The Canada List and The Canada Coffee Club are owned and managed by Penny Nelson All content copyright P Nelson. |
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You are not alone: this was my Timeline This is the story of my app - be warned it's about as long as the CHC processing time, so grab a coffee to get you through it! What's your story? e-mail us We're here! [GO DIRECT TO OUR LAST UPDATE] JAN 99: The final straw happens and we make the decision to leave SA. FEB 99: Pay emigration consultants (R10,000 for the family). MAR/APR 99: I take solo LSD trip (husband has already been) to Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver . I fall in love with Van... APR-JUL 99: Gather 2-inch pile of necessary documents. Sell house (happens more quickly than we think at good price). 1 AUG 99: Move into rented house. Decide to move to London, UK, from Jan 00 to earn real money while waiting for Canadian visas; husband to leave Sept 99. Start UK visa effort, which is easy, thanks to Canadian effort. 15 AUG 99: App lodged at CHC in Buffalo, NY (processing times said to be half that of Pretoria) 21 AUG 99: Case number allocated by Buff; 1st e-mail sent to emigration consultants by Buff. AUG/SEP 99: Buff sends last e-mail to emigration consultants to say cannot deal with them due to privacy laws. I take over. SEP 99: I get 4 quotes from movers (container and shipping) and arrange to be packed on 29 & 30 Nov 99. Husband moves to UK, coincidentally at same time as Rugby World Cup starts. Husband goes to 3 Springbok World Cup games while I resign from SA job to freelance and prepare for Big Move. 21 OCT 99: Case number allocated by Buff. Letter says interview will be in Detroit and to expect next letter in 16 weeks' time. Processing times will be 12 months max, including interview. HA! (got a question? Post a message) 26 OCT 99(!): Next letter from Buff with photo-ID medical forms enclosed. 2 NOV 99: Unexpected query from Buff re residential history - dates at each address since 18th birthday must state from month-and-year to month-and-year. Have had 12 addresses - this is no mean feat of memory. Answered query within 2 hours by fax and express couriered hard copy to arrive ASAP just to make sure. THIS WAS THE LAST TIME ANYTHING MOVED QUICKLY. 29 & 30 NOV 99: Pickfords comes to pack [see What to Take]. I feel quite liberated... DEC 99: 1st Canada Coffee Club gathering held in Cape Town. I realise I am not alone [want to chat?]. JAN 00: Mad scramble to get UK visa and catch plane. Land in London 26 Jan (V cold). Faxed 1st status request to Buff. Received prompt reply that file involved query with other visa office, government department blah, blah... ie a background check in SA. Depression and panic set in... this will be a big delay. FEB 00: London house, school and job hunt begins. We are practising for Canada. JAN - JUL 00: 5 status requests and 5 identical, tick-box letters later we are still waiting. 27 AUG 00: Paid Cdn$100 and instructed Buff to transfer file to London, where processing times are quicker - Buff is obviously backlogged. Will also save 100's of pounds on airfares. 17 OCT 00: The file is on its way to London after many calls and e-mails. However, we have waited so long we may have to stay in the UK until my 16-year-old son finishes his GCSE exams in June 2001. But there are a 1,000 variations and possibilities on this theme. And The Big Wait continues... NOV 00: HUGE NEWS... some kind soul tells me both background checks are now through, so it's just a question of the file reaching London and hopefully all will steam ahead at last. I phone Pickfords to get an update of cost of shipping goods to Van (I'm still waiting). My things have been in storage a year as of 29 Nov, at a cost thus far of R7,236. Shipping my 17m3 was quoted at R18,000 last year this time. They tell me it'll be more like R30,000 now given the falling rand vs the US$, the currency of shipping. 9 JAN 01: The Canadian family hear the despair in our voices and make an appointment to see their MP, who says - although he cannot promise anything - he is sure we deserve to be fast-tracked after waiting far longer than the 12 months we were originally told it would take to process our app. We fax and e-mail the info he needs the following day and he sends an enquiry via the ministry in Ottowa. 17 JAN 01: We finally receive an AOR from CHC London with our new file number! Unofficially, we hear the interview has been waived and our med forms are on their way. JOY OH JOY - the end is in sight!! We're ecstatic... after 17 months of waiting we have no more words, but we cannot stop smiling. The only fly in the ointment is that our 16-year-old does not want to go to Canada anymore, having settled into a life here in England. Of course he will go with us, but that's what this unexpected delay has done - made things so much more difficult on that front. I book the meds for 30 Jan, which means they'll go off for assessment on 1 Feb, which takes around 3 - 4 weeks here. This time they will cost us £130 each. Last year in SA, the cost for both Lee and I was around R1,200 in total... but it's worth it. We're almost there. 22 JAN 01: Med forms letter dd 19 Jan arrives. MORE JOY OH JOY! Frustratingly enough, Nev is in a project meeting for hours and I can't tell him the good news. I can get meds done even earlier (this week). and need to confirm the time with him. There is one small query about a custody document we KNOW was included in the app - I'm told it was seen in Buffalo - but it seems to have gone missing. Not surprising, given how far this file has travelled! But a mere detail, because we have heaps of certified copies of that particular document, so they'll have it by tomorrow. And no-one has asked for UK police clearance certificates, which we took the liberty of getting, but I'll send those along too. Just in case... after all this time, don't want any more delays. 25 & 26 JAN 01: We manage to get our meds done quite quickly in Knightsbridge, London at a cost of £130 each. The test results will take 2 - 3 working days and we can phone for those results then. We're told the doctor's office will courier the X-rays and results directly to CHC London, where he says it takes them 2 - 3 weeks to assess everything. After that, the VISAS get issued! We are ecstatic, but for no reason, a little nervous. Now we wait some more... but this time, it's not so long and there's an end in sight. 30 JAN 01: I phone to hear the med results as instructed and am told everything is fine - in fact, they'd received the results a day early and had already couriered them over to CHC London's doctors for ABF (absolute bloody final!) assessment . WOW! As we expect this to take 2 - 3 weeks, we give the required 2 months' notice on our flat. We tell Lee when we plan to leave and go through some bad moments, as he is adamant he wants to stay in the UK. However, he mellows somewhat by the next day and starts talking about the surfing holiday in SA we have given him between leaving the UK and joining us in Van. At last we feel we can get excited quite openly and start looking for accommodation and a car in earnest, as we plan to drive from Toronto to Vancouver to really get to know our new homeland. 19 - 23 FEB: A busy week indeed. We spend each spare moment on the net checking B&Bs, schools and property in Vancouver. In amongst all this, I update my UK CV for the last time and prepare to send it out - am just waiting to hear when exactly we will be available for interviews in Van, but of course we don't have those visas yet. In fact, we are frantic, having not received a receipt for our ROLF which we sent to CHC special delivery to arrive 12 Feb. CHC London tells us they have no record of receipt, Royal Mail tells us it was signed for and accepted by CHC. By Friday we are convinced our CDN$1,950 has been lost and we'll have to pay it again. Despair! We are so prepared to leave, we don't know how we'll be able to wait it out till 31 March, which is when we plan to leave. I book the tickets on good faith and pray constantly. Lee leaves for his SA holiday, and I book a trip to Cape Town to be with him for 2 weeks in March, as well as sort out loose ends - such as our kitties etc. 23 FEB: Having contacted Pickfords in CT who are storing our belongings, wrapped, packed and ready to ship to Van, they collect and pack the last few items ready to ship in the first week of March. Noting the original quote of R16,900 given in Nov 99, I am quite shocked to realise this has almost double to R31,000 thanks to the falling rand! 24 FEB: When the knock on the door happens on this sunny morning, the last thing we expect is a registered mail item. It is so unexpected Nev doesn't even notice the large CHC mail sticker on the front... he just brings it to me to open (it's of course addressed to me). Two thoughts cross my mind - it's either another query, or... could it be?... the visas? It is THE VISAS. What can I say? It's almost 2 years to the day since we paid those emigration consultants to do our app, and a full 17 months plus 9 days since we lodged the 2 inch pile of documents in Buffalo. We start phoning the world - everyone in SA, Canada and further afield - allowing for time differences, this takes us the whole day! At a rugby club lunch, we order champagne, but we are keeping the Moet for a proper celebration with friends... just wish everyone else was here to celebrate with us... we are ecstatic and so relieved, having already booked air tickets to Canada for 31 March. I now have 2 weeks to pack up this flat before my trip to SA. Last update 31 MARCH: After all this waiting, it seems unreal to be leaving England for our final destination. We fly from London to Schiphol and then get a connecting flight from there to Toronto. I will admit to shedding a few tears of absolute relief as we leave Europe - it's been a long, long wait and it's hard to believe we'll be Canadian permanent residents soon. Our first glimpse of Canada is of frozen wastes as we fly in over Labrador City. And then it's the landing process in Toronto. We're finally here! Read all about our first months in Canada in my Van Diary! [TOP] |
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You are not alone: this was my Timeline This is the story of my app - be warned it's about as long as the CHC processing time, so grab a coffee to get you through it! What's your story? e-mail us We're here! [GO DIRECT TO OUR LAST UPDATE] JAN 99: The final straw happens and we make the decision to leave SA. FEB 99: Pay emigration consultants (R10,000 for the family). MAR/APR 99: I take solo LSD trip (husband has already been) to Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver . I fall in love with Van... APR-JUL 99: Gather 2-inch pile of necessary documents. Sell house (happens more quickly than we think at good price). 1 AUG 99: Move into rented house. Decide to move to London, UK, from Jan 00 to earn real money while waiting for Canadian visas; husband to leave Sept 99. Start UK visa effort, which is easy, thanks to Canadian effort. 15 AUG 99: App lodged at CHC in Buffalo, NY (processing times said to be half that of Pretoria) 21 AUG 99: Case number allocated by Buff; 1st e-mail sent to emigration consultants by Buff. AUG/SEP 99: Buff sends last e-mail to emigration consultants to say cannot deal with them due to privacy laws. I take over. SEP 99: I get 4 quotes from movers (container and shipping) and arrange to be packed on 29 & 30 Nov 99. Husband moves to UK, coincidentally at same time as Rugby World Cup starts. Husband goes to 3 Springbok World Cup games while I resign from SA job to freelance and prepare for Big Move. 21 OCT 99: Case number allocated by Buff. Letter says interview will be in Detroit and to expect next letter in 16 weeks' time. Processing times will be 12 months max, including interview. HA! (got a question? Post a message) 26 OCT 99(!): Next letter from Buff with photo-ID medical forms enclosed. 2 NOV 99: Unexpected query from Buff re residential history - dates at each address since 18th birthday must state from month-and-year to month-and-year. Have had 12 addresses - this is no mean feat of memory. Answered query within 2 hours by fax and express couriered hard copy to arrive ASAP just to make sure. THIS WAS THE LAST TIME ANYTHING MOVED QUICKLY. 29 & 30 NOV 99: Pickfords comes to pack [see What to Take]. I feel quite liberated... DEC 99: 1st Canada Coffee Club gathering held in Cape Town. I realise I am not alone [want to chat?]. JAN 00: Mad scramble to get UK visa and catch plane. Land in London 26 Jan (V cold). Faxed 1st status request to Buff. Received prompt reply that file involved query with other visa office, government department blah, blah... ie a background check in SA. Depression and panic set in... this will be a big delay. FEB 00: London house, school and job hunt begins. We are practising for Canada. JAN - JUL 00: 5 status requests and 5 identical, tick-box letters later we are still waiting. 27 AUG 00: Paid Cdn$100 and instructed Buff to transfer file to London, where processing times are quicker - Buff is obviously backlogged. Will also save 100's of pounds on airfares. 17 OCT 00: The file is on its way to London after many calls and e-mails. However, we have waited so long we may have to stay in the UK until my 16-year-old son finishes his GCSE exams in June 2001. But there are a 1,000 variations and possibilities on this theme. And The Big Wait continues... NOV 00: HUGE NEWS... some kind soul tells me both background checks are now through, so it's just a question of the file reaching London and hopefully all will steam ahead at last. I phone Pickfords to get an update of cost of shipping goods to Van (I'm still waiting). My things have been in storage a year as of 29 Nov, at a cost thus far of R7,236. Shipping my 17m3 was quoted at R18,000 last year this time. They tell me it'll be more like R30,000 now given the falling rand vs the US$, the currency of shipping. 9 JAN 01: The Canadian family hear the despair in our voices and make an appointment to see their MP, who says - although he cannot promise anything - he is sure we deserve to be fast-tracked after waiting far longer than the 12 months we were originally told it would take to process our app. We fax and e-mail the info he needs the following day and he sends an enquiry via the ministry in Ottowa. 17 JAN 01: We finally receive an AOR from CHC London with our new file number! Unofficially, we hear the interview has been waived and our med forms are on their way. JOY OH JOY - the end is in sight!! We're ecstatic... after 17 months of waiting we have no more words, but we cannot stop smiling. The only fly in the ointment is that our 16-year-old does not want to go to Canada anymore, having settled into a life here in England. Of course he will go with us, but that's what this unexpected delay has done - made things so much more difficult on that front. I book the meds for 30 Jan, which means they'll go off for assessment on 1 Feb, which takes around 3 - 4 weeks here. This time they will cost us £130 each. Last year in SA, the cost for both Lee and I was around R1,200 in total... but it's worth it. We're almost there. 22 JAN 01: Med forms letter dd 19 Jan arrives. MORE JOY OH JOY! Frustratingly enough, Nev is in a project meeting for hours and I can't tell him the good news. I can get meds done even earlier (this week). and need to confirm the time with him. There is one small query about a custody document we KNOW was included in the app - I'm told it was seen in Buffalo - but it seems to have gone missing. Not surprising, given how far this file has travelled! But a mere detail, because we have heaps of certified copies of that particular document, so they'll have it by tomorrow. And no-one has asked for UK police clearance certificates, which we took the liberty of getting, but I'll send those along too. Just in case... after all this time, don't want any more delays. 25 & 26 JAN 01: We manage to get our meds done quite quickly in Knightsbridge, London at a cost of £130 each. The test results will take 2 - 3 working days and we can phone for those results then. We're told the doctor's office will courier the X-rays and results directly to CHC London, where he says it takes them 2 - 3 weeks to assess everything. After that, the VISAS get issued! We are ecstatic, but for no reason, a little nervous. Now we wait some more... but this time, it's not so long and there's an end in sight. 30 JAN 01: I phone to hear the med results as instructed and am told everything is fine - in fact, they'd received the results a day early and had already couriered them over to CHC London's doctors for ABF (absolute bloody final!) assessment . WOW! As we expect this to take 2 - 3 weeks, we give the required 2 months' notice on our flat. We tell Lee when we plan to leave and go through some bad moments, as he is adamant he wants to stay in the UK. However, he mellows somewhat by the next day and starts talking about the surfing holiday in SA we have given him between leaving the UK and joining us in Van. At last we feel we can get excited quite openly and start looking for accommodation and a car in earnest, as we plan to drive from Toronto to Vancouver to really get to know our new homeland. 19 - 23 FEB: A busy week indeed. We spend each spare moment on the net checking B&Bs, schools and property in Vancouver. In amongst all this, I update my UK CV for the last time and prepare to send it out - am just waiting to hear when exactly we will be available for interviews in Van, but of course we don't have those visas yet. In fact, we are frantic, having not received a receipt for our ROLF which we sent to CHC special delivery to arrive 12 Feb. CHC London tells us they have no record of receipt, Royal Mail tells us it was signed for and accepted by CHC. By Friday we are convinced our CDN$1,950 has been lost and we'll have to pay it again. Despair! We are so prepared to leave, we don't know how we'll be able to wait it out till 31 March, which is when we plan to leave. I book the tickets on good faith and pray constantly. Lee leaves for his SA holiday, and I book a trip to Cape Town to be with him for 2 weeks in March, as well as sort out loose ends - such as our kitties etc. 23 FEB: Having contacted Pickfords in CT who are storing our belongings, wrapped, packed and ready to ship to Van, they collect and pack the last few items ready to ship in the first week of March. Noting the original quote of R16,900 given in Nov 99, I am quite shocked to realise this has almost double to R31,000 thanks to the falling rand! 24 FEB: When the knock on the door happens on this sunny morning, the last thing we expect is a registered mail item. It is so unexpected Nev doesn't even notice the large CHC mail sticker on the front... he just brings it to me to open (it's of course addressed to me). Two thoughts cross my mind - it's either another query, or... could it be?... the visas? It is THE VISAS. What can I say? It's almost 2 years to the day since we paid those emigration consultants to do our app, and a full 17 months plus 9 days since we lodged the 2 inch pile of documents in Buffalo. We start phoning the world - everyone in SA, Canada and further afield - allowing for time differences, this takes us the whole day! At a rugby club lunch, we order champagne, but we are keeping the Moet for a proper celebration with friends... just wish everyone else was here to celebrate with us... we are ecstatic and so relieved, having already booked air tickets to Canada for 31 March. I now have 2 weeks to pack up this flat before my trip to SA. Last update 31 MARCH: After all this waiting, it seems unreal to be leaving England for our final destination. We fly from London to Schiphol and then get a connecting flight from there to Toronto. I will admit to shedding a few tears of absolute relief as we leave Europe - it's been a long, long wait and it's hard to believe we'll be Canadian permanent residents soon. Our first glimpse of Canada is of frozen wastes as we fly in over Labrador City. And then it's the landing process in Toronto. We're finally here! Read all about our first months in Canada in my Van Diary! [TOP] |
My visa application (aka The Big Wait) |
Are you on The Canada List? |
Next online Coffee Chat coming soon! |
Are you on The Canada List? |
Our first glimpse of Canada - frozen wastes near Labrador City |
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The Canada List and The Canada Coffee Club are owned and managed by Penny Nelson All content copyright P Nelson. |
Page last updated: 23 June, 2002
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