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Our work life balance is way better than what it was in SA. I used to drive 1.5h one way to the office and another 1.5 h back on 36km. My husband had severe pressure at the office to such an extent that he got shingles. We dropped the kids off at 7am and picked them up at 5:30 everyday. It was hectic. We are now unbelievably blessed, we live across the street from my daughter's school & our son's school is on our way to the office. My husband got a job 4 km from my office and if he has to work late he takes a bus that stops in front of our appartment. It takes us 40 min from when we leave the house until my husband gets to his office., this includes dropping of my daughter at Kindergarten, dropping off my son at daycare, dropping me off at the office & then reaching his office. If we don't have to drop of the kids it takes us 15min. I have much less stress and the work is not as stimulating as I am used to but that's obviously dependent on the company. The company is the same one as the one I worked for in SA and it's a really good company so I will just have to adapt to the new environment. My husband's job is very demanding but not as stressful as it used to be in SA. It all depends on where you end up, we did not enjoy Toronto at all. It was extremely busy with a lot of traffic and very expensive, we wanted to settled in Ottawa but then I was offered a job at this company in Montreal & we settled here. I won't have it any other way. Initially we said we will discuss going back to SA after 5 years just because our families are there but now that we are here we definitely feel we don't want to go back. We now have a life. We got bicycles so all of us can go outside & ride our bicycles without being scared, they've got such nice water pads and parks where you can take the kids and it's actually maintained. We can go swimming and ice skating for free at the recreation centre. We had to take the kids to the pediatrician for their check ups & I got this fear of having to spend a lot of money on the consultation & it was free 😆 there are a lot of expenses when you first arrive, it's really insane and stressful but it's all still worth it. If we could have our whole family here it would be perfect!

If it helps, my kid could do none of the things mentioned by your caregiver, at that age. In fact he struggled more or less with many things like writing and parts of Maths (but was streets ahead in reading) until Grade 3 when he suddenly shot ahead of everyone in his class/ year, on many levels (writing, Maths etc). Relax. It will be fine. Your child should be playing. They're only young for such a short time.

Your caregiver should know better than to tell you that. As mentioned above, kids delvelop on their own pace. Ofcourse there are times where concern will kick in but I think the signs would be very obvious. My girl is almost a year and she does way more than the kids in our play groups her age or older for that matter do. I would never expect anyone to tell the moms they're kids are behind because they don't do what my daughter does, in fact, I see my daughter as the odd one out, cute but a weirdo. 😂 I guess bottom line is if you're comfortable with her progression then I wouldn't worry.

In my support of the other feedback above: the key to reading readiness during the toddler years is indirect guidance - get her excited about stories. She is not supposed to worry about alphabet letters at three. Pushing your child to read before she is ready can get in the way of your child's interest in learning. Some basic concept of the printed words/number is ok, but stressing about a three year old not being able to name all 26 letters is ridiculous. What she should hear is how fantastic she is and how much you love her and what a joy it is to play. A positive child approaching school with confidence will thrive and fly through developmental phases at the proper time. So your hubby might not always be right, but this time he nails it!

I'm going to stick my neck out and say, either find another caregiver or grin and bear it until your daughter can start JK. Whatever works for you. But I believe play-based learning IS the way to go.

Due to the number of online scammers I would recommend only working through a reputable realtor when renting a property. Not worth the risk going solo if you are still sitting in SA or trying the find a rental just a few days after arriving. Just my opinion that it’s easier and safer using a licensed realtor (and no I’m not a realtor or connected to the real estate industry).

I feel relaxed reading the above. I have a son who turns 3 in December. He is able to read all alphabets and numbers up to 20. Introduced him to play based learning. He was a a private daycare in Durban but often fell sick. Currently I work from home so I take care of him and try my best to spend time and teach him what he would learn at daycare for his age group. Youtube, blogs etc. and the more you read the more pressurized you feel. I guess we all want to see our children do their best but I guess we as parents need to realize that at this tender age they should be getting exposure to behavioral and social skills as the rest will be taught in school with time. I am sure that behavior and social interaction will blossom at school but its good to teach them good exposure to those earlier! @Marcola you shouldn't pay heed to what your child care giver said to you. There is time for all of that!

I had a read-through on the minimum requirements to apply/qualify as a federal skilled worker under Express Entry and here's what the CIC says: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=689&top=29 So the consultant is correct. I do not see that the requirements explicitly connect the education credential to the skilled work experience NOC. On the skilled work experience, you need at least 1 year work experience in an occupation that is classified as Skill Type 0, A or B. You have 6 years and counting. On the education, you need to prove that your credential is equivalent to a completed Canadian credential, and I'm assuming you have your WES (and that it is a Canadian equivalent). Anyways, good luck on the journey! Hope this helps.

Yes. According to CIC, your friend must have the following documents when flagpoling: passport, travel or identity document (including your visa sticker, if you have one), and Confirmation of Permanent Residence, permanent resident visa, Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), letter of introduction or any instructions from the Canadian visa office, and proof of legal status in Canada, such as a valid work permit, study permit, temporary resident permit, or visitor document, or any immigration document you have (whether valid or not), or proof of implied status (if you applied to extend your stay before it ended). Proof of this status may include: payment receipt, copy of your application to extend your stay, printout of online application, or proof of mailing. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=748&top=22

Thanks for the replies, @sueannejoe and @Willem sing And super thanks for this, @GrantM

You know you have acclimatized when it's 14 degrees Celsius and you are wearing short sleeves. Our family can't really complain because we live in Canada's Garden Route: rainy winters, wonderful sunny summers. What gets me is not the cold, but the dreary darkness of winter. It's not really good for the soul when it gets dark just after three o' clock in the afternoon and the sun rises long after eight in the morning. The sun hovers low on the horizon for most of the winter. Canadians embrace winter. We just have to follow their example.

@Nettie thank you for the feedback. I must be honest, sometimes I feel really guilty if I have to explain exactly why we left so your recommendation for "We felt it was the best thing for our family" is a great response. We enjoy skiing, we went to Austria and Vermont a few years ago to ski so we will find some winter sports to do. Already trying to teach ourselves how to skate 😂 we should be ok by the time winter gets here. One thing people don't tell you is how expensive all the winter gear is. The startup costs once you arrive in a new country is insane.

It's a tough one for sure. I have a friend that teaches in Asia and has been doing it for some time. She absolutely loves it and the places she travels to are amazing! It's a great opportunity to experience new adventures while saving some money. It's all about what you want out of it as an individual. I agree with Johan, look into the how it'll affect your application and go from there. If I could do that at your age I wouldn't even think twice. 😉

I’m no expert but will say that I have two daughters, who developed very differently when they were young. When the second one came, I used to compare her growth to her big sister. “When #1 was this age, she was already doing this and that, etc.” Until one day, a teacher I met on vacation, pointed out that even with the same genes, kids are different. They’ll all get there, but not at the same speed.

Thanks Nelline. I have been feeling down since she spoke to me. Feeling like i let my child down. I even googled milestones but nowhere did it say she needed to be able to read and write. So i am going to relax... this shouldn't be me spending the weekend pushing her:( Even my hubby said "shes 3, this isnt even school as yet." I guess I will make learning fun and stick to my thinking of let them play, they will be in school for the next 14 plus years anyways!!

The 3 month waiting period is still in effect in Ontario for newcomers. I believe they use the landing date on the COPR. The 153 out of 183 days is more for continued eligibility. You have to be living “continuously” in Ontario for 5 of the last 6 months since you arrive in the province. Hope this helps.

The first thing to do is to familiarize yourself with the requirements of the engineering regulating bodies in the provinces. In Canada, the professions are regulated at provincial and not federal level. Here are a few links: https://www.egbc.ca/ https://www.apega.ca/ https://www.apegs.ca/Portal/Pages/Home-Page http://www.apegm.mb.ca/ http://www.peo.on.ca/ This may be an interesting read: https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/cpp.2014-022

I work in Accounting for a small/mid (I'm not sure where we are now) company, whose growth is kinda just exploding at the moment. We recently listed and the job has become even more demanding, especially about month-end reporting deadlines. So at month-end, I could be working like crazy, "whenever-I'm-awake-I'm-remotely-accessing-the-server-even-from-home" hours. And on other days (few and far between), I can leave the office at around 6pm. To top it, I also have freelance work (that I try to do when I have a quiet evening and on weekends every quarter). Yep, this one's on me. I am generally a workaholic so work-life balance....what's that? LOL Having said this, I used to work previously for a company that was so time-conscious, most employees walked in the door at exactly 8am and started packing out their desks to leave at 4:25pm. We even used to countdown the 5 minutes to 4:30pm some afternoons. Very lax. No overtime, no late nights, no weekends. I do enjoy the work I do, which is probably why I'm still doing what I'm doing and I'm still with the company I am with. And I (try to) make sure I plan vacations/time-off with my family every now and again (so that they get a chance to see me as a wife/mother instead of just a worked-up accountant).

Hi All I know this will only be applicable to a few, but I think it will help the CA's out there. Step by step on how to convert your CA(SA) qualification to a CPA CA qualifications. Please note, this is in Ontario, and it has been my experience. It might not be the same anymore, or they might change their minds. First step is to complete the application form for foreign trained accountants, if you google it, you will find it on their website. They reference SAICA, so make sure it is the right one. After completing this, you need to send it to CPA Ontario, with proof that you are in good standing with your current accounting body. This proof needs to be sent directly from SAICA to CPA Ontario. Make sure you get SAICA to copy you on this correspondence. CPA Ontario accepted mine in email format if memory serves. SAICA isn't too bad with this, and if you email their general "contact us" email, you should get the right person to attend to this. I can't recall timelines, but SAICA isn't too hasty to get this done, so give it a few weeks. Once CPA Ontario receives and processes your application, they charge your credit card with about $280 application fee (ZAR3k) so make sure it is still open, and has funds/limit available. You can't change this once you started (You can charge the other fees mentioned below, but only much later). Once they accept this, and your application is reviewed, it goes to a committee to see if they really approve you or not. The committee doesn't sit every week, so it takes time. Step 2 is to complete another form, once they let you know you have provisionally been accepted, and pay another $1107.70 (about ZAR12k) this is after the committee has approved you. This payment is basically your annual fees and a registration fee. Some companies will cover some or all of it for you. Once they received this payment with your form, they will officially let you in as a member. Only at this point are you allowed to use the CPA CA designation. As part of the application you need to have 2 CPA CA members vouch for you, and they had to know you for a year before this. Seeing as this is virtually impossible for most people, they will also accept it if 2 CA(SA)'s vouch for you. There is a form for this as well. Once this is done, you need to register for the CARPD course, another $1011.35 (about ZAR11k). This is an online course you need to complete within 2 year of being accepted to keep your designation. It is all online, and you can do it as many times as you want, but you need to get 100% for every module. The course focuses on Canadian tax, Companies Act etc. All of this, allows you to use the CPA CA designation. If you want to become an audit partner, and sign off AFS (i.e. have a public accounting license), you will need to do the CARE exam, which I know almost nothing about. I know it is done annually in October, and is also pretty expensive. This process from start to finish will take more than 6 months, so be patient, it isn't easy, but I think in the end it is worth it. When you tell potential employers you are busy getting the local designation, and it is basically just admin, their attitude changes, and possibly even the jobs you can apply for. This is what I did, and I am allowed to call myself a CPA CA. They recently went through an amalgamation of designations, thus the CPA CA. You also get CPA CGA and CPA CMA. CPA CA's here go through the same audit training as we did in SA, and as such, some people see this is as the best one, and you will hear the debates on this, I am sure. Hope this helps, and feel free to ask any question you might have.

We have found pet friendly accommodation too. It took a lot of searching but I must say it wasn't as difficult as I thought. We viewed quite a few houses that were willing to take the 4 dogs. Some of them just requested an extra damage deposit. Hopefully we won't have to rent for too long and will be able to buy soon.

Ag, nee man...

@Mheynes456 we brought 3 dogs over, one of which is a large breed and two medium breeds, and we didn't have all that much trouble finding a good rental in a nice area that was pet friendly. Twice actually, as the first one was only a 6 month rental.This was in Ottawa though, but we did it again when we moved to PEI - some research and a bit of luck, and pet friendly rentals are out there. Maybe not in the greater Toronto area / Vancouver etc as I understand it can be tougher in these cities. However as @M-N mentioned - it makes a LOT of sense to come over (even if one of you comes over first, which is what we did) and search in person, and send for the dogs later. We found kijiji to be best as the real estate agents who do rentals all just say no to pets - but then you need to be able to do the leg-work in person regarding meeting people and visiting rentals to ensure no scammers and that the area is where you want to be. One tip regarding Kijiji, don't search only on the "pet friendly" listings, they'll often be worn down, or not in the nicer areas. Search through all listings, and only sift out the ones which categorically state in the listing that no pets will be considered. Once you reach out to the listers, and they realise how nice you are and how much they want such a great family in their property, then you can ask the question as to how negotiable pets are...

For a moment I had such a skrik! This thread and HSBC report was telling me that we're about to make a terrible mistake by immigrating from New Zealand to Canada. Judged by this report we've already landed in the land of milk and honey — pun intended — when we moved here from South Africa, so there'd be no reason to brave the Great White Winters. So after losing a fair bit of sleep here're my thoughts: Like Jules said (after I had lost my sleep), expats and immigrants are very much not the same thing.HSBC's report (which is graphically so very well presented) does not provide any information of their methodology or sample, so assuming this is feedback provided by their own clients, it's telling that the sample possibly does not represent the typical immigrant. How many of us maintain a GBP60k (CAD120k or ZAR1.23m) 'relationship balance' in their accounts?Another number that points to this survey being an 'upper-crust' subset: In the health category, Canada is ranked 12th, and South Africa 8th. That could only be for people that can afford private hospitals and/or top-tier medical insurance.For example Bahrain features quite well in the report. From parent's experience, I'd agree wholeheartedly, it should. Would I seize upon an opportunity to go work there as a professional, highly paid, non-taxed expat? Absolutely. My folks did so for 26 years. The picture for the very many manual labourers, low-skilled workers from India, the Philipines etc is of course very different, bordering on indentured labour.) Would I want to immigrate there? Live there for life? No. Would I immigrate from South Africa to New Zealand if that's the only door open to me? Yes. I am genuinely grateful for the hospitality New Zealand has shown us. Many people (but not all) do find happiness here. And I do believe the future in New Zealand is brighter than in South Africa (and that makes me so very sad). I don't agree that happiness is only a state of mind. Our environments colour our lives in so many ways. Aspirational environs kindle our hopes and fuel our dreams. I'd venture that most forumites lost hope for a brighter future in South Africa, hence undertaking their life-changing journeys. Their (un)happiness influenced by where they were and how they saw their futures unfold. If happiness was simply a state of mind, there would not be so many immigrants seeking a better future for themselves and their loved ones. There is none so terrible a state of mind to be bereft of hope for a better future — isn't that the primary motivator for most immigrants who undertake the most arduous of journeys of their lives? (I am so grateful that my challenges aren't as great as so many others' — not sure I'd have the strength of character to walk from Syria to Germany, or cross the Mediterranean in a dinghy.)

The postal strike was recently (finally) ended. Now it seems the teachers have decided that they would like to pretend that the taxpayers have huge deep pockets to give them whatever their hearts desire: The following are highlights of the B.C. Teachers Federation proposals and the B.C. Public School Employers Association's estimated cost: - Increasing salaries to equal the highest paid teachers in Canada. As an example, a Vancouver teacher paid at Category 5 would move from $48,000 to $58,000. Annual cost: $618 million. - Up to 10 paid bereavement leave days when any friend or any family member dies, instead of the current average of five for immediate family. Also, up to two days of paid leave if travel is necessary. Cost: $80 million. - Changing paid compassionate care leaves of absence from an average of three to five days to up to 26 weeks per year. And allow reasons for such a leave to include indirect or direct compassionate care to any person as well as for emergencies and serious illnesses in the family. Cost if every teacher took one such leave in their career: $49 million. - Giving teachers five paid days per year for chosen professional activities, for which they currently have no allowance. Cost: $80 million.

Union’s ludicrous wish list does its members no favours If they are so keen to go on strike they should do so immediately, waving their nutty signs. Then by the time school start they should have it out of their system and perhaps do some work (as long they aren't on compassionate leave, bereavement or professional development leave )