Thread for Outland LONDON, UK Applications!

[Eabie]

So, I landed today!

And my god, what a day. I set of from my pad in Toronto to get the GO Train which should take me straight to Niagara Falls. Sounds simple right? Turns out I got on the wrong train. Hardly my fault when you consider that they don't say where they are going when you get on. It showed up 16:21 so I assumed it was my train...

But I digress. So, after about 5 stops the driver comes on and says "oh by the way, if you were trying to get the Niagara train then you're screwed TROLOLOLOL. You'll have to get off at Burlington and get a bus."

I'm a well travelled guy (just one continent left to visit) so I wasn't phased. I thought, screw it. I'll go get a beer and a bite while I wait. NOPE. I'm not in Europe anymore. Rather than being in the centre of town like I thought it might be, Burlington GO Station is in some sort of motorway bubble in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, never mind. It's only an hour. I'll just sit and wait. And wait I did. For a bus that didn't show up. For no reason. Along with about 80 other people. So, we wait for the next one. All is well. At this point I'm about 2 and a half hours behind schedule.

So, the bus takes forever but it gets me there eventually. So, I can see the bridge to the US. Perfect. Oh wait, I can't walk over that because I don't have a Nexus card. Great, time for a 4 mile hike to the other side of town (which I've never been to!). My walk taught me that Niagara Falls is AWFUL! The worst small town I've ever seen in Canada. Anyway, I finally get to the Rainbow Bridge and jaywalk on over to try and get through. Oh wait, there's a turnstile that needs 50 cents for me to get through. And it only takes quarters. Perfect. Ok, backtrack. I head back over the road to get a coffee from Starbucks and some change. The coffee costs 8 bucks instead of 5. Why? BECAUSE NIAGARA.

When I got the US border I was met by a reasonably pleasant woman who understood what I needed to do and asked me to go have a seat for a bit. She was very nice, but she too offence to my middle name and questioned me about it before asking me to sit back down again (my middle name is Guevara by the way. Thanks mum and dad.) She also asked me a lot of questions about my lost passport. Anyway, the whole thing took about 40 minutes. Not the end of the world, and I was prepared for a lot worse really. You never know when it comes to entering the US.

So, I head back over to the Canadian side. The chap there is also very nice, but he informs me that there are no landing officers working. He says that i'm too late. It's 8:30. I start to crumble. He fills out a bit of paper, tells me that he's only kidding, and sends me off to another office looking rather apologetic.

The actual landing itself was fine. Very quick. She tried to trip me up, asking me where I was working. I told her that I wasn't, because I don't have a permit. She nods, knowingly. She also asks where my other half is (she was at work). After that, she just said, "ok you're a permanent resident now".

Done!

I headed off to catch the last train back to Toronto which was full of lunatics including a strange pink haired gentleman who I made the mistake of acknowledging and who would not bugger off and leave me alone for the entirety of the 2 hour traint journey. This also included him sneezing and coughing all over me. Good times.


Oh, and when I got off the train at Exhibition Station, I was greeted by about 500 inebriated and half naked teenagers who were out for the Digital Dreams festival.

I'm not gonna proofread this because I want it to be as crazy and rambling as I'm feeling right now. Bottom line is, I'm a PR of Canada with a good job lined up and a fairly intact marriage to boot. I don't know what else I could ask for really. I hope that those that are still waiting get to this stage really soon.

Much love!

Danny

When I thought that we would be moving to Toronto, I imagined we'd do our landing at Niagara. Your story almost makes me glad that we won't be! (I said almost -- I still think the Falls would make a much grander sight for my husband's first day as a PR than the boring flat farmland near the North Dakota border, but c'est la vie. )

Anyway, all the walking, waiting, and paying for exorbitantly priced coffee aside, at least you're completely done this process now! Congratulations!!

 

[Canooknic]

I'm sorry you had a horrible day, but oh my how your post has made me laugh on a very grumpy day!!!

Welcome to Canada (officially!) FINALLY!!

So, I landed today!

And my god, what a day. I set of from my pad in Toronto to get the GO Train which should take me straight to Niagara Falls. Sounds simple right? Turns out I got on the wrong train. Hardly my fault when you consider that they don't say where they are going when you get on. It showed up 16:21 so I assumed it was my train...

But I digress. So, after about 5 stops the driver comes on and says "oh by the way, if you were trying to get the Niagara train then you're screwed TROLOLOLOL. You'll have to get off at Burlington and get a bus."

I'm a well travelled guy (just one continent left to visit) so I wasn't phased. I thought, screw it. I'll go get a beer and a bite while I wait. NOPE. I'm not in Europe anymore. Rather than being in the centre of town like I thought it might be, Burlington GO Station is in some sort of motorway bubble in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, never mind. It's only an hour. I'll just sit and wait. And wait I did. For a bus that didn't show up. For no reason. Along with about 80 other people. So, we wait for the next one. All is well. At this point I'm about 2 and a half hours behind schedule.

So, the bus takes forever but it gets me there eventually. So, I can see the bridge to the US. Perfect. Oh wait, I can't walk over that because I don't have a Nexus card. Great, time for a 4 mile hike to the other side of town (which I've never been to!). My walk taught me that Niagara Falls is AWFUL! The worst small town I've ever seen in Canada. Anyway, I finally get to the Rainbow Bridge and jaywalk on over to try and get through. Oh wait, there's a turnstile that needs 50 cents for me to get through. And it only takes quarters. Perfect. Ok, backtrack. I head back over the road to get a coffee from Starbucks and some change. The coffee costs 8 bucks instead of 5. Why? BECAUSE NIAGARA.

When I got the US border I was met by a reasonably pleasant woman who understood what I needed to do and asked me to go have a seat for a bit. She was very nice, but she too offence to my middle name and questioned me about it before asking me to sit back down again (my middle name is Guevara by the way. Thanks mum and dad.) She also asked me a lot of questions about my lost passport. Anyway, the whole thing took about 40 minutes. Not the end of the world, and I was prepared for a lot worse really. You never know when it comes to entering the US.

So, I head back over to the Canadian side. The chap there is also very nice, but he informs me that there are no landing officers working. He says that i'm too late. It's 8:30. I start to crumble. He fills out a bit of paper, tells me that he's only kidding, and sends me off to another office looking rather apologetic.

The actual landing itself was fine. Very quick. She tried to trip me up, asking me where I was working. I told her that I wasn't, because I don't have a permit. She nods, knowingly. She also asks where my other half is (she was at work). After that, she just said, "ok you're a permanent resident now".

Done!

I headed off to catch the last train back to Toronto which was full of lunatics including a strange pink haired gentleman who I made the mistake of acknowledging and who would not bugger off and leave me alone for the entirety of the 2 hour traint journey. This also included him sneezing and coughing all over me. Good times.


Oh, and when I got off the train at Exhibition Station, I was greeted by about 500 inebriated and half naked teenagers who were out for the Digital Dreams festival.

I'm not gonna proofread this because I want it to be as crazy and rambling as I'm feeling right now. Bottom line is, I'm a PR of Canada with a good job lined up and a fairly intact marriage to boot. I don't know what else I could ask for really. I hope that those that are still waiting get to this stage really soon.

Much love!

Danny

 

[londongurl]

happy canada day to you all -----wishiung every one of us /our spouse get their pr soon ,god bless and patience to us all also may the strike stop soon ;D

 

[m_and_m]

Happy Canada Day everyone!

And congratulations DGT!! Great to hear you're now a PR!!

 

[rpurdie]

So, I landed today!

So, the bus takes forever but it gets me there eventually. So, I can see the bridge to the US. Perfect. Oh wait, I can't walk over that because I don't have a Nexus card. Great, time for a 4 mile hike to the other side of town (which I've never been to!). My walk taught me that Niagara Falls is AWFUL! The worst small town I've ever seen in Canada. Anyway, I finally get to the Rainbow Bridge and jaywalk on over to try and get through. Oh wait, there's a turnstile that needs 50 cents for me to get through. And it only takes quarters. Perfect. Ok, backtrack. I head back over the road to get a coffee from Starbucks and some change. The coffee costs 8 bucks instead of 5. Why? BECAUSE NIAGARA.

When I got the US border I was met by a reasonably pleasant woman who understood what I needed to do and asked me to go have a seat for a bit. She was very nice, but she too offence to my middle name and questioned me about it before asking me to sit back down again (my middle name is Guevara by the way. Thanks mum and dad.) She also asked me a lot of questions about my lost passport. Anyway, the whole thing took about 40 minutes. Not the end of the world, and I was prepared for a lot worse really. You never know when it comes to entering the US.

So, I head back over to the Canadian side. The chap there is also very nice, but he informs me that there are no landing officers working. He says that i'm too late. It's 8:30. I start to crumble. He fills out a bit of paper, tells me that he's only kidding, and sends me off to another office looking rather apologetic.

Danny

haha great rant - congrats on making it through to the other side!

 

[SwedentoQuebec]

So, I landed today!

And my god, what a day. I set of from my pad in Toronto to get the GO Train which should take me straight to Niagara Falls. Sounds simple right? Turns out I got on the wrong train. Hardly my fault when you consider that they don't say where they are going when you get on. It showed up 16:21 so I assumed it was my train...

But I digress. So, after about 5 stops the driver comes on and says "oh by the way, if you were trying to get the Niagara train then you're screwed TROLOLOLOL. You'll have to get off at Burlington and get a bus."

I'm a well travelled guy (just one continent left to visit) so I wasn't phased. I thought, screw it. I'll go get a beer and a bite while I wait. NOPE. I'm not in Europe anymore. Rather than being in the centre of town like I thought it might be, Burlington GO Station is in some sort of motorway bubble in the middle of nowhere. Oh well, never mind. It's only an hour. I'll just sit and wait. And wait I did. For a bus that didn't show up. For no reason. Along with about 80 other people. So, we wait for the next one. All is well. At this point I'm about 2 and a half hours behind schedule.

So, the bus takes forever but it gets me there eventually. So, I can see the bridge to the US. Perfect. Oh wait, I can't walk over that because I don't have a Nexus card. Great, time for a 4 mile hike to the other side of town (which I've never been to!). My walk taught me that Niagara Falls is AWFUL! The worst small town I've ever seen in Canada. Anyway, I finally get to the Rainbow Bridge and jaywalk on over to try and get through. Oh wait, there's a turnstile that needs 50 cents for me to get through. And it only takes quarters. Perfect. Ok, backtrack. I head back over the road to get a coffee from Starbucks and some change. The coffee costs 8 bucks instead of 5. Why? BECAUSE NIAGARA.

When I got the US border I was met by a reasonably pleasant woman who understood what I needed to do and asked me to go have a seat for a bit. She was very nice, but she too offence to my middle name and questioned me about it before asking me to sit back down again (my middle name is Guevara by the way. Thanks mum and dad.) She also asked me a lot of questions about my lost passport. Anyway, the whole thing took about 40 minutes. Not the end of the world, and I was prepared for a lot worse really. You never know when it comes to entering the US.

So, I head back over to the Canadian side. The chap there is also very nice, but he informs me that there are no landing officers working. He says that i'm too late. It's 8:30. I start to crumble. He fills out a bit of paper, tells me that he's only kidding, and sends me off to another office looking rather apologetic.

The actual landing itself was fine. Very quick. She tried to trip me up, asking me where I was working. I told her that I wasn't, because I don't have a permit. She nods, knowingly. She also asks where my other half is (she was at work). After that, she just said, "ok you're a permanent resident now".

Done!

I headed off to catch the last train back to Toronto which was full of lunatics including a strange pink haired gentleman who I made the mistake of acknowledging and who would not bugger off and leave me alone for the entirety of the 2 hour traint journey. This also included him sneezing and coughing all over me. Good times.


Oh, and when I got off the train at Exhibition Station, I was greeted by about 500 inebriated and half naked teenagers who were out for the Digital Dreams festival.

I'm not gonna proofread this because I want it to be as crazy and rambling as I'm feeling right now. Bottom line is, I'm a PR of Canada with a good job lined up and a fairly intact marriage to boot. I don't know what else I could ask for really. I hope that those that are still waiting get to this stage really soon.

Much love!

Danny

OMG! this made my day DGT!! im so happy for you and even though it has been a looong jurney at least its over now and you can start your new life as a PR!! All the best to you and I hope im next!!

 

[SwedentoQuebec]

Thanks Sweden! Thanks for all your great advice too. The first question I ever posted in here was answered by you!

I just saw your signature that its been 8 months one week and two days since you started all of this, well i did some calculating myself and todays it 'has been 8 months and 1 day for me since this all started...or 243 days or 5832 hours or 349.920 minutes or 20.995.200 seconds...still going strong! :'(

 

[Sniprat]

Well, something is happening in London. We went into process on 27 June, although that ECAS system didn't show it till today. Maybe one or two of them are skint and realise their time would be better spent working and getting paid.

 

[cat_herder]

I recieved my PR status at the beginning of the year, and travelled to Vancouver in late March to get my forms stamped and submitted etc. I only stuck around for a week, before returning to the UK, and had my PR card forwarded to me subsequently by a relative. The plan is to return permanently in October of this year.

Whilst preparing stuff for the upcoming move, I've hit upon a significant potential issue. I have had a look at the ICBC website, and it says I have 90 days after moving to Canada to exchange my uk driving license for a Canadian one. After the 90 days has expired, I have to resit my driving tests etc. As I understand it, this 90 days begins from the day I originally landed as a PR in Canada, I.e. the end of March.

Obviously, at this point, I've exceeded the 90 day limit from my original landing date. Does this really mean that I'm going to have to sit a driving test again?! I'm really hoping I've misinterpreted things, and the 90 days start from when I move in October...?!

Ultimately there's not much I could have done differently anyway, due to the fact that I needed to return to the UK. However it would be a massive pain to have N driver status. Also, I'm concerned that having to reapply for my license might invalidate my chance of using my UK no-claims bonus when I try to get insurance.

Does anyone have any prior experience in this area? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[DGT]

I recieved my PR status at the beginning of the year, and travelled to Vancouver in late March to get my forms stamped and submitted etc. I only stuck around for a week, before returning to the UK, and had my PR card forwarded to me subsequently by a relative. The plan is to return permanently in October of this year.

Whilst preparing stuff for the upcoming move, I've hit upon a significant potential issue. I have had a look at the ICBC website, and it says I have 90 days after moving to Canada to exchange my uk driving license for a Canadian one. After the 90 days has expired, I have to resit my driving tests etc. As I understand it, this 90 days begins from the day I originally landed as a PR in Canada, I.e. the end of March.

Obviously, at this point, I've exceeded the 90 day limit from my original landing date. Does this really mean that I'm going to have to sit a driving test again?! I'm really hoping I've misinterpreted things, and the 90 days start from when I move in October...?!

Ultimately there's not much I could have done differently anyway, due to the fact that I needed to return to the UK. However it would be a massive pain to have N driver status. Also, I'm concerned that having to reapply for my license might invalidate my chance of using my UK no-claims bonus when I try to get insurance.

Does anyone have any prior experience in this area? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Hey! Granting of your PR doesn't actually mean that you've "moved" to Canada. I suggest you bring as much evidence if your real date of taking up residence. Things like lease agreements, pay-stubs. That kind of thing.

I don't think they'll make you sit your test again. Just explain your situation well!

 

[cat_herder]

Hey! Granting of your PR doesn't actually mean that you've "moved" to Canada. I suggest you bring as much evidence if your real date of taking up residence. Things like lease agreements, pay-stubs. That kind of thing.

I don't think they'll make you sit your test again. Just explain your situation well!

Thanks! I really hope that's the case. It seems reasonable that they should only count from when I ACTUALLY move to Canada, but you know how bureaucrats can be!! Fingers crossed...

 

[Eowyn]

I don't believe you can use your no-claims bonus in another country. It's unlikely it would be recognised, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

 

[Canooknic]

I don't believe you can use your no-claims bonus in another country. It's unlikely it would be recognised, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

We didn't get a no-claim bonus as such, but the 2 motor insurers we have used since moving have both given us a small discount for providing proof of safe driving - only about 7 or 8 percent I think, nothing huge like the UK companies give. I would looooove to drop 50%+ off our premiums!!!!

 

[Lat Lat]

Please help ?

The cic office in London requested an updated police clearance report from UK My daily commute to work takes me past the canadain consulate office in London , however , should drop the document in the letter box/hand it by hand tor post it recorded delivery to keep evidence of posting in our file ?

 

[scottishmaple]

Please help ?

The cic office in London requested an updated police clearance report from UK My daily commute to work takes me past the canadain consulate office in London , however , should drop the document in the letter box/hand it by hand tor post it recorded delivery to keep evidence of posting in our file ?

If it was me, I would send it recorded delivery for the proof of postage