Seven Secrets

How do you get CIC’s attention and get chosen out of a hundred thousand prospects who will be applying all at once in the new Express Entry process? The initial application and, if invited, the full application later on require two completely different focuses.

The first round, the Express Entry application, require you to know all of the details of which program you qualify in first, and then the selection criteria that will rank you against your peers. It is your first and only chance to package and market yourself, and understand what steps you can do (such as the Job Bank and Job Matching feature) to increase your ranking score. And, in this round, one innocent error or misstatement can be seen as “ misrepresentation “ by CIC, and see you disqualified, banned for 5 years from applying – and potentially visiting – to Canada.

If you are invited to apply and submit a complete application, you are on a clock: you have 60 days to submit a perfect and complete application. To be successful, it is important that you know how to interpret what is requested and required on the many forms needed, and know how to complete them properly.

There often are hundreds of answers that must be correct on all the multiple sets of forms and countless technicalities that can slow your case down or stop it completely if your application is not correctly completed.

Because of the complexity of the process and the wide discretionary powers enjoyed by immigration officers, the forms are all-important. For example, you can file your application and not know its status for a very long period of time. Immigration officials don’t say what is missing or in error until the application is finally being screened, and that is often many months after you sent the application in.

The importance of working with someone who knows the entire process from beginning to end, along with all the different forms intimately, and how to fill them out correctly cannot be over-emphasized. It is not simply a matter of an intelligent person following their common sense. Too many intelligent people make that mistake and it costs them dearly in time lost. An intelligent person might read the forms and intelligently misinterpret them. If the file gets referred on for interview, this could slow down your application considerably. You could be challenged by the immigration officer for making a misrepresentation or omitting important information that is material to their decision, and if they deem the omission to be intentional, may bar you from Canada for five years.

You and your Immigration Professional must have an in-depth knowledge of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), and the supporting Regulations, Manuals, Operating Memorandums. New programs come in as others are revised or cancelled. Your knowledge must be current, and not based on old criteria. The programs that skilled workers abroad, international students and temporary foreign workers now in Canada qualify have changed dramatically recently, and how family members are defined and are sponsored became very rigidly set out in the regulations.

The introduction of Express Entry in January 2015 will create a lot of interest, competition, and also misinformation and myths about immigrating to Canada. You will need professional direction in every step of this journey.

You must have a deep knowledge of the relevant details of the Act and Regulations to know if, and how, you qualify. You will need to know how to best promote yourself to improve your ranking. Something as seemingly harmless as how you describe the main duties of your job may see you disqualified and your application would then be refused.

There may be unique circumstances that make you eligible to apply under humanitarian and compassionate grounds, or under a different program other than the one you are currently considering. You must select the right one before making your application.

Immigration law is dynamic. You need to know about the most recent changes to processes and requirements from Citizenship and Immigration Canada that may impact your case. A knowledgeable and skilled Immigration Consultant will be on top of the most recent changes, and will advise you of the effect they have on your application.

An experienced and well-respected Immigration Consultant will also have established good working relationships with immigration officers and Case Management officials earned over many years of practice, and be able to monitor the progress of your application after it is submitted.

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants RCIC – CICC, Member of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants CICC,  and the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) invest considerable time and energy in maintaining current knowledge, so that they may advise their clients properly on the latest programs available, and provide the best possible representation. As soon as Citizenship and Immigration Canada releases a new Operations Memorandum or policy change, we are aware of it, and analyze the impact on files already in progress so we may proactively counsel our clients. The most important thing is having the expertise to correctly and instantly interpret the changes and act upon them right away in accordance with how they can affect your application.

Not having the right supporting documents, or all the required documents that are asked for and support your application, is a major cause of refusal. For example, the documents for sponsored partner applications need to clearly demonstrate the inter-dependencies of the relationship in four main areas: Physical and emotional, social, legal and financial interconnectedness.

A business applicant may need to demonstrate expertise. You will need to prove that you made a profit in your business in your home country. You will need to provide accounting and tax reports. You may also need verifiable documents to prove where your net worth came from.

It takes expertise to ensure that your job references are acceptable, adhere to the right format and are correctly presented to satisfy the Immigration officer that you have the work experience that supports your application, and demonstrates that you are able to establish yourself economically in Canada.

It is important to provide a detailed submission letter that recaps the highlights of the application, describes how you qualify in law, quoting the relevant sections of the Act as authority, and explain any unusual or extenuating circumstances that pertain to your case, so that the visa officer will be able to have a grasp of the salient points quickly.

For Family Class sponsorships, the visa officer should be able to see clearly the bona fides (genuineness) of the relationship. For Skilled Workers (independent immigrant applicants) the Immigration officer will be looking closely at your work experience, and if it places within the top three levels of the National Occupation Classification system NOC O, A or B, or the list of eligible occupations used to qualify applicants. Your submission must outline how you qualify under the law, and your work experience must be properly described to match one of the qualifying Occupations.

Most Permanent Resident applications are all handled by regional Case Processing Centres from within Canada, and the online portal applications are directed there. Temporary visa such as visitor, student, multiple entry and work permits can have several options for choosing that are often very confusing.

Some applicants, who are here in Canada with a valid visa as a student, worker, or visitor, may be able to apply from inside Canada for some kinds of immigration Visa applications, but not others. Knowing which kinds of Visa applications can be submitted inside Canada, and which ones MUST be filed in your home country, is very important.

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants RCIC – CICC, Member of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants CICC,  and the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) are fully authorized to represent you in Canadian Immigration and Citizenship matters. They invest considerable time and energy in their own education and continuing professional development. Please note that if your immigration consultant is not an CICC Member they are not allowed to represent you to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and are acting as “ ghost “ consultants.

There are many fraudulent scams worldwide offering visas for programs that do not exist. They steal the identity of real RCIC members, and advertise as if they were the Regulated Consultant. They use untraceable satellite cellphones, and have money wired to them via Western Union and bank transfers. See our immigration fraud alert page here (insert link). Be alert and aware.

There are so many myths about the immigration process that are based on old outdated programs and lists, rumors, immigration chat rooms, full of hearsay and half-truths.  Even the new Express Entry has so many myths and false information already just as the program launches, and you need to know the correct information from a trusted source. Well-intended friends and colleagues, former immigrants landed years ago under programs that no longer exist, and media rumors can send you running in the wrong direction. Even the Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Hotline information can vary from call to call. If they misunderstand your question, you may be providing you with incomplete or wrong information that can cost you dearly.

Gone are the days when you can just sit around the kitchen table with what you hope is the right website or forms and a well intended friend.

You will want to know from the start if you meet the requirements and qualify under the latest programs offered from Citizenship and Immigration Canada to be able to make a successful application. If there are any major obstacles, or things you can do to better your chances, you’d want to know that up front as well, before you get your hopes up falsely and invest your hard-earned money in the process, or waste years of your life in delays that could have been avoided.

Getting it close doesn’t count in complex immigration law. Find out if you qualify. Call or email us for a detailed consultation. You’ll get honest feedback before you part with any money. If you qualify, we’d love to welcome you as a client and be of service to you in this.