ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
CanadaHomesickness
I don't miss Canada terribly much but I'm not close to my family, nor am I terribly fond of the last city I lived in. My best friend and I write each other snail mail though and send each other cards, packages, etc. :D It's really fun to get letters even though the mail is soooo slow for some reason (it took 3 weeks for a letter from Las Vegas to arrive in Toronto...)
pocherosFemaleCanada2011-11-16 17:14:00
CanadaWhich shipping company to use?

Could we not just pay the damn tariffs? Seriously.

It's half his stuff, anyway, since a lot of the kitchen items were gifts to both of us. It makes me really mad that he can't bring thins like our f#*%ing electric skillet or waffle iron over without problems.


This is how I feel. Bleh.

I haven't had a lot of time to do research lately so I need to do some more reading. I wonder if it would look suspicious if I mailed a large box of books as a "gift" to my fiance in my roommate's name? :whistle: Or heck, if I mailed some of my stuff to my fiance's sister's place, in my roommate's name. I wouldn't want to pay exorbitant fees though, but I'm sure I could get a quote... Besides the books, all I really need to mail is my clothing. That can't look terribly suspicious, but I won't underestimate customs...

Then again, it might be easier to simply pack everything in boxes and get my roommate to mail it for me after I've crossed the border.

Edited by pocheros, 25 June 2011 - 06:48 PM.

pocherosFemaleCanada2011-06-25 18:44:00
CanadaWhich shipping company to use?

You may also want to check out this thread.


This is pretty useful! Thanks!

Also, a question... Do "they" know/care if you mail/ship your belongings before you get your K1 visa and cross? I saw something like that mentioned in the thread you linked. :S I'd rather mail out my stuff throughout the next couple of months rather than wait till my POE in September. Again, I'll be using something like UPS or purolator, and it'll just be big/medium sized boxes of clothing and books...
pocherosFemaleCanada2011-06-24 19:02:00
CanadaWhich shipping company to use?
I will check with greyhound. ABF doesn't seem to offer anything other than trucks and pods for residential moving. I just don't have that much stuff- I sleep on the couch in my friend's living room; I don't even have my own room, or even a room's worth of stuff to move. Also I live in a high rise apartment building and I don't even know if they could drop off a pod in front of it. Even so the quote was $3K :S That's why I just want to mail my stuff. I guess I should've been more specific in my original post, i.e. purolator vs. UPS vs. canada post* or something, but thanks for the ideas anyways guys :)

*which is slow even when they're not on strike so I doubt I'll use them haha.

Edited by pocheros, 24 June 2011 - 06:18 PM.

pocherosFemaleCanada2011-06-24 18:17:00
CanadaWhich shipping company to use?

What about sharing part of an ABF ?


What's an ABF?
pocherosFemaleCanada2011-06-23 21:29:00
CanadaWhich shipping company to use?
So, when I get my visa I'll be moving from the greater Toronto area to Las Vegas. I'm trying to figure out which company would be best to mail my stuff, because I honestly don't have that many things I want to bring along. I live in an apartment that I share with two roommates and have no furniture and very few household goods that I want to actually have in the states.

Also, I don't know how to drive, and it's costly for my fiance to fly here to simply drive a truck to the states, especially with time off work, etc., so a truck is not an option. I looked into pods/cubes that they move for you and it's still really expensive (around $2k).

What I'm bringing basically amounts to:
1. clothing- which is a lot... I don't think I could even shove it into two pieces of luggage for POE. I definitely couldn't fit all my shoes and jackets and purses into it. Then there's all my jewellery... I don't want to leave any of my clothing behind! :P
2. books- about 100 or so, BUT these are not paperbacks- they are very big, hardcover, heavy books. Think textbooks. They were expensive and some of them would be difficult to find/replace and they're important to me as I use them as references for my hobbies, etc. I don't want to give them up.
3. My computer + monitor and printer.
4. If it's feasible, there's a few household goods I want to bring because my fiance is a caveman and doesn't have the common sense to buy dishes and kitchen appliances. This is optional, even if I'm attached to my food processor and coffee maker and pots I know I could still replace all that stuff.

Sooo... many of the things I'm mailing won't fit into nice little boxes. I could probably fit everything I want to bring in 10 large or medium sized moving boxes, although they would be kinda heavy.

I tried to get a quote on the UPS website but it was some ridiculous amount like $1k per box.

So, does anyone have experience with this? Any particular companies that will mail huge and heavy boxes and charge under $2k? :lol:
pocherosFemaleCanada2011-06-23 21:20:00
CanadaBringing goods from Ontario Unaccompanied
I don't have any personal experience with this but I would make sure your husband has a copy of your I-94 (not just the visa... although if your I-94 was stapled right next to your visa the photocopy should naturally show both documents :) ) since that's proof that you POE'd and activated your visa.

Edited by pocheros, 02 December 2011 - 05:05 PM.

pocherosFemaleCanada2011-12-02 17:04:00
CanadaEI question
I applied for EI online back in September when I POE'd and it took 2-3 weeks to receive mail from them. I don't remember how long specifically but I remember it took them a little while. I don't have my EAD or anything- I just wanted to open my case- but I still received some stuff from them, including those cards that you fill out. Course I dropped the ball and haven't bothered to follow up since then so my case is probably closed or something, but to answer the question about whether or not you're going to get mail: yes, you should be expecting some mail from service canada very soon. The mail I received from them listed a bunch of questions in order to determine eligibility for employment insurance. Since you're not eligible until you receive your EAD, you will likely have to call their office at some point and tell them what's going on and ask them not to close your case until you get the right documentation.

I similarly find the EI thread cumbersome- it's not that it's too long, it's that the relevant information is difficult to locate and much of it is out of date. Calling the relevant office for information might be your best bet. In general I have good experiences with service reps on government hotlines, so it's not too frustrating.
pocherosFemaleCanada2011-12-30 22:41:00
CanadaCanada Revenue Agency and SSN/SIN number?
I changed my address with the CRA and also called the GST and HST credit lines to tell them not to send me any more cheques. The latter is important if you were receiving them because you're not eligible for them after you leave and if they keep sending them to you they'll want that money back. I believe Inky has mentioned before that this happened to her and it was a big mess involving a lot of phone tag.

I figured I'd change my address with the CRA "just in case," if they want to send me mail, even if that mail is by mistake/unnecessary I definitely want to see it!
pocherosFemaleCanada2011-12-30 22:47:00
CanadaAre weiners and lunchmeat ok to bring back to the US now?
My dad tried to smuggle sausage through airport once and he was stopped because a dog went crazy sniffing the delicious meat. They just confiscated it from him though :lol: That was years and years ago though, so I have no idea about right now...
pocherosFemaleCanada2011-12-14 17:06:00
Canadapassport photocopy for medical
Black and white is fine throughout all stages of the process as long as it's clear. I got my photocopies done at Staples and they came out really nicely.
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-04 13:13:00
CanadaPackage 3??????
Montreal is notoriously slow sending out packet 3 and 4 and it is not uncommon for people to never receive them. They don't send you the forms or anything, just some loose instructions that don't tell you anything new if you read the guides around here at all. In fact if I remember correctly the letter actually tells you to go to the consulate website and fill out the forms there. I STRONGLY recommend you fill out packet 3 and mail it now. Do not wait, you have nothing to gain by waiting. There's an excellent guide for Montreal K1s stickied at the top of the forums (there's also a link to it in my sig), it tells you how to fill out packet 3.
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-05 16:16:00
CanadaPackage 3??????
Montreal is notoriously slow sending out packet 3 and 4 and it is not uncommon for people to never receive them. They don't send you the forms or anything, just some loose instructions that don't tell you anything new if you read the guides around here at all. In fact if I remember correctly the letter actually tells you to go to the consulate website and fill out the forms there. I STRONGLY recommend you fill out packet 3 and mail it now. Do not wait, you have nothing to gain by waiting. There's an excellent guide for Montreal K1s stickied at the top of the forums (there's also a link to it in my sig), it tells you how to fill out packet 3.
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-05 16:16:00
Canada2011 tax package
If I can add a question as well... Can you file your exit tax return online, or do they want it to be done with paper? Just curious since I've done my taxes online whenever I could and I'm hoping I can again because I find taxes so confusing :S
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-06 16:52:00
CanadaSouth Park
I love it when American shows make fun of Canada- it makes me smile :) How about Robin on How I Met Your Mother? They even went to Tim Hortons in one episode, and she's shown regularly hanging out at a bar called Hoser Hut! Actually, there was one really good episode where she debates becoming an American. She goes back to Canada only to find that she's changed a little and doesn't quite fit in with Canadians who mistake her for American, but she doesn't feel like an American either. So she decides to become a dual and says "insteasd of being a girl with no country, I'll be a girl with two!" I thought that was really sweet because so many of us have that experience of going back to Canada only to find that people say you have an accent now or you're louder or whatever yet you're a Canadian at heart.
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-08 15:29:00
Canadapack 3 kids passport photos..
For each person, including children: 2 for packet 3, 3 for the medical exam, and 2 for the interview. It's a lot of photos!
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-10 20:20:00
CanadaInterview Dates - Montreal?
K1 applicants used to be assigned dates but aren't anymore. However, IR1/CR1s are assigned dates. K1s book dates using the CSC website. I'm not sure if spouses are supposed to register with that site as well sinced I'm a K1 but I -think- they're supposed to just to register their location with DHL so they can pick up their visa. Montreal doesn't print visas on the same day anymore either- now you have to wait for it be mailed to you.
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-10 18:00:00
CanadaInterview Dates - Montreal?
The general trend seems to be 3-4 months from the day of booking, but sometimes if you're lucky (you snag a date as soon as they open up a block or snag someone else's canceled date) you get it earlier. Montreal has a tendency to sit on slots for a loooooooong time and they open up a block of them all at once.
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-05 16:25:00
CanadaNo job, can we still fill out AOS? And also a question about the medical for AOS
Thanks so much! :) That's kind of what I suspected but I wasn't sure. Glad I won't have to re-do the medical exam.
pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-11 18:38:00
CanadaNo job, can we still fill out AOS? And also a question about the medical for AOS
Hey guys. Sorry if this question has been asked before but I wasn't able to find anything relevant to it.

As I posted in the Montreal 2011 Interview thread, my husband was laid off recently, right when we were about file AOS. We are okay because we cashed out his 401K which is enough to keep us going for a few months, but I was wondering if it's possible to file AOS using these assets as the basis of our 864? I doubt my in-laws will co-sponsor us. Also, my in-laws are also both unemployed and looking for work, but they receive enough in benefits to survive. If they were willing to co-sponsor us could they use their benefits or do they have to have jobs? Or will I simply have to wait until my husband finds employment?

The other thing I'm wondering: My medical exam was done in June and I'm worried about filing AOS too late because of it expiring. Do they refuse it if it's expired on the day of the interview if you have one, or the day you file it? I.e. what if it was valid when I filed it but it isn't on the interview? Or on the day they order green card production? Does it have to be valid throughout the entire process? If it's CLOSE to expiry, like maybe a month, but not actually expired do they ask you to re-do it?

It's so frustrating having enough to file for AOS but not actually being able to. We're coming up on the four month mark and I can't even contemplate waiting another 5 months... I wish I at least had a job, even a crappy job at McDonalds, to help out while my husband tries to find work. :(

Edited by pocheros, 11 January 2012 - 03:59 PM.

pocherosFemaleCanada2012-01-11 15:59:00
CanadaMontreal Interviews
Oh YAY! I'm so happy they finally put up interview times for you guys! When I didn't have one booked, I was really feeling down, and worried that I wouldn't be with my honey for Christmas. Now it looks like all of you will be there for Christmas this year!!!! Congrats!
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-10-15 10:46:00
CanadaMontreal Interviews
Oct 27th! Good luck everyone!
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-09-14 13:25:00
CanadaMontreal Interviews
I'm planning on letting you know if I get any luck, or if I happen to see a stack of appointments open up, just posting in here to save it...
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-09-12 17:25:00
CanadaCanadian/U.S words & pronounciations
I know it's not a word, but it's a thing that's different here: Bread ties... I actually just emailed my mom to get me some bread bag and/or milk bag tabs to bring down, because all the bread here is tied with twist ties! (not a fan....) That's probably a regional thing, but what a funny thing to miss from home!

Also, someone sent me a link on facebook talking about US milk and the BGH in it, said that Walmart's Great Value label doesn't use it, so if you worry about that stuff here because it's not banned here like it is in Canada, that might make things happier for you like it did me! Is there a link somewhere on here about food additives in US food, and alternatives to it? I know that there's a lot more here than in Canada, and don't want to only buy organic till I am working!
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-03 14:01:00
CanadaCanadian/U.S words & pronounciations
Oh, honey is already taking his shoes off when he comes in now! But yeah, no closet by the front door! My son has an antique wardrobe that my grandfather made, it's doing double duty right now as a closet downstairs!

Didn't realize that buns was a funny word.... My honey thought it was cute for me to say bum, he'd never heard that before!

Also, the trash/garbage debate has been raging, my son already has moved to the trash side...

As to Schneider's Oktoberfest sausages, they're a kind of Bockwurst, so if you ever see Bockwurst somewhere, they'd be worth a try! Knackwurst might be closer to what you're used to if you liked Pinty's from Central Meat Market rather than bratwurst, as the bratwurst here is all Johnsonville, and it's just not the same.... I'll be looking for a polish or Ukrainian deli for sure, they have another kind of sausage that is really good too, don't know the name, but might be easier to find a duplicate here than the bockwurst or knackwurst!

Oh, yeah, and we get the "uh huh" in answer to thankyou all the time from honey, so I just choose to believe it means, "don't mention it!"

Edited by Stuart and Thea, 03 December 2011 - 01:07 PM.

Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-03 13:06:00
CanadaCanadian/U.S words & pronounciations

Good luck finding good sausage here that is all I can say. I'm from Kitchener Waterloo and I grew up thinking everyone had german style fresh pork sausage or smoked sausage.....uh no! Johnsonville Brats are about what you get or maybe sweet or hot italian sausage (which BTW I am sick of after 4 yrs). In my quest for good german sausage in VA I have eaten many poor substitutes. Sage breakfast sausage just doesn;t cut it.

What I wouldn't give for a good Schneider's Oktoberfest sausage :)


I'm from K-W as well, and I guess maybe I took sausages for granted. Wish I had known before I left, and I would have treated honey to an Oktoberfest sausage before we left!
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-02 17:10:00
CanadaCanadian/U.S words & pronounciations
Okay, I'm now in the US, and we DID find another culture difference that I had to include here because it was so funny!

The other day, we were deciding what to have for lunch, seeing as how we were unpacking the truck and moving boxes and such, I thought sausages on a bun would be great, not to mention easy! Honey said, yes, we can have sausage, I'll have to take you to the store to get some, and you can pick up what you want to go with it.

At the store, I said, "let's pick up the sausage buns while we're here first"

Honey looked at me blankly for a moment, and then asked, "what's a sausage bun, is it like a hamburger bun?"

I told him, "no, it's long and skinny like a hotdog bun" (at this point, I thought he had lost his rocker)

The bakery was after the meat section, so we were getting the sausages first, and honey took me to the freezer section because I said to him that I couldn't find any yet. He then showed me breakfast sausage patties. I said, "no, not breakfast sausage, I want regular sausages" He asked me, "do you mean links?" I thought that was just a different word for them, so said, "maybe" and he then showed me breakfast sausages, like the ones you pour maple syrup on. He really had no clue, so I told him, "they're sometimes frozen, normally fresh" Then he said, "like polish sausage?" to me that's a deli meat that you slice on sandwiches, so, no...

He really had no clue, but finally we went to the butcher, and I saw some sausages in the display, and what does my honey say? "Oh! Those are Brats! I have some in the freezer, but we need buns...."

Total facepalm for us both!
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-01 22:11:00
CanadaCanadian/U.S words & pronounciations
Youtube has a regional dialect meme that is really interesting when it comes to pronouncing a lot of these words. It's not limited to just the US, and in fact, there's people from all over the world participating. You just repeat a bunch of words and answer a few questions. I'd link you but there's so many different ones that you can just google regional dialect meme and you get pages of results. This is the list of words and questions that people are posting themselves with:

Say These Words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting Image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

Now answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

By the way, I say aboat, but I hear abowt, I think I'm saying about, and even when I say it abowwt on purpose, it still comes out sounding like aboat apparently. (southern Ontario girl here)

It may interest you to know that TVOntario has their own abc song, that has ZED in it, so you can choose to teach your children with a song that ryhmes in Canadian! Mind you, when your kid goes to school and can't sing along to the "real" alphabet song you have some explaining to do, as I found out the hard way! It's from Gisele's Big Backyard and I think it's called Polkaroo's Awesome ABCs! (do they have polkaroo in the US? And do they say poke a roo like we do?)
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-06-30 22:00:00
CanadaInternet phone services
My son is only 12, and his friends are not allowed to call long distance, so having a 519 or 226 area code is a must. I already use facebook video chat, but he's not old enough for it yet, and neither are his friends! Still looking at magic jack, though I've seen problems with it as well. Still need to do some more research, that ooma looks interesting..
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-04 00:34:00
CanadaInternet phone services
So for Magic Jack, I'd just need two of them? One for Branson, and one for Kitchener? I've heard that it's sometimes hard to get the area code you want from them, is that not true? I'll look into it for sure!

Edited by Stuart and Thea, 03 December 2011 - 01:00 PM.

Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-03 12:59:00
CanadaInternet phone services
Before I moved, one of the IT guys suggested that I get internet service for my home phone, he told me about one that cost 6$ a month per line, but it came with a hefty price tag for the phone of over 200$ and I couldn't swing it at the time. I know it was a much better deal than vonage, and had planned on getting a line for this area code, and one for back home, so that no one would ever need to make a long distance call to talk to me. Problem is, I can't remember the name of the company he suggested, and there's way too much info on here, and a ton too many are Vonage. Anyone with suggestions please weigh in!
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-03 00:04:00
Canadalisting/selling your house
I listed mine as soon as I got my approval from Montreal. It's still sitting with a for sale sign on the lawn unfortunately, so we're paying for two households and I've already dropped the price by 10 grand. My real estate agent is dealing with me by email and fax, and we have a 48hr clause that allows him time to get a hold of me if he ever gets an offer. (pray!) As to selling out of the country, people do it all the time, but if you can sell before you go, you have that peace of mind, which might be worth even a few months living in a hotel! (kids are very adaptable, and they might even enjoy it!)
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-15 16:02:00
CanadaTax Credits, Which Can I Deposit and Which Go Back?

Did you call and change your address with the canadian governments? Look on past tax forms, call that number make sure they know the day you left... ask your previous tax person who to call or look on the tax forms.. I think that's the most important ones, anybody you get cheques from. I just got that same cheque which I never heard of before! I already changed my addresses and I believe I'm entitled to that one. The main thing is to let them know your new permanent address. hope that helps


I did let them know, but these cheques must have been printed already and en route to my Canadian address. I'm hoping that I'm entitled to the new one, it was touted as a way of helping Canadians recoup some of the extra money we had to pay in taxes when making certain purchases. I lived there for most of the year, and spent money on a lot of things I was taxed extra on, so either I should get the taxes back on what I bought, or I should get the cheque, right? (come on and work with me on this one...)

For those of you who did cash your cheques, were you penalized when you had to pay them back at all? I know it's a headache, but it's an interest free loan if there was no penalty...
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-19 11:36:00
CanadaTax Credits, Which Can I Deposit and Which Go Back?
I know that I get to keep the CPP benefit I get for my son as an orphan's benefit after leaving Canada, but what other tax credits do I get to keep?

My mom said I got one last week that was Energy and Property Tax Benefit. Is that given based on last year? And if so, am I entitled to any of it? I only left a couple weeks ago!

Also, the Child Tax Benefit, am I entitled to any of that cheque too, considering that I was in Canada until a few weeks ago? Is the credit towards time that has passed? I would imagine yes, as I haven't heard of anyone ever having to pay it back when they leave after it is issued, only before. So how much time before hand matters?

(no, they're not gigantic sums of money, but when you're trying to pay for AOS for a K1 AND a K2 at the same time, during Christmas after just paying for moving expenses and a wedding, while being unemployed and carrying two mortgages, it's money I could use!)
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-17 16:42:00
CanadaEI question

I applied before I left canada two weeks ago and I received and Employment Insurance Benefit Statement in the mail. It shows access code. No idea what I am suppose to do with it though. Was expecting a letter asking more questions although I explained everything when I filed. No reports in the mail yet either.



I do know that if you applied before you left Canada, you have to let them know and your file will be transferred to another department, it might take a little, but if like the rest of us you have to wait for EAD, then it really won't hold you back any. I'm sorry that I don't have that info at my fingertips, but I think it's in the first 6 pages of the EI thread, if you care to read, or maybe someone will be able to tell you exactly. All I remember is that I read it and decided to wait to file for EI till I was here because of the transfer thing, hoping that it would make things go easier. Definitely make sure that they know you have moved and that they have your file in the right department!
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-31 00:04:00
CanadaEI question
I did thank the person that answered my question.

To the person that told me that I couldn't get EI until I get my EAD, thankyou for letting me know that, though I already knew it, it was nice of you to provide me that information in case I didn't know. I'm sure that it will be helpful to someone, and I'm sorry for not acknowledging that in my previous post, as you thought you were helping.
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-30 17:10:00
CanadaEI question
Flames, it's not that my time is too valuable, but the sticky starts years ago and continues on for ages! If I follow the advice at the beginning of the sticky, how am I to know it's up to date? Am I missing something if I read through it all and my eyes start to glaze over? I can guarantee you I am. There are 858 posts in there!! Should I just read the end of it?

I only got through a few pages before I ended up thoroughly confused and deciding that I need to go about this a different way, so I read the gov't EI pages, and ask questions on here.

There are a lot of people who have gone through this already, and asking the ones willing to help me is not saying my time is too precious to read the sticky, it's saying: the sticky is too long and confusing, there is no direction to it, and navigating the info in there is inefficient. Please help me to be more efficient by answering the questions that I have asked. If I didn't ask it, then I didn't think of it yet or I already knew it and didn't need to be told again.

I guess if you insist that I figure it out alone and not seek advice here, and others agree with you and stop giving it, then I'll be resigned to read through the sticky and hope that I get it right. But I can tell you that when someone else asks for help and I know the answer to their question, I'll give it to them, knowing how hard it is to find current info on here, and how daunting it is to only have half the info available to read through, and finding many instances of contradictions within.
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-30 16:52:00
CanadaEI question
No, I felt chastised by Flames, not by you. Assuming that by not reading the entire sticky that I was unwilling to accept help pissed me off, when I'm here ASKING for help..
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-30 15:48:00
CanadaEI question

My husband has been in the states a few weeks and we recently got married. Is he eligible for EI? Canada or U.S.? We are about to send in out AOS paperwork as well. If there money available we want it too..lol.



EI link for applying when not living in Canada

You should find some useful information on there, and if he didn't apply within 4 weeks, I would still apply, he paid into it and should be able to collect from it, if he moved to be able to live with you. I only got through 4 or 5 pages of the EI sticky before getting too frustrated, but there ARE helpful people on here when you have a question, you just have to wait for those willing to help instead of chastise you.
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-30 15:40:00
CanadaEI question

Yes you should still be recieving cards eventhough you are still awaiting your EAD. You would answer the questions on the back, but when it comes to the one that asks about work you would slelct "no" and put something like "unable to work, awaiting employment authorization".

I can't remember how long it took me to start recieving the cards, but you can call the out of country office and ask them about it. I did have a card with the phone # on it, but have just recently thrown it away. If you call Service Canada you can ask them for the out of country #. I always had to leave a message on the answering machine and they usually got back to me later that day or the next (it might take longer if you call today due to the holidays).

As for looking for work early, I would suggest that you start a very preliminary search (posting a resume on monster, contacting an employment agency registering with them, but explain your situation). It took me close to 7 months to get my EAD. I applied in May and the paperwork was approved in Aug, but due to a backlog at the ASC it took forever for me to get a biometrics appt (I needed to get the congressman involved to get one). When I recieved my EAD card at the end of Oct, the date on it was Aug, and that is the date that EI uses for when you become eligable, so had I started a job search back then (and not waited until I had my card) I would have got 8 weeks of back payments from EI. But you have to be able to prove you were looking for a job.

Unfortunately there is no way to know when your paperwork has been approved. And even if you knew it was approved, you would have to supply your EAD card to your employer prior to starting work.



Thankyou, that's exactly what I was looking for. I had thought that I might have gotten a confirmation email from EI or something, but I guess I'll wait till Tuesday and see when I can expect the cards to start arriving. As to the EAD thing, wow, that long? I was really hoping that I would get something sooner, hopefully I won't have to wait so long.

If you want the correct answer and don't want to read through the posts and dont want other peoples input, then one should simply call the EI people


I do want other people's input, but to be told that I won't be getting any payments yet, when I wasn't asking to know when I would be getting payments was really not the input I was looking for. Had someone told me that they use vinegar in milk to substitute for buttermilk in baking, or that a creeping water meter means that you may have a small leak in one of your toilets, it would have been just as relevant to my question as the answer that was given, though, they at least would have been helpful to me.

As to not reading the entire thread, I mentioned that half of the thread is archived and not available to me, as I am not PERMITTED to read it when I click the link in the first post, and the rest of the thread is too long to be of any benefit for those of us trying to navigate it. I'm sorry if you think it's lazy of me to ask on here without doing my own research first, but this IS supposed to be a help board is it not? I would call it USING other people's input by asking, not choosing to NOT use their input...

I would recommend that the sticky be redone, if there is someone knowledgeable to do it.

I don't have a phone. I will be able to get the use of one come Tuesday, when I expect the office to be open, but it's really not possible for me to call them today, so I turned here for help.
Stuart and TheaFemaleCanada2011-12-30 15:32:00