cherh66

Hi
We are just starting the emmigration process and looking for an agency to assist us. Have been given a very high quote (£7.5k) from one and wonder if any of you could recommend any agency you have used.
Many thanks

tracys

Hi cherh66,

We are using a company called Goldman Associates, www.immigrationtocanada.org. Can't remeber the exact costs, think it is about 5k all together, but certainly cheaper than you were quoted.

It does seem quite expensive but we wanted to make sure that all the forms were filled in correctly and just feel happier knowing that someone with experience in this field is dealing with all the paperwork and communications on our behalf.

Goldmans were recommended to us by a relocation company in BC who have also been very helpful. We have found Mr Goldman and his staff to be very friendly and helpful. At the end of the day it is a personal decision whether to use a representative or not, only you can decide if it's worth the expense.

Good luck with your journey,

tracys

schumachergal

What are you looking to do, Skilled worker, family etc, we came in on TWP and did it ourselves just cost us the TWP charge with the embassy.

celtic warrior

I would agree with tracys, I am using Goldman associates, and fees are about 5k. I have spoken to Ian, his assistant Linda, and Catherine the employment counsellor, who is in the process of locating me a relevant job opportunity.

there website is www.immigrationtocanada.org


Hope this helps

CW

rachel38

Hi Cherh66

We have recently instructed a migration agent called SIS Canada which were recommended to us by a member of this forum, they are charging £1200 in total, like you we were quoted by another company approx £8k and found this extremely high and looked around for another agent. Have had a lovely telephone conservation with Victoria on Friday and she couldn't have been more helpful. I also think other people on this forum have used SIS Canada but you may want to verify this yourself.

Hope this Helps!!

Piff Poff

We used SIS, hope she knows a little more than she did 3 years ago - she must do we taught her loads

However when we started, we liked the idea of the money back guarantee she offered us and the feeling we were doing it all officially, now we know what we know (and the fact all she really did was type up the forms we filled in and sent them off) we would have done it all ourselves, which in effect we did.

The forms to begin with didn't seem to cause a problem, when OH got a job offer and we needed advise on WP's etc is when it when pear shaped. Amongst other things, 3 days before daughter and I flew she called us and said we need to go to the CIC for a study permit.

In all seriousness - you have a vast majority of people on this site that have been through every scenario you can think of, save your money!

rachel38

Hi Piff Poff

I agree that the forms are probably the least of worries associated with migration but they have said that they will help with finding a job, adjusting our uk CVs to a Canadian friendly one and prime us before interviews, and also help with relocation, did they do this with you and your family?

vickysteve

You dont need to use anyone you can do it all your self its easy, and you save 5 to 7 k.

rachel38

Hi Vickysteve

Did you go on a WP or PR? How easy was it to find a job, LMOs etc and fill out all the forms?

Appreciate any advice.

Piff Poff

Errr NO! Absolutely none of that.

OH found a job whilst on reccie, Victoria said that all we needed was a letter of intent, so that's what we got. Then WE found out we needed LMO's etc. Victoria said that the letter of intent would speed things up - it didn't. She didn't help with my C.V. - hubby didn't need one in the end as his interview consited of have a coffee, how long have you been a mechanic, when can you get here and here's a letter, let us know if you need anything else.

There was no priming before interviews and no relocation help.

I'll PM the rest actually, it's a bit in depth!

Judy in Calgary

It is illegal in BC, Alberta and several Canadian provinces to charge a prospective employee for assisting him/her to find employment.

I forget the exact list of provinces in which it's illegal, but I researched the legislation of every Canadian province, and I wrote a Wiki article about it.

But the BE Wiki has been inaccessible this weekend. I trust it will be accessible again at some point in the future, and then you can check it out for yourself.

Anyway, the point is, they cannot charge you for introducing you to prospective employers. Employers pay recruitment agencies a commission for finding a suitable employee. If there are jobs out there, and if you are eligibile for those jobs, you don't need this particular company. There are any number of other head hunters out there, and there are numerous other ways of finding employment. In the case of people who do not yet have authorization to work in Canada, other ways of finding employment usually are more effective than head hunters.

If this company has subsidiaries that operate as head hunters, and it appears that it does, I would guess it's making money off you coming and going. That is, they charge you a fee for assisting you with your immigration application. Then, if they succeed in placing you with an employer, they earn a commission from that employer, so they make money off you (albeit indirectly) a second time.

The Wiki has an extensive article on resume writing, and several members of this forum have used it to good effect. Since the Wiki is down, I'll give you links to free offsite resources:

Susan Ireland Resumes

Job Bank - Canadian government website

Workopolis - Click on the Resource Centre tab near the top of the screen, and then look for the Resume link.

At best, SIS will provide you with one version of your resume. But you should not use a boilerplate resume. The ideal is to tweak your resume every time you send it to an employer, so that you can emphasize the fit between your qualifications and experience and that employer's needs.

The covering letter is, if anything, more important than the resume, and also should be used to draw attention to the fit between the employer's needs and your skills.

Job Bank and Workopolis both have good articles on cover letters.

There also is a Wiki on interviews that is based on advice from forum members who work in the recruiting field and from other forum members who have been through interviews and reported their experiences.

I very much doubt that SIS will be able to tell you anything that isn't in that Wiki article and that you cannot find by doing a Google search.

The Workopolis website also excellent articles that address various aspects of the interview process.

I don't know the company's principals, but I've looked at their biographies on the company's website. They show that they have worked in and have extensive contacts in the Philippines and other Asian countries. Does that mean they're bad people? No, I don't think it does. However, my guess is that their services are of real value to people whose first language is not English.

Do you, a person with a university degree from the UK, need their services? Can they do anything for you that Google cannot do for you? I have my doubts.

Whether you hire this company and pay it quite a substantial amount of money or hire Google for free, the person who is going to have to do the real legwork is you. Even if this company does convert your British CV to a Canadian resume, they cannot conjure a resume out of thin air. You have to give them the information on which to base your resume. You have give them the information to use on the immigration forms. You have to apply for your police records. You have to go for your medicals. You have to collect evidence of the jobs you've held in the field in which you claim to have experience. You have to get your photos taken. You have to assemble documents like birth certificates, marriage certificate, etc.

Whether or not to use immigration consultants is a source of continual debate on this forum. Some forum members are believers in consultants, and other forum members are believers in the DIY approach.

A survey that was conducted on the forum in January 2008 revealed that, amongst the respondents, 25% had used consultants, and 75% had submitted their own applications.

And, by the way, you don't apply for a Labour Market Opinion. The prospective employer does.

Hope that helps.

rachel38

Thanks Judy

Will now need to sit down and make a decision, the more I read on this forum the more confident I feel in doing a diy application, this is a life changing decision and want to get it right!

Appreciate your opinion.

vickysteve

you have to get a lmo from the new employer in canada the you sent it to london and they sent you back a work permit then when in canada you can apply for pr its a simple process and is only costs you a few hunderd pounds for your work permit. These big agencies that people use only cost you lots of money and make it look like they are doing things for you when you can do it all yourself

ann m

When you start this journey, yes it is very daunting.

But you've already found the best tool to help you - this forum !!

A week spent ploughing through the various threads, the wiki articles on Canada, and the general banter in the various Canadian sections - will have you coming out the other side fluent in a new immigration-related vocabulary and armed and dangerous on the form-filling front.

Seriously - it is not that difficult. And to be honest, as others have said, you will be doing all the leg-work in producing all the relative documents anyway. So to fill in the forms and put them in a nice pile in an envelope is not so testing

But it is your money and of course you are free to appoint who you wish. Just let us all on here give you the confidence to do it yourself, and use your £5k-£7k on important stuff on the other side of the ocean !!

Best wishes ....

Twink001

Hi Cherh66,

we are using consultants at present, but at this point in time we are having doubts about them!

We suspect they may be taking us for a ride regarding certain issues!!

All I can say is that we haven`t paid no where near as much as you where quoted, BUT I suggest you shop around and check out the consultants you may be considering using. If your application is straight forward, by that I mean no criminal history,major health issues and so on then DIY.
There are many people on this site who are willing to help should you have any queries/concerns.

At the end of the day, its up to you whether you use consultants or not.

Wish you luck in which ever you decide.

Best wishes
Sue