How's that for an exchange rate?

[inulro]

When I bought our Westjet flights, by the time taxes were added, it looked like a lot of money.

I got the credit card bill today - I purchased the flights on a good exchange rate day - I got 2.37, which means $233 (CDN) of flights came to the princely sum of £98. Of which, Jason owes me half.

If these exchange rates persist, my intention to Not Shop this time round may go by the wayside, despite the needing to save scenario.

In the "overcoming my fear of beaurocracy" department, I finally downloaded the "Information on Sponsoring your Family Member" document from the Immigration Canada website today. I then sent the High Commission a two-page fax raising the points I couldn't find answers to. Part of the problem was that some of the new forms aren't on the website yet, most notably the one that states how much money you need behind you to go straight in without a job offer. There's one for Quebec (which has different immigration rules to the rest of Canada), for which the amount of savings & income you need to establish seem really low (I thought those were pounds for a minute), but IIRC the cost of living is lower in Quebec because of all that rent control. Another part of the problem is that a great deal of it relates to sponsoring your dependent children, your partner's dependent children, your parents, your budgie, etc. and thus a lot of it doesn't apply in my situation.

Immigration Canada also want their bribefee in Canadian dollars. If the exchange rate holds, this will be a lot less painful than anticipated.

So, um, I'm running out of excuses for not updating my CV and contacting selected TO hospitals about employment possibilities.

Comments

[50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com]

So, um, I'm running out of excuses for not updating my CV and contacting selected TO hospitals about employment possibilities.

Yes. Yes, you are. ;)

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

I'll be sad to see you go, but go you should. Send me a postcard?

[inulro.livejournal.com]

It won't be any time soon, and it may not happen at all. I wake up in the middle of the night panicking about the amount of work involved.

[sheepthief.livejournal.com]

I've got some time to visit yet then =:-)

I'm planning on getting out and about as much as possible this summer, and a trip or two to Bristol is a must, I think.

[rjshook.livejournal.com]

Anybody earning pounds stirling and taking it to just about anywhere other than Switzerland will be well off. I remember reading an article in the Globe last weekend talking about how much rent has fallen in Toronto. While I would stop short of saying that the cost of living in Toronto is cheap, I think it is cheaper than it used to be in the recent past.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

They built too many condos/converted too many warehouses and for the first time in forever, there's a housing surplus.

Compared to where I am now, it's cheap. Compared to the cost of living there in the late 80s, it's still cheap.

Sadly, compared to the ultra-cheap rent I paid when I last lived there (just dumb luck), it's going to be expensive.

I wasn't going to ship any of my furniture, because it's all crap anyway, but I'm considering buying a few essentials (like a mattress and kitchen stuff) with my sterling this trip if the exchange rate remains good enough and I can find a place to store it.

[the_axel]

I'm sure I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again - immigrating/spousal sponsorship here is easy.

There is no income requirement for sponsoring a spouse, if there are no dependent children.
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I've been looking at the new structure recently 'cos my ex-wife is considering sponsoring her new boyfriend into Canada - unfortunately because of the way the regulations are structured she's still sponsoring me for another 2 years, even tho' I'm a citizen, a homeowner and she's a student in England...

Quebec's system is a lot less concerned with money and much more with raising lots of French speaking babies.

[lastaii.livejournal.com]

raising lots of French speaking babies

Does it specify that they have to be human?

I'm all for taking kittens and baby bunnies to French lessons :o)