nikkiandlee

Hi,

I'm wondering if it would be of benefit for us to use a migration consultant to help with visa's etc, I'm divorced and my children are my ex husbands, i am thinking this may make things complicated. What would you do in my position????

Thanks

Nikki

Paul Wildy

I think it probably has more to do with what your own skills are - if you are methodical and obsessively thorough with forms etc then no reason why you cant do your own paperwork. If you are divorced and yopu are planning to take your chilren to Canada with you then there are custody issues to deal with. If they arent going to accompany you then its less of a problem. You still obviously need to declare them and if they are over 18 they have to fill in forms even if they arent going with you (CIC want to check their backgrounds noe in case you try to sponsor them at a later date).

If you have a criminal conviction and need to get a pardon or adopted children you are taking then you probably should get some help. If you are applying under skilled worker and your points score or classification of work experience is debatable then you should probably get help. If you are applying under business class and need to prepare business plans etc then you could probably do with some help. But if it is a very straightforward application and you can make sense of the forms/guides and you have time to do it yourself then you should be okay.

I think one of the main areas where having an immigration consultant is beneficial is helping you to decide which route is best in the first place. For instance there is a lot of uncertainty around skilled worker apps at the moment and applications arent being processed - they're just puttin them in a pile. So you might need arranged employment or to consider going through one of the PNP programs to stand a decent chance of getting in quickly.

nikkiandlee

Hi thanks for your reply,

My boys are all under 18, and all would like to come with us. I don't think (but you never know) that their dad would cause too much of a problem, he has agreed in the past but only verbally no legale documentation. None of us have any criminal records, we have 78 points Confirmed with two agents but havent processed (started) anything yet! We were thinking of starting the PR process ( skilled ) then looking to get work and hopefully then going to fast track the PR once in Canada with a working Visa??!! (sorry very new at this so don't know the terminology yet )

How would that make things stand???

Thanks in advance

Nikki

Paul Wildy

I personally would get a job offer first and then apply. If you submitt your skilled worker app without arranged employment and you arent in one of the occupations for priority processing (and nobody knows what they are yet) they your application wont get processed and might just be returned.

JAJ

How close are your children to age 18?

Being temporary in Canada with older children can lead to a range of issues which you should think through in advance (they won't be allowed to work, for example, and may pay higher fees for education).

Age threshold in Britain for child custody is normally 16, beyond that age the courts usually don't get involved.

If children are under 16 you will definitely need written permission from your ex-husband or a court order. The older the children are, the more a court will listen to what they say.

Australia might offer you a simpler process if you meet their requirements - is that an option?