FAQs

Immigrating to Canada can be done in a variety of ways. Please schedule a consultation with our legal team to determine which option is best for your case.

For each application, there are different forms of appeals and dates. If your application is denied, please contact our office for information on the deadlines that apply. Certain decisions can be appealed to Immigration Tribunals, Federal Courts, or Refugee Appeal Divisions. An applicant can request a review in specific circumstances to have their application reopened or reconsidered.

There are a variety of reasons why applications are rejected. An applicant may not be eligible for the immigration category for which they applied. It's also possible that they have a criminal record or a major health problem. Contact us to find out whether your immigration application is facing any challenges and how to solve them.

A legal agent is an authorized licensed representative that must be: A paralegal or lawyer who has a good relationship with the provincial or territorial legal societies of Canada; A Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) who has a good relationship with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council; or • A notary who has a good relationship with the Chambre des notaires du Québec Note: An unauthorized agent will not be able to help you with your application.

If you were refused at the border and need to return to Canada, we can assist you. Many of our customers have been denied entrance to Canada for a variety of reasons. Your denial could be due to anything from a simple DUI or DWI to health or security concerns. Give us a call and we'll explain the Temporary Resident Permit and Criminal Rehabilitation, as well as how to re-enter Canada.

On November 28, 2008, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, provided assurances that new federal skilled worker applications should receive a selection decision within 6-12 months from submission. This contrasted substantially with applications submitted under the old regime where, depending upon the time of year, the immigration program and the office in question and other factors, the processing time for an application for permanent residence filed under the economic class can vary from between 12 months and 40 months. This is the time generally needed to demonstrate compliance under one of the applicable categories; a clean bill of health for the applicant and accompanying dependants; sufficient assets to successfully establish the family in Canada; and a confirmation of no criminal inadmissibility’s for the applicant and the overage accompanying dependants. (The immigration offices in New Delhi, Islamabad, Beijing, Manila and Accra historically attract the most applications and therefore have the longest processing times).

The application for permanent residence generally includes the applicant, spouse or common-law partner or conjugal partner 16 years of age or older and any unmarried children under the age of 19 years. Children over the age of 19 may in prescribed circumstances, be included as accompanying family members.

Applications for Canadian permanent residence under the Skilled Workers Class are initially filed inside Canada through the Centralized Intake Office – Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Once approved, the application will undergo further processing with an appropriate immigration office outside of Canada that serves the country where the applicant is legally residing or the immigration office that serves the applicant’s country of nationality.

The applicant need not visit Canada as part of the immigration process. However in some cases, familiarity with the Canadian landscape and particularly with the area of intended destination can impact positively on the assessment. Applicants applying under the Investor or the Entrepreneur class are encouraged to undertake exploratory visits to Canada and participate in information sessions sponsored by the provinces. For Entrepreneur Class applicants, such efforts may relate to an indication of an applicant’s ability to meet the universal terms and conditions of admission.

The applicant and spouse (where applicable), will generally be required to travel to the processing immigration office and attend a selection interview. In many cases, the requirement for a spouse to attend the selection interview can be waived. As well, certain posts require that accompanying dependant children over the age of 22 years attend the immigration selection interview.

Generally, an interview would be conducted to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in the documentation submitted; to clarify issues relating to the applicant’s background; to confirm an applicant possesses the necessary means to settle in Canada; to verify the absence of security inadmissibility’s; to ensure the applicant is intending to enter the Canadian labour market; to verify whether there are sufficient grounds to exercise positive discretion; etc. The interview cannot be conducted to verify an applicant’s language abilities. Under the Business Class (Investor, Entrepreneur, Self-Employed), applicants are interviewed to ensure conformance with the statutory definitions and to review the general parameters of the business proposal in Canada. Applicants are advised to bring to the interview, all original documentation supporting the application; certificates of non-criminal conviction; evidence of settlement funds.

Certain factors may justify the waiving of a selection interview. This is a highly discretionary aspect of the Regulations and is largely a function of the immigration office in question, the habitual residence of the applicant and the documentation in support of the applicant’s qualifications.

The principal applicant receives five points for adaptability if they or their accompanying spouse or common-law partner, have a close relative in Canada such as a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, spouse, common-law partner, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, nephew or niece who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and is physically residing in Canada.