Money is the first concern as this is your weapon to survive and be successful in Canada. This is what I'll be focusing on for this post topic.
Agent's Processing and Do It Yourself Fees
From the day that you decide to apply for the Federal Skilled Worker, the money clock starts to tick. Whether you avail a service from an immigration agent or do it by yourself, money is still in the picture.
If you sign up for an immigration agent, like in Singapore, my friend availed their services and cashed out P60,000 - P98,000 for their processing fee.
For me, back on 2003, I signed up for an immigration agent and paid 50% (~P25,000) of the total US$1,000 (~P50,0000) processing fee. The rest is payable upon the receipt of the Canadian Visa.
These documents are not free, so you need to prepare the necessary expenses for it including the transportation and food. Remember, this will be done by you whether you have an agent or not.
Check my post here about the estimated expenses.
Proof of Funds That You Need To Show
One of the documents that you need to focus are the Bank Certificates and Proof of Assets. Imagine how dizzy am I collecting four bank certificates because I believe that we should not put all our eggs in one basket.
On my next post, I will tackle this bank certificate issue and proof of assets because this is the most important and difficult to have.
Canada is strict regarding the welfare of their immigrants, they don't want them to enter Canada without having enough money to support themselves within the six months of no job.
To make sure that they have the money, also known as Proof of Funds, Canada requires the applicant to submit their bank certificate and proof of assets with a minimum amount as listed below.
The amount needed depends on the size of the family.
It is not necessary that all the amount are in cash, it also includes the following:
• cash
• documents that show property or capital payable to you (such as stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills, etc.) or
• documents that guarantee payment of a set amount of money, which are payable to you (such as bankers’ drafts, cheques, travellers’ cheques or money orders).
You don't need to show the Proof of Fund if you have an arranged employment in Canada.
How Much is the Processing Fee
You have now the Proof of Funds and is ready to submit the application. But, the next budget you need to prepare is the Canadian processing fee.
The processing fee, in Canadian Dollar, depends on the quantity and age of the family member. The table below shows the amount of the fee for each family member according to their age.
For me, I'm the principal applicant ($550), my spouse ($550) and my two kids ($150 + $150). I paid a total of $1,400.00. It was credited from my credit card as soon as the Canadian Intake Office approves my application for further processing.
You Need to Pay for the Rights of Residency
Now, all documents have been sent to the Central Intake Office at the Nova Scotia, then what's the next budget that you need to prepare?
This is called the Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF), which is asked by the visa officer as soon as your application is approved. But the good thing here is that you don't need to pay RPRF for your children.
It's only you and your spouse/common-law partner who will pay ($490 + $490), total of $980.
Medical Check Up for You and Your Family
This is an estimate for your reference only. Based on one of the hospital in Manila, the following are the rates.
age 0-10yrs - P 2,000 ($47)
age 11-14yrs - P 2,500 ($59)
age 15 up/ Adults - P 5,000 ($117)
Ex: For me, Me and my wife is P 10,000 and for my kids (P2,000 x 2), a total of P14,000 ($326).
Ready to Go To Canada? How Much is the Plane Ticket?
Good news to Filipinos, Philippines has a direct flight from Manila to Toronto Canada. This is good because for other airlines, you need to have a transfer flight either Hongkong, Singapore or Korea.
The flight ticket that I've checked with the Philippine airlines was on April 2014. By the way, as a disclaimer, I don't have any Canadian Visa yet. I just want to research if ever I have it and is good to share it to you as well.
The estimated price for a one way flight ticket for each person is $739. This is direct flight from Manila to Toronto, Canada. You can also check for rates on other airlines.
How Much You Need to Spend for Basic Needs in Canada
My sister is in Canada now and she said that the cost of living in Canada is not that expensive as compared with Singapore.
The one bedroom flat will cost around $800 per month, fully furnished. For the two bedroom flat will cost her $1,100 per month.
The food is also cheap. For two persons, it will cost them around $200 per month. I'm not sure of what type of food they eat but at least we have the estimate.
Summarized Cost of Moving to Canada
For a family of 4, Me, my wife and 2 kids... This will be our estimate cost to move to Canada. I need to prepare more of this starting now.
The more money you bring to Canada, the higher chance for you and your family to have a good life and to survive the new environment.
A Complete Mind Set
Now we all know the cost of moving to Canada, its is time to save money starting today. This is not a decision that you will just take for granted.
This will change your life, may it be better or worse , you need to stick on to your dream and experience it by yourself.
Good Luck!
Please share if you have any other information regarding this post. Kindly write in the comment section below.
