shahd-h

Hello

I'm looking at a move to Quebec, not strated with the application as yet, still doing some fact finding. I can apply for residency as an IT professional.

Would be interested to know if people use immigration consultants / lawyers or do people generally fill the form in themselves and send it off with the appropriate documentation ?

Anyone else looking at Quebec and at a similar stage as myself or recently applied?

Thanks in advance!

TheKellys5

Hey again
You already know about our use - pm me if you want any more info.

the_gopher

Hey there,

We have used one but have gone down the sponsor a spouse route ( as i have dual citizenship) But we found the forms quite daunting and alot of the jargon they use needs a bit of clarifying along the way, plus we found the consultant knew all the right place to get the forms, and obtain all the documents you need, its piece of mind....at a price mind! Best of luck in whatever you choose :-)

shahd-h

Thanks.

Vic - I did contact Abrams & Krochak but unfortunately they don't deal with Quebec immigration, they were prompt with their reply though.

I'm going to start looking at the forms etc and what documentation requires sending with the application.

iaink

Its not Quebec Certificate specific, but its probably worth a read. Lots of info on many topics in the wiki:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Immigr...ultants-Canada

LucyLovelock

I feel its all down to how complicated your application is.
For myself and my hubby, we looked at immgration consultants, but they wanted about 3500 pounds! When we sat and thought about it, and printed off the forms ourselves, and used the checklist, it was all very straight forward.
For people that either need the job offer to get over here in the first place, or that have complicated custody issues with children etc, then it may well be worth paying for an immigration consultant.
If you do go down that route, definately go with a personal recommendation from somebody, as with every profession there are dodgy ones out there!
Good luck with your application!

TheKellys5

Maybe ask them if they recommend anyone? Failing that you could check with the Chambre des notaires du Québec – Membership validation service for authorised consultants, or whether one you have found is a member in good standing(i.e. genuine):
http://www.cdnq.org/en/
Just a thought to get you on your way if you decide you want to use a consultant
Best of luck
Vic

canadian_critic

I used an immigration lawyer and thanked myself afterwards. Most people think their case is as simple as it could possibly be, but there's often something that raises questions. In my case it was living in the US in the past, which suddenly required a US criminal check. Easy to do but it was my lawyer who picked up on that and we got the checks done before sending all off. If I'd done it myself I would probably have ignored this, and found out months later that they needed this additional check.

My lawyer won't cover Quebec so no point in recommending their firm. However they were not expensive in the scheme of things. Asking whether it's worth it on a forum such as this is going to get biased results. Many go the DIY route and the forms are not rocket science. However it's like deciding whether to get smoke detectors by asking how many people have had their homes burn down. It's not whether you'll regret doing it, it's whether you'll regret not doing it. In some cases people manage on their own, but lawyers do have insider information into the process and even the people processing claims. For example mine knew who would be dealing with my application and that she only worked Tuesday and Thursday, so timed the package to arrive on one of those days so it would be fresh on her desk. She also knows the person's character and how she likes the package organized. You could never know that much yourself. Do you need to ? No, but it probably saved some time overall. Even though they claim they don't fast-track you, by avoiding pitfalls and doing things like I've described above, they do save time and hassle.

goldsie

Hi

We didn't use any consultant/lawyer and things still went OK. Just a matter of being very organised and keep track of the time you have to process the paperwork

I am not English, so I had to request copy of certain documents to the institutions that issued them back at home (Argentina), plus the local criminal record check, etc., get them apostilled and translated afterwards which can be difficult in some instances, but if you have family or friends that can help you with that, it shouldn't be impossible

We submitted our application via the Vienna office (long story), which made things even more complicated and expensive in terms of post, etc. as we're in London, but all together we didn't have any stoppers and got our visa and PR cards in good time


Hope it helps, and good luck!

GandH

Personally I would suggest you keep your money and do the work yourself. The paperwork isn't that daunting, it doesn't ask you any obscure questions and you'll have to find out all the information yourself anyway, to tell the lawyer, so why bother? Do it yourself and save the money, the money saved can then be used to help soften the costs of shipping etc.

We did the work ourselves and no problems what so ever.

Hope this helps