Migration for Successful Singles/Couples

[johnny333]

There is no uni of edmonton. It is called uni of alberta. And it is located in edmonton city.

Don't know how I could have made that mistake, since I'm a alumni of UofA :o

 

[johnny333]

I am going over Saskatchewan, Regina's area. Sask do have taxes higher than Alberta, I am budgeting a thousand dollars for a month, 500 for room rental and the rest for buying food to make own breakfast, packed lunch and dinner. Transport will be cycling. Is it possible to survive on cad1,000 a month?

I haven't been to Canada in years but when I there I was staying in Alberta because it was one of the cheapest provinces to study & live in because the province is rich in natural resources such as oil. They still have one of the biggest oil reserves i.e. the tar sands. So they don't need to rely on taxation unlike Ontario, BC,.... which needs funding for all their public services, infrastructure etc.

I've never been to Saskatchewan but met some ex-Saskachewanites living in Edmonton. The reason back then was because there were jobs in Alberta. I doubt things have changed much.

If you intend to stay on in Canada it might be a good idea to study in the same province you intend to work in as you can network, get use to the place, etc. There is also quite a number of ex-Sporeans living in Calgary & Edmonton. You'll find that many ex-Sporeans are actually quite nice once they've left Spore

 

[eatshitndie]

You have been providing false and misleading information on many occasions on Emigration in the past. Why should someone spend 3 years in a poly to get admission to US and Canada or for the matter to 1st tier destination countries.

............

The slowest way is actually the 3 years in Poly way.

you obviously don't know what the f*ck you're talking about.

u.s. universities admit poly students into science and engineering programs, and typically, the prerequisite courses in the sophomore and junior years are reduced because many of the 2nd and 3rd year poly courses are accredited as advance placement credits. engineering school prereqs such as ee99 (circuit analysis), me10x (thermodynamics, me10y (fluid mechanics), cse10z (basic comp science), and a host of science and math courses such as differential equations are conveniently covered by poly courses. if the poly program involves computer engineering, software programming, ic design, machine coding, etc., some core courses in u.s. universities are also waived. the poly student can easily finish the u.s. bachelor's degree in 2 years by completing general ed prerequisites such as english101, two art or humanities classes, u.s. history, u.s. government or political science 101, and advanced core courses in the specialized field.

most science and engineering schools in 4-year unis in the u.s. require 1st year in general ed, 2nd year in science and math prereqs, 3rd year in engineering or compsci prereqs, and the final year in core courses. poly students can pretty much skip the middle 2 years.

since most jobs with h1b implications (99.99% of them) are high tech jobs, students with electrical engineering and computer science engineering degrees have higher chances of getting employment. this is important as students in other fields hardly get any breaks.

however, engineering and compsci programs are extremely competitive to get in. all the world's best students wanting to work in the u.s. compete for these two programs. in order to even get into these schools, your advance placements must be ahead of your competitors, i.e. if you already fulfill almost all your science, math and engineering prereqs, you stand a better chance.

pre-u or junior college programs in sg following the a-level curriculum have less advantages than poly due to the lack of engineering prereqs. for example, a double-e poly student who is far along in ic design, analog and digital circuits, logic chip design, machine coding, microprocessor application is very much further in prepraration than the typical senior year double-e student in an american university. the poly student easily gets admitted to the most sought-after ee and cse programs. the sg pre-u or junior college aspirant doesn't come close.

o-level students will still need advanced placement classes to get admitted to a science or undeclared major, but there's no guaranteed admission to the ee and cse programs. by the time the o-level student gets admitted to programs that will help them with a job and h1b visa, it will be 3 more years before he she can even think of getting a class in ee99, which is typically the gatekeeper to ee and cse. competition is hot, lines are long, and almost every aspiring foreign student wanting a job that leads to pr in the u.s. is waiting to get a place in the class. add local residents who have been waiting for years to get in, and you have a massive choke of desperate students. the poly student skips that and goes straight to the ee and cse core courses.

due to good preparation by sg polytechnics in technical application and design, the sg poly student typically breezes thru' the core courses and tops the class. this is important as either they get referred to master and sometimes phd programs or they get hired because of their competency and mastery of the trade. most employers in silicon valley can easily separate wheat from chaff just by asking some basic questions. we're at a stage now where we have little time for job seekers with bachelor level competency, especially when the seeker is a foreign student.

 

[starstar]

I have never been to Sask myself. My colleague (white) who has family there says that in Sask the predominant immigrant presence are from South Asia (Indians/Pakistanis). I say this as a matter of fact and have no opinion about it.

What is the rate like for renting a room? My grocery bill per week is about $250. This includes food and household supplies for the whole family of 5, the homestay student and 3 dayhome kids. But it doesn't cover out weekend meals.

One thing if you are planning to prepare meals for one person it might be more expensive per meal unless you cook one meal and then eat it for lunch and dinner for maybe 2 days or more.

There are also those TV dinners that come at about (Hungryman) $3 per meal. Mac's got $2 bacon cheeseburger. During summer pop drinks all sizes $1. So if you count $3 per lunch and dinner ie $6 per day, comes to about $200 a month. +/- some nicer food, you should be within budget lah.

Hi doc, predominantly South Asian in the context of including Aboriginals? Sask has a high presence of First Nations and I understand they do look like South Asian. Anyway, that doesn't really bother me unless Sask exhibits traits of kiasu'ism, comparing everything from head to toes and 5C classification.

I didn't know cooked food is affordable in Canada. I was looking at Lonely Planets and every meal I saw was in the range of 8 to 15 and that made me thought of preparing my own meals. Yeah, in fact I was thinking of cooking in the morning and spreading it throughout the day.

I haven't been to Canada in years but when I there I was staying in Alberta because it was one of the cheapest provinces to study & live in because the province is rich in natural resources such as oil. They still have one of the biggest oil reserves i.e. the tar sands. So they don't need to rely on taxation unlike Ontario, BC,.... which needs funding for all their public services, infrastructure etc.

I've never been to Saskatchewan but met some ex-Saskachewanites living in Edmonton. The reason back then was because there were jobs in Alberta. I doubt things have changed much.

If you intend to stay on in Canada it might be a good idea to study in the same province you intend to work in as you can network, get use to the place, etc. There is also quite a number of ex-Sporeans living in Calgary & Edmonton. You'll find that many ex-Sporeans are actually quite nice once they've left Spore

Provincial nonimation do requires one to stay in that province but some people do go off to other places after getting their PR. It also highly depends on whether my occupation's credentials are transferrable within provinces.

With Sask discovering more minerals and other stuff, does Sask has more opportunities than before?

I am not fully decided on which province as I had been getting a lot of information on Alberta especially in this forum and Sask normally in books and internet.

 

[scroobal]

Bro, we all have been down this road - imagine calling your mother in law by the wrong name.

Don't know how I could have made that mistake, since I'm a alumni of UofA :o

 

[scroobal]

You need to take a course in simple maths and comphension. Singaporean kids especially girls those from well heeled families now skip RJC, HJC etc and go straight into 1 year foundation courses after O level and those who have high scores and do well in the foundation do go into 2nd year. Whether they make it straight to 2nd yr or not, they are still Re ahead.

There is a reason why our best and brightest go to A levels vs Poly. It is the same the world over. You will be pushing water uphill with any other argument. The Poly pathway was created by Singapore to cater for early industrialisation programme. In other countries, you do 12 yrs and if you cannot get into Uni, you do Poly equivalent diplomas. Later bloomers are an exception. That is why they have a u turn back to Uni for the top percentile.

We are all guilty of having caught up in Singapore Inc templates and cookie cutters that we fear the path least known.

A Singaporean Malay businessman who runs a factory sent his daughter to a 1 year foundation course in Malaysia. She has just completed her medical degree in an Australian University and was recently interviewed by Singapore delegation from the medical clusters on site at her Uni campus. There is another guy who has 2 daughters in Uni and 3rd in foundation at another University. Both Universities are in the league of 8.

I have spent 12 years telling people what the well heeled in Singapore society are doing so they get an inside track. The Cabinet Minister is not the only one. There are outliers like Mah Bow Tan who had a wayward son.

For some reason, Oregon seems to be the favoured choice among the elites as well as ACS parents. No clue why.

you obviously don't know what the f*ck you're talking about.

u.s. universities admit poly students into science and engineering programs, and typically, the prerequisite courses in the sophomore and junior years are reduced because many of the 2nd and 3rd year poly courses are accredited as advance placement credits. engineering school prereqs such as ee99 (circuit analysis), me10x (thermodynamics, me10y (fluid mechanics), cse10z (basic comp science), and a host of science and math courses such as differential equations are conveniently covered by poly courses. if the poly program involves computer engineering, software programming, ic design, machine coding, etc., some core courses in u.s. universities are also waived. the poly student can easily finish the u.s. bachelor's degree in 2 years by completing general ed prerequisites such as english101, two art or humanities classes, u.s. history, u.s. government or political science 101, and advanced core courses in the specialized field.

.

 

[nayr69sg]

Hi doc, predominantly South Asian in the context of including Aboriginals? Sask has a high presence of First Nations and I understand they do look like South Asian. Anyway, that doesn't really bother me unless Sask exhibits traits of kiasu'ism, comparing everything from head to toes and 5C classification.

I didn't know cooked food is affordable in Canada. I was looking at Lonely Planets and every meal I saw was in the range of 8 to 15 and that made me thought of preparing my own meals. Yeah, in fact I was thinking of cooking in the morning and spreading it throughout the day.



Provincial nonimation do requires one to stay in that province but some people do go off to other places after getting their PR. It also highly depends on whether my occupation's credentials are transferrable within provinces.

With Sask discovering more minerals and other stuff, does Sask has more opportunities than before?

I am not fully decided on which province as I had been getting a lot of information on Alberta especially in this forum and Sask normally in books and internet.

First Nations people are not Asians. Different. And please don't refer a First Nations person as Asian they will be very offended.

The hungryman $3 I was referring to is microwave dinner. http://www.hungry-man.com/products.html

I don't know how much you eat but eating out is definitely more costly. I pack my lunches to work everyday (leftovers from dinner). Also it's not as if the cooked food you find is that great either. Burgers and fries everyday? Subway sandwiches? The "chinese" food is not what we are used to either.

If you have decided on Sask, then just go there. It's not a bad place in terms of economic growth and opportunities. They are in need of people.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

Btw guys here's an example of a scam website.

http://www.ausfis.org/

It looks really authentic but it's not they just want your money.

They will call you and tell you they can have your papers and process it quick blah blah but demand your cc number at the end of the convo so there are immigration scams out there.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=660020

 

[eatshitndie]

You need to take a course in simple maths and comphension. Singaporean kids especially girls those from well heeled families now skip RJC, HJC etc and go straight into 1 year foundation courses after O level and those who have high scores and do well in the foundation do go into 2nd year. Whether they make it straight to 2nd yr or not, they are still Re ahead.

.......No clue why.

you just don't get it, do you? my advice is for ordinary sinkies who don't have the funds, support and means like your elite circle of insiders. elite kids can afford to spend years in american prep schools, colleges and universities. oridinary kids can't.

the best way, for ordinary sinkies to cut down on the number of years spent in american universities and thus expenses, is to go thru' the poly route. and if they have aspirations to get a h1b leading to a green card, concentrate on ee and cse programs. the sg system amply provides the prereqs and prepares the student for higher education and work in the u.s. it's a great prep system. there's no point spending gobs of money placing a kid in the u.s. early to get into uni prep programs here when things can change for better or worse for the teenager, and they normally do with a very young mind.

a sinkie kid coming here at o-levels can spend up to 6 years of parent's funds and still has no guarantee getting into a program that will open them up for h1b and then pr. they will need to be exceptional and go into masters or phd to get a shot. a poly student in the ee and cse programs will spend only 2 years and can easily compete for a high tech job with a path for h1b and pr.

almost all h1b applicants leading to pr here in silicon valley have at least a masters degree in engineering or computer science. immigration lawyers will not talk to you if you only have a bs or bse now.

the fastest path to a pr for a sinkie, besides marrying an american, is poly, short uni stint in u.s., job, masters while working, pr within 6 years of h1b.

 

[starstar]

First Nations people are not Asians. Different. And please don't refer a First Nations person as Asian they will be very offended.

The hungryman $3 I was referring to is microwave dinner. http://www.hungry-man.com/products.html

I don't know how much you eat but eating out is definitely more costly. I pack my lunches to work everyday (leftovers from dinner). Also it's not as if the cooked food you find is that great either. Burgers and fries everyday? Subway sandwiches? The "chinese" food is not what we are used to either.

If you have decided on Sask, then just go there. It's not a bad place in terms of economic growth and opportunities. They are in need of people.

Hi doc, thanks for the advice. More or less Sask then unless something major crops up.

Please pardon my ignorance, do First Nations looks like South Asian and how do I differentiate them?

I had bookmarked the hungryman, will serve me really well if I am unable to make my own meals.

 

[eatshitndie]

and you're talking about girls, while i'm referring to boys and men in sg who need to serve ns and have ns liabilities. they just can't go away for years overseas before or after o-levels to get their uni education without getting permission from mindef, getting deferment and putting up a bond. we're not talking about your pappy elites here. now, you're gonna wriggle your way from your moronic run-arounds and throw smoke and give totally irrelevant unrealistic examples. typical shrew screw.

 

[nayr69sg]

Hi doc, thanks for the advice. More or less Sask then unless something major crops up.

Please pardon my ignorance, do First Nations looks like South Asian and how do I differentiate them?

I had bookmarked the hungryman, will serve me really well if I am unable to make my own meals.

First Nations people look a little like hispanic. Some look like Northern Chinese.

Actually best is to just not refer to any racial issues. For example during a conversation with foreign doctors, I met a doctor from Shenyang. He asked me where I was from. I said "Singapore". A nigerian doctor then asked me if I was Chinese and I said yes. And the egyptian doctor said I am not Chinese, I am Singaporean.

So just say you are from Singapore. Singaporean. Singaporean-Chinese. Everyone else is Canadian until they say otherwise. First Nations would not object to being called Canadian.

You can get the $3 TV dinners during sales at the supermarkets like PC Superstore, Walmart etc. I go to PC superstore usually. Not sure if they have it in Sask.

 

[johnny333]

I didn't know cooked food is affordable in Canada. I was looking at Lonely Planets and every meal I saw was in the range of 8 to 15 and that made me thought of preparing my own meals. Yeah, in fact I was thinking of cooking in the morning and spreading it throughout the day.
...

I am not fully decided on which province as I had been getting a lot of information on Alberta especially in this forum and Sask normally in books and internet.

What you read in the Lonely Planet is for tourists. The price of groceries from the supermarket is cheaper than in Spore. It's cheaper because land is cheap, there is no PAP in Canada, they also don't charge GST on groceries. If you are fussy about food better pick up cooking skills before going

Whatever you decide, Canada is I think a great place to live.

One thing I notice about new Sporean emigrants is that many of them are used to the Spore work lifestyle & when they get to Canada they get exited about all the free time & oppurtunity they now have They start working for other people but evetually do their own thing.

 

[mayliewwan]

Correction. It should be alumus. Alumni is plural.

, since I'm a alumni of UofA :o

 

[mayliewwan]

Better check the census or demograghic instead of hearsay. The native Indians looks quite similar to Pinoys. Mostly brown skins.

As for job oppurtunities...... read the online papers or news. Eg goto cbc.ca and search for Vale. Vale called off its $3billion plans. Potash Corp of Sask in the news. You decide if the commodity boom is over

 

[mayliewwan]

Since you shopped at Superstore, you should have mentioned Superstore's no name brand. Superstore's generic TV dinner cost $2 each

Yes Superstore does operate in Saskatchewan www.superstore.ca There is a Superstore in Moose jaw

You can get the $3 TV dinners during sales at the supermarkets like PC Superstore, Walmart etc. I go to PC superstore usually. Not sure if they have it in Sask.

 

[mayliewwan]

Bingo. When one wakes up in the morning, there is no food on the table cos mummy or granny is not there to do it for you. Also learn to do laundry

If you are fussy about food better pick up cooking skills before going

 

[johnny333]

Bingo. When one wakes up in the morning, there is no food on the table cos mummy or granny is not there to do it for you. Also learn to do laundry

For a guy it's not actually that tough once you figure out how to make rice or noodles

However for the girls it must be tougher because many don't have the benefit of roughing it during NS

 

[nayr69sg]

Since you shopped at Superstore, you should have mentioned Superstore's no name brand. Superstore's generic TV dinner cost $2 each

Yes Superstore does operate in Saskatchewan www.superstore.ca There is a Superstore in Moose jaw

I just got back from my weekly grocery shopping.

Now I know why my wife only buys the hungryman TV dinners.

Today hungryman on sale $1.97 each (normal $3.24). Each is about 450+ grams. No name brand is also $1.97 (never on sale) and 366 grams. So only buy the hungryman when on sale, same price as the no name brand.

There was also 30 chicken wings (cooked, just need to heat up in microwave) for $9.98. I think that should be good for 5 lunches?

The other thing about superstore is they have stuff which they want to clear (eg going to expire ) 50% off!

Especially the breads, donuts, apple pie often get put up 1-3 days before expiry date. In the dry climate actually those don't turn bad within the next week.

We bought mooncake double yolk lotus paste box of 4 CAD$12 also from superstore.

The T&T supermarket chain which carries all the chinese stuff is owned by Loblaws which also owns Superstore. But the prices at T&T are higher (sucker the asians). I don't shop at T&T.

starstar, when you go to Canada, remember that most banks will charge fees for each withdrawal (even an ATM withdrawal counted as one, "debit" which is something like NETS is also one transaction)

PC Financials has a no fee account where you can have unlimited transactions from your chequing account. THe downside is they don't have a over the counter service. Purely online. But I find it useful to pay my bills online, debit, etc without have to count how many transactions I have accumulated for the month.

Have 2 accounts. One PC financials (owned by CIBC so every CIBC ATM can also be used with the PC financial account) for day to day use, and another normal account just to keep the rest.

Just sharing some experiences, but not everyone would agree and do the same of course.

 

[mayliewwan]

If one wants to get those 50% off deal at Superstore, one has to go first thing in the morning and compete with 'professional shoppers'. Yes I am one of those bargain hunters. I usually go for the meat stuff. I avoid the bake goods because Superstore bake goods are not that good
Not long after buying T&T, price went up. Also the mall rent is extremely high. Was told 2 Macdonald restaurants at WEM have ceased operation People go to T&T for a reason.Their bread,buns, pau, cakes etc are for asian palate. Good selection of noodles, condiments, live and frozen seafoods, asian veggies, pork, entrails etc. Superstore carry limited stuff.
If your family is sick of jam, marmalade or butter, T&T has KAYA....Singapore's Glory brand. Yes both green and brown kaya. I tried it. way better than YEO HUP Seng horrible stuff. If tired of bread. T&T has frozen roti prata dough. Curry? No problem T&T has Yeo's malaysian curry paste. Sick of colas and fruit juice??? There is cincau jelly and frozen pandan leaves at T&T
The alternative to T&T is to goto Chinatown. Chinatown parking can be a nightmare. Lots of free parking at the mall