Medically fit to enrol

Today I got the nod via email that my CF medical file's back from Ottawa. I passed the medical and I'm fit to enrol.......woo hoo! I followed up with a phone call and spoke to the Officer who conducted my interview. Everything's done now apart from my security clearance which is in progress and will probably take a couple of months. As soon as that comes through we're good to go on arranging a date for enrolment.

Canadian Forces (CF) pre-enrolment tests complete

As per the subject heading, I’m now back in Blighty having finished my whistle-stop trip to CFRC Toronto to carry out the CF pre-enrolment tests. I was absolutely knackered last night and slept for 14 hrs solid.

All went to plan apart from a small hiccup with the medical. I had some minor high frequency loss in my left ear, which I already knew about based on my last UK military hearing test. I still made H2 (H3 is the minimum for Veh Tech) but the examiner (Army WO) asked me to have another test when I'm back here and fax him through a copy. He said that their machine is new and he wants a second opinion to make sure that the result is right. He said that even with the hearing loss I passed the medical with no issues but the final decision always rests with the OC in Ottawa. I've managed to book a hearing test for Monday afternoon so I'll be able to get that back to him ASAP, which shouldn't delay things too much.

The eCFAT (aptitude test) couldn't have gone any better, which was a massive relief, although I did think it was miles harder than the practice stuff. I nearly ran out of time on the first 2 sections (Verbal Skills and Spatial Ability) but I'd cracked section 3 (Problem Solving) with 13 minutes to spare. I was the only one doing the test on Tuesday, which was a surprise; I guess that's a reflection of the lack of places available in the CF at the moment. My interviewer (Navy Lt) was more than happy to tell me I'd scored 57 out of 60, which apparently puts me in the top 99.9th percentile (that was a turn-up for the books). I needed 35 to pass entry as a Vehicle Technician so no worries there. At the end of the eCFAT there were a load of psychology questions to answer but those weren't against the clock and weren't pass/fail - I think they're designed to wheedle out whether you're a closet gun freak/terrorist etc.

The interview was very straightforward and a bit of a disappointment (in a nice way). I'd boned up to death on all things CF and I was ready to spout off a plethora of facts and figures about the First Defence Strategy, deployments of the Navy, composition of the 3 Mechanised Brigades etc, etc. As it turned out, he didn't ask me about any of it. He concentrated more on the mandatory stuff like what non-prescription drugs I'd taken (a resounding nil on that front) and then he just went through the motions asking the questions off the sheet. We did have a nice offline chat afterwards though, which was useful to pick his brain.

I wasn't flying until Wednesday night so I took a drive right up to Wasaga Beach and all round the Barrie area. I managed to get hold of my recruiting Captain and I drove up to CFB Borden for a face-to-face 20-minute chat (would have been longer but he was due in a meeting). He's a really nice bloke and it was great to put a name to a face after all this time. He said that he hopes to give me my T&Cs for my job offer by January, which coincides with our PR landing trip (3 - 13th Jan) - I'll keep pestering him on that one and I said that I'd drive up to Borden and collect them myself. I need to keep things rolling because I'm more than aware that I'm lucky to still have an offer. The picture he painted is bleak to say the least. He's got 1/2 a dozen trades that are fully recruited already this year (Veh Tech being one of them). He's reserved me a slot but even that is putting him over the numbers. Fortunately, I'm the only foreign Veh Tech on the books so he doesn't think it will be too much of an issue. He did warn me however that he doesn't make the rules so nothing can ever be guaranteed. The only time I can breath easy is when I'm taking the Oath, which is why I'm going to keep myself in the spotlight and keep pushing my case until that happens.

So there we go, another hurdle done and dusted.

Visas collected.........but a sting in the tail

Today, the long wait was finally over and by 2.10 pm I was sat on a park bench outside CHC London with our visas in my hand and a premature look of satisfaction on my face.  I say premature, because I then delved into the envelope to have a read of the Confirmation of Permanent Residency (COPR) paperwork only to find mine had a nice letter stapled to it saying that I have 'Inactive Tuberculosis (TB)' and I need to register with the local health authority within 30-days of landing in Canada to arrange further monitoring.

A classic WTF moment followed, before I rang my DMP to see if she could shed any light on the matter.  You may recall that I'd taken a CT scan with me to my original medical to show that I'd had a chest infection in the past and there was some evidence of calcification in my lungs.  The DMP had written no evidence of TB on my med report and included the scan/report as evidence which was then forwarded to CHC.  Although my medical chest x-ray had come back all-clear, CHC subsequently sent me for follow up tests just to make sure.  The follow up x-ray came back all-clear too, as did the sputum TB test which had to be done over 3 consecutive days and cultured in a lab for 8-weeks. Nowhere was there any proof that I had ever had TB or indeed have ‘inactive TB.’

Anyway, 10 minutes later the DMP rang me back and said that based on the CT scan I provided, the CHC medical team had decided that due to there being evidence of a past infection (no mention of TB) they wanted to air on the side of caution and monitor me upon my arrival in Canada. To that end, I get a letter saying that I have ‘inactive TB’ when there’s no evidence to suggest that I do.

I wouldn’t have a problem with any of this if it wasn’t for the fact that I have my Canadian Forces (CF) pre-enrolment medical in less than 2-weeks and it’s not exactly going to help my cause when I have to tell them that CHC suggest I have a dormant and potentially highly infectious disease, when it’s been clearly proven that I don’t.

In the meantime, I have made an appointment for next Tuesday with my military doctor here. The nurse seems to think she'll be more than willing to put together a letter stating that from her (the British army's) perspective, I am fully fit and have no underlying medical concerns.

From what I have read, even if a CF applicant did have 'inactive TB' it is not neccesarily going to be a show-stopper, but it's certainly something I could do without. I guess in 2-weeks time we'll know one way or the other........

Dropping off the passports at the High Commission

Fortunately, there are no dramas to report. I set off from Bristol at 9.40 am and arrived on time in Victoria. I took a casual stroll to the High Commission, arrived early, and started queuing at about 1.10 pm by which time I was 3rd in the queue. By around 1.50 pm there were probably around 35 (less than I was expecting) in total waiting. A man came out and separated us into 2 lines; those 'collecting' and those 'dropping off'. At about 1.55 pm he started calling forward the 'collectors' 5 people at a time. As soon as they were finished we (the 'droppers off') were called forward in the same manner. Once inside I met a man at a desk who asked for my File Number, which he then wrote on a check sheet. He then took my Updated Information Chart, passports and photos and put them all in a resealable plastic sleeve along with one of two identical raffle tickets. Finally, he stapled the duplicate ticket to an information sheet which he gave back to me as my receipt. This is what I must bring back with me when I collect my visas. I was done and out of the building at 2.05 pm.

Roll on 2-weeks, when I return and finally get the visas in my mitts :-)

1st anniversary of my Dad passing away

Today is a sad day as it marks the 1st anniversary of my Dad passing away. If anything, the grief I feel now is probably worse than the period after he died. The initial sadness was bad enough, but afterwards I felt almost relieved and liberated. My Dad was a very dominant character and as an only child I'd always felt the pressure to attain his approval; after he'd gone that pressure eased and I briefly felt a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Today that feeling has passed and I now miss not being able to ask for his advice and ironically to run things by him to see if he approves; to coin a military term, my 'top cover' has gone. I guess this feeling will pass with time but rather than getting easier, today I find looking at his photos harder than ever, the sense of sadness brings a tear to my eye more so than ever before.



I miss my Dad and I wonder if life will ever feel right without him......

The offical 'Passport Request (PPR)' email has arrived

Sure enough, true to their word, the official email from CHC arrived today (aka the ‘PPR’) requesting that we send in our passports to have our Permanent Residency (PR) visas inserted. I must confess that it’s been difficult to get too excited over the weekend; there was still a sense of reticence not to count our chickens until we saw something in writing. Thankfully we can now celebrate and breathe a full sigh of relief.

It’s my intention to drop the passports off by hand at the High Commission. This is a guaranteed 2-week turnaround and will mean that I’ll have my visa when I go off to CFRC for my CF enrolment trip. It’s perfect timing as I’ll now be able to prove to the CF that I’ve met the prerequisite ‘must be a permanent resident’ check and there’s nothing legally stopping me from enrolling.

Our visa photos are booked for Saturday with Martin Chivers Photography, Bath - a bit pricey at £100 (well there are 6 of us I suppose) but I want to guarantee that they’re exactly right in order to avoid an unnecessary delays. My transport to the High Commission is booked too, courtesy of National Express and their 50% discount for Armed Forces members. At £10.20 return it’s by far the cheapest way to get there from Bristol and it’s only a 20 minute walk from Victoria Coach Station.

After 469 days, TB tests, Asperger's Syndrome and a ‘Procedural Fairness Letter/Plan'…….CHC called today....

It's been a painfully slow 2-months since we sent in our response to CHCs 'Procedural Fairness' letter and having badgered them with no less than 3 case-specific emails (to no avail), we were beginning to lose heart.

So, imagine my surprise when my wife phoned me at work today in tears, to say that the lady from CHC had just rang and said we've been accepted and that an official email will be arriving in the next 2-3 days.

Whether they decided that Amber was no longer going to be an 'excessive demand' or whether they just accepted the plan I submitted, I guess we'll never know. We're just so relieved that the wait and stress are finally over and we can now seriously plan for our new life in Canada.

If I had to offer one piece of advice which has stood me well I would echo the words of the great Benjamin Franklin; 'By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.' Never truer words when it comes to the immigration journey.

Progress with my enrolment into the Canadian Forces (CF)

As the trials and tribulations of our immigration application take their course, lest not forget the small fact that my CF enrolment has been sitting on the back burner of late, waiting for me to near the end of my service. As august has now arrived, in accordance with the last email I received from CFRC, it was now time to give them a call to arrange my pre-enrolment medical, aptitude test and short interview.

I guess the way my luck’s been going lately I should have anticipated that things weren’t going to run smoothly. I duly made the call and my friendly recruiter promised me a response within a couple of days. Sure enough, all was silent so I rang again and was told again that an email with my flight details would arrive in ‘a couple of days’. Funnily enough, nothing arrived so I rang again and we engaged in a ‘candid’ discussion; a quick scan of his email in-box followed and I was finally given the disappointing news that ‘funding approval had not been given for my flights.’

It's amazing how much the fortunes of the CF have turned around in the last 12-months. When I was given my offer of employment I was advised that the CF would fly me out to do my enrolment tests and later they would move my family too once I'd enrolled. Unfortunately, full manning and good retention means us foreigners are no longer a desirable option (we cost too much) and I'm actually lucky I've still got an open job offer. The message that came back from my recruiter is that I'll be one of the last of the foreigners coming through for the foreseeable future. The upshot is there's no longer an offer to pay my travel costs to Canada and if I want to proceed with my enrolment I need to fund the travel myself. To be honest I look on this as a 'what you never had you never lost' situation and I am more than prepared to pay if it means that my enrolment goes through. At the end of the day it's a small price to pay up front for what could be a long term career with good prospects for me and my family.

Anyway, my flights are booked and I arrive in Toronto on 25th Oct. Hopefully it will be $650 well spent and I'll come away with the necessary ticks in the box. So far so good as they say; it's been a bit of a bumpy ride but we're getting there slowly but surely.

The 'Plan' is on it's way......fingers crossed!

Well it’s been a few weeks since CHCs letter turned up and our mitigating response is now complete. We're well within the 60-day time limit but I figured we've had enough delays along the way already and if we've any chance of landing before our medicals run out we can't afford any more. It’s fair to say that this is all a bit of a guessing game when it comes to what they want to see? Unlike the other families who I know have been down this road, we don’t have the option to refute everything that’s been said. At the end of the day Amber does need a degree of help and there’s no way of avoiding the issue. To that end, we’ve tried to show that we’ve provided for her needs rather than negate them. So, today our response went off in the post, all 40 odd pages of it. If nothing else it may bore them into letting us in.....lol. Seriously though, we've covered everything that they highlighted and I can't see (famous last words) how they can find fault with it. We've proved we have a credible solution and the funds to pay for it; the only subjective bit is whether they decide we have the 'intent' to see it through....

The Plan:

1. We provided a letter from the district school board (where we intend to live) refuting the need for a psychological or S&L assessment and saying that in their opinion Amber could be taught in their schools, in a regular classroom environment, using their extant special education resources. It’s been produced by the Principal of Special Education having read the same documents as were provided to CiC when they wrote their report.

2. We provided Amber’s latest school report showing the progress she has made this year.

3. We provided a 3 page letter from Principal at our chosen private elementary school offering Amber a place and listing in detail everything about the school, it’s teachers, their qualifications, the curriculum, the enrolment and assessment process, developing an IEP – you get the picture. The school has a Learning Resource Program and a Special Education Resource Teacher (who used to work for the school board above). The school has access to a Speech & Language Pathologist (S&LP), registered with the College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists of Ontario (CASPLO). They also use the services of a local Psychologist who is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario and a qualified psychologist dealing with children. The school also has a child in the same grade as Amber, who has Asperger’s and is doing excellently. The average class size is 12 compared to 30 where she is now.

4. We provided a 3 page letter from the Principal at our chosen private secondary school containing the same info as above and offering Amber a place once she’s finished elementary. The school has exactly the same facilities as before and is affiliated with our chosen elementary school. They have taught a number of children with Asperger’s, all of which have gone on and gained their diplomas. The average class size is 18.

5. We provided letters of introduction from the S&L Therapist and Psychologist (see Section 3), detailing their proposed plans to assess Amber upon arrival and the costs associated with their services etc.

6. We provided a letter of introduction from Autism Ontario (non-publicly funded) explaining the services, support, counselling and respite activities that they will provide us with when we arrive. This all comes as part of the $50 membership fee.

7. Finally, we’ve provided proof that we can fund the above (estimated at $15,000 per year) based on wages of $64,000 per year, a $22,000 per year pension and $340,000 in cash.

.........all we can do now is sit, wait, and chew on what little nails we have left.

It's official....the 'Procedural Fairness' letter's arrived and we're an 'Excessive Demand'

Having been 5-months since we had our medicals we were beginning to feel optimistic that things might actually be going to plan and that our Passport Request (PPR) letter may just be around the corner. That all went for a bag of spanners this morning when another brown envelope from CHC dropped through the door. There it was in black and white………the ‘Procedural Fairness’ letter we had been dreading.

It’s fair to say that we knew this was coming, and apart from the mention of ‘Respite care for the family’ I have no real reason to contest their findings. To be honest, the ‘excessive demand’ costs they estimate for Amber ($14,000 per year compared to $5,143 for the average Canadian) are a lot less than they could have been. My aim now is therefore not to question the findings, more to mitigate them with an alternative (self-funded) solution.

I started formulating our ‘individualised plan’ a few months ago and identified and contacted a Private Christian School with a Resource Base, to form the basis. Although I’ve exchanged a few emails with the school, in which they state that they have children with Asperger’s who are doing well, they have yet to send me the exact details of the ‘other experts’ that they use. No doubt you’ve guessed the problem that comes next…….the school is now shut for summer and won’t open again until my 56-days (the letter's taken 4-days to arrive) response time has expired. In effect, I have no way of contacting the school.

According to the letter, I need to provide details of experts who can provide Psychologist Assessments and Speech & Language Therapy. I would expect that our chosen school would cover the requirement for a ‘Special Educational Programme,’ as they have a process for formulating an Individual Education Programme (IEP)?

A busy few weeks ahead methinks……

Deja Vu..........another medical request letter?

Monday 7th June was the day before my TB tests were finally due out of their 8-week gestation in the lab. Needless to say I was feeling pretty relieved that this unnecessary delay was nearly over and we could get back on track again.

So, when the postie dropped another brown letter from London through the door that morning it wasn't exactly what I was hoping or expecting. "What the hell can this be," we thought?

"IN ORDER TO CONTINUE PROCESSING YOUR APPLICATION WE REQUIRE THE ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS MARKED BELOW: MEDICAL EXAMINATION FOR AMBER."

Now bearing in mind that Amber had her medical the same day we (the remainder of the family) had ours, which by now was a good 4-months ago, there was a lot of WTF and head scratching going on in the McFarlane household.

I won't bore you all with the details but over the next 3-days a flurry of phone calls and emails ensued between me, my DMP and the CHC. The upshot being that there had been a good old fashioned 'administrative error' on behalf of the latter.

Coincidentally, my TB results actually turned up on the Wednesday and were completely clear, as was the follow up x-ray which had nothing showing either. 'I told you so,' will be the enduring memory of these events, but despite our protests and efforts to prove these tests were an unnecessary waste of time there was no way around it. That's good old CHC for you!

Anyway, at the end of the day the status quo has been restored and we can go back to the seemingly endless waiting game. According to CHC, Amber's medical results are still 'in a queue awaiting detailed review' I'm hoping that means somebody has actually done something with them, after all they've been there for 4-months already.

In the words of Tom Cruise in 'A Few Good Men'.....................'and the hits just keep on coming.'

"Thank you for your CT scan report, however,............."

"THANK YOU FOR THE CT SCAN REPORT. HOWEVER, REPEAT CXR AND SPUTUM SAMPLES ARE STILL REQUIRED AS PER CANADIAN IMMIGRATION PROTOCOL."

Well there it is in black and white. Having gone through the all the hassle of finding the Consultant who did my follow up scan, and persuading him to send me through a copy, another fabulous letter arrived today from CHC basically saying I'd wasted my time (3-weeks) in providing them with the extra info.

Fortunately, as a contingency plan, I went and did the sputum tests anyway on the 13 April so at least I've avoided another 2-weeks of delay, if nothing else.

I still need to get the follow up x-ray done, but that's a walk in clinic and only takes a couple of days to process and send through to the DMP. The sputum results should be ready to collect around the 8th June and then it will be another week or so before the DMP sends everything off to London.

Fingers crossed by the middle of June we'll be back on track, in the system again, and one step closer to getting that sacred PPR (passport request) letter. Of course, that all depends on what CHC decide about our daughter Amber, for all we know they may not have even started looking at her requirements yet. There could be more letters on the way for all we know; I guess we're a long way from being home and dry yet.

Additional medical tests required - didn't see that coming?

Fortunately, it's been a few days since the letter from the Canadian High Commission (CHC) London dropped through the door, so I've managed to calm down to an acceptable level or rage.

The fuel to my fire of fury is the poxy additional medical checks I have now been asked to provide. The only saving grace is that I'm not the only one they've been picking on it seems.

Having had a pretty bad chest infection a couple of years ago, my Army doctor (in Canada) sent me to have a TB sputum test, pulmonary function test and a CT scan. The sputum test came back negative for TB but the CT scan showed calcified nodes in my chest caused by the infection. A year or so later when I arrived back in the UK the Army doctor sent me for another CT scan to make sure nothing had changed. Sure enough, everything was OK and the case was closed. My Army fitness grading remained 'fully fit' and life was good (so I thought).

So, when I went for my immigration medical I thought it best to provide the DMP with all the above mentioned documentation in order to avoid the fiasco that many other's have been experiencing. As expected, my immigration X-ray came back clear and I obviously thought that would be that.

How naive could I have been - too naive it seems! Having had my medical results for over 6-weeks, CHC have now decided they need the following:

"Sputum smears and cultures for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, taken on 3 consecutive days and incubated for 6 to 8 weeks, and then repeat chest x-ray (actual report and film required) Posteroanterior on/after: 26 April 2010."

I'm now wondering why I even bothered. What possible need can there be to have the same tests done again? Words fail me.....

Anyway, I had a chat with my DMP and she's furious with CHC. I'm the second referral of this nature she's had this week. Might be some light at the end of the tunnel though; she wants me to get a copy of the full report from my last CT scan so she can argue the toss with CHC. If that fails then we'll have to bite the bullet and get the tests done. Fortunately, we're only talking £16 for the sputum tests and the hospital will do another x-ray for free as a gesture of goodwill.

The medicals are done..........who knows what'll happen now?

Today the fateful day had arrived and off we went for our medicals. We went to the Orchard Medical Centre, Bristol - our family consisting of 2 adults, our 2 boys (aged 19 & 17), and our 2 daughters (aged 14 & 10).

The medicals were pretty straight forward; we went in individually and for the physical examination we had to strip to our pants (bra removed for the females). Us boys had to go beyond that briefly (lying on the bed) for a full testicular examination. The Dr asked a load of questions about our medical history etc and all in all the exams took about 20 mins each.

When it came to Amber, Julie and I went in with her. The Dr did the standard exam and hadn't asked anything about learning delays etc. She was half way through the physical checks etc when I highlighted the fact that as she hadn't asked us I thought I should tell her that Amber had Asperger's. The Dr said those questions were coming later but to be honest I'm not convinced she was going to ask? Anyway, we explained about Amber's problems and gave the Dr copies of Amber's statement, diagnosis and reports (S&L, Paed, Ed Psych, Senco etc). I also included a personal letter addressed to the Immigration Officer explaining our predicament (you never know). The Dr said we'd done the right thing and that it would help CiC make a decision. The Dr said that she had no influence on CiC's decision and that she just reported the facts so I have no idea what she wrote of the med forms? She did say that CiC had told her that they take the families' situation into consideration so I am hoping that because I have a job offer etc it may make a difference?

We finished off by writing a cheque to the tune of £216 each for the 2 adults and 2 boys, plus £82 and £74 for the 2 girls (£1,020 in total).

We left the centre and headed off to Cossham Hospital for the x-rays. They were supposed to be £40 each, but we were offered a 'family discount' and they came to £150 all-in. They must have felt sorry for me when I told them the hard luck story that I'd just spent £1,020 on the medicals lol. The final tally came to £1,170 and it took about 4 hrs in total.

All we can do now is sit back and wait (as usual). I'm anticipating our medicals will get referred and will need to be sent to Ottawa for a full assessment. From listening to others in a similar situation that could take at least 6-months or so.

The medicals are booked :-)

Today I phoned up to book with our nearest Medical Practitioner (The Orchard Medical Centre, Bristol) and was told the earliest availability was 25 March. I explained that our youngest daughter has Asperger's and we are expecting an 'excessive demand assessment' delay so we'd have to go elsewhere for a quicker appointment. The nice lady on reception rang us back 10 mins later and said she'd spoken to the Dr and she was prepared put on an extra clinic for us next Tuesday (26th Jan).

So, next Tuesday it is, all booked and ready to to spend another £1,220.....

Medical requests already!

More news - our medical requests arrived in the post today, talk about quick. At least it gives us more time to prepare our case once they find out our daughter has Asperger's Syndrome. Now the fun begins.....

Status update :-)

Just when the New Year blues and snow had well and truly set in a piece of good news to lift the mood. Today I did the ritualistic daily check of our 'Client Application Status' only to find the following:



We've still got the fingers crossed, ready for the medicals.