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Alyssa Writes

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Life Abroad

canadian passport, uk youth mobility visa, work in the UK
Moving to the UK

Getting a UK Youth Mobility Visa for Canadians

7 January, 2020

About This Guide This is a step-by-step guide to applying for a Tier 5 YMS visa for the UK, while located outside the UK. If you’re reading this post, I suspect you’re considering or are in the process of applying for your Tier 5 Youth Mobility Visa for the United Kingdom. Welcome! Before we get started,…

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Alyssa 1,017 Comments
fort de france, martinique, feel like home, what is home, street art, colourful houses
Life Abroad, Musings

What is “Home” When You’re In Constant Motion?

1 August, 2018

  Home It’s an elusive term, isn’t it? It’s why we have so many aphorisms about it: “Home is where the heart is.” “A man [sic] travels to figure out what he’s looking for and returns home to find it.” “Home is where I can look and feel ugly and enjoy it.” Okay, maybe not…

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Alyssa 4 Comments
Life Abroad, Musings, Toronto

When Home Isn’t Home Anymore

13 February, 2018

I stood in front of the red double doors of a Toronto subway carriage, holding on to the silver stanchion and staring at the reflection of myself in the window pane. It wasn’t the same reflection I saw seven months ago, before I had moved to the Caribbean. My skin was tanned and my hair…

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Alyssa 4 Comments
just arrived in the UK, arriving in the UK, youth mobility visa
Moving to the UK

Arriving in the UK on a Youth Mobility Visa

7 November, 2017

The stress is over. You have successfully received your passport and vignette allowing you to call the UK your temporary home. Your flight is booked, you have a place to stay while you hunt for flats, everything is organized. Well, there are still a few things you need to do before you are officially a…

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Alyssa 102 Comments
Street art in Vienna, FAQ
Moving to the UK, Travel Tips & Advice

UK Youth Mobility Visa for Canadians – Frequently Asked Questions

24 June, 2017

Hi there! I suspect if you’ve found your way to this Frequently Asked questions, it’s because you’re planning on applying for your UK Youth Mobility Visa – welcome! If you haven’t read YMS visa application guide yet, read this first. Just as for the application guide post, the same applies for the FAQ: If you…

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Alyssa 324 Comments
Moving to the UK, United Kingdom

Announcing: The Essential UK Youth Mobility Visa Handbook!

12 June, 2017

  I can’t believe it’s been four years since I moved to London on the UK Youth Mobility Visa! Since then, I’ve received thousands of comments and emails, and met with a dozen people who moved to the UK or wanted to. Over the years, I have read their stories and responded to their questions.…

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Alyssa No Comments
friends in London, how to make friends, London expat
Life Abroad, London, Travel Tips & Advice

How the Heck Do You Make Friends in London?

31 March, 2016

Yes, the ever-elusive ‘how to make friends in London’ situation. It’s funny when you think about it: it’s one of the few things we actually get worse at as we get older. Since university I’ve watched my circle of friends dwindle1 with no signs of it abating. So, when I started writing this post, my first thought…

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Alyssa 1 Comment
Life Abroad, Musings

I’m Back in Canada. But I’m Not Home.

13 October, 2015

[instagram url=”https://instagram.com/p/7BIzMNqZ9K/” width=500] (Goodness I’m melodramatic!) Things are slow here on the blog, but it certainly hasn’t felt that way for me on the ground. I got back to Canada at the end of August and started my MA program just over a week later. I barely had time to reconnect with friends, many of…

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Alyssa 2 Comments
God is squatting with us, flat hunting in london, finding a place to live in london
London, Moving to the UK, Travel Tips & Advice

Reader Question # 7: How Do I Find a Flat in London?

27 August, 2015

Flat hunting in London is a harrowing experience. I get a lot of questions about it from readers but I have put off writing about it because it’s an elaborate issue and it requires a lot of attention to detail. There are so many factors involved that this post will have a lot of little…

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Alyssa 6 Comments
visa status on CV, getting a job on the youth mobility visa, applying for a job with a visa, getting hired in the UK
Moving to the UK, Travel Tips & Advice, United Kingdom

Reader Question # 6: Should I Put My Youth Mobility Visa Status on my CV?

7 August, 2015

Hi Alyssa! I got my visa in June and I’m due to leave first week of September. I’m just wondering, should I mention that I have the Youth Mobility Visa on my CV or cover letter? How did you go about doing this? Additionally, I’ve got an honours degree in Sociology from the University of…

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Alyssa 1 Comment
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Who am I?

alyssa james, freelance writer, content marketer, alyssa writes

I’m Alyssa — PhD Student and Freelance Writer based in New York City! I write about Travel and Social Justice. Words in MSN, Bustle, the Globe and Mail, Porthole Cruise Magazine, The Local, Matador Network, and more.

About | Hire Me

Where Am I Writing?

Where I Was:

Aix-en-Provence | Thailand | Bali

Where I Am:

New York

Where I Will Be:

Colombia | Martinique | Japan

What Am I Reading?

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