To Canada and beyond

After receiving the CSQ, the admission for Quebec, I have to apply for the visa. This will be fast tracked because I have decided to go to Quebec. However, I will still have to apply for a PR (permanent residency), which will include a medical and a security background check. At this stage I still have to finish of the bits and pieces for my application. Once I have everything I will send the package off to London. Noone seems to be able to tell me how long this might actually take. So I guess it is waiting time once more...

So, I went to Paris and did my interview. Just to give you a mental image, I have to note that summer has broken out in Ireland. We nearly hit the 20 degrees Celcius twice and it rains a little less. Coming from this background, it is no surprise that it took me a little while to adjust to the 30 odd degrees in Paris. Marching to my interview in business casual and with a really heavy bagpack, I was very happy that my anti-transpirant deo held it's end of the bargain. I was about 30 minutes early and that served me well. My interviewer, a nice lady from Quebec, did not even leave me waiting for 5 even minutes. She paid a great deal of attention to my previous work engagements and my studies. Then it came to the most dreaded part of my interview - the French test. I feel that I have to elaborate a little more. Due to an unfortunate delay in my test result reception I only got a hold of my French marks slightly more than a week before the interview in Paris. So I decided that there i

Time is closing in on my interview with big steps. I have sorted the French test. But now I have to get a birth certificate, a copy of my certified high school diploma and about a million of other documents... again. The process in all honesty is very tiresome. Nevertheless, I'm delighted that there seems to be a move on things now. So I will spend the coming days and weeks improving my French, gathering documents and learning facts on Quebec. Fun!

Good news again. I got the date for my interview in Paris. It'll be in August. Boy, am I glad that I took that French test early. Nevertheless, I am a little concerned about the French test still. They haven't send me my results on paper yet. So all I have is an email with a PDF attachment. Well, I am sure it will work out. It did so far... Anyway, the weather here is miserable at the moment. So I posted a picture from another day. I love the clouds here in Ireland...

After months of studying I gave one of the approved French tests for Quebec Immigration (TCFQ) a go. I was lucky since I managed to register the very last day. If I hadn't made that deadline, I would have either had to make the test in September or fly abroad for it. So I am very glad it worked out. Also, I already got the results back. After feeling a bit shakey with my French that day, I didn't expect much. So you can image my surprise, when I found out that I reached level B1 (one level more than I needed). Woohoo! In the meantime, I also moved from my old place in the Galloping Green Apartments to a place way closer to work. Now I don't have to take the bus anymore, which is great. Additionally, I love my new place. It's a penthouse with view, balcony and loads of space. My flatmates are sound. So ... happy days! By the way, I took the picture above on a short trip to Glendalough.

It's been a while now since my last blog. Last week I went to Nice for a trip. I can only recommend the visit. Seeing Cannes and Monaco were only a few of the highlights. Anyway, I have received word from my lawyer in Canada. It looks like they have reviewed my documents. They confirmed that they have send the papers to Paris on the 1st of May. Therefore, according to their estimation, the immigration office in Paris will be likely to schedule an interview for September or October. In the meantime, I will continue to prepare for my French test.

So finally the documents are gone. Over last weekend I managed to put together a rough version of the required statement in French. Luckily, my French teacher agreed to correct this for me. Tuesday I went to the barber and Thursday I used my lunch break to get some pass photos taken. Then last Thursday I managed to collect the last bits and pieces. For example I got the certified translation of my leaving certificate back. So Friday then I send the entire package via courier. It was an expensive week, but finally the set is sorted. Hopefully, I will be able to focus a bit more on my French study.

What a curious day it is today. A very untypical day with very untypical weather for Ireland; one in a line of those days. Funny, how quickly one gets used to good weather. I barely expect it to rain. As interesting as that strikes me at the moment, I am not going to write about the weather. I am going to write about my endeavors of going to Canada. I have been working on this quite some time now. And even though the past may have a story or two to tell, I am going to write about the present, give or take a week. This week I have been ticking some important boxes in my application for a Quebec Work Visa. I have gathered my documents and found a notary public. A little research on that part really payed out, since my first offer was to get each of the documents notarized for 50€ per item. Considering I had nearly 20 pages, it would have amounted to a major expense. However, the notary public I chose, a real gentleman, did all the documents for me for only 50€. I was well impressed. H