!!!.

Regards,
Mahender.
email : mahenderreddy8@gmail.com