I should have gotten my S.I.N. card sooner.

I don't really NEED it yet. I was able to get a credit card without one (the bank took pity on me because I have zero credit in Canada so far, and hooked me up with a low-limit card), and the only other purpose it would serve me right now is getting a better cell phone plan than the crappy pay-as-you-go deal I have currently, wherein if you forget to pay up at the end of each month, the cell phone company will text you at 3AM every night until you relent and finally throw some money at them to shut them the hell up.

Perhaps most importantly to note, I'll need it for tax purposes come next Spring, but in the meantime, I'm contract, so I'm not actually getting my taxes withheld right now.

My full first name is very uncommon. I rarely use it unless it's a legal document, and people typically assume my nickname is short for something else. One time a college friend of mine did a more-thorough-than-Google online search for the name. He found me, my dad, and some guy on Death Row in Texas.

So I think the fact that Service Canada couldn't just immediately give me an S.I.N. card when I went to get one on Tuesday probably has something to do with someone, somewhere along the line, misspelling it. Let this be a lesson to anyone who plans to have kids: NORMAL NAMES, people. If people have to ask your kid twice what his/her name is, you did it wrong and you fail.

In theory you're supposed to be able to go to a Service Canada branch, show them your work permit, and they punch it into their computer and go, "Here, have an S.I.N. card!" and you trot off on your merry little way. In practice this is usually the case, but when everyone in the world screws up the spelling of your name, what will more likely happen is you'll get blank stares from the (very friendly) Service Canada clerk as she types and re-types all your information only to be met with that stupid error sound that Windows computers make. Then she'll shake her head, apologize, have you fill out a form, and you'll get your S.I.N. card in 4-5 weeks. Good thing I don't need it immediately! But if I'd gotten it sooner, I'd have it now. Or soon. Either way, you live, you learn.

I am also starting the Permanent Residency process. Yesterday I ditched work a couple hours early (with their consent, of course) and got my four photos, notarized copies of my birth certificate, university diploma, work permit and passport. I also got a letter from work saying that I do indeed work for them, and I need one from each of my past employers since graduating in 2004, to prove that I am indeed a "skilled worker." I e-mailed all three of my previous jobs back in Massachusetts, and two out of three have responded saying they'll get those out to me as soon as they can, and the third I hope to hear from soon.

Also on the list for this Immigration scavenger hunt is fingerprints to go with my background check. Tomorrow I will be sending a letter to the FBI in the U.S., asking for a blank fingerprint form, then upon receiving the form, I will take it to my local police department and have them fingerprint me, which precludes me from ever knocking over any liquor stores in the future. Good thing I don't have a drug habit to support!

Soon I have to put all this crap together, fill out the forms, get letters from my banks saying I have money in them (and how much as of the time of the letter), get my university transcripts, and then put everything in the mail and keep my fingers crossed for like a year.

Have I forgotten anything? Probably. There's a checklist that comes with the PDF application kit, though, so when the time comes that I need to know exactly what to send, I'll just read through that. It's pretty straightforward, if you ignore all the hoops they make you jump through. I feel like a circus animal.

Current Music: Traindodge - The Unlikely Runaway

So everything's been humming along. Mostly.

Apart from when the TTC was on strike, I've been using it a lot more than I've been using the car. I bought a Metropass and I'm just walking to work from the bus - it's not as bad as it seemed when I was wearing dress shoes.

About the only thing work-related that's been a headache has been direct deposit.

It's not work's fault. It's my bank's. My soon-to-be-former bank.

I won't mention their name here, because I don't want to defame them or anything, but um... basically they don't have any branches, just sales reps in Supermarkets, and then you have to do all your banking on the web or over the phone or at an ATM (or ABM if you prefer). If you live here, you know what bank I'm talking about.

They also have no fees on their checking accounts. As you may come to find out once you get here, this is rare. Most checking accounts have fees that are higher than what you'd pay in the states. They're waived if you have a set minimum balance, of course. Maybe someday. Maybe.

Anyway, when I got my gym membership, I had to open a Canadian bank account so I could pay them, and I went to this place. I had no Canadian ID, so they put a 7-business-day hold on any deposits into an ATM (including cash!), so basically if I deposited anything into the bank, I'd end up waiting a week and a half to access it. Strike one. Anyway, by the time I got my job, they still had not sent me my cheques (I still want to type "checks," damn it all), so I couldn't give work a voided cheque to initiate the deposits. Strike Two. I went to my bank's website and downloaded the Request for Direct Deposit form. This should have been fine, except the form automatically added two extra zeroes to the beginning of my checking account number for some reason known only to the bank, and thus, the payment bounced back. Strike Three.

Work paid me with a physical cheque this week because it's going to take another week for it to go through now that they have the correct number. So I took that cheque to a better bank and started a new account.

Yeah, they have monthly fees. In fact, I have an extra $5 monthly fee, because I also started an account with the new bank that allows me to write checks in US funds (meaning that "check" is the correct spelling). But this means I'll be able to use my Canadian bank to pay my outstanding bills in the US. Perfect. The fees add up to about $14, but considering how much I'd be spending on money orders to send to the US with my old crappy bank, it'll be well worth it. Hell, it'll pay for itself in convenience alone.

The new bank would have put more holds on my account too - or perhaps refused me altogether - except that this time, I DID have a Canadian-issued ID, my work permit. So I'm good. And I'll be giving work the new direct deposit form (directly from the brick-'n-mortar bank this time) on Monday. And this shouldn't happen anymore.

Apart from all that, I'm still happy I did this. I don't regret a thing. Toronto has been everything I wanted it to be, and more. If I have any complaints, they have to do with the fact that Torontonians don't know how good they have it. Also, the TTC goes on strike on occasion, which sucks. But really, that's about it.

Toronto has its problems, sure. Every city does. But one thing this experience has taught me is that location is all about where you'll be the happiest; which city has the problems that you can put up with the best, and look past to the good parts? Toronto was it for me, it turns out. So remember that if you're going through this process too - It very well might be damn worth it.

Stay tuned, though. There's more crap to sort out.

Current Music: Whirlaway - Tumble

So holy crap.

I've only been in Canada for a month and I'm already employed (legally, obviously) and busy with work and social stuff all the time. I feel great about this! I feel like I'm making a huge difference in my life! I feel like I'm on the way to something really great!

I feel exhausted and ready for a nice long nap!

I'm just a bit drained. It's been a crazy couple of weeks.

When I last wrote anything of substance, I hadn't actually left Boston yet, and I haven't really explained what's gone on since. I apologize for that, but hey, I'm here now!

Back on Thursday, March 20th, I FINALLY finished with the process of trashing/selling/donating stuff I didn't need, as well as packing up the stuff I wanted to keep and bringing it to my mom's for storage. This left me with just a couple of hours on the morning of the 21st to try to sell the car. The 21st was also Good Friday, so a lot of people had the day off - including used car department managers, as well as lots of car shoppers. I tried three different places that either couldn't help me or didn't want to be bothered with me, and since time had run out, I drove back to Mom's with the car and left it at her place until such time as I could come back to New England to deal with it.

Later that afternoon, Mom drove me to meet up with G and R, two friends of mine from college (oh, I'm sorry, university) at B's apartment, and from there we drove out here. We stopped for a night in Syracuse, and we made it to Toronto by mid-afternoon on Saturday the 22nd. Our customs experience was frightening. The agent was very gruff and frankly, pretty rude. I let G do all the talking, as she was driving the car. She asked G what the first number of her license plate was, but G hadn't memorized that, so she didn't know, and then the agent started getting somewhat hostile. She asked if we had firearms, and we shook our heads no. She then, rather forcefully, barked, "Do you have any firearms! Yes or no!" G said no, and the agent let us through with a weird sneer that made me uncomfortable for a moment, but as soon as we got over the border I realized that I'd made it, and I was here, and everything was finally happening.

Then the job search began.

I want to add a disclaimer here. Most people's job searches take months. As in, at least 3-6. And that's assuming the person is authorized to work in the country in which they're applying. Canada is somewhat backward from the US, in that you need a job offer to get a work permit, but most employers, having never gone through this process themselves, are unaware of this. So the process can take a really long time. That being said, however...

I sent out resume after resume after resume and heard from only one employer who wanted to know whether or not I was authorized to work in Canada (sigh). I explained my situation, and never heard from them again. I wasn't worried, though, because I'd heard of a huge job fair going on the second week of April, and surely that would provide me with an easy job, no fuss, no muss.

Except that the job fair wound up being a huge waste of my time. Not a single job that I was qualified to do, and even if I HAD wanted to work in sales or retail, those positions never would have gotten me a NAFTA work permit without a labour market opinion (hereafter known as an LMO). An LMO can take months. Basically it means the government does some research to decide whether or not hiring you will hurt the Canadian work force. By the time they got back to me with that, I'm sure any potential employers in my field would have long ago become sick of waiting.

Feeling doubtful, I headed back to the apartment I was staying in with two friends I knew from Boston, and hopped back on Workopolis and came across a listing that sounded absolutely PERFECT. I immediately applied to it, writing a really in-depth cover letter as to why this job and I were perfect for each other. The following day, I was called to schedule an interview. And the day after that, I interviewed.

It took over an hour to get there by TTC. The company is located in a woefully-underserved-by-transit area of Toronto, and although I had no difficulty getting there on time, I couldn't even begin to imagine doing that in, say, the dead of winter. Just thinking about it now gives me a bad feeling. Anyway, I realized I would need my car if I was offered the job.

The interview seemed to go very well. I was nervous, and I'm sure it showed, but I tried to be as professional and intelligent-sounding as I could without being anything other than myself. They told me they'd have an answer in 6-10 days.

Four days later, they called me in for a second interview. I bought a new shirt and tie, since most of my clothes were in storage 600 miles away at Mom's, and went back the following morning. I bought a bottle of Grape Fanta in order to break a 20 so I'd have bus fare back home, and stuck it in my bag. When I got to the office and sat down, I opened the bottle and it exploded all over me. Oops. The receptionist was very understanding and helped me clean up the mess I made, and after that I was called in for the interview. All it was was them offering me the job, so clearly it wasn't a big deal that I'd spilled a sticky, sugary drink all over their waiting room!

Next came the legal stuff. I had to fly back to Boston, where my friend B picked me up at Logan airport and drove me to Mom's. That weekend I visited with family, got some documents I'd forgotten (oops), loaded up the car with some stuff I wanted to take back with me this time, and headed out on Monday morning, April 21st.

When I made it to the border, I told the customs agent that I needed to apply for a work permit. He directed me to the post-war, utilitarian building off to the right. I parked the car, entered the building and seeked out the Immigration desk. I told the officer at the desk that I needed a work permit and handed him my job offer letter, passport, and my diploma and transcripts that proved I had a bachelor's degree. He asked if I had an LMO, and I said no, I shouldn't need one because I was a US citizen, covered by NAFTA, and that the job was one that was covered by NAFTA as being one that didn't need an LMO as well. I think he was just trying to test me there. I passed. You have to know what you're taking about, basically.

It took somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour to get everything settled. I had to call my host here in Canada to get the address and postal code to the building in which I would be staying, and actually that probably made me look even more legitimate. It cost $150 Canadian, plus tax of course, and I was on my way and able to work the following day, legally.

So yeah, the whole process took almost exactly a month. I feel bad being a bad example, but this will probably not happen for you. I don't say this to discourage you, I say it because it is probably true. You need to make sure you have the money saved up in case it doesn't, and you have to be prepared for a long, boring, grueling job hunt.

Since then, I've been far too busy for my own good. I'm working hard; spending as much time as I can with my friends here - the friends I already knew, as well as a great group of people I've met since getting here; and just generally getting my life in order.

Didn't help much when the Toronto Transit Commission went on strike this weekend, of course, but that's just about over now anyway, and was a reminder of why it's good to have a car. Even though I wanted to be rid of that extra expense...Oh well.

This is far from the end of the process, by the way. Once I get a Social Insurance Number, I'll let you know how that went. And then, before too long, the Permanent Residency application process. Fun stuff. Stay tuned.

Current Music: Superdrag - What If You Don't Fly?

No, I haven't forgotten this blog.

I've just been extremely busy. I have a job and a social life here already, and also, part of getting that job involved flying back to New England and driving my car back here.

Yes, I know, I was gonna get rid of the car. And I WILL post about it all, but, well, look at the time stamp. It's too late to be awake, especially since, well, I have to go to work tomorrow.

Current Music: Whirlaway - Strangeplanes

This immigration lawyer website has all sorts of helpful information and FAQs and essays... click here!

And now, the real fun begins.

I'm here. I drove up today with two friends, and the customs agent was really intimidating. But I made it through. I'm here. All is well. So far.

It's Easter Weekend, but after that's over I'm going to be pounding the pavement like it's my full time job...because it is. I am staying with friends until I get on my feet (or go home in defeat, whichever comes first). More to follow once there is more with which I can follow.

Current Location: Toronto, ON

In case you weren't paying attention to me when I told you you now need documentation to get over the US-Canada border, the folks at U.S. Customs and Border Protection wrote a country song about it.

No, seriously. I'm not kidding.

Still not convinced? Maybe the French version will drive it home.

As the friend who alerted me to the existence of these little jingles said, you can't make this stuff up.

Moving on, then.

I was curious about how to get through Customs without raising any red flags. I already know I won't be taking all of my belongings immediately; that will have to wait until I have a visa. So I was a little worried about going through the border and being asked why I was going into Canada, and having them raise an eyebrow or two when I told them about my intention to stay awhile.

I asked my friend D. about it, and she said that really, what they want to know is that you're a good, upstanding fellow and that you'll go home if it doesn't work out in the allotted time. They might want to know about your finances - do you have enough money to support yourself while you're in Canada? Do you have the resources to cart your own hide home if things don't work out? So bringing several months worth of bank statements isn't a bad idea. Fortunately for me I have not one but two places to stay until I'm up on my feet (or out on my ass), and it's not a bad idea to get letters from them to assure the Customs folks that I'm A. really doing what I say I'm doing, and B. not going to sleep on park benches or something. In addition to all of that, it's not a bad idea to show them your résumé and a list of the places you plan on sending it to when you get there, and so on and so forth...

Basically they want to know you have a plan. You might get sent to "secondary" if they're questioning your motives, which means they want to ask you more in-depth questions - and actually, this is where the résumé stuff and financial records will come in handy; you likely won't have to show that stuff at the booth. They're trying to keep the line moving, after all.

So that's comforting. After other customs mishaps involving my friends or myself - one friend forgot to take the Sudafed out of his car (OOPS), an old boss of mine made a joke about firearms (DOUBLE OOPS), and my travel companion the first time I ever crossed back into the US from Canada in '04 was all too happy to tell the border guard all about the mangoes we'd purchased in Toronto's Chinatown - I do tend to get a bit nervous whenever I cross the border. I feel a little more confident that it will be less of an event than I was afraid it would be.

Anyway, I give my notice at my current job in just over a week. It's getting more and more real by the day. I still have stuff to get rid of/trash/sell, and stuff to pack and bring to my mom's for temporary storage, and clothes and a computer to pack for the trip...So much to do, so little time...

Current Music: Gomez - We Don't Know Where We're Going

Actually, this is more of a correction than an update.

I asked a friend of mine who does this stuff for a living, and you actually still can cross the US/Canada border without a passport - a birth certificate and license will still do just fine, IF you're driving. You do need a passport to fly into the US.

I had always thought that documented proof of citizenship was necessary to cross the border before, but I am told that you could make an "oral declaration of citizenship," and they'd ask you a couple questions about, like, your hometown or whatever to try to trip you up, to make sure you're not lying to them. The requirement of documented proof of citizenship or ID (birth certificate/license, passport, etc.) is actually new.

You learn something new everyday!

So this website is pretty cool.

www.canadaworkpermit.com

Lots of useful information on how to get a work permit in Canada. Hence the URL.

One big important thing that they actually cover, which I rarely see documented anywhere else, is the role NAFTA can play in this for Americans and Mexicans (and Chileans, actually, since Chile and Canada have their own free trade agreement as well).

Meanwhile, I donated two large trash bags full of old clothes that didn't fit me anymore, and trashed a third bag full of stuff that was either used underwear (nobody really wants that, after all) or had holes. Next I have to sell/donate the overwhelming majority of my furniture, as well as my car, and trash as much junk as I possibly can. Moving sucks enough when you're staying in your own country, let alone when you have to explain to a customs agent why you're bringing everything you own. I'll just start from scratch. It'll be easy enough. There are two IKEAs within the city limits of Toronto alone.

Current Music: Team Sleep - Ever (Foreign Flag)

Well what do you know? Apparently the US has finally stuck to one of their deadlines, and as of sometime this past week, you now need a passport (or some other definitive proof of your citizenship) to cross the US-Canada border. One would think I'd be on top of this, but I heard it days later on NPR. I guess I was just immersed in my work. [snicker]

If I may editorialize for a moment (and yes, I may, since this is my damn blog), I think this law is pretty lame. Mainly because those documents, much like the drivers' licenses and honor system that you could get away with before, are just as easily forged. However, the law is the law, and it's more of an inconvenience than a hardship, so I will drink my Kool-Aid with everyone else.

Also of note: My date of departure is looking like it's going to be March 22. It's not set in concrete yet...one could analogize that the concrete has been poured, but has not quite cured. But that's the plan as of right now. I will be staying with friends when I get there, probably bouncing from one group to the other, until I find a job or run out of money. Whichever comes first. I will be giving notice at my current job at the beginning of March, and taking a week to get situated and move most of my stuff to my mom's, as she is holding much of it for me until I can actually get a real visa and Customs won't look at me as funny when I try to move all my crap in.

Also also of note: The Patriots have deeply, DEEPLY disappointed me in the Super Bowl. They'd damn well better make it worth my while if I'm gonna fly back to watch the game with my family next year.

Current Music: Castor - 1000 Miles from Nowhere