How We Moved from the UAE to Canada

Even before we came to Canada for a vacation back in 2015, Hubby and I already knew we wanted to move here eventually.  We tried applying for Permanent Residency through Express Entry and looked into other options, but unfortunately our points were either not enough or we weren't 100% decided with the choices available.  So, Hubby checked vacancies that were posted on the internet and applied for positions that were similar to his current job. Also, we included it in our family prayer every night for God to allow us to work and live in Canada.  This went on for more than two years.

In those two years, Hubby didn't receive any positive reply from his applications.  To be honest, there was no reply at all. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Until one day in June last year, after sending his CV to a company based in BC in response to a job vacancy they posted on Indeed, Hubby received a message in his e-mail saying that the owner would like to interview him.  He excitedly replied his availability and we waited.  However, no call came.  But after some time, he received a message from the same company. Fast forward to a few more exchanges, they sent an offer and asked for a number of requirements so that they could begin processing the papers for Hubby, me and our kids.  After making sure the company was legit, Hubby signed the offer and we began the steps in filling out the forms they sent and gathering the documents that were needed. 

Surprisingly, they did not require us to take the IELTS.  We're not sure if it was because we already took the exam a few years ago but the validity had expired and they were satisfied with our results, or if it wasn't really needed.  But thankfully, that was one thing we didn't have to worry about.  Things we had to submit were copies of our passports, marriage certificate, birth certificates, UAE Police Clearance, and NBI Clearance from the Philippines. Our entire family also had to undergo a medical exam, which we scheduled and took at Al Zahra Hospital Sharjah with Dr. Abdullah Davoodbhoy.

In November, the LMIA (Labor Market Impact Assessment) for Hubby was approved.  Next thing to process was his Work Permit.

We waited for Hubby's employer's instructions and the confirmation when we needed to go to VFS for our biometrics, then we waited again for the e-mail when we could submit our passports. Finally, by mid-December, the necessary visas were stamped in our family's passports.

In case you're wondering, we didn't ask the help of any agency to process our applications to Canada. Hubby's new employer took care of everything. The only things we had to pay for were the documents we had to gather, our medical tests, VFS service fees (not the visa application or processing fees), and plane tickets.

Things went quickly once our passports were stamped.  

Hubby and I filed our resignations with our respective companies, sold our car and several furniture and appliances, packed the rest of our belongings and had them shipped to Canada or the Philippines, cancelled the UAE Residence Visas of our nanny and kids (ours were cancelled by our company PROs), informed our real estate that we were leaving the country, notified our girls' school that they would only be attending until the end of the first term, terminated the contracts from Etisalat and DEWA, closed our bank accounts, and everything else that needed to be done.

There was so much to do in so little time.  And since my last day at work was the day before our flight, there was no chance for us to go to the places we wanted to see or do the things we wanted to do before leaving (like visit the Sheikh Zayed Mosque or skydive or go ziplining).  Oh well.

Finally, the 10th of January arrived, and we said "Goodbye and Shukran" to Dubai, our home for 16 years.  My sister, nephew, our nanny, and our close friends all came to see us off.  We were all emotional, some of us more than the others (me included, naturally 😄). 

It was a looooooong journey.  But fortunately, not as long as when we visited five years ago, and there were no delays.  Since there are no direct flights from Dubai to Vancouver, we had to stop over at Seattle for a few hours.  So, Dubai to Seattle took approximately 14.5 hours, then about a 5 hour layover, followed by our flight to Vancouver which only took an hour.  Plus about 45 minutes from the airport to my brother's place in Langley where we would be staying temporarily.

By the time we arrived, we were tired and hungry, but very, very thankful for the new chapter in our life that had begun. 

Next to do was find a place to live, register our kids in the district school, and all sorts of other things.  

And our experience in doing these will be shared in another post 😊