pensid17

hi

we are considering immigration to canada via a immigration lawyer, have you guys and gals any experience as to the benefits or a individual application ?.
the firm we are considering is cambel cohen.

thanks

sid cripps

Smokey

Everyone will tell you a different story and it will depend on your personal circumstances. Will you please do a search on user Smokey which will give you my (not to be repeated again :scared: ) experiences.

Bud

Very much depends on your personal circumstances. If you biography is straight forward then there is no reason why you can’t do it yourself. However, at the same time its handy to have someone knowledgeable to ask questions.

In my personal experience with the emigration consultant, something that started off as a very fruitful relationship, turned very sour in the end. But we still did get the visas, so no permanent damage done
My advice, if I may, do a very good research on the firm you want to contract with.

SmilerJen

yes same here we had a very very bad experience with our lawyer and ended up on a very sour note and did our application ourselves.

If you can ask your lawyers for references of people that have gone through them, maybe a letter of thanks or something.

Be VERY careful there are a lot of bad ones out there.

If your application is straight forward do it yourself, it is not that hard, it just takes time and energy from your part.

good luck
Smiler

Bud

Just a footnote to my previous post....If I were to start the whole process again, I would contract someone just to answer my questions, but I would prepare all the documentation myself (no one knows my life better then I do anyway), and I definitely wouldn't sign the "release of information authorisation" form. Keep all the strings in your own hands.

gsmith1610

My advice is to do it yourself if you have the resources. It is very expensive and there is, in my opinion, no reason to pay someone to collect and fill in forms for you. I say this on the presumption that your history is 'normal'. With regards to the advice - Well youu've found it www.britishexpats.com!

We have done it and we both work full time and run a business, no kids mind!

Give it a go!

All the forms are located on the web and there are enough people to assist you on here!

I hate the thought of lining the pockets of others!

havey

I look at it like this:

If you hire an immigration professional or Employment agency, or a realtor to find real estate, you are doing 2 things (in my mind...
[1] hiring a professional //i once did my own taxes and now find it easier to go to an accountant, and some accountants are better than others.
[2] taking the stress and worry away and placing it on someone else

My wife has beautiful finger nails, sometimes she files them herself other times she goes in for a manicure, what would you wife perfer and why? // a little indirect thinking

I'm not saying one way is better for you, i'm saying go with your lifestyle, what would you really like to do? If you want to save money then buy a second hand clunker car to get you from point A to B, if you like to ride in comfort then hire a professional.

crazydaisy

I read somewhere that the Canadian governement are cracking down on dodgy immigration lawyers as there's so many out there so definitely do some background checking before parting with cash. Do you have the area these guys work in - ie are they a Brit, US or Canadian company. US and Canada have a Better Business Bureau where you check out companies at http://search.bbb.org/search.html and I expect Citizens Advice Bureau 'may' have a list of dodgy firms if it's a UK company. Also beware that although immigration lawyers should be regulated, immigration consultants don't have to be regulated and can even operate without any qualifications so it's a risky business choosing the right person. As the forms are all free I would suggest going it alone if you're a straighforward case as having a lawyer does not push you in front of the queue and emigrating is so expensive that it's worth hanging onto those pennies. If it's a more delicate application then you'd be paying for the extra knowledge and would be worth it I guess.