Hi, has anyone heard if the points are going up from 67 in October. We were told by an immigration consultant that they were and that we should get our application in before the end of September as we only have 70 points?

Thanks

a. no-one outside the Canadian government knows if and when points will be increased.

b. if points are increased, the point score may well be applied at the time your application is assessed rather than at the time you apply, so applying before it was raised wouldn't make any difference in that case.

I have not heard about this, but this is not to say that it isn't the case. I think many "consultants" know a good many reasons why people should get their applications in right now - and the main one is their bank accounts.

If I were you I'd have a look on the CIC website.

An immigration consultant wants your money and will probably say anything to speed up your decision to use HIM. The points are not locked in at time of application only your age, so if you only have 70 pints at time of application and it goes up to 75 you will not get through and waste a lot of time and money in the process. ( Although they can use substitution in some cases)
Due to the time scales given to people applying now of 36- 42 months. I do think a points increase is likely, it has been at 67 for 2 years now, and it will get to the point they cannot keep it down or cope with the quantity of applications. They have limits themselves. But as said no one knows until it happens least of all immigration consultants.

The Canadian government has been sued in the past by people claiming that it broke an agreed contract after raising the points and making some previously eligible people ineligible. Personally, I wouldn't risk it, as they can easily slip a disclaimer into these agreements, and quite frankly the points will go up. There is no doubt about it.

The waiting list is now so long that I think there will be a general election before your time is up - and immigration control always comes up at general elections. Those points will go up within the next 36 months.

Those of you who think that the points are due to go up soon, what are your predictions for what they will go up to- 70, 75, 80? I know it's not scientific and is just speculation, but I'm wondering if anybody thinks they will go scarily high?

Certainly they'll have to make some kind of change: I agree though, I doubt it will happen before the next election.

Quite frankly, I think they should throw out the entire system and replace it with something more sensible: there was some talk about a complete overhaul a while back, but nothing seems to have come of it.

70-75, I'd guess. Which would basically eliminate any single person with a degree and work experience who didn't have a pre-arranged job, relatives in Canada or good French... I can't help but feel that's a little extreme, particularly considering that many of those people would be eagerly welcomed in New Zealand or Australia.

That said, it seems clear to me that much of the rush to emigrate is due to high house prices in the UK: people want to cash out here and buy a nice place in Canada with the profits. So assuming that house prices here crash as they appear to be doing, the application rate may well crash with them.

Canada and Australia are looking for different people. Canada gives a lot of points for many years in education, etc, whereas Australia just doesn't care. All Australia wants is good English and *specific* work experience. Both are hard to get in to as a matter of fact.

I agree they might move the points up to 70 - 75, remember it used to be 80, I believe! THat knocks a lot out. I disagree about Aus and NZ welcoming them thoug. As I have said, just because you qualify for Canada does not mean you can get into Australia. Pretty much your job has to be on the Aus MODL list, and that is relativelt restricting, I find. As for NZ - if your Dad or best mate there can't offer you a job that ties in with your specific work experience - forget it.

Um, I qualify for all three of Canada, Australia and New Zealand... but I wouldn't qualify for Canada if they still wanted 75 points.

On the other hand, if my girlfriend wasn't Canadian, I _would_ suddenly qualify for Canada at 75 points because she would get more points than me. Seems to be less what you know than who you're shagging .

Yes, my wife and I qualify for Australia and Canada, but we haven't tried NZ because we're not interested. But because you and I do, doesn't mean everyone else does. For example, a hairdresser with good English but little education will get into Australia, but will not get into Canada, and a man with a PhD in neuroscience but no experience will get into Canada but not Australia.

Also, people should beware the points calculators online, because they are very misleading. There are many stories round these parts of people "scoring" 80 points on the CIC website, yet they get refused, mainly because they have an inflated opinion of the French skills, for example.

As for your last point, don't get me started. Way, way too many people that have trouble stringing simple sentences together and who have got nothing on their school exam papers except drool have access to all these nations or the US, whatever, based on who they spend the night with.

I know, I know, I'm cynical....

Hi Does anyone know when there will be a general election? (approx time as I know no one has a crystal ball )

Somewhen between now and 2009 . There was talk about an election this year over the corruption scandal, but I suspect that will be quietly forgotten if the government can get away with it.

Election was promised when the Gomery report (into the sponsorship scandal) was finalised...sometime in Late fall or the winter as far as I know. Paul Martin just in the last few days said that that was still the plan. The Liberals know there is no backing out of this one.

Any points increase is thought by the experts to be back dated to apply to applications recieved by CIC before the increase, but not fully assesed yet. The way the law was writen it says you must meet the current points criteria at the time the visa is issued...HOWEVER, this is a new law, and the only change in points so far was downwards.

With an increase in points this interpretation would be a PR nightmare, with complaints of taking a fee and then moving the goalposts, so until it happens I dont think anyone knows how the ministry will choose to apply it...but legally the default position is that it doesnt matter when you applied if the points go up, if you dont have a visa yet, the higher points will apply to you.

As you can guess this subject has been done to death in the "immigration" forum, with all the big guns weighing in. I suggest an advanced search of just immigration for "points increase" or something like that.

Yes, and a politician's promise and ten bucks will buy you a cup of coffee .

My guess is that by the time the report is released (if they don't manage to delay it for years anyway) they'll find an excuse as to why the scandal is nowhere near bad enough to require a new election, particularly not at this time with so many other important issues to deal with... blah, blah, blah.

Ill bet you that ten buck that they call the election after the report...the conservatives have imploded in the time the Liberals bought with the report, so unless its very damning they would be foolish to go back on what was a very public promise that the PM recently publically renewed. Its not like it was a manifesto promise...I dont think Cretien managed to fullfill one of those in all the years he was in power...and still the Liberals hang on.