Category: Living in Canada

5 Pin Bowling Experience At West Parking Bowling In Ottawa!

Didn’t even know that 5-pin bowling existed until recently! Turns out it’s quite a popular variant of bowling in Canada. Unlike regular bowling where there are 10-pins, there are 5-pins in 5-pin bowling and also the bowling balls are a lot smaller than the regular bowling balls.

There are a number of bowling alleys in Ottawa however the West Parking Bowling is one of the closest ones from the downtown area. Pricing starts at $6.50 per game per person but there might be discounts for seniors and kids.

We had a part of about 5 people and even though it was a busy weekend, it didn’t take more than 10-15 minutes to get ourselves a lane without any reservation! Service was also quick and it didn’t take us too long to get our drinks.

West Parking Bowling

This venue reminded me like it was a bowling alley from the 90s. It has a great vibe and if you are looking for things to do with your buddies or even dates then you should definitely head out there!

Rating – 8/10

Address: 1205 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 2Z8

Fish N Chips And Drinks at Brixton British Pub!

Decided to go to Brixton British Pub on a Monday Night with my mates. Brixton is located right in the downtown area and is walking distance from the parliament.

As soon as you arrive at the entrance, it will remind you of the London Underground Metro system which has the same sign. However this one is not a subway station, it’s a gastropub and is well known for it’s fish and chips.

Brixton British Pub

Turns out Monday nights are not so busy at this place. There was barely any crowd except maybe a few regulars. I expect that this place gets busy during weekends though as it’s situated in a prime location.

I ended up ordering the Fish and Chips and found it alright for bar food. Nothing impressive but my mates however said that they really enjoyed the Fish and Chips. If you are looking to have a nice meal, this might not the place but if you want to have drinks then yes go for this place.

Brixton British Bar

I think I will come at this place again since it’s quite spacious and ideal for big groups. Would be good if they had any special nights as well.

Rating: 6.5/10

Address: 210 Sparks St., Ottawa, ON K1P 5C1

Not Impressed At All With Takeaway Sushi From Sushi Go Plateau!

Last weekend I was craving for Sushi and found this takeaway spot in the Plateau area called Sushi Go. So I decided to get their takeaway sushi and give it a try.

I ended up getting their two boxes of their Sushi Combo which offer a variety of Sushi so you get to see what the restaurant offers and not just judge it based on a single menu item.

While the Sushi’s appearance does look appetizing, I wasn’t really impressed with the taste as such. I have been to other Sushi takeaway spots that offer much better experience at around half the price in the Gatineau area! (Aki Sushi comes to mind!)

Sushi Combo Box with Tempura
Sushi Combo Box

I am hoping that the sushi at this venue improves as this is the nearest sushi place near me but I don’t think I would visit it again unless things change!

If I had dined in? Would that have been different? I don’t know!

Rating: 4/10!

Address: 20 Boulevard du Plateau, Gatineau, Quebec J9A 3K7

Where To Get FBI Fingerprints Done In Ottawa-Gatineau?

If you have lived in the United States previously, you might be required to provide FBI Background Check certificate for employment or residence/citizenship related issues.

I had tried to get my fingerprints done by myself but they were rejected because I did not do them correctly. The reason provided by FBI was –

The quality of the characteristics is too low to be used

So instead of doing them myself again I decided to use a provider. In the United States, it is possible to go just to the Police Station and get the fingerprint cards filled but the process is a little different here in the Ottawa-Gatineau area.

You will need to go to Commissionaires – Centretown who would be able to do the fingerprints for you on the FBI Fingerprint Card. The service is a bit costly but considering I did not want my fingerprints rejected again, I decided to use them for getting my fingerprints done.

You might be told that they will scan your fingerprints using their scanner and print them on a page. That is completely fine and the documents are accepted by the FBI.

It is not required to have Ink based fingerprints on the Fingerprint Card for them to be accepted by the FBI. Depending on which service location you are headed, Commissionaires might not be able to offer you Ink based service.

The whole process for me took less than 5 minutes.

Playing Billiards At Orange Monkey Bar!

If you are looking for things to do with your friends in Ottawa then you might want to head down to Orange Monkey Bar, grab some drinks and play pool with your buddies!

While the entrance of the pool is a single door, you would surprised on how much big this pool hall is and is an ideal spot for a big group to hangout. You don’t need reservations and can easily bring in more than a dozen people.

The venue does have a dive bar feel when you enter and features a bar with more than enough seating. I have been to the place a couple of times and have never seen it packed. Drinks are affordable as well starting around 5 bucks.

The Bar

I personally have enjoyed coming to the venue and play pool with my buddies with no issues. I do feel that the tables get a bit pricey as the venue charges per person as well as based on the time spent. The venue also features those jukebox machines so you are able to play songs at the venue for a small price.

Pool Tables

They do have some other game machines as well if you are interested. I saw a couple of pinball arcade bars besides the bar.

Pinball Arcade

If you are around the area, this could be the perfect spot to end the night. Play your favorite tunes and play billiards with your buddies!

Rating: 8/10!

Address: 250 City Centre Ave, Ottawa, ON K1R 6K7

What To Do If You Don’t Have A Guarantor For Canadian Passport?

As per the Canadian Passport Authority; if you need to apply for your first passport, you will need to provide them with a guarantor and the requirements for the guarantor are that they must have known you for 2+ years and must be Canadian passport holder of 18 years of age or more.

You might run into issues where you are not able to find a guarantor because you have recently moved to a new place within the country and don’t know anyone for more than 2 years. Also there could be other reasons like folks you know might be Canadian Citizens but might not be holding a passport or you might have just not met anyone because of personal/health reasons.

If you don’t know anyone more than 2 years in Canada!
In such a scenario, you can request a Statutory Declaration in Lieu of a Guarantor Form from Service Ontario (or Passport Office). The form is not available online.

You will need to get this form signed by a notary public/justice of the peace/commissioner for oaths. The person signing doesn’t need to know you personally and should not charge you for this.

If you know someone living far away in Canada!
Canada is a big country and driving is not always possible. What you could however do is send out the completed page to your guarantor alongwith your photo and ask them to complete the guarantor’s section for you.

Then they (guarantor) can send the form back to you by mail. I do recommend you to get tracking for your mail and if you are traveling soon then ask them to send it back by expedited mail.

If you are outside Canada
You will need to go to Canadian Consulate or Embassy and request them for a Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor form. You will need to get the form completed by a Canadian/British diplomat/consular representative; or by a local government official/member of parliament/civil servant.

Expect longer processing time with Statutory Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor
You might be asked to provide more references and if the references are outside Canada then it can take a while for the consulate/embassy to check those details out. It would be ask the Passport Office on processing times so you can plan your trip accordingly!

Live Country Music and Drinks at Montgomery Scotch Lounge!

Last year I had bookmarked a place called Montgomery Scotch Lounge but never got a chance to visit it until now! While I was walking towards the place, I didn’t really know what to expect. Part of me felt that it was going to be a run down location or have a dive bar feel but boy I was wrong!

This place looks absolute stellar and is a perfect place to hangout with your date, close friends and family members! The venue has nightly live music during weekdays where the musicians play some of your favorite country music (maybe other genres as well).

Live Country Music

For my drink I ordered – Reginald De Koven, a cocktail consisting of Glenfiddich, Sweet Vermouth, Maple, Citrus and Bitters. Even though my drink looked small, I could appreciate the amount of alcohol in it and a couple of these would be enough to get me buzzed for the night!

Cocktail – Reginald De Koven

The venue does have a couple of local artists perform live music and will rotate as the night goes. Even though my stay at this scotch lounge wasn’t too long, I enjoyed it and plan to visit it again in the near future!

My rating : 9/10! Highly recommended!

Address: 1154 Bank St, Ottawa, ON K1S 3X6

Do Canadian Companies Hire From India?

Yes, it is possible for someone to get hired by a Canadian Company while living in India! This is going to be hard though as you are going to be competing with the local candidate pool but if you put the effort in, you can increase your chances in securing a job in Canada!

Where to get started?
The first thing before you even apply for any jobs would be to have your resume ready for whatever jobs that you plan to apply. Here is a quick guide that you can go through to prepare your resume for Canada.

What job sites should I use for Canada?
The two most popular job portals used by Job Seekers in Canada are Indeed and Linkedin. There are a ton of other websites but Indeed aggregates from a ton of company websites already and Linkedin is a great way to get connected with recruiters. You would not need to look at any other job portals.

What type of companies should I apply for?
Usually Big Companies will be more willing to help you with immigration. If you plan to work in the tech industry then some of the popular ones hiring in Canada are – Shopify, Facebook, Amazon, Google and Microsoft. If you are interested in the Financial Industry then some of the bigger banks in Canada are – Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

Most importantly! You will need to research what major companies are there in the city that you plan to move to and apply accordingly!

What if I am interested in working for smaller companies?
Usually smaller companies might not be willing to sponsor because they might have a limited budget and would prefer not to spend it on immigration/legal fees. However, you can still try applying BUT you must let them know that you are willing to help them navigate around the immigration stuff when needed. If you know what type of work visa you might need, and what are the requirements, it might be easier to convince them not only to offer you a job but also help with sponsorship.

How long would it take me to find a job?
Finding a job can be a job in itself. Usually it can take anywhere between 3-6 months for someone to find a job depending on their skillset and salary they are targeting, the higher the salary, the more time it can take to find a job.

How To Expedite Your Canadian Citizenship Application?

Processing times for citizenship grants have increased over time and for a lot of applicants it can take more than 2 years for them to granted their citizenship.

In case you believe that you have an emergency, you might be able to request urgent processing for your citizenship. Eligibility for urgent processing is granted under the following circumstances –

  • Requiring citizenship to apply for a job.
  • Requiring citizenship to attend school, college or a university.
  • Requiring citizenship to avoid losing job.
  • Requiring citizenship to travel abroad because of death or serious illness of family member

The urgent processing might also be granted if you had a successful appeal regarding your citizenship application.

Already sent in your application?, here is what you would need to do

  • Write a letter on why you need urgent processing
  • The letter must include your UCI, Name, Birth Date, Email and Phone Number.
  • Gather any other evidence (For e.g – letter from employer or hospital)
  • Send the documents to the Immigration Services using their web form – https://www.cic.gc.ca/english/contacts/web-form.asp?v1

Haven’t sent in your citizenship application? You would need to –

  • Write a letter on why you need urgent processing
  • Gather all the evidence for your request.
  • Include the letter and evidence with your citizenship application.
  • You must write ‘Request Urgent Processing – Grant of Citizenship‘ in bold/dark letters on the envelope.
  • Send in your citizenship application to the processing center.

Not all applications are accepted for urgent processing
The case officer will review your application and can reject the urgent processing request if they believe you haven’t provided a satisfactory explanation or have provided insufficient evidence.

How long would it take for urgent processing?
Even if you make an urgent processing request, you still have to go through all the necessary background checks, citizenship test and your citizenship oath. Depending on how fast it gets done for you, you might be able to get your citizenship within a few weeks to a few months.

3 Outdoor Dining Restaurants That Are Open In Ottawa During Winters!

Looking to experience dining in sub-zero temperatures? Here are three outdoor dining restaurants that are open even during the coldest days in Ottawa!

Back To Brooklyn
Address: 81 Clarence St., Ottawa, ON K1N 5P5
I found Back To Brooklyn to be the warmest place to hangout despite the outdoor temperature being lower than -20 Celsius! Also their outdoor patio feels like you are still indoors. They have a lot of heaters to keep the place warm!

Drinks at Back to Brooklyn

If you are looking to have drinks then Back To Brooklyn would be a really good choice for a winter hangout with your friends!

The Brig
Address: 23 York St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5S7
If you are looking to have a meal I think Brig would be a good choice. I had the chicken wings at The Brig, the last time I went and they were real good!

Hot Chicken Wings at The Brig

Bar Lupulus
Address: 1242 Wellington St. W, Ottawa, ON K1Y 3A4
The Outdoor Patio at Bar Lupulus looks nice however I felt that since it’s bit more open than the Brig and Back To Brooklyn, you might feel more cold here. Also during my visit I felt that they had a very limited food menu, basically snacks to go with your drinks.

Bar Lupulus Winter Patio

Note – Depending on the time and day, some places might be really busy so always good to call them ahead of time enquiring if a reservation is needed or if the restaurant is closed for the day.