How to renew OHIP coverage once your status has been restored after PGWP approval?
I gotchu!
The process was mostly the same as our initial one, which can be found on this link. We also had to wait for the new permits to be mailed out to us before going for renewal.
The only thing was we had to go back because our employment letters weren't up to par. To make sure you won't make the same mistake, here's the additional requirements given by Service Ontario for those renewing OHIP under OWP or Open Work Permit and PGWP or Post Graduate Work Permit:
The employment letter must be:
Printed on the employer's company letterhead
Must state that employer is working full-time
Must include employee's current title or occupation
Must state that the employee is working for an employer located in Ontario
Must state position start date of full-time employment
Must state that the employer will employ the employee for a minimum of six (6) months and/ or can state that the employee is permanent
Must include employer's contact information
Must have original or e-signature and dated by employer
Original, and not a photocopy, scan or email.
Not an offer or acceptance letter.
Since I wasn't able to change my employment letter, I submitted three latest paystubs as proof of my Ontario residency. This was accepted since I applied as Mr. A's dependent.
Initially, we went to Mississauga's Westdale Mall first but we forgot Mr. A's updated employment letter so we had to go back and get it. To not make the day a complete waste, we decided to go to a nearer location in Milton Mall (and less waiting time) and finished everything in less than 15 minutes.
Also, if you're still not PRs by the time your OHIP renewal comes around, don't be using the forms that Service Ontario sends by mail. You will be given new forms specifically for temporary residents once you get to Service Ontario. The guy at the Westdale reception was pretty uptight about this and got pretty snippy with me when I asked why.
I'm not exactly sure if converting our vaccine certificates has any bearing on our daily life here in CA, but we decided to have it registered in case it might be required later on. Currently, we're already being asked for proof of vaccination for in-door dining so in case we do transition to face to face classes, we have it ready.
To do so, click on this link and answer a questionnaire. It will start out with the below question, and you just have to answer as truthfully as you can and have your own certificate ready for upload. Bear in mind that these are for Ontario residents only, other provinces may have their own procedures in converting international vaccine certificates.
After filling everything up, you will get two confirmation emails stating that you have successfully registered your vaccines and to wait for review. We did ours on February 10th and we received our enhanced certificates just today, February 25th, so it took about 16 days including weekends. Our 4th dose wasn't included though but we do still have our own AlHosn Vaccine certificates ready just in case.
You have to also have your OHIP ID no. ready during registration so you can access your vaccine certificates once it's ready for download.
That's it folks! Need to continue my training now :) See y'all around!
UPDATE: 25/02/24
Yes, it does have an impact when you want to avail of further COVID boosters. Residents are required to update their vaccination status online if they want to schedule appointments with designated vaccine centres.
For the Peel Region, please visit this link to register your out of province (and country) COVID vaccine status: Peel Region COVID Registration
So I just got back from Service Ontario with spanking brand new OHIP coverage :) Sadly it doesn't cover Mr. A's prescriptions but at least consultations are free. We'll have to research more on additional coverage but at least we're one tick off our settlement list.
If you're like us and you don't know where TH to start, here's what we did:
1. GETTING OUR DOCS READY
For the full list of accepted documents, you can refer to this link: OHIP Documents
There are three (3) required supporting documents to present to Service Ontario, and everything should either be original or printed out (if electronic documents). Since we were new residents and we didn't have much paperwork yet, what we prepared were as follows:
Originals of OWP (for Mr. A) and my SP and WP along with Mr. A's Certificate of Employment. The COE stated that he's working full time, position, start date and that he will be employed for a minimum of 6 months on his company's letterhead. (Proof of OHIP-eligible status)
Mr. A's and mine's most recent paystub, printed, and with our address (Proof of residency in Ontario)
We actually brought original and stamped bank statements from RBC but the officer said they cannot honor it (maybe only for credit card statements where it's mailed to you). Good thing I received a paystub a day before our appointment or else we would have to go back.
2. SET AN APPOINTMENT
Not all Service Ontario locations entertain new OHIP applications especially for temporary residents so we went all the way to Westdale Mall to process ours. People can actually walk in since there was no line but you do have the option to book an appointment so you're guaranteed service. To do so, just click on this link to set it: Service Ontario Westdale Mall.
Service Ontario exterior (Westdale Mall)
If you're applying with a dependent, you only have to book one appointment for the both of you. Good thing the office is located inside the mall = no outdoor lines! When we got our SIN, we had to line up for 4 hours outside a Service Canada Center and we both got really sick afterwards! We had to spend NYE in bed with a sore throat and cough when we should've been doing photo ops in Blue Mountain Resort T_T
And THAT'S IT FOLKS! Temporary slips will be issued with your OHIP numbers while your actual cards will come in the mail about a month after. Travel time back and forth from Eglinton to Westdale Mall was almost an hour but the actual application process took less than 10 minutes.
view from Mr. A's workplace
Mr. A had to go back to work right after so I dropped him off before going home.
The weather was -14 but felt like -20 (it rained and snowed the night before). I had to brisk walk home because it felt like my nails were about to come off my toes and I can't feel my fingers anymore -_-
Time is of the essence for OFWs brides to be, and processing a marriage license is one of the musts that will need ample time to be processed prior to the ceremony. Since we don't have that luxury (the start of our annual leave is only two weeks before the 21st), we decided to do a civil ceremony here and then we only have to process our church requirements later on.
To get a marriage license in Abu Dhabi, below are the requirements to submit: *Taken from Philippine Consulate - Abu Dhabi website:
1 copy of DFA authenticated NSO Birth Certificate (original and 2 photocopies)
Transcription copy of birth certificate, if the copy issued by the NSO is not clear (original and 2 photocopies)
1 copy of DFA authenticated NSO CENOMAR (original and 2 photocopies) (same with the entries in birth certificate)
3 passport copies of the contracting parties
For ages 18-21, DFA authenticated Affidavit of Parental Consent (original and 2 photocopies)
For ages 22-25, DFA authenticated Affidavit of Parental Advice (original and 2 photocopies)
1 copy of DFA authenticated NSO Death Certificate of parents (original and 2 photocopies)
Signed Joint Affidavit of Two Witnesses and their respective 3 passport copies (Yes, signed)
2 passport-size pictures of the contracting parties
personal appearance of the contracting parties
Marriage Counseling Certificate
*In photocopying your NSO authenticated documents, make sure that the whole page is copied, as you will be asked to re-do if the bottom is not included. You can submit these in the below order (3 sets each, per applicant):
Note: names should all match, as well as your parents' in all documents.
Also, even if you already attended the MPC course in St. Joseph's Church, you will be asked to attend a Marriage Counseling session in Philippine Consulate - Dubai (yes, Dubai huhuhuuuuu). They will give you the nearest schedule and they will do the registration on the spot (mandatory).
However, they will still process your license even if you don't have the counseling at this time. You can submit it once you come back for your license.
In addition, for Annulled / Widow / Widower:
DFA authenticated Court’s Decision and Certificate of Finality of Annulment (original and 2 photocopies)
DFA authenticated NSO Marriage Contract with annotation that the marriage is already annulled/void (original and 2 photocopies)
DFA authenticated NSO records of previous marriages (original and 2 photocopies)
1 copy of DFA authenticated NSO Death Certificate of the deceased spouse
Once you all have your documents in order, you can go to the embassy from Sundays to Thursdays at 8AM-12PM and:
1. Get your queue number from the guardhouse (left side).
2. Submit your documents and fill up the additional forms you will be given.
3. Register for Marriage Counseling seminar in Dubai
4. Pay 200 AED
5. Return the receipt copy to processor and she will give your copy back, along with the Marriage Counseling schedule and date of license release.
To go to the embassy (from Al Wahda Mall), please see below:
Ever since I came here to UAE in 2012, it has been my dream to visit the wondrous city of Istanbul. Only a 4 hour flight from Dubai, to be able to go there will be like going to Asia and Europe at the same time - and with its rich history, the people, the food and the architecture, it will truly be worth the 9 day trip without being tempted to cross to the nearest European country (Greece) which will only be a 20 minute ferry from Bodrum or Fethiye. 4 years in the making and finally~ finally -- my dreams are coming true ^^
Okay, but first things first ~ since we're Filipinos, we definitely need a visa to enter Turkey. However, they do have an exception, you can get an e-visa (like what we did for Taiwan), provided that you have a valid Schengen members or USA, UK, Ireland visa or residence permit. Click here for more information.
Since we didn't have any of those, our only option was to get a sticker visa the traditional way. I tried to search again on how-to's but mostly the process was Dubai-based and if your residence visas were issued under Al Ain or Abu Dhabi, you need to apply here in Abu Dhabi.
Everybody's saying that getting a Turkish visa is a piece of cake but after the hulabaloo for our supposed South Korea trip last September, I didn't rest easy till I see that visa stamped and sealed on my passport T_T Hindi man lang nila pinag-isipan! Chos! #moveonalready
GETTING STARTED
Most of the people I know lodged their visa applications personally at the embassy but first you need a confirmed appointment before going there. I tried to do it online but the scheduling system was fully booked until next year so I went with VFS Visa Application Center. You have to pay an extra fee for the appointment though (128 AED / person) but it's worth it since you can't book by the embassy's website anyway.
However, kindly note that the process outlined here is based on our experience only, at the time of our application.
WHAT TO PREPARE
Listed below are for tourism, single-entry purposes only, taken from the VFS website. For requirements under different categories, please check their website, VFS Global, by clicking here:
Application form signed by the applicant. This should be filled out online and you need to print it out, sign it, and attach to your application.
Passport with at least 6 months validity, and copies of entry and exit seal/stamps of previously obtained visas, if any.
Emirates identity card, and a resident/work permit with at least 6 months validity.
Current biometric photo (with a white background, taken in the last 6 months, with the face and ears clearly visible, in 5x6 size).
Round trip flight reservation (pre-reservation)
Hotel reservation (pre-reservation)
Since we'll be going to Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Ephesus, along with Istanbul, we opted to add our 9 day itinerary as well, along with booked domestic flights via Pegasus Air.
Travel medical insurance valid for the duration of the visa (A document indicating that the plans of private health insurance holders cover overseas medical expenses is also accepted).
Even if we both have worldwide coverage from Zurich, we still opted to get travel insurance under AXA Travel Smart. A colleague from work had recommended this to us after she was scammed in Amsterdam. She was able to make a claim as soon as she got back in AUH so yeyyy, and best of all, you can do the whole process online like in worldnomads.
Family registration certificate issued in the name of the applicant (for family applications).
Work documents to be prepared by the applicant himself/herself or the person providing him/her:
If employee: Guarantee letter (a company official or owner statement, which includes their contact details, offers the employee’s position, start date of employment, off-duty dates, and guarantees that the employee will return to his/her country and workplace after his/her travel), payrolls for the last 3 months, and the company trade license, all of which will be obtained from the company he/she works for.
Take note, a guarantee letter is much like the NOC (No Objection Certificate) in a waybut with the wording that your company will guarantee your return after your leave dates. However, some companies will not issue guarantees so you can just submit both your NOC and Salary Certificate in its place.
If company owner: The company’s certificate of establishment and registration, the company’s trade license, and the company bank account statement showing transactions for the last 3 months (sealed, signed).
If his/her spouse provides him/her: Documents requested from the above-mentioned employee or company owner regarding the providing spouse.
Documents showing the financial position: The bank account statement showing transactions for the last 3 months (sealed and signed), documents regarding the person's immovables located in Turkey (title deed, license etc.), and if any, his/her bank account statements available in Turkey.
If another person provides him/her; then the above-mentioned documents for the provider must be presented.
Group travels also require the following documents in addition to the above-mentioned documents:
Documents regarding the company organizing the travel
Applications are reviewed individually for group travels.
Visa application fee (225 AED/person)
HOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT
If all your documents are ready, go to this link and register for an account. If you're applying with somebody else, you can schedule an appointment under the person's name as well, along with yours.
Once you're registered, you will receive an appointment confirmation like below. Print it out and attach it to your application as well, and if you're doing this by group, 1 copy is enough for everybody.
APPOINTMENT DAY
Go to VFS Application center, see map below, and make sure you're there 15 minutes prior to your appointment. We were the first ones there, but the ladies who manned the Turkish visa area were very pleasant and made the experience very smooth for us.
You will receive SMS and email alerts to track your application status. You can also opt for Aramex delivery instead of collecting your passport personally but it will be an additional 40 AED per person. However, if you do decide to forego the delivery and have another person collect it in your stead (kuripot levels), they can present the original receipt along with your signed authorization letter and a photocopy of your emirates ID.
And 7 working days after, we got our visa!
Over-all, the pre-application period was hectic and the waiting game was nerve-wracking but it's totally worth it! To my world history teacher in high school, cheers to ya! :P I'm going to set foot to where the greats of history have tread before!
Date applied: 31-Oct-17 Passport Collected: 8-Nov-17
To anyone who's going there for the National Day holidays, see y'all around! Hope it's extended till the 3rd so I can sleep off the jetlag! #wishfulthinking
Ok, so I'm feelin' good today :) because as you knowww *wink wink* so I'm doing another post on how to travel to Taiwan visa-free using the R.O.C Taiwan Travel Authorization Certificate ♥
YES, we Filipinos can now travel to Taiwan visa-free as long as we meet the following requirements: Basic Requirements To be eligible for an ROC Travel Authorization Certificate, the following three basic requirements must be met:
1.The applicant’s passport must have remaining validity of at least six months starting from the date of arrival in Taiwan. 2.The applicant must possess an onward/return air or boat ticket. 3.The applicant has never been employed as a blue-collar worker in Taiwan.
Additional Requirements 1. The applicant possesses at least one of the following documents issued by Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, any of the Schengen countries, the United Kingdom, or the United States:
O Valid resident or permanent resident card or status O Valid entry visa (electronic visa must be printed out) O Resident card or visa that has expired less than 10 years prior to the date of arrival in Taiwan
2.The applicant possesses an entry visa or resident card issued by the ROC at any point in the past 10 years and has no record of immigration irregularities or law violations in Taiwan. However, holders of ROC entry visas bearing the remark FL (i.e., foreign laborer) or X (i.e., others), as well as holders of ROC resident cards with stated purpose of residence being foreign laborer (i.e., 外勞), are not eligible for an ROC Travel Authorization Certificate.
Since I was issued a single-entry visa to Japan last year, I'm eligible under the above (see highlighted area) so all I need to do is go to this website. Also, as most OFWs in UAE either has Schengen, UK or US visas, getting the TAC is a breeze!
Ok how to get one? See below:
1. Choose your language.
2. There will be 2 more reminders prior to application area, just read this and click on Next.
3. Fill up the fields below.
*Make sure that when prior to filling this up, your air tickets and accommodation/ hotel are booked.
4. Scroll down to the last fields and you'll see this:
I did the following:
a. Entry Permit
b. Country (Japan)
c. Number (Entered the Japan visa number found at the top right hand corner)
5. Click Next.
6. Last window will require you to review everything, make sure all information entered is correct. However, if you entered something wrong and already printed out the form, I read somewhere that you can re-do the process again and print out a new TAC.
7. Print out the form and present it at the airport upon check in, along with the visa you used. Print at least 3 copies just in case each immigration office you encounter needs a copy (I'll confirm this for myself after 3 weeks.)
Here's a sample copy of the certificate:
REMINDER:
An approved ROC Travel Authorization Certificate is valid for 90 days. Multiple entries within these 90 days are allowed. The holder of the ROC Travel Authorization Certificate may stay in Taiwan for 30 days, starting from the day after arrival. If the holder wishes to apply for another ROC Travel Authorization Certificate, he or she must do so seven days prior to the expiry of the current certificate.
In booking air tickets, I used Air Asia because they had the cheapest fare if you're travelling from Manila. Had a slip-up though, because I was not able to check the timings for my return flight when I booked through the app so TAKE NOTE. Or not if you're not a klutz like me :P HAHAHA
If you are, and you want my sage advice *wink wink* better to do it via their website (and using a PC) to make sure you can see all the information you need prior to clicking on payment or else rebooking fees will cost you an arm and a leg #gurangproblems I don't know why but all my cards were not working if I'm using their site so I used their app. Better make sure with your bank though, there might be restrictions set in.
Leaving you with the video below to get you all hyped up on Taiwan:
SUPER EXCITED!!! I deserve this! CHAROT!
See you there!
UPDATE: Make sure that all information entered is correct as this will be thoroughly scrutinized by airline check-in staff. If you have the wrong passport expiry date in (like me) they will require you to do the impossible (aka do the above again and have it printed out - NO PRINTERS IN AIRPORT T3 as I and another guest learned the hard way) so please be sure to triple-check it before your flight!
On a previous post, I mentioned that I wanted to share how I went about preparing my family's documents for the Eid holidays here in the UAE - and here it is finally!
Sorry, it took so long - I had a lot of things happening up until yesterday like my CPB exam, getting denied for an SK visa (HUHUHU), month-end submissions, GOT7, etc. etc. that I didn't have enough time, emotions nor brain cells left over to do the list. BUT NOWWW, I'm ready! Let's get it on!
Okay, the first thing I did, as I mentioned previously, was that I purchased the 399aed sale flights from Cebu Pacific Air. It's a budget airline from the Philippines and you have to be really alert on their flash sales (usually midnight local PH time) and subscribe to their newsletter or follow this blog to be updated the minute that things get interesting. You have to be patient though, as the website lags from too much traffic during these times.
I bought the ticket in December '16 but I only prepared their documents in June, which was a only a month prior to their flight. On their end, the documents that they needed to prepare were the following to present to immigration officials:
1. Passport (at least 6 months' validity)
2. Original UAE visa (pink copy)
3. NSO Authenticated Marriage certificate (for my parents)
4. NSO Authenticated Birth certificates (for my brother and me as proof of relationship)
5. Flight tickets
6. Hotel vouchers
7. 9 Day Itinerary
My mom is already 60+ so my visa agent told me no need to process an Affidavit of Support for her and my father's an OFW as well, so the only problem left was my brother. My brother's 27 and unemployed so it's likely that the immigration officer will have a problem with that. Setting aside that he's a med student and he has already travelled abroad (Japan) last year, I sent him all the documents I could think of to ensure that he won't be offloaded, except of course, the controversial Affidavit of Support.
VOCAB:
Affidavit of Support - that thing you need to bypass Philippine immigration going to UAE if you're sponsored by a resident.
Here's what I prepared for them, which I sent via courier along with their visas:
1. Residence Visa
2. Emirates ID
3. Passport Copy
4. Salary Certificate (signed and stamped by HR)
5. Printout of my latest OEC and OWWA membership
6. Invitation Letter
I made sure each of them has copies of all my documents in case they were evaluated individually. Good thing was, the officers didn't even look at their papers, only the UAE visas and their passports and they were able to go through smoothly!
Really, if you know you know in your heart and mind that you're really just travelling, there's nothing to be afraid of. Like with my SK visa denial, I don't take it too much to heart because I know that I would be going there only to travel and fangirl sooo - their loss, not mine. CHAROT! #antagalngsourgraping #moveonalready
Dubai Sports World
I loooove it!
Happy, honeymooning parentals♥
I'll share our itinerary in another post (again), sa uulitin! ♥
Last year my sister and I impulsively tried booking a 3D4N trip to Romania via Holiday Factory to tick off Going to Europe from our bucketlist. However, the plan underwent a lot of revisions due to timeline errors in itinerary planning, last minute air ticket additions and visa mistakes so we ended up going to Budapest (Hungary) and Prague (Czech Republic) instead.
Fisherman's Wharf, Budapest, Hungary
Travel Tip: To my fellow Pinoys, if you would like to enter Romania before these 2 countries, make sure to get a multiple entry Type C Schengen Visa or get a separate Romanian visa entirely if you were given only a single entry Schengen visa to make sure you'll be able to do the cross-country thing without any issues (So alam na kung saan kami nagkamali hehehehe) that will let you end up in transit for more than 24 hrs like this one right here:
For our Schengen visa, we decided to apply via the Embassy of the Czech Republic since Prague was the last and longest stop on our tour.
Steps:
1. Make an appointment online by clicking here: VISAPOINT. Applicants can apply from up to 3 months but no later than 15 days before the planned travel.
2. Complete your requirements. I based this list from the embassy's website and partly from the endless budget traveler blogs I scoured online:
b. Valid national passport with at least 2 empty pages and photocopies of passport ID page, Emirates ID, UAE residence visa page and previous Schengen visas from the last 3 years, if any.
c. Salary Certificate and/or Employment Certificate (stamped and signed by your HR dept)
d. Proof of sufficient financial means
- You have to request this from your bank personally, as it will be stamped and verified by the bank for the document to be considered valid
- I read online that many has bank statements of up to 6 digit balances to show that you're capable of financing your tour. Here in the UAE, I only have my payroll account so what I showed on my bank statement is my activity for the last 3 months, along with my salary regularly being deposited. When I applied, I only have like half of my salary (not much actually, it was basically just enough to cover the duration of my stay) on the account and I was approved.
e. Flight ticket reservations (c/o Holiday Factory and Cleartrip)
f. Hotel reservations (c/o Holiday Factory and Booking.com)
g. Detailed travel plan (for a sample itinerary, leave your email address in the comments section below to receive one for free)
h. Cover letter ( I added this to my list of requirements to explain all the changes in our itinerary). Here's a sample of what I submitted:
i. Travel Insurance certificate (from Union Insurance) k. Recent passport sized photograph (photo centers are usually aware of photo specs needed for specific visa requirements. Let them know for what country it's needed prior to having your picture taken.)
3. Go to the embassy. As soon as you have prepared everything and it's already your appointment date, just head on over to the embassy at Marina Village, Villa A-09, Breakwater, Abu Dhabi. It's among the villas near Marina Mall and if you're taking a taxi from Al Wahda Mall or Central Bus station, it will only be 20-25AED depending on traffic. Once you're at the embassy, go to the backside for the visa consular services and ring the bell so they can let you in.
Visa fee is strictly 252AED, you should bring the exact amount or else you'll delay the application process. Personal appearance is required for the application since they'll be needing your biometric data. Everything can take up to 15-20 minutes tops and if you're travelling with someone you can submit your docs at the same time using the same appointment but keep in mind that you do have to submit complete requirements for each traveller.
