Canadian Immigration Visa's

Applying for your Canadian Immigration Visa is probably one of the most complicated procedures you will encounter on your Canadian immigration journey. Extensive research and attention to detail is required for a successful application as mistakes can prove very costly in both time and money.

The effects of changes put in place by the Canadian government are now starting to be felt. The purpose of the changes are two-fold:

1. Change the skilled worker process to one that is driven by employment prospects, not the person’s qualifications called the express entry system.

2. Reduce the Backlog which stretches to 6 years at some Visa Posts.

Some effects are:

• The Simplified Application Process (SAP) is discontinued

• Applicants must be working in Canada or have a validated job offer (Arranged Employment Offer) from a Canadian employer, or have at least 12 consecutive months experience working in one of 38 occupations (listed below)

• Applications for Skilled Workers are now submitted for pre-screening to Sydney, Nova Scotia, except for those with Arranged Employment

• For those who have been waiting a very long time, you should expect communication from Visa offices soon. New Delhi files are being shared with other visa posts to substantially reduce the inventory in India.

• Be sure that CIC has your current mailing and email addresses. If you are sending information in, be sure that you include the file number, as well as your full name and birth date.

• If you are being advised that you can apply even though your job description is not covered under the list of 38 occupations, be sure you check the National Occupation Classification (NOC) web site HERE."

We have descriptions of all the different classes of visa with links to the details and have also included some tips and advice to help you. This is a big page so make sure you take it all in!

Immigration Consultants

This is such a massive, life changing step it is well worth speaking to an Immigration Consultant. If they take on your application it should reduce the stress and provide you with some support during the wait for your Canadian Immigration Visa's.

We made several incorrect assumptions about our points total, which when corrected left us very close to the limit. When we realised our mistakes we decided to hire a consultant - most will do a free assessment to check for your eligibility. As subscribers to the immigration paper "Canada News" we picked out, (randomly!), Kerry Martin's Access Migration which unfortunately, has now stopped accepting applications for Canada.

Two years later we were landing in Calgary - the rest, they say, is history. The "Our Story" page will provide all the details.

We were very lucky that we had picked one of the most professional (registered with the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants - CSIC) and successful Immigration Consultant companies in the UK. Only after we had hired Kerry did we start reading the great testimonials about Access Migration Services in the Canada News. There were also plenty of horror stories about people being duped by unscrupulous "consultants" and losing their money.

Please note that Kerry and the team at Access Migration no longer service Canadian applications.

If you decide on using a consultant, please thoroughly research anyone you choose. Ensure they are in good standing with the CSIC - they are the regulatory body for Canadian Immigration Professionals and have a searchable database of members who are in good standing. CSIC is there for YOUR protection so please use them to ensure anyone you hire is trustworthy.

If you decide to go it alone we wish you the best of luck and hope this site will help you along the way. Remember - a complete application with fully supporting documents is essential. The waiting times for processing are long enough without waiting several months just to have an incomplete application form returned. Fully research everything and provide exactly what is asked for, an extra week or two being diligent is a small price to pay! If you can provide more evidence or supporting documents than required it all helps demonstrate your commitment to move.

Classes of Visa

There are a number of different types of visa to apply for depending on your situation, each of them requiring different criteria to qualify.

Skilled Worker Class Immigration - independent people who wish to become permanent residents and are willing to work.

Business Immigrant - experienced business people who can invest in the Canadian economy and self employed persons.

Student Visa - studying at an educational institution

Temporary worker - temporary working permit

Family Class Immigrant - you will be sponsored by a family member who is either a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada.

Visa's for Quebec - Quebec has it's own self governed immigration system

Provincial Nomination Program - Most Provinces have their own fast track Nominee program.

More information and the application forms can be downloaded from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

You will be requested to provide official Police checks for all the countries you have lived in for 6 months or longer since you were 18 years old. The certificates have to be the originals and issued within the last 3 months. Depending on the countries you lived in, these can take along time to get. It is worth being prepared and start applying for these as soon as you can, but remember they have to have been issued within the last three months when your application for the Canadian Immigration Visa's is submitted. There is normally a charge made by the specific Police authorities for these certificates but these can vary.

If you are accepted through the selection process you will have to pass a Medical Examination to continue with your application.

All of your family members, even if they are not accompanying you, will have to have this examination. The medical cannot be performed by your own doctor - only one that is on the Designated Medical Practitioners list.

The examination results are only valid for a period of 12 months and if you are not admitted as a permanent resident during this period then you have to have another examination.

The cost for the medical varies from clinic to clinic and it is certainly worth calling a few in your area to compare the costs. Some clinics can perform the whole medical examination at the same location and others you will need to go to different places for x-rays, blood tests etc. The waiting lists for these examinations can be quite long so as soon as you are notified you need one start trying to get appointments.

I was quite concerned about the medical but it really was nothing to worry about. They took a couple of x-rays, did some blood tests and the rest was a full physical examination. Please note that the requirements for young kids are different - no blood tests or x-rays.We had all of ours done on the same day and the whole procedure was quite painless (apart from the blood tests!).

If you have any medical condition that you are worried about please take ANY supporting evidence about it to the medical. This could be major operation follow ups to give the "all clear" or even consultants opinions. You really don't need any confusion over your medical status as it may stall, delay or end the application. This isn't meant to cause alarm, just to make sure you "cover all the bases" and are totally prepared. If you are using an immigration consultant please discuss it with them.

One final note for the girls that could save you money. If you have a smear test result that is less than 12 months old take it with you or have one at your doctors before you go. If you can't produce a valid test result you will have to have another test during the medical and pay the private fees for it!

Hiring Foreign Workers

Many Canadian businesses recruit workers from overseas to fill shortages in their workforce. In many instances a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) has to be completed by the employer to initiate the process.

There is a specific Employer Portal that facilitates the process and it is imperative that offers of employment ARE NOT presented to any prospective candidates before the position is approved by CIC. If you are looking for temporary work in Canada please ensure you check with any prospective employers that this is in place before accepting any offer.

If you are a business owner considering this approach or are a worker form overseas thinking about a temporary position in Canada please check this Hiring Foreign Workers Link.