Before I start I just have to say that there are so many great posts and incredibly informative people on this forum!!

My husband and I are looking to move out to Canada and obtain a Permanent Residents visa.

Here comes the (hopefully not too stupid!) query!

We have been (briefly) in touch with a lawyer, Colin R Singer, who we found through www.immigration.ca and are curious to know whether it is worthwhile using a lawyer with the application procedure.

He claims to be able to speed up what we believe can be a process of at least 3 years to between 12-18 months, and also has contacts within a recruitment agency.

My husband (a Business Analyst) would love to get work in Canada on a temporary workers visa in the meantime so the idea of utilising the said lawyer's service is very attractive.

However we would like to know if it is feasible to use the aid of a lawyer and normal to pay a fee of around $1700.

Thank you for your help!

Hi and welcome!

Firstly, I believe that it is illegal for anybody, whether in Canada or the UK, to charge you for helping to try find work within Canada I'm afraid. Only a recruitment consultant can do that (and they get paid by the employer, not potential employee). And if all he's got is 'contacts within a recruitment agency' then I certainly don't think that's worth much money - you can find all recruitment agencies yourself through Google!!

An immigration consultant can never speed up an application - all applications are considering in the same order whether they have been done personally or with help. The only way he may help 'speed things up' is by making sure that you've submitted everything correctly so that there are no delays but incomplete information, missing documentation, etc. But you can do that yourself if you're careful.

The final thing I would say is that if you are planning on trying to go to Canada via a TWP then it's literally a 2 page application form!! So that seems an awful lot of money for filling in 2 pages of a form which you could very easily do yourself. Your employer would have to apply for LMO, the only bit you would have to do is apply for TWP (and in most cases, even medicals and police checks aren't required), so it's really a very simple application in that case and certainly not something I would recommend you use an immigration consultant for.

The tricky bit is finding a job! And he is not legally allowed to help you do that. The following may give you some more information:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Immigr...ultants-Canada

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego...Hunting-Canada

Best of luck.

Thank you very much for your reply.
I've done some research on said lawyer and all his credentials seem fine.
I suppose our desperation to get out there makes his "offer" attractive, but I don't want to be tricked into paying a huge sum that is completely pointless in the long run.
Thank you also for the pointers re: recruitment etc.
As I said in my first post, everyone seems very clued up and helpful on this forum. Very refreshing!

Sorry, one more question.

As an Immigration Consultant/Attorney, is a figure of $1700 a normal sum for helping with the application (excluding the recruitment aspect)??

Thank you again for all the help.

I would have to say dont bother too. We applied in Sept '06 and are still waiting in the queue. An immigration lawyer will not get you up the queue any quicker. We are trying to speed things up by applying for jobs and phoning prospective employers. A lawyer wont do that for you and in my 2 years experience of, ' how to get to Canada quicker,' the speediest way is to find yourself a job. I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure its not worth the $1700. Save your money and research, research, research!! Only YOU can find yourself a job. Good luck!

I'm using an immigration lawyer, not so much to speed up the process because apparently they can't do that, but, to make sure the process runs as smoothly as possible.

They have advised us on several routes we can take, which would be the quickest and best options.

For me though I decided to spend the money (not too far off the figure you have been quoted) because I wanted the reassurance that the forms were checked before they were put in to CIC and that any issues were ironed out before they were submitted rather than cause a delay after.

I know a lot of people do not agree with using an attorney but I wanted the peace of mind that everything was being done correctly.

I have looked at a few and some out there want $4000 - $5000, they seem to be on the west coast. Mr. Singer I believe is on the east coast. Whether this makes a difference ?

Maybe Mr. Miller can answer this question better.

Regards

JET

Ok, so I suppose the decision is more related to whether we want to battle with the papers ourselves, or dole out a ton of cash for a helping hand and a (hopefully) smoother path.

I suppose the next question is whether anyone else has dealt with Mr. Singer!

Thank you all so much for the replies. It's really helping us lots.

Hey there, myself and my wife hired an immigration lawyer, my wife is canadain and i'm a scot living in the Uk.
They don't speed things up that's immpossible but what they do is make sure that everything is in order before they put your application forward.
There handy helpfull, when you can get in contact with them!

It's really up to you if you want it or not, our is a sponsorship so a lot more paper work than a TWP

Good luck

OP didn't tell us what is included in the $1,700 fee - thus I can't really answer the question about this particular firm.

But what should be noted is the fact that there are dozens (if not hundreds) so called immigration mills - law firms that do a lot of online promotion and solicitation of business with great success thanks to low advertised prices.

What people don't know is that some of them (like one run out of Manitoba by owners serving their time in jail for people smuggling, drugs trafficking and money laundering) are nothing but scams.

Majority of immigration mills are quite large and very legitimate law firms - although their main business is not immigration. It is corporate, criminal, civil, property, family and other fields of law. But they are based in large cities with oversupply of law students who volunteer their time just to gain experience needed. They are free workers for such immigration mills and accordingly to current law they can consult, advise and represent clients in immigration matters as long as they are "supervised" by a lawyer.

In most (if not all) of those immigration mills lawyers who's names are on Firms' letterheads and contracts don't even know the names of their immigration clients as all work is done by volunteering students with or without help of law paid staff.

Lawyers in those firms have no time to "waste" on immigration cases - if their corporate and trial clients or immigration clients they fight for in courts pay them $400 to $650 or more per hour then why they would even look at immigration case their firm is charging $1,500 to $2,000 for?

Note that it takes in average about 25 to 40 hours of work on immigration case, from first contact, email and initial assessment through case preparation, submission, monitoring, correspondence with visa post and client, etc. - all normally billed by hour (or at best in half hour increments) by those $400 to $650+ per hour lawyers.

Now do the math please and tell me who is doing the work in immigration mills?

This is why you can find such cheap service from big law firms running immigration mills. And remember - you only get what you pay for.

Thank you Mr. Miller for your reply.

I'm being more and more put off by the firm as we speak, however that doesn't mean that I wouldn't use a lawyer to help with the application.

I will forward the email when I get a chance for you to look at so that you can see what their fee included.

Don't forget to ask if the $1,700 package is for simplified application form or it is for the whole enchilada - arranged employment (job offer with positive AEO or with positive LMO and work permit) or PNP certificate and full, standard application package.

Obviously it is not the entire cost - as Emmis just posted this thread in Canada forum:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=549091

where for example just the assistance in LMO and work permit process costs additional $2,500, providing of course that client secures job offer first:

Applicants who receive an offer of employment, can engage our services to secure a labour market opinion followed by a work visa at our additional fixed counsel fees of CAD $2,500, payable in two equal installments.

One could ask why assistance with much less work required LMO and WP process (barely 10% or less of time needed to work on full, non-simplified PR application package) is over 50% more expensive than advertised price for assistance with PR application - unless it is only about simplified application. Or maybe there is another reason.

SAVE YOUR MONEY.

Read this forum, read the CIC website and lots of others out there. It is SO easy to do yourself. Just make sure you triple check your paperwork. It is very easy to complete.

We applied via WP the PNP and we are PR after 16 months.

Check out web sites, including the PNP for the province you want to go to, they may have the job.

You can put $1700 to much better use.

I know some people who just moved here, paid $10000 and were mis-informed on a lot of things.

This forum is very good, most people have already done what your doing, this advise is much better than some lawyers.

Good luck.