# Irish Electrician & Retail Manager looking to move to Canada



## Nm90210 (Apr 4, 2011)

Hi Everyone!!

My husband and I are both 30, motivated & hardworking! My husband is a fully qualified electrician with more than 12 years experience(inc his apprentiship). I am a retail manager for an upmarket U.K high street brand with 7 years of management behind me(with this company).
Work has been very scarce over the last year for my husband & even though he has work it not consistent & its only ever month on month off. He is getting increasingly disheartened.... We have decided to move to Canada & we are attending an Expo re this in Dublin tomorrow. We have no mortgage, no children, no loans so essentially no ties to Ireland except our beloved families & my job which I love & I earn a v competitive salary with fantastic benefits so I will be upset to leave it...
We do not know what part of Canada we would like to move to as we have no friends & family there & to be honest we do not know too much about the country to make an educated decision. We just want to work & feel we have alot to offer. Where would you advise us to research? Is there much oppurtunities for retail managers over there?


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## belcher (Feb 26, 2012)

What works does your hustband normally do? Condtruction, maintentemce, domestic... Ect?


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## Nm90210 (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for the reply! My husband has 4 years apprentiship experience & 7 years as a fully qualified electrician so 11 years in total. He is mainly an industrial electrician. Also btw I have no idea why it says I am an expat from Sudan!!!???


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## belcher (Feb 26, 2012)

Your husband would do well in alberta or similar


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

Hi there my husband is too an electrician and we have just applied for our PR visas. We are looking at Saskatoon/Regina area - loads of jobs. Your husband will go in as a 4th year apprentice and then after one year he will have to sit the red seal exam and finally be recognised as an electrician. The hourly rate roughly for a 4th year would be $36.40 and go up to $40 when his first year is over. We going over in May to Toronto and if we can arrange any interviews for Regina we will fly over there too. Alberta is the mines and although its great money - he will be working all days consecutive ones like 10 days on and 4 days off. If you like I will give you my mobile number by message and I will tell you all my info after May 12th or before if you like.
My husband has worked with some of the big electrical contractors in Ireland - does your husband have the same experience? We both aged 36 and 37 years old with no children too but three mortgages - two rental and one our home.
Best of luck in your decision - I hope I was of help.
S


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## Nm90210 (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks so much for the reply Sylvos! Yes from the Expo yesterday it was Saskatoon/Regina which sounded most promising - my God the money there is unreal! How are you going about getting your PR-are you going through an agency? Yes my husband worked for the likes of Intel & Mercury he was also with S.R Technics before they went bust... Will you plan on working too when you get over-what field are you in? Thats the worry about Satskatchewen I dont know what type of oppurtunities will be available for me! 
I will pm you my email address & my mobile now. Thank you so much for the sound advice-are you planning on staying on in Canada in May. Toronto is supposed to be a fab city xxx


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## belcher (Feb 26, 2012)

I would not tell people those wages, they are the top of the line for a sparky, the average wage for a qualified sparky is around 25... Big difference


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

belcher said:


> I would not tell people those wages, they are the top of the line for a sparky, the average wage for a qualified sparky is around 25... Big difference


This is true!


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

I dont want to be the one to burst anyones bubble but be very careful what you believe. It is true that there are plenty of jobs here in Canada and we are living not that far from Saskatchewan having moved from Co. Wexford to Winnipeg last July. We decided to do a reccie in the Feb 2011 and were very impressed with Winnipeg and what it had to offer. The cost of living in both Saskatchewan and Winnipeg would be considerably lower than Alberta but the wages are not what you seem to be saying above. Especially without the red seal, your OH will only be considered an apprentice over here until he passes the red seal, it doesnt matter what Irish experience he has. Yes, he will get a job but he wont be making the dosh until he has that Red Seal ticket. My OH is an automotive technician and had his own garage up until November 2011 and is fully qualified back home but here that means nothing and he too has to pass the Red Seal so that he can move up the ladder in terms of wages. You must be very careful not to believe everything you hear because Im only telling you because we also thought that the wages were gonna be considerably higher. We are both working and he earns 24.00 dollars per hour plus benefits but if there are no cars booked in, he doesnt get paid. I really dont want to burst your bubble but seriously make sure you research everything before you give up jobs, etc. And a reccie is a must in my opinion. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you wish. We have a huge Irish social networking thing going on at the moment and lots of us helping one another out. Good luck.


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## Jrge (Mar 22, 2011)

sylvos said:


> Hi there my husband is too an electrician and we have just applied for our PR visas. We are looking at Saskatoon/Regina area - loads of jobs. Your husband will go in as a 4th year apprentice and then after one year he will have to sit the red seal exam and finally be recognised as an electrician. * The hourly rate roughly for a 4th year would be $36.40 and go up to $40 when his first year is over*. We going over in May to Toronto and if we can arrange any interviews for Regina we will fly over there too. Alberta is the mines and although its great money - he will be working all days consecutive ones like 10 days on and 4 days off. If you like I will give you my mobile number by message and I will tell you all my info after May 12th or before if you like.
> My husband has worked with some of the big electrical contractors in Ireland - does your husband have the same experience? We both aged 36 and 37 years old with no children too but three mortgages - two rental and one our home.
> Best of luck in your decision - I hope I was of help.
> S


Could you provide any link(s) to support this information?

Thank you.


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your advice, we won't be doing anything rash until we know exactly what our jobs and the salaries would be. I'm an accounts manager so I am well clued into the figures side of things. The rates I quoted where from a HR Manager in a top Electricial Company in Regina who more or less told my husband he had a good chance of a job. He would start as a 4th year apprentice and then once he passes his exam after 1 year he would be qualified again.
Thanks again


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## belcher (Feb 26, 2012)

He can sit the red seal in another provence and be qualified with no apprenticeship time, well atleast i know i dont have to. I would assume it would e the same


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

Thanks for that belcher. The company that we interested in has excellent benefits and real chance for advancement so that's why my husband will to go in as a 4th year. We are not in a really bad financial position and are kinda looking at the move as a working holiday. If it works out we will stay if not we will go back home. I have good contacts at home so I'm not too worried about work if we return as for my husband well he never knows where he will be in 6 months time so really there will be no difference in now or in a years time!!!!


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## aaron_mcg29 (Mar 5, 2012)

Im in the same situation. I am a plumber / gas fitter by trade and i too was at the expo in the rds. I went with me c.v's and qualifications cert and got an interview with a company from Saskatchewan. I got a phone call yesterday to say that i have been accepted and i am meeting them today to discuss other things. I am highly qualified but in the same situation bit of wrok here and there,few months on,few months off. Its very frustrating. It seems that no matter how well you do your job the boss wants someone to do it cheaper,so yer basically on edge even from the 1st day of work. Its too hard to live like that with bills and morgage payments to be made. My wife is in a good paying job as a book-keeper so it'll be hard for her to leave that job but i think personally it'll be the best thing for both of us. I hope im proved right. Best of luck to both of you.


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

Ah the very best of luck today Aaron I hope it all goes well. Can you send my a private message later and let me know how you get on. My brother in law is also a plumber so I would be keen to find out more. As I'm an accounts manager I will be in d same position as your wife, good job here but we really need two working to cover our bills. We want a better quality of life as opposed to making lots of money. Its too stressful here not knowing from one job to another when he'll be. 
It would be great to find out more of what they said to you about living over there. I have sent off our CV's to that company I mentioned earlier so fingers crossed we are both successful as I was told to send in mine as they always looking for accounts/admin staff.
Best of luck again!!!


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## Gary79 (Feb 17, 2012)

LindaDoyle said:


> I dont want to be the one to burst anyones bubble but be very careful what you believe. It is true that there are plenty of jobs here in Canada and we are living not that far from Saskatchewan having moved from Co. Wexford to Winnipeg last July. We decided to do a reccie in the Feb 2011 and were very impressed with Winnipeg and what it had to offer. The cost of living in both Saskatchewan and Winnipeg would be considerably lower than Alberta but the wages are not what you seem to be saying above. Especially without the red seal, your OH will only be considered an apprentice over here until he passes the red seal, it doesnt matter what Irish experience he has. Yes, he will get a job but he wont be making the dosh until he has that Red Seal ticket. My OH is an automotive technician and had his own garage up until November 2011 and is fully qualified back home but here that means nothing and he too has to pass the Red Seal so that he can move up the ladder in terms of wages. You must be very careful not to believe everything you hear because Im only telling you because we also thought that the wages were gonna be considerably higher. We are both working and he earns 24.00 dollars per hour plus benefits but if there are no cars booked in, he doesnt get paid. I really dont want to burst your bubble but seriously make sure you research everything before you give up jobs, etc. And a reccie is a must in my opinion. Good luck and feel free to pm me if you wish. We have a huge Irish social networking thing going on at the moment and lots of us helping one another out. Good luck.


Hi,
I have a job offer in Ontario and the wages for a qualified electrician there are around $25 an hour,after the red seal exam has been completed.We are planning on going over in april/may to have a look as we have never been there before and when we do go for good,we will be selling up here completely and bringing our 3 kids too so we want to get it right!
There are a few different things we are looking for definite answers to though because it seems the more research we do online,the more confusing it gets as we get so many different answers. . . . .

- How long approximately will it take for me to get a 2 year work permit including the time it takes the company to get its labour market opinion?

- Is a work permit the best way to go or would applying for permanent residency be a better option and how long would that process take?

-What are the different costs for either applications?

-Can my partner work while we are in Canada on my work permit?

-Is one type of visa better than the other in terms of the kids education and in relation to health care?

-Can I change jobs while working in Canada on a work permit?

Thanks for your help !


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

Gary79 said:


> Hi,
> I have a job offer in Ontario and the wages for a qualified electrician there are around $25 an hour,after the red seal exam has been completed.We are planning on going over in april/may to have a look as we have never been there before and when we do go for good,we will be selling up here completely and bringing our 3 kids too so we want to get it right!
> There are a few different things we are looking for definite answers to though because it seems the more research we do online,the more confusing it gets as we get so many different answers. . . . .
> 
> ...


hi, Im just rushing out to work so I will give you a better answer if nobody else comes along first. First thing, the company Im presuming have an LMO. if not they will need to apply for one and the waiting time for this depends, sometimes 6 - 12 weeks, different provinces are taking different lengths of time. Then you can get the work permit at port of entry and this will be for one year or two years depending on what the LMO says. We got a two year work permit. When we came through the airport the customs asked me was i planning on working too so I got an open work permit and Im allowed to work anywhere where OH is tied to the job that got the LMO. However you can change jobs if you get another LMO which I know lots of people do. but unfortunately LMOs are not being given as often and easily as they used to be. i dont know anything about health care in ontario. We have the Manitoba Health Card which covers us for our doctor bills and we have company benefits which cover our prescriptions and dentists. The kids will get a permit in their own right to enable them to attend school. if you have a job offer on the table and an LMO you would be mad to go down the route of PR first, that takes sooo long. If you come here with your LMO and get your work permit at port of entry you can apply for PNP employer driven after six months (check the PNP for Ontario cos not sure if you have to be six mths working for same employer) but in Manitoba you do. The work permit will cost you 150.00 dollars at port of entry and you will have to pay for your OHs permit too and the kids so thats the way to go. 
I will try send you anything else i think of later. good luck, hope this helps.


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

Gary79 said:


> - How long approximately will it take for me to get a 2 year work permit including the time it takes the company to get its labour market opinion?


There is no guarantee you will get a 2 year permit, its up to the discretion of the Immigration Officer on duty who processes you. Could get anywhere from 1-3 years. The process to get an LMO is about 6-14 weeks, once the LMO is approved, you can get your work permit on landing at the point of entry.



Gary79 said:


> - Is a work permit the best way to go or would applying for permanent residency be a better option and how long would that process take?


PR takes 6 - 9 months, but, once you have it, you have it. You can live and work anywhere you want and work for anyone you want (including yourself).



Gary79 said:


> - What are the different costs for either applications?


I believe Word Permit is $150 per person. Excluding any fees for a representative, off the top of my head, PR cost about $500 for you, $550 for the spouse and $150 per kid.



Gary79 said:


> - Can my partner work while we are in Canada on my work permit?


Yes.



Gary79 said:


> - Is one type of visa better than the other in terms of the kids education and in relation to health care?


I think if you are on a work permit, the children need study permits, but not 100% sure. Health Care is the same.



Gary79 said:


> - Can I change jobs while working in Canada on a work permit?


No, and yes. If you want to change jobs, you will have to find another employer who can get an LMO for you. If you otherwise leave or are let go and don't have another employer with another LMO you have to leave the country.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

yes, you can sit the red seal in any province and it can be transferred. But as I said before until you have red seal you will not be getting the higher wage. Unless I am totally wrong and have been living in this country for last six months under the wrong illusions.


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## Gary79 (Feb 17, 2012)

G-Mo said:


> There is no guarantee you will get a 2 year permit, its up to the discretion of the Immigration Officer on duty who processes you. Could get anywhere from 1-3 years. The process to get an LMO is about 6-14 weeks, once the LMO is approved, you can get your work permit on landing at the point of entry.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Thanks a million for that Linda.
Will probably have a lot more questions soon!Let us know if you think of anything else that might help us.

G-Mo,Thanks also,
I see your location is Toronto and as that's the area we're heading for we will probably have lots of questions for you!


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## aaron_mcg29 (Mar 5, 2012)

sylvos said:


> Ah the very best of luck today Aaron I hope it all goes well. Can you send my a private message later and let me know how you get on. My brother in law is also a plumber so I would be keen to find out more. As I'm an accounts manager I will be in d same position as your wife, good job here but we really need two working to cover our bills. We want a better quality of life as opposed to making lots of money. Its too stressful here not knowing from one job to another when he'll be.
> It would be great to find out more of what they said to you about living over there. I have sent off our CV's to that company I mentioned earlier so fingers crossed we are both successful as I was told to send in mine as they always looking for accounts/admin staff.
> Best of luck again!!!


heya again.

yea i got the job,just waiting on my work permit to come through..takes from 6-9 weeks then me and the wife are out of here..cant wait


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

aaron_mcg29 said:


> heya again.
> 
> yea i got the job,just waiting on my work permit to come through..takes from 6-9 weeks then me and the wife are out of here..cant wait


Good luck. Thats great news. The waiting begins for you now. If there is anything else you need in terms of advice or help along the way feel free to pm me. When we were coming here just over 6 mths ago there was so little info. available but all of a sudden there are loads of us here so im happy to help in any way. Good luck and best wishes with the preparations.


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

aaron_mcg29 said:


> heya again.
> 
> yea i got the job,just waiting on my work permit to come through..takes from 6-9 weeks then me and the wife are out of here..cant wait


Thats brilliant - well done and congratulations!!! Let me know how your getting over there. I am sure it will take a while to settle in but hey it can only be better than here.

:tongue1:


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## siobhanwf (Mar 20, 2009)

Nm90210 said:


> Thanks for the reply! My husband has 4 years apprentiship experience & 7 years as a fully qualified electrician so 11 years in total. He is mainly an industrial electrician. Also btw I have no idea why it says I am an expat from Sudan!!!???



hey there... easy mistake. Just go to *USER CP + EDIT YOUR DETAILS + EXPAT FROM COUNTRY 
* and change from Sudan to *Canada*


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## aaron_mcg29 (Mar 5, 2012)

LindaDoyle said:


> Good luck. Thats great news. The waiting begins for you now. If there is anything else you need in terms of advice or help along the way feel free to pm me. When we were coming here just over 6 mths ago there was so little info. available but all of a sudden there are loads of us here so im happy to help in any way. Good luck and best wishes with the preparations.


yea would be great to know about house rentals..I'll be put up with a few of the other lads cummin over to work for the time being..The wife will be over after me in about 4-6 weeks so id like to find a nice area where its affordable..also wouold it be best to buy a car or rent..I also would like to bring my 2 pet dogs over aswell and dont really know the process or costs.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

Once you are here you can check out kijiji for house rentals or apartment rentals. Thats the best place to find accommodation to rent. if you want to buy thats a different story. just google kijiji and look up Saskatchewan as your province and have a look to see whats available. you could also put an advertisement in there yourself looking for a place around the time that you will be needing it. i would say buy a car because renting not really a great option, although your company may give you something to drive, a lot of them do in the beginninng. Bear in mind that you will have to get an international driving licence, easy process, u just get it in the AA offices in Suffolk Street, Dublin. Then you can drive over here for up to 6 mths i think it is before you have to worry about doing the test. you will have to pass the drivers test for over here unfortunately cos the Southern Ireland licence is not reciprocal. only Northern ireland is. Its not a hard test to pass though, honestly. I did mine about four weeks after i arrived before I picked up any of the bad habits and i just downloaded the theory questions online. passed without a problem. Other this is its very easy to bring pets. Lots of people do it all the time. If you put up a specific question on this forum about that you will have lots of replies. i didnt bring our's because it wasnt an option, we had two beautiful labradors but we found them good homes. anyways, put up a question on this forum and someone will come along and tell you. There is another forum that is very helpful too and you should check it out, its called britishexpats.com and it has a mountain of info also If you think of anything else, let me know. PS Cars are expensive here so you will probably have to budget for that if you arent getting anything from work. Just a word of warning. You can pick up second hand on kijji to get you around for the first while though. Good luck.


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## aaron_mcg29 (Mar 5, 2012)

thanks again for the reply.

where in regina do you think i should rent..would like a nice area away from any trouble if ya know what i mean. would like to start looking now but i dont know the area at all.


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

aaron_mcg29 said:


> thanks again for the reply.
> 
> where in regina do you think i should rent..would like a nice area away from any trouble if ya know what i mean. would like to start looking now but i dont know the area at all.


I dont know Regina well enough to comment on this one but i do know that you are better waiting until you are here to get accommodation to rent cos you wont even be entertained (unless you are very lucky) without being able to go straight away and fill out an application and put a damage deposit down. The other thing is when you arrive it wont take you long to suss out the areas and find one that has nice schools, convenient shopping, etc. i totally know what you mean about finding somewhere in a less troublesome area but dont read too much into the negative stuff thats on line. There is as much trouble in Dublin as there is here to be honest. give yourself the chance when you are here to suss out the areas cos u might like to live rural or suburbia. Depends on yourself. But do check out kijiji for idea of prices. Heading to work now so feel free to keep asking questions and il answer you later on. Have a great day, and now you are on the road to a new future you must be so excited. i remember how we felt like it was yesterday,


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

oh one final thing......if you get in touch with the HR person in your new job they will be able to advise you on accommodation. They are normally very helpful in my experience. Send them an email and see what they say about the areas.


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## Gary79 (Feb 17, 2012)

LindaDoyle said:


> oh one final thing......if you get in touch with the HR person in your new job they will be able to advise you on accommodation. They are normally very helpful in my experience. Send them an email and see what they say about the areas.


Hi Linda,
Can you please clear something up for us. If I have an LMO,do we just arrive in Canada and produce it,hope we are granted a TWP and away we go? When we looked online we were instructed to download forms to fill out,with details of all my family,even my sisters who aren't coming to Canada! So do you know if all that is necessary? 

Thanks


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## LindaDoyle (Nov 5, 2010)

Gary79 said:


> Hi Linda,
> Can you please clear something up for us. If I have an LMO,do we just arrive in Canada and produce it,hope we are granted a TWP and away we go? When we looked online we were instructed to download forms to fill out,with details of all my family,even my sisters who aren't coming to Canada! So do you know if all that is necessary?
> 
> Thanks


No problem. The answer is YES, once the employer has the approved LMO you will need to have a copy of that with you at port of entry and produce it to Customs. They will look at it and they will grant you the TWP. The LMO is obtained by the employer and then once they have a positive LMO you can get your work permit. You dont have to download any forms online. You must be looking at the forms that you need to apply for permanent residency. Its relatively simple and as long as you keep your cool at the airport and give the customs officials everything they ask for i.e. positive LMO, passport, proof of skills (if necessary), job offer in writing, and fee of 150.00 for yourself and if your OH is going to be working too she applies for an open permit at port of entry and thats another 150. If your children are school going age they will be either admitted on visitor visas of their own or admitted on your's or your wifes. Dont worry about any forms you dont need to fill out any. Some people get the work permit in London and if you want to go down that route you will be waiting much longer to get here so once the employer says he has the LMO bobs your uncle. Hope this helps.


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## paulmarkf (Jul 17, 2009)

Mornig Folks

I am sorry to agree with the burst bubbles but it is true what is being said, two years ago, we moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a year previous to that we went to the expo in Cork, they do tend to upsell. Please be very cautious in what you read and hear. Have to say though that if you are good at your trade you will be recognised after time, but remember you have to prove your worth


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## sylvos (Oct 24, 2011)

hi guys- home from Regina since last wk. Enjoyed our short visit and at least we know where we're going now and what to expect. My husband has got a job offer as a Construction Electrician based in Southern Saskatchewan. His rate has to be confirmed but it will be 90% of the full rate until he sits his red seal exam in a years time. They are going to relocate us too which is great. As soon as I have the proper figures in writing I will let everyone know. He was told $38.00 an hour but I think it is 90% of this plus benefits. 
Looking forward to making the move but it will be another while until we get our LMO.


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