Why bother? Learning French is a relatively easy way to improve one’s CRS score. By achieving an NCLC level of 5 (equivalent to B1 of the CEFR) or above for all four abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), one can increase their CRS score by 16 points. (This applies to the Federal Skilled Worker Program. For other programs, please refer to this link.) How long did it take me? First a disclamer.

A few people have asked me how to invest in Canada. A seemingly easy question. But the answer is much less simple, because investment is just one aspect of personal finance. Below is a summary of my thoughts. Savings = Income - Expenses. Unless you can borrow money at low costs - it is possible especially for real estate investments - most of your investments will have to be funded by savings.

(The text below is from my personal journal and reflected my experience at the time of writing.) Day 1 - Saturday, 15 July 2017 I was picked up by the CEO. A nice surprise. He drove me to the hotel and we had sushi for dinner afterwards. During the dinner, he shared with me his life story. How he moved from one country to another and then finally to Canada; how he survived with only 700 CAD in his pocket, etc.

Timeline For the meaning of the acronyms below, please refer to this link. 08-01-2017: Decision to apply for Canada Permanent Residence 17-03-2017: First job offer from Canada 19-04-2017: Invitation to apply 27-06-2017: Application submitted and Acknowledgment of Receipt from IRCC 04-07-2017: LMIA approved (through the Global Talent Stream, independent of Permanent Residence application) 15-07-2017: Landed in Canada as a temporary worker 15-07-2017: Medical Passed (for PR application) 29-07-2017: Requests for PCCs from Singapore and Netherland; Uploaded PCCs 18-07-2017: Ready for Visa / Prêt pour Visa email 05-10-2017: Flagpoling at Peace Bridge (Fort Érié) Background Each candidate is unique and everyone has to decide for themselves to what extent my experience is relevant to them.