The Visa

I have finally got my visa! I have to say that whole procedure wasn't that frustrating like applying for US visa.

First sentence I have read at the very first moment when I started to tackle this agenda was following:

"Entry to Canada is a privilege not a right. If you want to visit Canada, you must meet some established immigration requirements and you may require a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) to enter and visit Canada for a temporary period of time."

To the good of the Canadians I wasn't asked questions like

• Do you seek to enter the United States to engage in export control violations, subversive or terrorist activities, or any other unlawful purpose?
• Are you a member or representative of a terrorist organization as currently designated by the U.S. Secretary of State?
• Have you ever participated in persecutions directed by the Nazi government of Germany; or have you ever participated in genocide?
  

However applying for student visa has some delicatessen as well. E.g. I needed to provide them with up to date police clearance. The other speciality is that you must provide proof that you can afford your studies - proof of financial support. And how can you do that?

• proof of a Canadian bank account in your name if money has been transferred to Canada;
• your bank statements for the past four months;
• a bank draft in convertible currency;
• proof of payment of tuition and accommodation fees;

There are of course required limits you must meet. You can find out more here if you are interested. I had to choose second possibility.

Nevertheless I consider providing of bank account statements for the past four months for really huge intrusion to my privacy. Especially in this electronic money era when you can find out from the statement really complex information. Not only how much do I make at my job or how much are my calling expenses but even where do I eat or where do I go to cinema.
And what would I do if I didn't have required funds available yet? Or can you prove somehow if you hold some funds in cash?

Hmmm. I guess I'm done with this paranoid thoughts for know :-). I got my visa so I can start second stage of planning my trip - from thinking of where would I like to go to finding out how am I gonna do that.

Preliminary travel schedule

I have bought my flight ticket finaly thus I can start planning my trip. Before I get to Calgary, which is quite at the west (Alberta), I want to travel east. I want to visit at least Montreal, Ottawa & Toronto. Of course I would love to see more - especially nature - but here's just no time for that.

I decided to take flight to Montreal and than to get somehow to Calgary. I'm currently most seriously thinking about bus (Greyhound) but it's the craziest idea I've ever had. The bus ride from Toronto to Calgary takes more than 2 days!

Currently my plans are roughly as follows:

Sat	25.8.	Arrival to Montreal (Québec)
Sun	26.8.	Montreal
Mon	27.8.	Montreal
Tue	28.8.	Departure to Ottawa (Ontario)
Wed	29.8.	Ottawa
Thu	30.8.	Departure to Toronto (Ontario)
Fri	31.8.	Toronto
Sat	1.9.	Departure to Calgary
Sun	2.9.	Bus ride - Manitoba, Saskatchewan
Mon	3.9.	arrival to Calgary (Alberta)

Here are my crazy flight details:

Homeless - Not Anymore !!!

Homelessness, originally uploaded by Vlasta.

I have finally settled the problem where am I gonna stay during my stay:-). I wasn't really happy when I first started to take care of my accommodation arrangements back in April. It was shortly after I got to know that I succeeded in the selection procedure for exchange programs and that I was awarded stipend for University of Calgary. I didn't hesitate and started to do all the paperwork. One of the first tasks was secure some accommodation.

As UofC has big campus of course I wanted to take advantage of possibility of living on campus and applied for housing as soon as I could. I was totally surprised (one month after applying) when I received info that I've been put on waitlist and my actual number is 128. It made me feel really bad because the number seemed to be too high and possibility of getting the spot at residence too low. Especially when all the exchange students coming to study at our university have accommodation at dormitories 100% sure. I felt like big unrighteousness is happening to me:-) and started to face up to fact that I will be living somewhere off campus and will have to rely on weak public transportation. Not only the time I would have to spend by waiting for bus scared me but particularly the fact that during the winter can temperatures in Calgary go below -30 °C (-22 °F).

Fortunately miracles happen and two months after I've received an accommodation offer which I accepted by return. I just wanna mention that living off campus has also some advantages. In contrast to the situation in the Czech Republic (above all in Prague) living off campus can be notably cheaper. Surprisingly market forces work in this area and if you wanna take advantage of benefits on campus housing provides, you need to pay extra.

Just if someone interested, boring correspondence history follows:

====================================

April 13, 2007

Thank you for submitting an application to the University of Calgary
Residence Services. We have received your application for the Fall 2007 term.

We are processing your application and will contact you via email regarding your status. Your application does not guarantee you a place in residence, unless you are a first year student who has applied prior to April 30, 2007. First year students who apply prior to this date are guaranteed a traditional double room. Returning Undergraduate students who have applied prior to February 28, 2007 will be placed into a lottery to determine if they will receive a placement into residence. If you have applied after either of these dates or were not picked in the lottery, you will be placed on a waiting list. Graduate, Transfer, and Spring/Summer students are offered rooms in residence based on the date the application was received.

If you have applied for Family Housing your application will not be looked at until the date you have specified for move-in. If there are no preferred units open at that time you will be put on the waiting list until one opens up.

We would like to thank you for applying to live in residence at the University of Calgary. If you have any questions or concerns about your application or the application process, please contact us at

Residence Services

[Address, Email, Tel]

====================================

May 17, 2007

Dear Vlastimil,

Thank you for applying to for residence at the University of Calgary for the 2007/2008 year as a transfer student. Residence for transfer students are offered out based on first come first serve, as a result of this you have not been offered a room in residence at this point. You have been given a waitlist number of 128, as of May 16, 2007. If students decline their residence offers we will work our way through the waitlist to offer out any rooms that become available. Your waitlist number does not guarantee you a spot in residence. We will be sending you updates of your wait list number throughout the summer. If you wish to be removed from the waitlist please contact residence service. In looking for off campus housing we would suggest you to check out the off campus housing website hosted by the U of C Students’ Union at www.su.ucalgary.ca/ooch.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact residence services at 220-3201 or at [email contact].

Sincerely,

Residence Services

====================================

June 12, 2007

Dear Vlastimil,

Thank you for applying to for residence at the University of Calgary for the 2007/2008 Academic Term. Your updated waitlist number is 83, as of June 8, 2007. If students decline their residence offers we will work our way through the waitlist to offer out any rooms that become available. Your waitlist number does not guarantee you a spot in residence. We will continue to send out emails throughout the summer to update your waitlist number. If you wish to be removed from the waitlist please contact residence service. In looking for off campus housing we would suggest you to check out the Residence Advisory link at http://www.ucalgary.ca/futurestudents/residence_advisory.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact residence services at 220-3210 or at [email contact].

Sincerely,

Residence Services

====================================

June 13, 2007

Dear Vlastimil,

Thank you for applying to for residence at the University of Calgary for the 2007/2008 Academic Term. We have just finished sending out a mass number of residence offers to student on the wait list. Your updated waitlist number is 10, as of June 12, 2007. If students decline their residence offers we will work our way through the wait list to offer out any rooms that become available. We do not expect the numbers to change much more than they already have.

We will continue to send out emails throughout the summer to update your waitlist number. If you wish to be removed from the waitlist please contact residence service as soon as possible so that we can update the wait list.

We would like you to consider looking for off campus housing. The University has provided a website with some helpful tips on getting off campus housing at http://www.ucalgary.ca/futurestudents/residence_advisory

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact residence services at 220-3210 or at [email contact].

Sincerely,

Residence Services

====================================

July 6, 2007

Dear Student,

Please find attached your offer of accommodation for Fall/Winter 2007-2008. Please make a note of your payment deadline.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Residence Services.

Sincerely,

Residence Services.

====================================

Offer of accommodation

Dear Vlastimil,

Residence Services is pleased to present you with this Offer of Accommodation for the Fall/Winter 2007/2008 academic term. Please consider the following before replying to this Offer of Accommodation:

Your room assignment for the Fall/Winter 2007/2008 term is ******, ****** located in Cascade.

Move in date for with Fall/Winter 2007/2008 term is Monday, September 3, 2007.

This Offer of Accommodation is not transferable. Residence Services reserves the right to withdraw or amend this Offer of Accommodation at any time.

If you accept this Offer of Accommodation, you will be required to sign a Residence Complex Agreement and to agree to the conditions of the Agreement and Community Standards prior to checking into Residence. Updated copies of these documents will be available at www.ucalgary.ca/residence for your review.

If you decline this Offer of Accommodation based on assignment location, you will not be considered for future assignments during the Fall/Winter 2007/2008 session(s). A waiting list will not be kept for those unsatisfied with their assignment.

To accept this Offer of Accommodation, please complete the bottom portion of this email and return it to Residence Services by July 13, 2007.

An Advance Payment of $450.00 must be received to secure this Offer of Accommodation. The Advance Payment must be made online with a Visa or Mastercard, at www.ucalgary.ca/residence.

If you fail to return the bottom portion of this letter by July 13, 2007, your Offer of Accommodation will be revoked.

If you fail to make the online Advance Payment by July 13, 2007, this Offer of Accommodation will be revoked.

If you cancel your Fall/Winter 2007/2008 room assignment after you accept this offer, no refund of your Advance Payment will be issued, unless you provide written documentation that you have been declined admission by the University of Calgary for Fall/Winter 2007/2008.

If you have any questions regarding this Offer of Accommodation, please contact Residence Services at 403-220-3210 or at [email contact].

Sincerely,

Residence Services
University of Calgary

* Residence Services will not release your room assignment to you until move-in. Residence Services reserves the right to change your room assignment.

====================================

July 12, 2007

Hi, Thanks for the e-mail.
We have received your fax.

Sincerely,
Residence Services