dont know where to start
 

hi I'm looking for any usefull info . I have completed an online assesment and today recieved an email informing me I have been successfull , and can apply to move to Canada .
Great you may think , but this is all new , the place I tried want £3500 is this the norm , how do I apply for work and how would I get a sponsor

Re: dont know where to start
 

Read the wiki at the top of the page.

Re: dont know where to start
 

Welcome to BE. The "read me" sticky threads for newbies have links to wiki articles that have all the basics covered more or less:thumbup:

Then there is the official government site. www.cic.gc.ca

Re: dont know where to start
 

thanks ,

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thanks , been told it can take as little as 9 months to go through , I want to be clear with every thing

Re: dont know where to start
 

It wont be any faster with a consultant. Timeframe depends on what class you are applying under.

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Exactly which visa route have you been told you're eligible for? It may be as little as 9 months, but it could less, or as much as 4 years, depending on the visa.

Not sure who you did your online assessment with, but if you're considering paying that amount of money to them, do a quick search of the forum to see if they've been discussed negatively or positively on here in the past.

And of course no need to use any consultant unless you want the help or have complicated circumstances, you can do it yourself if you wish.

Good luck with it.

Re: dont know where to start
 

something else I was unaware , just reading the consultants topic , is possible to gain entry without one as with an offer of employment if so is it harder

Re: dont know where to start
 

Of course you can gain entry without one, it's completely up to you. Some people have complicated circumstances and prefer an expert's help, and others just aren't comfortable doing all the paperwork themselves, but most on the forum do it themselves - you can download the application forms from the CIC website for your visa route and see how you feel about doing them yourself.

You mention a job offer, but a consultant isn't allowed by law to charge you for helping you with that anyway. Plus presumably if you've been told you are eligible for a visa today, and 'can apply to move to Canada', then you don't need a job offer for a visa anyway?

Again, which visa route was it you have been told you're eligible for? There are over 50, so to give you good advice we really need to know which you are thinking of.

:)

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Most people with consultants have to do most of the actual donkey work of gathering the documents etc together anyway.

Where a consultant can help is in having experience of the process and in double checking that things are filled correctly and that everything that is needed is submitted at the right time, which might save some time in resubmitting stuff. My opinion is that if you are fairly comfortable with filling out forms its not exactly rocket science, and its a big chunk of cash you might be glad of when reestablishing yoursdelf again in Canada.

About 2/3rds of applicants do it themselves, and there is a lot of help available for the confusing bits from forums like these (with the caveat that "free advice is worth every penny")

In most cases landing the job is the hardest part.

Re: dont know where to start
 

the consultants are CCIRC , and they have told me I qualify for 'fast track immigration' ?:confused:

Re: dont know where to start
 

No such thing as 'fast track immigration', so not sure what they mean by that? What's the actual visa?

Not heard of CCIRC, although a quick forum search may reveal somebody who has used them previously and given feedback.

Re: dont know where to start
 

Colin Singer, of immigration<dot>ca

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CCIRC is not an agent, it's the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Resource Center, which is a listing of authorized agents and immigration lawyers published by (I think) CIC.

Re: dont know where to start
 

thats him

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Nope, that's CSIC. Close though!

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This is what I found http://www.immigration.ca/

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I take it this is not the route I should be taking :unsure:

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Yep, that's Colin Singer's site - nothing to do with the government/CIC.

OP - I believe that he's legitimate, but a quick forum search will give you more info.

You really need to figure out which visa route he's proposing for you though, there's no such thing as 'fast track immigration', so get him to be more specific. You can then see if you can do it yourself, and also double check that he's not proposing to charge you for helping you find a job or anything like that.

Re: dont know where to start
 

Your choice completely.

Figure out which visa you're eligible for (read this - http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Quick_...an_Immigration), then you can come back and ask questions about it, and look up the paperwork involved to see if you are happy doing it yourself or not. If not, then you can search the forum for recommended immigration consultants, or use Colin Singer if you're happy with him.

:)

Re: dont know where to start
 

Re: dont know where to start
 

Blimey, you academics will fall for anything:)

Always check who owns the domain name for anything thats sound pseudo governmental... (no "gc" in the url ;))

Re: dont know where to start
 

thanks to you all , Ive taken most of it onboard and will research further , and save money to boot:thumbsup:

Re: dont know where to start
 

Oh, I know. Just didn't want the OP thinking that was a government site.

:)

Re: dont know where to start
 

Russ - this forum is a godsend. When I first looked into emigrating, quite a while ago, I looked at consultants and thought you just had to pay that type of money to get a chance to get in. Then I did some research, found this place, found that we could do it ourselves, and thanks to the lovely helpful people on here we *did* do it ourselves and now have lovely visas! :rofl: :eek:

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Not to put too fine a point on it, bugger off. :)

<edit: but thanks for the k Mr. k.>

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A Canadian government employee will give you all the info a "consultant" will charge you for.

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And we are not allowed to receive gratuities for that info either:lol:
even if we go above and beyond the call of duty.
Not all people have access to Govt employees especially when in the UK and some of the websites are hard to navigate for some.
This is why sites such as these can help people and I also appreciate OPs who provide this info on a variety of subjects not all relating to Immigration.
We do it to help not for a reward though if the odd bottle of Captain Morgan Private Stock or Appleton Estate 12 yr headed my way I wouldnt complain :lol:

Re: dont know where to start
 

Erm.......no, they won't. The 'misinformation line' is manned by people reading off a script who frequently give the wrong info, and there is no way of speaking to an immigration officer directly.

And it's worth pointing out that FL is a CBSA officer, so whilst he knows a great deal about what may enter Canada, who may, etc, etc, he doesn't (with the greatest of respect FL!) have a lot of knowledge about qualifying for visas. So even if you do get a 'government official' to speak to, they're not always the right kind! :lol:

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That is very true but Im learning more from the likes of yourself and PMM and others. If Im in doubt I just provide the link or leave it to others.
Hopefully Im not giving out too much erroneous info.;)