IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE! My Canadian work permit is in hand! (Well I say that, I receive the real thing at immigration once I get there but I have my confirmation letter of introduction, its close enough!)
After only 10 days at the Immigration Office in London, my application was approved and emailed to me. Even though my other half had already received his, I was still a little shocked as to how fast the process was. I have frequently been on the Work Canada facebook group which is a great forum for those moving abroad - full of like minded people who are either worried about the same issues as you (where will I live? How do I open a bank account? Where do I find the cheapest beer? How will I survive without Primark?) or answering them for you (It will be fine!), and was expecting a wait as some of the poor mites have for 14 weeks! I felt a bit guilty typing in my comment that my LOI arrived in 10 days flat.
So work permits are done. We can now work legally in Canada as soon as we like, we've just got to book our flights, get our medical insurance, sell our belongings, empty our flat, find somewhere to live in Vancouver, find a job, open a bank account, get a cell phone, get a SIN number (like NI number) and then REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELAX!
On the subject on flights - these airlines are driving me CRAZY! Please can someone explain to me how you are supposed to enjoy a 2 week holiday, let alone a complete move with a baggage allowance of 20 kilos?!
I'M LOOKING AT YOU CANADIAN AFFAIR
AND YOU AIR TRANSAT
AND DON'T THINK YOU'VE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT THOMAS COOK!
It's all well and good advertising cheap prices, but if I cant actually take my belongings with me, its not much use really. British Airways were fantastic when we travelled to Vancouver with them in March. Their 30 kilo weight limit with a £30 charge for an extra bag of the same weight was a god send for us to be able to transport our ski/snowboard equipment. However I just cant stretch to their £900 price range.
Thank God then for the little known Icelandair. They're "keeping it real" with their baggage allowance of two, yes TWO 23 kilo bags for international flights as standard plus a generous carry on allowance. Plus their fares are reasonable. They fly direct to Toronto and Seattle, with Connections in California and Vancouver - perfect!
So today I have pinged off an email to them, to the effect of "are my eyes deceiving me?!" and I hope they can help. It beats paying £250 to have our stuff shipped out any day!
Aimée L’amour x
