23_

We're considering using a consultant to apply for PR through Nova Scotia Community Identified programme.

Has anyone here done this?

I read the CI program is closing soon but will be replaced by something similar.

Have been quoted £4000 consultant fees, is this reasonable? How can I make sure I'm not getting scammed?

Would it be very difficult to build a case for 'Strong connection to the community' without a consultant? (I have never been to NS before but am planning a visit)

Any advice/comments appreciated.

Dan

nikki dreaming

Hi

A consultant is not going to be able to assit you in actually gaining the community connections, this is hard graft required on your part. Yes, they may be able to advise how you can go about getting the connections, but the same information can be found through a search of this forum. I personally would save the money and put it towards a 2nd recce trip which is likely required to apply under this stream.

confused_uk

£4000 is about right, it's the same as we were quoted.

We decided not to use a consultant & have just sent in our application, it's all fairly straightforward to do yourself & you can always ask this forum if you get stuck on anything. Would there be any complications with your application where you would need more expert advice, i.e. criminal record?

As Nikki said the consultant has nothing to do with community ties you have to find them yourself. A recce trip is a good start to help you narrow down areas you like. Talk to as many people as possible while there, find out if there's hobby groups, church etc there you may want to join & get chatting to those people. Also, maybe approach some potential employers, you can put correspondence emails in with your application as proof you are seriously considering the area & can find work there (Don't actually try to apply for jobs though & be honest about your situation with employers, they won't appreciate having their time wasted).

I would start doing your research & maybe do a recce trip but it's probably not good to spend too much time looking into this stream as it is at the moment, if they do replace it with something else it could be completely different & put you back to square 1. So it might be best to wait & see what happens with it.

23_

Thanks for your advice. I think I have some more research to do.

It's hard to know how strong these 'Strong connections to the community' need to be.

How many letters from employers, hobby groups and local residents do we realistically need. Is there any guidance on this anywhere?

nikki dreaming

try the search bar in orange up the top and put in ci stream, you will find a lot of peoples experiences of applying under this route

confused_uk

Each area is different with their requirements. The RDAs were the first place to contact & they would have advised you on what the requirements are for their area, but they're gone now so no-one knows what's happening yet. Just an example for my area they wanted 3 letters but I know some other areas wanted more. Halifax is not a good area to choose as it had stricter requirements.

I wouldn't be too concerned about it right now just do your research & a recce & try to get as many as you can.

As for the strength of the community ties I have know idea. We done things a little differently & bought a house there 5 years ago & have visited every year since, so I'm assuming that that shows we have strong ties & are genuinely looking to settle there. There's a lot of people on here though that seem to get in just fine from doing a couple of trips & getting references

christmasoompa

Just wanted to point out that a consultant can help with the 'community ties'. I don't know if all consultants do this, but certainly the one that I worked for (based in Halifax) offered it as part of his service - he would get things like school tours, business meetings, etc, arranged in advance, and if the client had a particular hobby such as photography, he'd arrange for them to meet with the local Photographic Club.

So it is something a consultant can do for you, just thought I'd correct that info.

Good luck.

confused_uk

I stand corrected.

I guess it comes down to if you want to pay someone £4000 for something you can do yourself. I believe some consultants will read through your application for a smaller fee if you do everything yourself & want someone to double check it for you, that could be another option if you are concerned

christmasoompa

Yes, that's a good option and an awful lot cheaper if you don't mind doing all the legwork yourself - just to check an application is usually around $500 I think.

23_

Sorry what are/were the RDAs ? Any idea when the new requirments might be released?

Thanks for the replies everyone. Think we're starting to lean towards doing this without a consultant. Then if we could just pay a small fee for one to look it over before we submit seems like a good idea.

confused_uk

They were regional development authorities every area had one, for this stream they were the first port of call as they would write the letter of identification for you (if you could meet their minimum requirements) that was needed for this stream. They were all closed recently & are going to be replaced with something else so at the moment the letter is not needed in the application.

At the moment this route is still open, they have have briefly mentioned a couple of deadlines to get applications in by but then retract them, so I have no idea when (or if) the new route will open

23_

Thanks for your reply. Think I'm slowly starting to piece together more of the steps involved in the process.

So are all the RDAs are now totally defunct or do you simply mean they no longer have a part to play in the CI stream?

I've just seen this connector program on the Colchester RDA website: http://www.corda.ca/immigration.php?...nector_program

Seems like it could be a good way forward but if you're saying the RDAs are now closed, do connector programs like this still exist? Do/Did all the RDAs have programs similar to this?

confused_uk

They are all defunct, the government will be replacing them with a different organisation at some point (though you would've thought they would have set that up to take over from the RDAs when they closed, obviously not). I would say that anything on any RDA website no longer applies but you could try emailing them, there might be someone there to answer emails. Yes all the RDAs had some sort of program they said helped immigrants settle in their area.

Jaydog

We've used a consultant to help with our application. Mainly so that we make sure everything is present and correct!

We are in the second stage, but had to get five letters of support for Lunenburg/Queens. Fortunately we have family and friends in the area which has made things slightly easier. As mentioned above, things are changing.

If you want to chat to someone about this, I'm sure our consultant would discuss your case without being pushy/no obligation! He will only take on a case if he thinks there is a strong chance of you getting your visa at the end.

Anyway if you want his contact details, PM me.

christmasoompa

Feel free to put his name on the forum, that way if others are searching in the future to see if he is recommended or not, they'll see your comments.