Anyone living in Calgary here? I Googled the cost of living over there and what I saw looks pretty expensive to me. Can anyone help to confirm this as that's where I'm applying to by October

Screenshots below

NewSheriff:
Anyone living in Calgary here? I Googled the cost of living over there and what I saw looks pretty expensive to me. Can anyone help to confirm this as that's where I'm applying to by October

Screenshots below

Looks about right. Most depends on your style of living, and whether you have got family or not. If you are single, you can share apartment. You can get a cheap microwave for $50, you can get an RCA 40" TV for $380ish. Home internet 120-150 GB is about $60/month.

princey83:

Looks about right. Most depends on your style of living, and whether you have got family or not. If you are single, you can share apartment. You can get a cheap microwave for $50, you can get an RCA 40" TV for $380ish. Home internet 120-150 GB is about $60/month.

Hmmmm thanks. Are there apartments like the one we call one room apartment/self contain in Nigeria over there?

NewSheriff:
Hmmmm thanks. Are there apartments like the one we call one room apartment/self contain in Nigeria over there?

yes, but not common. The rent are nearly equal to 2bed. maybe about $100 difference.

Hello, please has anyone changed schools from within Canada. I'm about to withdraw from my school and start another one in September. Will the time difference present a problem for me? Can I work in the meantime? Please can anyone advise. Thanks all (I am already in Canada)

Is it advisable to apply for Skilled Migrant that can take forever to be processed and one goes there to hustle OR go as a student which is processed faster but with enuf bills to pay (tuition etc)??

princey83:

To be honest with you. I don't know much about the town in which mun is located.
if mun is located in St John. then all you have to do is use indeed or jobs bank Canada to search for casual jobs (that interests you) in that town. That would give you an idea of what to expect.

Are you currently studying in Manitoba? I will need your contact to discuss more bro. Thanks.

Anyone currently studying in Manitoba should quote me please. Thanks

pls I intend to seek for admission in UIOT ontaWa but I am wondering if the school will provide an accommodation for atleast a week for the registration b4 I could seek for a place to stay.

kudos to u all this thread is awesome am a graduate of banking and finance graduated 2013 completed service 2015 I HV HV admission to study practical nursing in Lethbridge college I Dont think it a crime to change career gurus in d house wat ur take on dis

Special shoutout to those that have been contributing tirelessly to this thread. The aim of this write up is to clarify some questions people have asked and will ask in future so as to lighten the burden of those currently contributing heavily to this post.
I left Nigeria in April 2015 to study a one year program at Fanshawe College, London Ontario. Tuition for the program was 12,000 CAD. (Would have done a 2 year program if I had known better but that’s by the way). Rent was 450 CAD per month including all amenities (internet, laundry and co). Was lucky to find a house that had all I needed including kitchen utensils, bed, table, chair and co. Was working in Nigeria before I left so I had the issue of converting my hard earned naira to CAD. Met a Nigerian that was building his house in Naija so what we did was agree on a rate, transfer to his wife his naija from here in Canada and then he’ll pay the Canadian equivalent to my Canadian account. Slowly I changed over 600k to CAD. To God be all the glory. I wanted to work while I was in London but my program was too strenuous to allow me work. Wasn’t planning to fail and then pay more money and also waste my time.
Anyway, my program in London Ontario finished in December 2015. I needed to do another program, possibly one year so that I’ll be entitled to a 3 year work permit (this is why I said I wish I had done a 2 year program but nothing spoil). I eventually had to move to Calgary to stay with my sister and her husband. That is currently saving me monthly rent among other things. Applied for a second program at a college in Calgary. Program will start in two weeks’ time; April 2016. Meanwhile from January 2016, I got a part time job with a retail store where I earn minimum wage to at least contribute to my brother in law’s household and also send some money home to family.
Want to step in my shoes, please note the following…
1) Be nice to people and make friends. Most of the breakthrough I made was with God and my friends. They even taught me how to drive and get my license instead of going to a driving school. Attended lots of birthday parties in London
2) Ask a lot of questions. There’s a very high chance that what you need or are looking for can be gotten easily via the friends you make here
3) Form A is good. However delay can be catastrophic. Have a friend here that still waiting for UBA to pay the tuition for his school. He had to borrow money eventually. Best thing is to link up with people that need to send money home. Make sure you can do online transfer. Don’t be like my former housemate that was using his GTB MasterCard from here
4) There are jobs but what really gets your foot in the door are your connections. Was able to do some volunteer work at a consulting firm in Calgary. Got the offer through a friend. Same scenario for the retail job. Gradually I’m getting experience both in retail and professional work force
Meanwhile I am still learning. That’s the reason I came here in the first place. Will answer the questions I can and then hope the bosses will answer the one(s) wey pass me.

NewSheriff:
Anyone living in Calgary here? I Googled the cost of living over there and what I saw looks pretty expensive to me. Can anyone help to confirm this as that's where I'm applying to by October

Screenshots below

The places you searched are the expensive areas as listed. Search for areas around your future school. you might be lucky and not need to spend more than 550 CAD monthly. Also, the more equipped your room is, the higher your rent will be. Kijiji will give you more realistic rates. Some even have pictures.

swaggprofessor:
pls I intend to seek for admission in UIOT ontaWa but I am wondering if the school will provide an accommodation for atleast a week for the registration b4 I could seek for a place to stay.

Most schools provide temporary accommodation to allow international students find their own. Mail the international center and let them know you will need a temporary accommodation. Duration however varies per school. They might even offer to pick you from the airport and still link you up with landlords that have houses for rent.

OpeLovely:
Is it advisable to apply for Skilled Migrant that can take forever to be processed and one goes there to hustle OR go as a student which is processed faster but with enuf bills to pay (tuition etc)??

Looks like you already know what both scenarios involve before asking the question. One takes forever while the other seems to get things along with costs along the way. Its really up to you to make a choice and then embrace whatever comes your way with a right attitude

holotee:


The places you searched are the expensive areas as listed. Search for areas around your future school. you might be lucky and not need to spend more than 550 CAD monthly. Also, the more equipped your room is, the higher your rent will be. Kijiji will give you more realistic rates. Some even have pictures.

Okay. Thanks a lot. This is enlightening.

holotee:


Most schools provide temporary accommodation to allow international students find their own. Mail the international center and let them know you will need a temporary accommodation. Duration however varies per school. They might even offer to pick you from the airport and still link you up with landlords that have houses for rent.

Thanks a lot u've been helpful.

holotee:
Special shoutout to those that have been contributing tirelessly to this thread. The aim of this write up is to clarify some questions people have asked and will ask in future so as to lighten the burden of those currently contributing heavily to this post.
I left Nigeria in April 2015 to study a one year program at Fanshawe College, London Ontario. Tuition for the program was 12,000 CAD. (Would have done a 2 year program if I had known better but that’s by the way). Rent was 450 CAD per month including all amenities (internet, laundry and co). Was lucky to find a house that had all I needed including kitchen utensils, bed, table, chair and co. Was working in Nigeria before I left so I had the issue of converting my hard earned naira to CAD. Met a Nigerian that was building his house in Naija so what we did was agree on a rate, transfer to his wife his naija from here in Canada and then he’ll pay the Canadian equivalent to my Canadian account. Slowly I changed over 600k to CAD. To God be all the glory. I wanted to work while I was in London but my program was too strenuous to allow me work. Wasn’t planning to fail and then pay more money and also waste my time.
Anyway, my program in London Ontario finished in December 2015. I needed to do another program, possibly one year so that I’ll be entitled to a 3 year work permit (this is why I said I wish I had done a 2 year program but nothing spoil). I eventually had to move to Calgary to stay with my sister and her husband. That is currently saving me monthly rent among other things. Applied for a second program at a college in Calgary. Program will start in two weeks’ time; April 2016. Meanwhile from January 2016, I got a part time job with a retail store where I earn minimum wage to at least contribute to my brother in law’s household and also send some money home to family.
Want to step in my shoes, please note the following…
1) Be nice to people and make friends. Most of the breakthrough I made was with God and my friends. They even taught me how to drive and get my license instead of going to a driving school. Attended lots of birthday parties in London
2) Ask a lot of questions. There’s a very high chance that what you need or are looking for can be gotten easily via the friends you make here
3) Form A is good. However delay can be catastrophic. Have a friend here that still waiting for UBA to pay the tuition for his school. He had to borrow money eventually. Best thing is to link up with people that need to send money home. Make sure you can do online transfer. Don’t be like my former housemate that was using his GTB MasterCard from here
4) There are jobs but what really gets your foot in the door are your connections. Was able to do some volunteer work at a consulting firm in Calgary. Got the offer through a friend. Same scenario for the retail job. Gradually I’m getting experience both in retail and professional work force
Meanwhile I am still learning. That’s the reason I came here in the first place. Will answer the questions I can and then hope the bosses will answer the one(s) wey pass me.

Congratulations, u are alrdy on d "brktru" track.
It's nice u share these info's töö, it helps lift minds here.
From assertion, u do d minimum wage job, in relation to the 20hr/wk, are there no cases of more than one job?
On the average, could u give a rough monthly take home for a good hustler?
Someone initially said students could make as much as 3k$ on monthly basis, how true?

Thanks in anticipation

I'm in a fix between applying to a college in Southern Alberta and Northern Alberta.

Which of the two areas do you guys think is better to live in generally??

Cc: holotee and all

NewSheriff:
I'm in a fix between applying to a college in Southern Alberta and Northern Alberta.

Which of the two areas do you guys think is better to live in generally??

Cc: holotee and all

I am one of those peeps that believe in embracing whatever comes your way. Every side has its advantage and disadvantages. What matters is the choices you had and what you did with them. Northern or Southern alberta, look for a school that has your program of interest and go there. Irrespective of whatever anyone says, you can always be the first to do something different.

kife:



Congratulations, u are alrdy on d "brktru" track.
It's nice u share these info's töö, it helps lift minds here.
From assertion, u do d minimum wage job, in relation to the 20hr/wk, are there no cases of more than one job?
On the average, could u give a rough monthly take home for a good hustler?
Someone initially said students could make as much as 3k$ on monthly basis, how true?

Thanks in anticipation

After i got the retail job, i stopped looking because i was resuming school soon; also ddnt want to breach the 20hr/wk rule as stated by the CIC. If you can get a job that wont require your SIN, then go ahead but you do so at your own risk of getting evicted from the county if caught.
Minimum wage is about $11 without tax. Average rent in Alberta is about $500 depending on the location. Other expenses like food and transportation pretty much depends on your taste. You can pretty much do the maths from there. All these is for calgary though. it could be different for other cities or provinces

holotee:


I am one of those peeps that believe in embracing whatever comes your way. Every side has its advantage and disadvantages. What matters is the choices you had and what you did with them. Northern or Southern alberta, look for a school that has your program of interest and go there. Irrespective of whatever anyone says, you can always be the first to do something different.

God bless you for this reply!

Welldone guys.. Nice work here, I actually been reading from page 1, finally I'm at the last page , Well I intend doing my masters degree in human resource in Canada, so I will take time to read, and take notes. Would ask questions when I'm ready. Cheers

holotee:
Special shoutout to those that have been contributing tirelessly to this thread. The aim of this write up is to clarify some questions people have asked and will ask in future so as to lighten the burden of those currently contributing heavily to this post.
I left Nigeria in April 2015 to study a one year program at Fanshawe College, London Ontario. Tuition for the program was 12,000 CAD. (Would have done a 2 year program if I had known better but that’s by the way). Rent was 450 CAD per month including all amenities (internet, laundry and co). Was lucky to find a house that had all I needed including kitchen utensils, bed, table, chair and co. Was working in Nigeria before I left so I had the issue of converting my hard earned naira to CAD. Met a Nigerian that was building his house in Naija so what we did was agree on a rate, transfer to his wife his naija from here in Canada and then he’ll pay the Canadian equivalent to my Canadian account. Slowly I changed over 600k to CAD. To God be all the glory. I wanted to work while I was in London but my program was too strenuous to allow me work. Wasn’t planning to fail and then pay more money and also waste my time.
Anyway, my program in London Ontario finished in December 2015. I needed to do another program, possibly one year so that I’ll be entitled to a 3 year work permit (this is why I said I wish I had done a 2 year program but nothing spoil). I eventually had to move to Calgary to stay with my sister and her husband. That is currently saving me monthly rent among other things. Applied for a second program at a college in Calgary. Program will start in two weeks’ time; April 2016. Meanwhile from January 2016, I got a part time job with a retail store where I earn minimum wage to at least contribute to my brother in law’s household and also send some money home to family.
Want to step in my shoes, please note the following…
1) Be nice to people and make friends. Most of the breakthrough I made was with God and my friends. They even taught me how to drive and get my license instead of going to a driving school. Attended lots of birthday parties in London
2) Ask a lot of questions. There’s a very high chance that what you need or are looking for can be gotten easily via the friends you make here
3) Form A is good. However delay can be catastrophic. Have a friend here that still waiting for UBA to pay the tuition for his school. He had to borrow money eventually. Best thing is to link up with people that need to send money home. Make sure you can do online transfer. Don’t be like my former housemate that was using his GTB MasterCard from here
4) There are jobs but what really gets your foot in the door are your connections. Was able to do some volunteer work at a consulting firm in Calgary. Got the offer through a friend. Same scenario for the retail job. Gradually I’m getting experience both in retail and professional work force
Meanwhile I am still learning. That’s the reason I came here in the first place. Will answer the questions I can and then hope the bosses will answer the one(s) wey pass me.

Hello holotee, I have a question. I will be starting in U of A in September, however I'm already in Canada because I used another school starting in April for my study permit. I will not be able to finish before September to move to Alberta so I plan to withdraw from this school and ask for a refund. Pls will it be a problem if I stay at home till September? Will I be violating any rules by doing so? Thanks.

holotee:
Special shoutout to those that have been contributing tirelessly to this thread. The aim of this write up is to clarify some questions people have asked and will ask in future so as to lighten the burden of those currently contributing heavily to this post.
I left Nigeria in April 2015 to study a one year program at Fanshawe College, London Ontario. Tuition for the program was 12,000 CAD. (Would have done a 2 year program if I had known better but that’s by the way). Rent was 450 CAD per month including all amenities (internet, laundry and co). Was lucky to find a house that had all I needed including kitchen utensils, bed, table, chair and co. Was working in Nigeria before I left so I had the issue of converting my hard earned naira to CAD. Met a Nigerian that was building his house in Naija so what we did was agree on a rate, transfer to his wife his naija from here in Canada and then he’ll pay the Canadian equivalent to my Canadian account. Slowly I changed over 600k to CAD. To God be all the glory. I wanted to work while I was in London but my program was too strenuous to allow me work. Wasn’t planning to fail and then pay more money and also waste my time.
Anyway, my program in London Ontario finished in December 2015. I needed to do another program, possibly one year so that I’ll be entitled to a 3 year work permit (this is why I said I wish I had done a 2 year program but nothing spoil). I eventually had to move to Calgary to stay with my sister and her husband. That is currently saving me monthly rent among other things. Applied for a second program at a college in Calgary. Program will start in two weeks’ time; April 2016. Meanwhile from January 2016, I got a part time job with a retail store where I earn minimum wage to at least contribute to my brother in law’s household and also send some money home to family.
Want to step in my shoes, please note the following…
1) Be nice to people and make friends. Most of the breakthrough I made was with God and my friends. They even taught me how to drive and get my license instead of going to a driving school. Attended lots of birthday parties in London
2) Ask a lot of questions. There’s a very high chance that what you need or are looking for can be gotten easily via the friends you make here
3) Form A is good. However delay can be catastrophic. Have a friend here that still waiting for UBA to pay the tuition for his school. He had to borrow money eventually. Best thing is to link up with people that need to send money home. Make sure you can do online transfer. Don’t be like my former housemate that was using his GTB MasterCard from here
4) There are jobs but what really gets your foot in the door are your connections. Was able to do some volunteer work at a consulting firm in Calgary. Got the offer through a friend. Same scenario for the retail job. Gradually I’m getting experience both in retail and professional work force
Meanwhile I am still learning. That’s the reason I came here in the first place. Will answer the questions I can and then hope the bosses will answer the one(s) wey pass me.

Hi holotee i have applied for two different masters programs in Canada one is a 12 month M.Eng program the other is a 2 year M.ASc program. My interest lie more in the first program but the problem is the limited one year work permit i would get when i am done. Should i go for the second program instead?

Nyquist:


Your sister is pretty right. You have to get a Canadian post-secondary certificate/degree before you can get interviews for a professional job.

Not true boss. My friend with his HND (part time) who came visiting and got the church help him apply for a work permit got a job that pays $88kCAD with Telus in 2014. Some other people who came in with FSW got great jobs without studying in Canada. Life works based on our beliefs (my opinion of life).

princey83:

you might want to google it up as cost varies across towns and province. Using the town I live as an example, a 1 bed apartment would cost at least $850/month. I deliberately excluded basement apartment cos of the children. Feeding, bills, upkeep for a family of three would not be less than $500 dollar a month. daycare around ($750-$1000 per child). You don't pay school fees once your child starts school though (above 5yrs old).

What are they eating that cost $500 monthly? No be house food and their snacks?

DGuru1:
Oh okay. Will I encounter any challenge securing a visa that would enable me visit them periodically? That's the plan, while we try out provincial nomination for residence permit.

If your looking run intention it's too migrate then, you can apply for spousal open work permit. It might not be easy at first and you might first take up survival jobs pending when you land a great job.

RealJ:


Hello holotee, I have a question. I will be starting in U of A in September, however I'm already in Canada because I used another school starting in April for my study permit. I will not be able to finish before September to move to Alberta so I plan to withdraw from this school and ask for a refund. Pls will it be a problem if I stay at home till September? Will I be violating any rules by doing so? Thanks.

I remember the first time i came in too, my peeps wanted me to stay in calgary and withdraw from the college i originally applied to in London. I am happy i declined eventually. It cost me more but the experience i got is priceless. Most colleges hardly do refunds when it comes to tuition. Even if they do refund you, its never 100% and the process can be long and grueling. Also, i don't thing you're allowed to stay out of school for more than 4 months even if its between colleges. Its an automatic red flag for CIC because the question is, what have you been doing in Canada for the last 5 months ? Also, your college is obligated to report to the CIC if you are not attending classes. Its part of the audit process.

aishate:

Hi holotee i have applied for two different masters programs in Canada one is a 12 month M.Eng program the other is a 2 year M.ASc program. My interest lie more in the first program but the problem is the limited one year work permit i would get when i am done. Should i go for the second program instead?

I have a friend that did a 1 year study, got a one year work permit and he got his PR a month to the expiration of his work permit. I have another one who studied for a year and then got a 3 year work permit. The rule says 1 year study = 1 year work permit; 2 year study = 3 year work permit. Its more at the discretion of the officer viewing your forms and giving you the appropriate permit. Unfortunately you dont choose the officer in charge. You might however be lucky and get more than you're supposed to get. Some people have the "balls" to take that chance. Its really up to you to make up your mind.