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What's on the social calendar for South Africans in Canada?

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  • 5 Most Recent Posts

    • Deirdre
      File at Pretoria VO?

      By Deirdre · Posted

      Little bit of hope for us all, my friend's Medicals and police clearances expired in November 2019 They received PR last week without having to redo medicals and police clearances! 
    • Slippers
      Sept 2019 PR Applications

      By Slippers · Posted

      @Theron Feeling the same way. Think the more days that go by, the more I check my emails and profile. 
    • Theron
      Sept 2019 PR Applications

      By Theron · Posted

      Our estimated date of completion is March 3 and the last we heard something was on September 17 when we passed our medicals. Getting anxious here because so many people who applied just before and after, and even on the same day, have received PPR emails. So I'm hoping ours comes soon! Good luck to everyone else still waiting as well
    • GuyRussy
      Banking - Temp Medical - Sim Card

      By GuyRussy · Posted

      Hi @JaQ I landed in Toronto permanently, yesterday. Having done a soft landing in October I was able to get a few things done (banking, sim card etc), which made coming back a little easier. Nonetheless, on your questions. 1.1) and 1.2) Its straightforward to make international transfers, of course you'll need a Canadian bank account first. My Gf and I decided to go with RBC's  (mostly recommended by the forum and new immigrants) newcomer package. The package has no monthly fees for a year, and you get some other benefits too (I think two international currency transfers a year, for free, was something that stood out for me). RBC will also offer you a credit card with no credit check (good to get your credit history going). We transferred funds from Standard Bank, entering RBC's swift code and our cheque account numbers. All of which will be given to you on opening a new account. The funds took two days to reflect! I can't imagine it being much different with ABSA, be it on the NovoFX app or not.  2) Can't answer 2, we didn't take any coverage. We're almost at 3 months from landing, so we've decided to wait it out til we covered with healthcare.  3) We decided on Freedom mobile as our operator (they're quite cheap, and have more "freedom" to choose from across their pay as you go service). I'm not sure what operators have stores at Pearson (honestly never looked for one) but don't feel too rushed to get connected at the airport. I'm not sure where your Airbnb is, but if possible, look at taking the Toronto UP express train from the airport (signs will guide you from arrivals, cost is CAD$12.34 odd including GST). It has free WI-FI on board, and you can order an Uber from within - that's what I did) and then once at your Airbnb, you'll get access to WI-FI and will have time to make a better decision on a cell operator. Note that the UP express stops at Weston, Bloor and Union (downtown) stations. Obviously if your Airbnb isn't along this route, don't take the UP express. Alternatively, connect to Pearson's WI-FI and order an Uber, then connect again at your Airbnb. Reason I suggest the above is that there are several options for everything you need, and you want to take some time to make the best decision for yourself. Alternatively alternatively, buy a sim from a provider at Pearson (I'm sure there's a Telus or Rogers store) and get connected. Either way, welcome to Toronto, haha. 
    • Flashie
      Thanks

      By Flashie · Posted

      Hi everyone. Thursday I received confirmation that I have been approved to study in Canada for the next 2 years. Thank you to the odd bits and pieces from this forum that popped up in my hundreds of google searches. The most helpful things from this forum were actually those step by step breakdowns of other people's immigration journeys in their forum Bio. Gave me a good reference how long things will take. I was very fortunate to have a supporting mother both emotionally and financially for this or it would never have been possible at this stage in my life. I have full intention of paying her back every cent. I'll put mine below. I want this to be able to help as much to whoever it may, so for that purpose I will be very thorough in my teardown, and avoid the use of acronyms. (Pre-application) 28 July 2019: Booked my Computer Delivered IELTS academic exam in Joburg (R3720) 26 August 2019 to 27 August 2019: Flew to Joburg for my IELTS exam 3 September 2019: Received IELTS exam results (Listening: 8.5, Reading: 9, Writing: 7, Speaking: 7.5, Overall Band Score: 8 ) 1 October 2019 to 12 October 2019: Visited Vancouver (First trip out of SA!) for leisure, research and university tours (Application) 7 October 2019: Applied to VIU in Nanaimo for a 2 year diploma in IT (R1712.98) 10 October 2019: Contacted by the department chair of my diploma program for a video interview 16 October 2019: Video Interview 17 October 2019: Received offer to study at VIU 18 October 2019: Applied for my Police Clearance Certificate through my local PD (R114+R250) 23 October 2019: Paid a deposit for my 1st semester via FNB's Forex/Swift payment 24 October 2019: Received acceptance letter for study and work from VIU 26 October 2019: Applied for my study permit via "cic.gc.ca"  (This site will become your best friend over the next few months) (R1678.58) 12 December 2019: Sent my Statement of Purpose and my Sponsorship letter to Pretoria Immigrations Canada as I left it out of my application initially 30 December 2019: Received request to do a Medical exam 2 Jan 2020: Decided on TravelDoctorCorporate in Joburg, got an appointment for 7 January 2020. 6 Jan 2020 to 8 Jan 2020: Flew to Joburg to do my medical exam (R2963) 9 Jan 2020: Received my medical report results copies I requested 13 Jan 2020: Received my passport request to Pretoria CVAC 14 Jan 2020: Sent my passport to VFSGlobal in Pretoria along with required fees and paperwork (R440.70) Was only let known by a notice at the PD after 12 weeks that I am supposed to contact Pretoria Postnet for my Police Clearance certificate to be sent back (R450) 16 Jan 2020: Received approval to study In Canada 17 Jan 2020: Received Police Clearance Certificate Throughout all of this application, life continues though. I've had other 💩 hit the fan in the meanwhile such as someone doing a hit and run on my car, getting that fixed, selling off my gaming PC and tech equipment, surgeries, Christmas, Job interviews (Still 8 months left until I leave, people! Have to do something! 😛) So keep all of this in mind. It isn't just purely waiting for action all the time.   Thank you all so much for the odd bits and bunches that I found from this site to help me through my application. If anybody has questions I can help with or answer, feel free to message me while this post is still relevant. I'd be glad to answer them. This is something I'd have liked while I was applying. Thanks again. Bye