March 2007

Hi There,

Welcome to the March newsletter from Network Migration Services. It is hard to imagine that we are approaching the beginning of March. This month we are holding our first relocation workshop in Durban. Further details are below. Seats are limited so please ensure that you book your seats early. We have included some information on the Permanent Residency Card for Canada for all of our Canadian clients. We also have information on transport in Auckland. Lorna our job search consultant has also included 4 top tips for job search. If you work in a profession that requires registration we recommend that you look into the process of gaining registration before departing South Africa. Details below. Happy Reading!

CanadaThe Permanent Residency Card. - The permanent resident (PR) card is a wallet-sized, plastic status card that replaces the paper IMM 1000 Record of Landing document for travel purposes. On December 31, 2003, the permanent resident card became the proof of status document required by permanent residents seeking to re-enter Canada on a commercial carrier (airplane, boat, train or bus).

Permanent residents seeking to return to Canada who are without a permanent resident card may contact the nearest Canadian visa office to obtain a limited use travel document to re-enter Canada at a cost of $50 for each one.

The PR card increases Canada’s border security by improving the integrity of the immigration process. It also provides cardholders with secure, convenient proof of their permanent resident status when re-entering Canada.

Safe, secure and confidential

The PR card protects the privacy of the cardholder:

• Only non-secure information is printed on the card

• Personal information from the IMM 1000 Record of Landing or the Confirmation of Permanent Residence document is encoded and accessible only to authorized officials

The PR card includes state-of-the-art security features:

• Laser-engraved photograph and signature

• Micro-text printing

• Tactile lettering

• Ultra-violet images

The PR card helps to combat illegal entry into Canada:

• It is highly resistant to tampering and illegal duplication

• It provides transportation officials with a more effective means of identifying people with permanent resident status in Canada

Getting Around Auckland – Transport Issues Between 7am and 9 am every week day, 540,000 cars pour out of driveways and garages and onto Auckland's roads. Despite being the slowest time of day (average speed is below 34km/h), this is “rush” hour. The evening “rush hour” starts at the 3 pm school run and lasts three hours.

As the city has spread further and further, Aucklanders have become more and more dependent on their vehicles. By 2001, Aucklander's were making most of their trips – even very short trips – by car.

More than half of the morning journeys are to work and a third are to school: with all of these people travelling to the same place at the same time every day, public transport would seem to be the natural response, right? Well, Aucklanders are getting there – use of public transport increased by 15% between 2001 and 2005.

Until recently the train service was virtually non-existent and “bus service” was a oxymoron. Fortunately Auckland's transport heroes, the ARTA (Auckland Regional Transport Authority), have been doing great things with untangling the mess and putting together a $5 billion, 10 year plan which, with sufficient investment , will make public transport a viable and even attractive alternative for car commuters.

The authority calculates its plans would almost pay for themselves: increasing public transport patronage from 52 million passenger trips a year now to 100 million trips by 2016 would save having to build 130km of arterial roads and motorway lanes.

Soaring petrol prices have also helped change commuter behaviour. So, too, have initiatvies like “walking school buses”, which see 3000 plus children getting to and from school under their own steam in groups of a dozen or so, with adults at the front and back to keep them safe.

Whether the emphasis is on building roads or nurturing public transport, it all costs more - and regional and national government each say the other should pay more. The Auckland Regional Council has capped annual rate rises to 5% which, unless national government stumps up with the cash, also puts a cap on investment in buses and trains.

What seems almost certain, though, is that drivers will be paying road tolls before long. One proposal is the charge $6 to cross the Harbour Bridge into the city between 6 am and 10 am on weekdays. No prizes for guessing how popular that would be with people living on the North Shore, especailly when traversing other “charging points” in the east, south, and west of Auckland would cost just $3.

Others are up in arms about a proposed parking levy fo up to $10 a day (on top of existing parking fees) within the Auckland-Newmarket, Manukau, Henderson and Takapuna CBD's.

Details from: Where to Live in Auckland

Does your profession require registration? There are a number of professions and industries which require you to be registered or provisionally registered before being successfully placed in Australia, New Zealand or Canada. Professions commonly requiring registration are as follows:*

• Nurses

• Teachers

• Electricians

• Plumbers/Gas Fitters & Drainlayers

• Chiropractors/Dieticians, Medical Laboratory Technicians/Occupational Therapists/Optometrists/Psychologists

• Dental/Clinical Dental Technicians/Dental Surgeons

• Engineers

• Pharmacists

• Surveyors

In some instances you maybe able able to obtain registration before you leave South Africa, however in some professions it is necessary to sit exams in your destination country upon arrival. Please contact your Client Services Manager or Job Search Consultant if you are unsure of the process.

• Please note that this is not a full list of profsssions. If you are unsure if you require registration, contact your South African Registration body.

Four Hot Job Search Tips Finding a job is hard work. Want an edge on maximizing your job search efforts? Keep these tips in mind.

Beef Up Your Resume: Updating your resume isn't just about adding your most recent job at the top. It's important to keep your resume current by updating your skills and reviewing the layout of your resume every once in a while. Tighten-up the language, add some great action words (like increased, motivated, and enabled), and make sure it accurately describes the jobs you've had. Remember to update your achievements, and keep these current. This may seem like blowing your own horn – but no-one else is going to do it for you!

Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket: Keep searching for a job even if you think an offer is impending. Sometimes things don't go as we planned and if you have nothing to fall back on, you put all your good job searching efforts at risk. By having a few interviews lined up, you keep your skills sharp and increase your odds of finding a job.

Don't Forget To Network: Tell people about your qualifications and your skills. Ask them to keep an eye out for you. Ask old colleagues and references for suggestions on where you might find unadvertised jobs and companies that are hiring. If you have friends and family that are living in the country of your choice, get them to work by your side – they have access to local media, newspapers and adverts, so ask them to keep an eye out for you!

Use All Types of Media: Don't rely on just one medium to find a job. Consider using the internet, newspapers, professional associations, chambers of commerce, local businesses, and employment agency websites to find your perfect job. Remember to contact your Job Search consultant with regards to feedback and information. If you need a list of websites to utilise, let us know – and we will get it to you.

Relocation Workshop – Edward Hotel Durban Saturday 24 March 2007 Network Migration Services will be hosting our relocation workshop at the Edward Hotel on Saturday 24 March. The workshop runs between 08h00 – 14h00. The fee will be R100 per couple or R50 pp. For those people that have pre-booked your seats we will be sending out an email later this week with further details. If you would like to book for this workshop, please email relocation@netmigration.co.zaor call our offices and speak to Ian on 011 4637060.

Client Information Section of NMS website Our Client Services Managers have been getting a few queries regarding the Client Information Section of our website. This section of our website is password protected as it is for Network Clients only. In this section we have copies of our CV templates, Job Search workbooks and Settlement booklets for Australia, New Zealand and Canada for our clients to download for their use. This section does not include individual client status on their files. We prepare quarterly status reports that are sent to clients updating them on their current status. If you have individual queries regarding your file please contact your Client Services Manager.

Please Note:  If your contact details have recently changed, please notify us of these changes so we can update these on our database.  This assists us when we need to get in contact with you and for any news information we would like to forward to you.  Please email your Client Services Manager or email nms@netmigration.co.za or relocation@netmigration.co.za

If you have any queries regarding our newsletter or would like to unsubscribe to this newsletter please email relocation@netmigration.co.za with subject: PLEASE REMOVE.

Warm Regards

The Team at Network Migration Services

Telephone: 011 4637060

Fax: 011 4632021

Email: nms@netmigration.co.zaor relocation@netmigration.co.za