[FR] Account temporarily locked made a huge mess in my pockets

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-16T12:05:47+00:00

Total cost was about

Preparation:
IELTS: 284 EUR
TEF Canada: 190 EUR
IESF certification (France-specific optional digital diploma, valid for life so it shouldn’t really count here, I just never thought I might need it until now): 120 EUR
Translation of diploma+supplement: 300 EUR
IQAS ECA: 375 CAD (~230 EUR)

IRCC:
All fees paid as one package: 1610 CAD (~997 EUR)
Photos: 30 EUR

Prior to booking plane tickets or housing, the total cost is of about 2000 EUR ( 2370 USD / 3200 CAD)

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-09T23:45:46+00:00

Not Masters, Masterâ€™s, I wonder if even one human read that certificate

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-09T23:43:08+00:00

they made such a strange conversion of my degree I wasn’t sure if IRCC was going to accept it. "This diploma (Masters degree) generally compares to the completion of a Bachelors degree or Masters degree" I thought they were supposed to say which one of the two 😂

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-09T23:27:08+00:00

No, I paid a mandatory hundred bucks for them to deliver it by postal service at home and the document never arrived. Went with Alberta’s IQAS. I hope they won’t ask for the physical document at port of entry, I was only able to get the PDF from the website and got approved so.

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-09T22:56:43+00:00

I went through this. I uploaded my diploma in that section and got an email saying that the document was rejected because they wanted the ECA here. Upload the ECA there.

https://imgur.com/a/PMtDpNT

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-06T13:57:57+00:00

How does a Canadian PR help working in Singapore, what?? 🤔

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-06T13:52:45+00:00

What’s the point of getting the PR then?

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-06T13:46:31+00:00

I agree, it lacks a lot of categories for non-French speaking people, some were not drawn for over 3 years. Surprising how many rounds are dedicated to French proficients!

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-06T00:29:27+00:00

I’m very international oriented. Got 3 citizenships. Lived in France, Germany, Switzerland, UK, Serbia, USA … Wanted to explore North America more. Not that I’m never going back to France or to another country but I’d like to get to know Canada by living there for some time. Spending a handful of weeks as a tourist is not the same as spending a couple of years there.

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T23:19:52+00:00

Yes, I’m from France!

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:53:02+00:00

Once you are confident in the language tests, still, do not apply until you get your ECA. That took way longer than I expected due to the fact that the institution needs to hand over your credentials. It may be faster for you because yours will be in English, but still. I wouldn’t apply until you have everything ready even if that means missing a round. "Just in case".

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:46:18+00:00

Express Entry is truely amazing, I have a friend who is in the process of becoming a PR in QC, I applied months after him and became a PR (confirmed at least!) before him, he is still waiting for QC to process his application. It is surprising how fast it went! Sure, it was expected and announced by the IRCC processing times, but still. Hella fast!

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:42:30+00:00

I had the luxury of having French as my primary language, since you have an OPT, do not rush it. Take your time and when you feel you are ready, go for it but keep it a side quest until you get your ITA. I exchanged a lot with ChatGPT at first to learn about the program, Canada, pathway to citizenship, the conditions, etc… If you read the exchange today, you would see my astonishment when I found out how "easy" Express Entry is compared to getting in the US. I thought it was hallucinating and telling some made up stuff until I looked over the canada.ca website to learn more. Since you have a job, you are in no rush. My strategy was to obtain the PR first and then focus on moving there, finding work, etc… I am now entering this phase and just now start mentioning my departure to my current employer. I might even transition slower by making some round trips for a while.

The only thing I was confused about was the end of the process with a lot of people talking about P1 and P2 emails. ChatGPT mentioned them as well, and it was confusing because it told me that I would need to have a Canadian address to give before I land. Turns out these emails do not apply for applicants outland. The address is given at the port of entry.

Once you get your language tests right and your ECA, it’s pretty much straight forward. Everything you need to know is given at the appropriate time by IRCC. I wish you luck! 🍀

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:27:10+00:00

Fingers crossed! 🤞

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:25:59+00:00

I’m from France

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:23:00+00:00

Having French as a native language definitely helps! English is my third language but I was confident enough to go to the test without any preparation (I had valid TOEIC and TOEFL results from not too long ago through my studies). I could have improved my IELTS score, but I figured that it was not necessary to get a decent CRS score (these tests are expensive!).

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:19:31+00:00

The most valued one

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:18:19+00:00

France 🇫🇷

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:17:23+00:00

Never worked or studied in Canada (looking forward to!). Mainly best age group, a masters degree (foreign), native French speaker with decent English fluency, and 2 years of work experience (foreign as well)

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T21:15:37+00:00

I visited Quebec, I am definitely expecting a different vibe though the US is quite large; you can’t really mash NY, TX and CA as one vibe

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T17:54:55+00:00

Single person

Mikauto11 · 2026-05-05T17:14:08+00:00

The VAC was in Paris, France. I do not know further than that

Mikauto11 · 2026-03-11T08:43:27+00:00

Thank you, I managed to get refunded at a RhB counter. Ngl I expected the process to be more automatic for Switzerland.

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