Service please!

So I definitely have fallen off the pace here as I've been settling into life in Toronto. I've had a surprising amount of work to do with clients from the States, and we've been down around the Golden Horseshoe to the Niagara region to see family and we're also pretty close to moving to a new home...all in five weeks. So I hope you'll understand that keeping the blog buzzing has fallen off the agenda just a bit.

But before I forgot, I wanted to be sure I mentioned the helpful people at Service Canada and Service Ontario. I know I brought up that I have dealt with them a number of times over the last few weeks and they really have made issues of transition go smoothly.

Service Canada had me established with my Social Insurance number in short order, and I got the formal card in the mail after just a few weeks. Service Ontario helped me transition my driver's license and was sure I got credit for my experience and all of my US endorsements. Then they helped me begin my OHIP - even being sure I was credited for all the days I had already been in Ontario, even though I didn't apply for a few weeks after I landed.

So here's to the Service Canada and Ontario public servants. They really have been helpful in the best of ways. 

Settling in

I've now been in Toronto for a little over a month. I feel like I'm settling in. Street names are getting familiar again, landmarks are finding their way into my head. What's old and used to be there is gone, replaced by what is new. It was hard to recognize Bay Street north of College, so many new condos reaching for the sky, with perpetually dirty glass balcony fronts from the new construction that will soon take their views away just like they took the views away of the generation of condos that came before them. Those glass balconies have been a bit of an issue here on Bay Street this month, as a number of them have decided to visit the ground. Falling glass isn't something you want to encounter on your walk to work.

I've been to the Service Canada and Service Ontario offices a number of times for my Social Insurance Card and to exchange my US driver's license for an Ontario one and lastly to apply for my Ontario Heath Insurance Program (OHIP) card. I'll have to go back for that one, as they need proof of residence in Ontario to process it, and all I have is my temporary license. They accepted that form of ID forever and it seems they just removed it from the list of acceptable documents recently - it had been redacted with felt pen in their brochure!

I'm learning again the ballet required to navigate sidewalks with crowds of people. I wonder if everyone feels like they are the only one yielding to someone in their path? My foot is better, so I'm getting out more and enjoying walks with my Love.

Some mornings the light tells you Fall is coming soon.

  

Get involved - CIC Launches Online Consultation on Immigration Levels and Mix

So you want to have your voice heard on Canada's immigration policy? Now you have your chance.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Aug 29, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today launched online consultations on the appropriate level of immigration and the most suitable mix between economic, family class and protected persons.

Immigration has been a sustaining feature of Canada's history and continues to play an important role in building our country. Canada has one of the highest per capita rates of permanent immigration in the world-roughly 0.8% in recent years-and has welcomed 3.5 million immigrants in the last 15 years.

"The online consultation provides an important opportunity to gather input from stakeholders and the public on key questions facing CIC," said Minister Kenney. "This is also a chance to highlight some of the considerations and difficult choices involved in managing a global immigration system."

In planning for the total number of people to admit as permanent residents, CIC not only balances immigration objectives but also considers several other factors, including broader government commitments, input from provinces and territories, and current and future economic conditions. The Department must also consider its ability to process applications in a timely manner, as well as the capacity of communities to welcome newcomers.

The questionnaire is a key component of the cross-country consultations Minister Kenney and his parliamentary secretaries are currently leading on immigration levels and mix. In July, the Minister consulted with stakeholders in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. This month, parliamentary secretaries Rick Dykstra and Chungsen Leung held round tables in Mississauga, Scarborough and London. Additional sessions may be planned in the coming weeks and months.

Thus far, the majority of stakeholders present at the consultation sessions expressed a fairly positive view of the current immigration system. They have identified immigration as a critical way to meet labour market needs, citing economic factors as among the most important considerations when establishing immigration levels, followed by integration concerns. Participants have also highlighted the importance of family reunification and the need to address wait times in the parent and grandparent stream.

More than 1,600 people have already signed up to complete the questionnaire. It is available at the following link: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/consultations/index.asp .

A report on the consultations, including the online questionnaire, will be available on the CIC website in the fall of 2011 or winter 2012. 

Jack Layton - an inspiration who will be missed

The Honourable Leader of the NDP, Jack Layton passed away this morning. His loss is something very personal to me. In all my years going through the immigration process, Jack and his wife (and my MP) Olivia Chow were consistent advocates for fairness in the immigration process. When the Tories would propose restrictive changes to immigration policy or some other nonsense impacting the social contract, Layton would always step up to be sure the underdog's point of view was heard and considered. 

In contrasting Jack Layton to the politicians that I had grown weary of in the US, he illustrated the best qualities of Canadians: fairness, acceptance, and progressive ideas on social issues. Jack was one of those public figures that convinced me that coming to Canada to be with my love was the right thing to do - that this country could be my home. He convinced me not through anything he said or did directly, but more because of the spirit and idealism - standing up for Canada and Canadians. I can't name any US politicians that ever left me with those feelings about my home country. 

I never met him, though my Love had an encounter with him. I'll never forget talking to her one day as she was walking home. As she was sharing something with me, out came a happy laugh - "there goes Jack Layton on his bike!" What that meant to her and meant to me was simple: there goes a good man who walks the walk. Pretty rare. 

God bless you, Jack Layton. You made a real difference in people's lives, in my life.     

First days back in Toronto

My first days as a permanent resident of Canada here in Toronto have been busy ones. I went down to City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square and got my Social Insurance Number (SIN), had a job interview, made preparations to do some advanced telecommuting/video conferencing with clients in the States, have taken many walks...

One too many walks actually - I strained my arch so now I'm limping around! Enthusiasm can be a problem at times, I guess. But I love my walks, and there's so much to catch up on and see. It's a little over a two-mile loop from our home over to Chinatown and through the Discovery District, and a million things to see along the way, and I've had daily chores I've also needed to see to, so it's hard to keep off my feet much. I'm figuring out I need to stretch my foot - that's helping a lot. It needs to help, because there's a show at the AGO I want to see right now and we are members!

My Love and I are having a wonderful time, and so far the transition is going smoothly. We did get news that our condo is being sold however, so we are going to have to look for a new place to rent or purchase very soon. That should be interesting.

Lots going on - no time to even think about being homesick. I'm sure that will come in the months ahead.    

Landing as a Permanent Resident

I landed as a Permanent Resident of Canada in Toronto (at Pearson, YYZ) on Friday the 12th of August, 2011.

The flight in from Seattle, all 4-1/2 hours of it, was quiet and uneventful. I was nervous from the get-go. While I had brought some snacks to eat and entertainment to read and watch and listen to, I wasn't hungry and I couldn't focus long enough to read or listen or watch anything but the landscape passing by 38,000 feet below and the cycle of information presented by the in-flight map in front if me: altitude, speed, current time in Seattle, current time in Toronto, distance to destination, time to destination: over and over I watched as it ticked down and I closed in on the moment my Love and I had waited for for the better part of the last decade if you count all the time we've spent pursuing our immigration case.

I landed at Pearson and after a long walk with other passengers through Terminal 1, snaked through the long quay at Customs and Immigration. I let the officer there know that I was immigrating to Canada as a Permanent Resident and he made lots of marks on my customs declaration form, then directed me behind him and to the right where the Immigration office was located. This is where the actual "landing" process takes place.

I stood in line again with people from all over the world and who were there for a range of purposes. Some with tears in their eyes had been refused entry; some were going through a secondary check because they were entering for business purposes; and one other person, like me, was there to immigrate.

When my turn came and I was directed to an officer, the process itself was very straightforward. I handed the officer my passport, which contained a special immigrant Visa and a form called the "Confirmation of Permanent Residence" (COPR). The officer asked a handful of questions regarding the information on my COPR form, whether I was immigrating alone or if others were following, how much money I was bringing with me into the country, whether I had been in trouble with the law in any country (including my own). The questions were straightforward and I answered them easily. The officer wasn't there to trip me up, simply to confirm information on my application and the visa issued.

Next the officer reviewed a record of my file on her computer. This took awhile because my Love and I had a big file. You get one of those when you are conjugal partners and your case takes years to process. After she had reviewed it, she had me sign my COPR in a number of places, then she detached my copy and stapled it to my passport. She let me know that I would have a Permanent Resident card mailed to me within about six weeks at my Toronto address and that while I could travel out of the country, I could not return to the country without it.

With the first of two interviews complete, I moved to the area where I would declare the goods I was arriving with and those I would be importing later (remember the forms I've been mentioning - the B4 and B4a? This is where these came into play). The officer doing this review was as nice as the first officer I encountered. He took my lists of items (you need to have a copy for Customs and one for yourself) and generated the official forms for me to sign. The only mistake I had made was that I didn't calculate the total value of my lists. But he handed me his iPhone and in a flash, I was done.

"Welcome to Canada." He said with a smile. Those words were music to my ears.

Despite the stress I had in anticipation of this process, because I was well prepared, it went very smoothly. The officials I encountered were all thoughtful and professional. I think they realize how stressful immigration is for people. They see it every day - they are on the front lines.

I pushed my cart of a couple suitcases (I saw families bringing in literally dozens, so I felt pretty efficient) thorough two sets of doors and there was my Love waiting for me on the other side. We embraced a long time, my head sinking into her shoulder. "We made it," I said.

"And now we can think about the future," she said. 

Last days in the U.S. (for now)

I'm landing as a Permanent Resident in Canada on Friday. One bag packed, another to go, and then final lists to print out for my Form B4 and B4a. It's best to wait and do this last so the accounting is accurate.

I've been spending time with friends and family, saying my goodbyes for now, gathering a suitcase full of well wishes and love to see me through the first couple months of transition while I wait for the Permanent Resident Card to show up (this is the card needed to re-enter Canada once you've landed as an immigrant and travel outside the country). I know in my heart the time will go fast, and everything will be alright; but I also know this is as big a change as I've made in my life and it's going to take some adjusting.

I'm going to try and get most of my packing done tomorrow so I can really take a few long, deep breathes of Seattle air before I leave. Maybe this isn't the best approach - giving myself time to ponder and consider what's left behind. But I'm no good at the scramble - waiting for the last minute. So I guess pondering time, it is. A last visit with family, making sure everyone's Skype connection is working correctly...that sort of thing.

I'm exited. I'm nervous. I think I'll leave the next post to report on the landing process. Please say prayers for me, that it all goes well. The next time you hear from me, I'll be a Canadian - of the Permanent Resident variety.

The end of the lists, really

Tired of hearing about the import lists? Well this should be the last of it. I think I have the things I'm arriving with and things to follow pretty well sorted out now. I've collected the serial numbers, I've taken pictures...I have a call to make to clarify a couple things with the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), but that should be pretty routine. I'm mainly wondering about personal effects - do they have an import value? Do I need to claim the luggage that the stuff I'm taking is packed in? Does it make a difference if I import a car now or later?

Beyond that, I think I've got it sussed, as they say.   

Update - Reasons to leave the U.S. - political extremists

I haven't added to my pantheon of reasons why I'm glad to be leaving the United States in favour of Canada, but currently another one has raised its head: political extremists.

This nation is one-week away from losing the financial confidence of the world because political extremists on both sides of our two-party system have convinced themselves that compromise equals failure.

Politicians in the U.S. only get elected these days if they cater to special interests. The average cost of a House seat in the 2008 elections was $1.1 million dollars. Some campaigns cost up to $15 million. With those kinds of price tags, Congressmen and women have their minds made up for them by their supporters long before they reach Washington. And if they want that money again, they better play ball.

Congress in the U.S. has forgotten who it is there to serve. They operate in a bubble; drink their own Kool-Aid; you pick the cliche. In the current financial crisis the mantra on the left is "no cuts to entitlements" and on the right, it's, "cut the debt but don't raise taxes."

The only way they can even begin to get anything done is to actually circumvent the U.S. political process and convene a Soviet-style central committee to try and reach an agreement.

If this is the state of democracy, you can keep it. Despite some of the inertia that can come with a Parliamentary system, if the Government loses the confidence of the people, in general, you throw them out. What happened to the Liberals in the last election in Canada was good for democracy. It will never happen in America.

America is bought and sold. And I don't have stock in it. So I don't have a voice. The country is being run by the same people who are listening to the same advice that led us into the crisis that they aren't interested in getting us out of.

Get me out of this place.       

Thrown together

I'm in pretty good shape. The pictures have been taken, the lists are ready to commit, I've even packed a bit. But the stress is coming.

"Where are we going to put this stuff?" "Do you need to bring that now?" "We still have things to figure out before we add anything else to the mix..." When the rubber hits the road, sometimes there are skid marks.

So we're working it out, this coming together and this moving across the continent and from one country to another. It's not easy. But immigration isn't easy. If you're on this path too, then keep this fact in mind and be patient, be slow to get excited and be deliberate in your thoughts and responses.

When couples or families are apart, the normal, organic way lives come together does not apply. Lives in this situation are held apart by the process, then thrown together when its all over. I have to be reminded of this and to be extra thoughtful of my Love, who has been building a life in Toronto all these years we've been waiting; one that from her point of view I am been suddenly thrust into the middle of.

As happy as we are that this is happening for us, there is no getting past that reality.

But we'll be fine.