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Drivers License

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

My drivers license was due to expire at the end of next week so with finally receiving my residency card it became possible (mandatory actually) to change my Ontario license for  Salvadorian one.

Now one would (wrongly) assume the great province of McSquinty land (OnturkeyO) in Canada, have a superior system.

Ontario sends out a renewal form in the snail mail, mine is likely sitting in my mail box as I write this. The good little Ontario sheeple (not me) then trots right down to his local MTO office, jumps through the requisite hoops, pays his $85 + HST, then waits a couple months to receive an anomic looking piece of plastic with a lousy B/W photo along with class of license, height/weight, address, expiry date & some kindergarten level holographs.

In El Salvador one merely shows up at the Sertracen with their ID, ON drivers license. You are then informed that you need a notarized photocopy of the ON license + a certified document from a clinic stating your blood type.

Off to the notary in the mall for the notarized copy of the DL $8.00, he then explains where the nearby clinic is. At the clinic $5.00 + a 15 minute wait gets the required document.

Back at the Sertracen office one pays $49.40 fee + $2.58 eye test, turns in documents, takes vision test, fills out required information, gets thumb prints taken, leaves with 5 year colour Photo drivers license with embedded chip & all info from ON DL + blood type, emergency contact info, thumb print & state of the art holographs.

        Total cost $64.98

        Time 2.5 hours

Eat your heart out McSquinty in Hicksville, OnturkeyO, maybe

someday you can play in the real world? Just kidding the day will

 never come!!!

 

The Trials/Tribulations/$$$ for a Canadian seeking Residency Abroad

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

Once upon a time back in November 2011, having returned from Cambodia with no plans for future long term travel, I decided that it was time to apply for my Salvadorian residency.

Of course it goes without saying that one has their Canadian passport that cost $85.00

I had obtained the list of necessary documents from Migracion a year or so earlier

*note documents are only valid for 90 days

1) Resident application

2) Birth Certificate Quebec government $29.00

Canadian Embassy certification  $50.00

Salvadorian gov’t certification $20.00

Spanish translation                    $50.00

3) Marriage License       N/A

4) Photocopy all passport pages $ 1.00

5) Canadian Criminal Record check

I had ordered this from the Durham Regional Police before leaving for Cambodia in June but their incompetence resulted in a tilt.  $25.00 wasted

PNC finger printing  N/C

Canadian CRC $26.75

DHL Courier to Canada $63.53

Xpress post Canada to SV              $43.75

Canadian notary                         $20.00

Canadian Embassy certification $50.00

Salvadorian gov’t certification          $20.00

Spanish translation                        $50.00

* although it took nearly 90 days to receive my CRC due to delays on the Canadian end, Migracion viewed id as valid as long as I did not leave the country

** without this concession by Migracion it would be impossible for a Canadian to get residency

6) Health letter from Salvadorian doctor

Original letter November $25.00

2nd letter July                            $30.00

3rd letter correcting error             N/C

7) Salvadorian PNC Criminal Record Check $3.50

8) Certification of Pension funds + other monies received monthly

Due to the pathetic pittance provided by Canada (1/3 of Australia) then the 50% claw back when one has the audacity to escape Canada, OAS + CPP fall short of the amount needed so auxiliary income is required

Letter from Service Canada (one month) to receive  N/C

Letter from secondary income source                     N/C

Canadian notary to authenticate 2 letters               $55.90

FedEx Canada to El Salvador                                 $144.10

Canadian Embassy certification 2 documents            $100.00

Salvadorian gov’t certification 2 documents              $ 40.00

Translation                                                         $ 50.00

9) Salvadorian bank letter verifying monthly deposit

First letter                                          $ 3.39

Second letter including more info $ 3.39

10) Notarized affidavit verifying the documents are correct

Lawyer fee for document in Spanish            $ 50.00

Residency visa fee to Migracion                  $107.14

Miscellaneous expenses

Visa extension due to Canada’s tardiness               $ 25.00

Parking at Canadian Embassy 5 visits @ 1.00          $  5.00

*visiting a Canadian Embassy abroad one is treated like a criminal which shows the contempt the government has for it’s sheeple

Gas 12 trips to the city @ $10                             $120.00

Total Costs   $1,296.45

+ 9 months aggravation

From my experience & that of others relocating to CA/SA it is

apparent that due to that Canadian governments actions

towards it’s own citizens + towards Latin Americans wishing to

move to Canada, makes it nearly impossible for Canadians to

obtain residency abroad!

It is certainly much easier for citizens of the US whose

embassies treat them with respect and dignity. Must be nice!

S U C C E S S !!!

Monday, July 23rd, 2012
F I N A L L Y ! Against all odds! “It’s almost impossible for a Canadian to get a resident visa for El Salvador” says my lawyer when I approached him about ... [Continue reading this entry]