Things around here may not be going toward a good direction. Perhaps you have already found yourself imagining a move up North. Unlike the USA, Canada is one of the countries that receives the most immigrants per capita in any given year, and Canadians don’t mind that at all.

Canada seems detached enough from the negativity that seems to obsess many other countries, healthcare is free, people are friendly and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explains quantum computing, instead of ‘alternative facts’.

However, getting a Canadian citizenship is tough: you need to live there for at least 6 years, be on your best behavior and get to know a thing or two about Canadian culture and history.

If you still want to pursue this yet achievable dream, here is some information that can help you out.

Before anything else: Check if you’re not already a Canadian citizen

There are chances that you already may be a Canadian. The Government of Canada has created a short quiz which may tell you if you are Canadian by blood.

It outlines several caveats for being a citizen even if you weren’t born in Canada and many of them depend on your parents’ citizenship. Perhaps you’ve secretly inherited their status, so using this reference tool may save you the time you will otherwise need to get the citizenship. 

Be older than 18

If you’re a minor, the path to a Canadian citizenship may be a bit of an uphill climb for you.

Minors need to have their parent or legal guardian to fill out the application for them only if at least one of the parents or the legal guardian has already got a Canadian citizenship, or is applying for one at the same time.

Enter the Express Entry pool for skilled immigrants

Canada has a fast-track immigration system for skilled workers. It’s called Express Entry and it offers permanent residence for people who apply for managerial jobs, professional jobs, and technical and skilled trades.

The potential candidates can create an Express Entry profile, through which they need to provide information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other details.

All of this information is weighed with specific scores and the candidates are then put in a pool of candidates. The highest-ranking candidates are invited to apply for a permanent residence in Canada.

To apply, you need to have at least 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount of part time) skilled work experience. Full time work equals at least 30 hours of paid work per week. You can check your eligibility here and, if eligible, proceed with the steps that you need to take.

Have a permanent residence in Canada

By becoming a permanent resident, you become entitled to healthcare coverage and you can work, study and travel anywhere in Canada. Voting, running for office and holding jobs with high security clearance are reserved for Canadian citizens.

Besides the Skilled Worker Class Immigration, or Express Entry, there are several other ways you can obtain permanent residence in Canada. Investors, entrepreneurs, and self-employed persons can pursue permanent residence by fulfilling certain criteria.

Another way to apply, if you have a specific province in mind that you’d like to settle in, is to get in touch with the representative immigration office in within the province of your choice and apply for nomination to that province. The provinces can nominate individuals they wish to include in their selection for immigration and settlement.

You can also get help from a family member who lives in Canada or go through the Québec-Selected Immigration, which comes with special immigration requirements.

Declare your intent to reside

Once you’ve been invited to become a permanent resident, you need to declare your intent to reside in Canada. Permanent residence is considered living within the borders of Canada for at least 2 years in a 5-year period. Falling below this time frame will automatically revoke your permanent residence status.

If you don’t live in Canada, you must work outside as a public official (termed Crown servant) or live abroad with family members who are Crown servants.

Spend six years living in Canada

Getting permanent residence doesn’t make you a Canadian citizen, but it is required.

In order to apply for a citizenship, you need to have lived within the borders of Canada as a permanent resident for at least 1460 days within the six years before the date of your application.

In other words, you need to have lived in Canada for 4 years within a frame of 6 years. Within this period, you need to be physically present for at least 183 days in each of four calendar years within the 6-year period before the application date.

The time frame is shorter for Crown servants, and current and past Canadian Armed Forces members.

More or less, your time in Canada needs to stay relatively consistent.

Provide income tax filing

The same four out of six years of time before the application date need to backed with your personal income tax filing.

Basically, they want to see if you have worked a legitimate job during your stay.

Possess “adequate knowledge” of English or French

To become a Canadian citizen, you need to know at least one of the two official languages – English and French. The criterium for determining “adequate knowledge” of any of the two languages relies on the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC).

Your speaking and listening will be under scope, where you will need to be able to:

• Talk about common topics in short, everyday conversations;
• Understand some simple formal and informal instructions, questions and directions;
• Use basic grammar, simple structures and tenses, and connect your ideas
• Answer questions and engage in communication by using enough common words and phrases.

Learn something more about Canada

To become a citizen, you also need to know to write, or say, something about the rights, responsibilities and privileges of citizenship (such as voting and obeying the law). What is more, you will need to know more about Canada’s history, values, institutions and symbols.

You will be given a Citizenship test, which will evaluate your knowledge in the following topics:

• the right to vote and right to run for elected office
• elections procedures
• the rights and responsibilities of a citizen
• Canadian social and cultural history and symbols
• Canadian political history (including the political system and institutions)
• Canadian physical and political geography

The test is usually written, but a citizenship officer may also have you answer these questions orally. Everything you’d need to know can be found in Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship.

Know why your application might be denied

There is a number of different reasons why your citizenship application might get denied, and they all have one thing in common: not staying on your best behavior.

More or less, committing a crime within four years of submitting your application or being on a trial for a crime will numb your chances of getting a citizenship. It is also specified that people in prison can’t use their time spent in prison within the permanent residence time frame.

The formal requirements are only the start. Once you have left your home country behind (and if you’re an American, abandoned the circus of warmongering, immigrant bans and ‘alternative facts’), it’s time for you to embrace the Canadian ways.

Eager to get away as soon as you can? Perhaps you could take some friends with you too!

Don’t forget to share!

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Oh no, there is a two hour gap between this and the next flight. Or there’s a delay of your flight and you have to spend another two or three hours waiting on an airport without free internet connection.

How much will your next phone bill cost if you use the mobile data? Are you sick and tired of all this?

Well so many people are too. Therefore travel blogger and computer security engineer, Anil Polat created a useful interactive map so passengers, who spend a lot of time on an airport, could easily find free Wi-Fi connections.

The map, which is updated on a regular basis by Polat, contains the Wi-Fi locations and passwords of dozens of airports around the world.

When a passenger is on a certain airport first they have to click the name of the airport. Then they’ll receive specific directions where they should sit in order to receive better Wi-Fi connection and instructions for logging in.

Finally, you can get rid of those unreliable hot spot connections and expensive mobile data charges thanks to this free airport Wi-Fi.

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The best employees are not the ones that brag about how irreplaceable or hard-working they are, but the ones that stand out from the crowd and every single person working in that company is aware of the fact that if that person leaves the company, their absence will be felt.

However, if you see it that way there’s absolutely no reason why an employer or a company would want to miss out on that type of employee, but the reality is different.

The best employees are the ones who always thrive for perfection, new challenges, bigger markets and even better working conditions. So, if a good employee wants to leave your company, then you have no one else to blame but yourself.

Sometimes, depending on the circumstances, the best employees have no other option but to leave a certain company or a work place.

Here are the top seven reason why a good employee will leave a company:

1. Lack of motivation

Normally it happens for every one of us to get bored from our jobs or feel monotonous in one work place. Coming every Monday and doing all the same things that you’ve been doing for the past 10 years.

The best employees don’t settle for mediocre working environments, they are looking for new challenges.

However, if you feel that you’ve been doing the “same old same” job for as far as you can remember, then the motivation for working that job is gone. So, the only option is to look for a working environment where an employer motivates their workers with new challenges.

2. Financial reason

Let’s not pretend that money don’t rule the world. The bigger the salary, the greater the motivation and the desire to continue working in a particular company.

Sometimes, employers don’t appreciate their best workers to the point when they lose them and realize that they’ve lost so much more than a simple worker.

Giving your best worker a raise or a bonus once in a while, will only trigger a better working environment and a more dynamic atmosphere in your workplace. Who wouldn’t want to put an extra effort, for a really good financial cause?

3. Money-oriented companies

These types of companies are the ones who are losing great employees constantly. In such companies, a worker doesn’t feel appreciated enough simply because the company is only taking into consideration the money factor or the profit without realizing that most of the profit is being done by the employees themselves.

As a matter of fact, money- oriented companies have discipline problems, lack of respect and underperformance. So, best workers tend to avoid such companies in search of more prosperous and respectable working environment.

4. Praising is good

Even the ones who are claiming that praising is for children, like to get a little ego boost once in a while. Of course nobody wants to be patted on the shoulder in front of the whole team, but a little bonus or kind words once in a while will deliver the proper message.

In chaotic companies where the work is too dynamic or the company is meeting rigorous deadlines, employers expect just to get the job done and they often lack to emphasize that those deadlines wouldn’t be reached without the effort of the employees.

So, best workers are giving their all, investing 100% in their performance and at the end of the day, nobody acknowledges their hard work or investment in the job they do. Those workers will be the first ones to leave the company as soon as a better offer or opportunity happens.

5. Stress, stress and more stress

Usually an employer spots the best employees on the very first day. Those are the ones that stand out from the crowd and the ones who are going to get the job done and deliver best results.

Normally employers tend to rely mostly on those people, the ones who are going to finish whatever he/she throws at them and of course, the ones who are going to end up finishing all the responsibilities.

Having too much work or responsibilities at work means a lot to take in and a great stress. The greater the stress, the bigger the possibility that your best employees will leave you as soon as the best moment arrives.

6. All that talk, no results

Once you get to a company, you immediately get a rush from excitement and you can’t wait to start working on projects and all of those big plans that your employer promised to fulfil.

However, years passed and there is still no sign nor even the slightest chance to see a project being done. In those cases, the best workers realize that they’ve been trapped in an unhealthy working environment where the phrase “DREAM BIG” is just a notion without any particular meaning.

Moreover, you immediately start questioning the reliability or your employer and his ability to provide you with everything he/she had promised once. After a while, the best workers tend to leave that job and search for a place where they can truly fulfil their dreams.

7. Shady or untrustworthy means of working

The best employees are the ones that get all the trust from every member of the team and of course, the trust from the employer.

However, if this type of relationship is not the other way around, then the best employees tend to leave this toxic environment.

If a company doesn’t deliver on time, is lying to their clients, steps over people to get the job done or it’s simply doing shady businesses with their clients, then the most honest, trustworthy and reliable workers tend to leave that job and search for a better one.

However, we can’t just blame it on the employer and assume that we are irreplaceable, because the truth is that everyone is replaceable. If you have the real values, fulfil your responsibilities properly and meet your employer’s expectations, then why not settling in your current job.

Sources:
http://www.inc.com/
https://www.forbes.com/

Being a parent is a blessing and anyone who wants to be a parent needs to be allowed to be one. It’s harsh to be deprived of that blessing because of your personal choices in your love life.

Until recently gay couples in Mississippi were facing such problems. Luckily for them that changed when a U.S. District federal judge, Daniel Jordan, issued an injunction which says that Mississippi’s ban is unconstitutional.

With that decision, gay adoption became legal in all 50 states. Since then gay couples have the right to become parents. 

Mississippi was the last country which was enforcing the anti-gay adoption law for 16 years.

Judge Jordan said that he made his decision based on the ruling of the Supreme Court. It was confusing to him how the Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriages, because otherwise it would deny benefit, but didn’t allow them to adopt children.

This law was challenged in 2015, when the Family Equality Council, the Campaign for Southern Equality, and four Mississippi gay couples filed a complaint against it.

Roberta Kaplan, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said that some of the clients waited almost 9 and 16 years to become legal parents to the children they have raised since they were born.

She also added that gay couples shouldn’t be deprived of the right to be parents just because they are gay. Discrimination against gay-couples adoption now violates the Constitution in all 50 countries.

Judge Jordan’s ruling was also praised by the Human Rights Campaign’s Mississippi state director Rob Hill.

He welcomed the decision which allowed qualified gay couples in Mississippi the right to adopt children or become foster parents. Same-sex couples will be treated equally by the law, and so many children who need loving homes will now have the chance to have one.

“Adoption by couples of the same gender is prohibited” was the law which was adopted in 2000. Florida, Michigan, Alabama and Nebraska had similar laws, but they were all overturned.

Even former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, who signed the law, was one of the supporters for overturning it.

He said that the decision they all signed together, has made it difficult for many children who didn’t have parents and home to be raised by loving parents in happy homes in Mississippi. That broke his heart, he also added.

Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Denmark is a kingdom country in Europe, the smallest of the Nordic countries. Here are some fun facts about Denmark: it rains and snows every other day; it is an archipelago comprised of more than 100 islands and it is the oldest monarchy in the world.

Oh, and one more thing… it is one of the happiest countries in the world. 

How did Denmark deserve this awesome “title” so many times and why?

Helen Russell, a journalist from Great Britain, living in Denmark, wrote a wonderfully picturesque piece for Stylist magazine, portraying her personal experience of life in Denmark. 

She lived in London with her husband and were trying to start a family. Even though they had planned to set permanent roots there, her husband was offered a job in Denmark.

Not sure what to expect, they did a bit of research and were overwhelmed with what they discovered:

For one, in Denmark, if you decide to have a baby, the country will grant you 52 weeks of parental leave, with full pay!!

And once the little one is ready for child care and the parents want to get back to work, don’t fret, because children have a guaranteed place in a state run day care which is 75% subsidized by the country.

And that’s not all. The minimum wage in Denmark is around 20 dollars per hour and workers’ rights are a top priority.

Since the winters in Denmark are long and cold, Danes spend most of their time indoors and particularly value their homes and their coziness. They even have a special word for relaxing and comfort in one’s home – it’s called “hygge”.

Even though it might seem like outdoor activities are limited, Danes certainly love their bikes and their capital Copenhagen is unrivalled in the world as a cycling city.

In Denmark, trust comes first, people trust each other, they trust their government, their employers, the schools their children attend. People truly believe they are safe and they are – it is a well-known fact that crime and corruption in Denmark are very low.

Danes have a 37-hour work week and they usually get five weeks off for their annual holiday.

Despite the fact that the taxes are pretty high, Danes are only too happy to pay them because they have social security, a universal pension and a universal healthcare system.

Sounds like they live in a totally different universe than ours, doesn’t it? No wonder they are one of the happiest people in the world.

Ms. Russell had the opportunity to experience life in Denmark first hand and she and her husband decided to stay there permanently. Who wouldn’t, right? She even claims that she is a much happier person since she moved there.

Here is what we can learn from the Danish people in order to lead a more relaxed and a much happier life:

1. Trust

If you show people that you trust them, they will trust you back. You will be much happier, more relaxed, less stressed and that positive energy will spread like wild fire. Trust your neighbors, your friends, your boss and get ready to be pleasantly surprised by the changes you will experience in your life.

2. Try to Get “hygge” Whenever You Can

Relax, enjoy the simple things in life – having a cup of tea on the porch, at the window, smelling the fresh laundry, eating a piece of cake. You know what they say, “you must look after number one”.

3. Don’t Overwork Yourself – Try to Leave Work on Time.

Once that clock strikes 5, grab your coat and get home to your family or go out with friends for a drink.

4. Take a Cue from the Danes and Start Being More Active

Go running, visit the nearest lake and go for a swim… use your bike to get to work, if that’s possible, play basketball or whichever sport you like once a week, and so on… it has been proven by science that exercise releases the “happy” hormones and reduces stress levels. 

5. Turn Your Home into a Beautiful Sanctuary

Everyone deserves a home adorned with trinkets and chunks of life that make them happy. Danes seem to thinks so and their homes are particular beautiful.  Their keen eye for art and design can be seen in their everyday surroundings, and it is another reason why Danes are one of the happiest people in the world.

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What was known to be a peaceful and national protest “A Day without Immigrant” has turned out to be “A Day without A Job”. In Nashville, Tennessee, the company Bradly Coatings seemed to make a massive statement after firing 18 people who didn’t show up for work because they wanted to be a part of the nation-wide protest “A day without immigrant”.

The purpose of the protest itself, was to emphasize the contribution that immigrants made to this country, however the company seems to have a completely different point of view regarding this topic.

People who have participated in this peaceful protest, lost their jobs the very next day.

Despite the fact that many companies and businesses were supporting this protest or at least gave the green light to employees who wanted to join the protest, Bradly Coatings, Incorporated in Nolensville, Tennessee had a different policy towards this protest.

Their 18 employees announced their absence on Wednesday, due to the upcoming protest, supporting the contribution of immigrants worldwide, however instead of an understanding, they came across a day without a job.

Normally, this decision caused dissatisfaction and a shock at all those people, but also the situation provoked massive comments and amazement in the public.

Employees state that this decision is firstly not fair for the people who gave their best for this company and secondly, it’s unfair for the short notice or one day notice, in other words they didn’t have an opportunity to justify themselves, and neither did they have other choice except accepting the fact that they are terminated.

When the decision was made, some employees decided to quit their job in this company right after hearing about what has happened to their colleagues.

A former employee who wanted to stay anonymous stated that the whole situation and the handling of the problem was unfair.

In the massage for the company, the anonymous employee emphasized that all the people who’ve been fired didn’t deserve such treatment.

He also added that all the employees tended to make up for the day, or working on a Sunday, however the company didn’t want to listen and they did not even give the opportunity to the employees. Their only option was to fire people, right after the movement.

After this happened, a spokesman from the Department of Labor and Workforce Development stated that even though Tennessee is a state where an employer has the right to terminate people whenever he/she wants or for whichever reason or cause that is, there are other civil rights issues or other stipulations which can put an end to this.

There are a lot of speculations about why this company decided to act in this manner, however their attorney said that the termination of people had nothing to do with the national protest.

In his statement, the attorney elaborated the nature of the company or commercial painting services and the dynamics at which the company is functioning.

He also emphasizes that the company supports immigrants as well as diversity since the beginning, however he also states that the company warned their employees that if they choose to join the protest, they put their job position in jeopardy.

So, despite being warned about the time-sensitive nature of their jobs, the people still chose to join the protest and the following day the leadership informed them that they’ve been fired.

So, the company’s attorney states that all of those who have fulfilled their job obligations kept their job position, sadly the unfortunate 18 employees were terminated the very next day.

The attorney also emphasizes that the company didn’t have a choice in this situation because the company matters to maintain its stability and most importantly to keep the dynamics at which the client expect for the job to be finished.

As the attorney stated, the company will continue to support immigrants, but also will provide services on time to his clients as well as review some procedures in order to prevent such issues in the future.

Sources:
http://www.abc2news.com/
http://edition.cnn.com/

A recent study by Mark & Roberts shows that women wearing a dress are much happier and in better mood that women wearing pants. However it is also unclear if it’s the dress that affects the mood or the mood inspiring women to wear a dress.

Decade of behavioral research also shows that people who spent less time thinking about style and clothing are less confident and feel less attractive that the ones who do.

This doesn’t indicates that shopaholics and fashion victims are the happiest people on earth but at least they realize their power to affect and charm the people around them.

Truth is that life is about people and social interactions. The more we are liked, desired, loved, respected and complimented the better we feel and the more we enjoy life.

Looking better both physically and esthetically affects our mood and self-confidence and these two characteristics only can be enough to make huge differences in our life.

When people fail to obtain external beauty they often focus on career and financial success; believing that’s the right alternative for obtaining more attention, appreciation and respect.

Even though this approach have shown to be a successful one for obtaining a respectful social presence it’s the very wrong one because all your new relationships will be driven by interest.

The one thing that we can all learn from this post is that wearing better clothing, looking better and spending a little extra time on improving our style is the right thing to do.

I know that we all hate emptying our credit cards in shopping malls but look at this as an investment in creating a better version of you, or even better; in discovering the real you.

Summer is knocking at our doors already, there is not better season than spring to reinvent yourself. Go and buy yourself a nice maxi dress from here to look astonishing and let us know if the dress case study mentioned above is true or false.