We all know that when I originally came to Canada, it was going to be a short 1 year trip. Then all of a sudden life happens, plans change, and I am still here. I have spent the past two years wondering what the fudge I should be doing with my life, and was moving to Canada really the right thing to do?
As it turns out, I still don’t really know what I am doing, and my only means of survival for the past two years has been taking it one day at a time, and sometimes it was taking it an hour at a time.
I came to a point, 6 months before my current visa ran out, that I had to choose to move back to England or find a way to stay in Canada. I knew that I wasn’t ready to move back home. I also wasn’t sure if staying in Canada was the right choice, but I didn’t really have another option.
I was like a deer in the head lights with trying to find what the correct action I should take for extending my visa to stay in Canada, and it was soon 4 months away from my visa running out.
I was exhausted, emotionally and mentally. It had been a crazy Summer at work, and being away from my family and friends for over 18 months was starting to take its toll on me. I felt I was missing the city life, and really missed travelling on The Tube.
I was still persevering but my motivation was beginning to dwindle.
However after some advice from a friend who was going through the same process, I arranged to meet with a local immigration consultant. This meeting made me even more stressed than I was before, and still not really having an answer. The clock was ticking and it was time to sit down with my boss.
There was a big part of me hoping he was not going to be supportive of me applying for a visa extension so the decision of moving back home was made for me. Luckily (or unluckily) he was supportive and made it clear he wanted me to stay. I was incredibly grateful, but also disappointed.
I managed to get my provincial nomination application in 3 months before my visa was due to run out. The application process takes 3 months. I also managed to get my application in just before I flew back to the UK to see my family for the first time since I left for Canada.
I felt I was truly ready to move back home and when I got on the plane I was like peace out Canada.
However it turns out that moving back to England wasn’t going to be the answer to my problems. I still wasn’t 100% sure if staying in Canada was and I might not even get my application accepted.
It was a feeling of being in limbo but on another level. I felt like my life was on pause, I could not make plans to travel or even invest in items for my home.
One week before Christmas, I finally got the letter that said my application for a provincial nomination had been accepted and I was able to stay in Canada for another 2 years. So much relief came and finally I had some certainty in my life.
I also got my invitation to apply for permanent residency in the same week, which is something I never thought I would get.
I am still taking everything a day at a time, and unsure where this next stage of my life will take me, but that is half the fun right?
Clumsylorr 