Want to Immigrate to Canada? Here’s What You Need to Know.

"Are you thinking about immigrating to Canada?

Whether you are outside the country or inside

the country right now, all of the information

in this video will help you." So, in this video,

today we will discuss the main paths to

Canadian immigration, express entry, wait times,

the best practices when you are filling in your application, when to ask for help

with your immigration application, how to recognize and avoid scams when it comes to

immigration, and the biggest mistakes that people

make that could lead to your application being

refused. Now, you might be wondering who this

person is beside me, and who I am as well,

maybe. So, I'm Alex, and with me today, I have a special guest. This is Jen. And Jen,

why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

What do you do? How long have you been doing it?

And why are you qualified to help us answer these questions today?

Thank you, Alex. So, I am a regulated Canadian

immigration consultant. So, immigration law is

a regulated profession in Canada. So, I act as a

legal representative in helping people that need

assistance with their applications, or act as

counsel if they need assistance in front of the

Immigration Refugee Board, which is kind of

like a small court, a tribunal for immigrants.

Okay. And how long have you been doing this job?

I've been working with international students

and immigration as a whole for about 10 years,

and I've been certified as a regulated Canadian

immigration consultant just over five years.

Okay. And what kinds of cases do you deal with?

Because we have people who will be in different

political situations, personal situations, and

if they're thinking about immigrating to Canada,

if they want to get help from you or someone

like you, what kinds of cases do you deal with?

So, I assist with all types of applications. Some

people just want help with their applications,

some people have more complex situations. So,

it could be with visitor visa to visit Canada,

for study permit for international students,

work permits if you want to work here in Canada,

but also more permanently, like family sponsorships or refugees.

Okay. So, everything across the board. And based on my research and our conversations,

I believe currently there are around like 15

different paths or streams that you can use to

become a resident in Canada. And those two...

Sorry, those things, those different streams

can be separated into two main paths. So, Jen,

why don't you tell us what are the two main paths

to immigrating to Canada? So, I would separate them into temporary residency.

So, if you just want to visit Canada temporarily,

for example, if you came as a visitor,

you might come here for a maximum of six months.

An international student, you might only come

for the period of your studies. And the other

category would be permanent residency. So,

if you want to stay here for a long time, long term in Canada, this might be through

a family sponsorship. So, a family member or

spouse might sponsor you to come here and you

get permanent residency. This might also come

through a refugee path. So, two main paths,

temporary residency and permanent residency.

Okay. So, to clarify, if I want to become

a permanent resident and I'm currently a

temporary resident... So, imagine I am a student,

I have come to Canada to university, or I am

a worker, my company has sent me to Canada.

Is it easier for me to become a permanent resident once I am already in the country

as a temporary resident? It might be. It depends how... What stream,

what path you use to get permanent residency.

But let's say you are an international student,

you can... Let's say you did a postgraduate program. So, a program that's two years

at a Canadian college or university. When you

graduate from that Canadian college or university,

you can then apply for a work permit for those

same two years, the same length, which is called

a postgraduation work permit. And then the pathway

to permanent residency there is as soon as you

have one year of Canadian work experience, you

can be eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Okay. So, the process you are describing,

that sounds like it would take how long about?

Yeah. So, it is... I would say it's... It is a

longer process. It doesn't happen that quickly.

So, let's say you studied for two years, you

work for one year, and then you may... It may

take another year for permanent residency. For the processing of the application and

reviewing your documents and all of these things. So, in that specific scenario,

maybe four to five years it might take you. Okay. Wow. Yes. Yeah.

So, we'll get more into that when we discuss wait

times, but this is like an excellent example of

how long it could take in a certain scenario.

So, you've mentioned temporary path,

the permanent residency path, and you have different options, whether it's studying,

coming as a worker, coming as a visitor, coming as

a refugee, coming through a family relationship,

or being married to someone within the country.

What is the most popular immigration path,

if I want to immigrate to Canada? Well, if it's temporary residency,

a lot of people from outside of the country come

to Canada to study or work. Many question... There

are many questions of how can I work in Canada?

So, it's very popular, but it's also one of the

harder permits to get. If you are talking

about permanent residency, I would say family

sponsorship is quite popular as well. Okay. So, I want to go back to what you

mentioned about the work permit, and everybody

wants a work permit. They said, "I want to,

you know, do my job, but I want to do it in

Canada. I want to go to Canada. I'm going to

go through the work permit path." Why is the work

permit path in some ways the most difficult path,

or one of the most difficult paths to enter the country and gain temporary residency or

permanent residency? Yeah. So, first I'll talk about

an easier work permit to get. So, an easier

work permit to get is what's called a spousal

open work permit. Spousal open work permit. These are new words for me, too. Okay.

So, this means that your spouse, so the person

you're married to, is already in Canada. So,

they are working in Canada or they are an international student. Most recently,

there have been some new regulations for international students and their spouse,

so just be careful with that. But if your spouse or partner is already in Canada,

you are eligible to apply for an open work permit, spousal open work permit.

Okay. While they are here. That one is not bad, like it's pretty...

It's not easy to get, but it's easier to get? Yes. Yes.

Okay. If you are outside of Canada and wanting to come to Canada to work,

that's much more difficult. Okay.

So, I'll explain why. Yes, please, why?

So, if you are outside of Canada, the first thing

you need is a valid job offer from a Canadian

employer. So, you need to have a job offer from a Canadian company, okay?

The employer now must apply for what is called a labour market impact assessment.

We can say it short as LMIA. Okay, labour market impact assessments.

Okay, I think I know what it means, but could you describe it a little bit?

So, what this means is the employer has to prove

that there is no other permanent resident or

Canadian citizen here in Canada that can do that same job.

Okay. So, you can see how that can be difficult

to get and to prove. If the employer gets this positive LMIA, then with that,

you can apply for your work permit. Okay.

Yes. So, there's a longer process and it's much

more difficult, and I will add that I have a lot

of people coming to me saying, "Oh, this agency

or this company has promised me LMIA and a valid

job offer." So, I just... And this happens all the

time, so I just want to put it out there that you

have to be cautious, be careful with this, because

no one can guarantee you a work permit, and if

they do, you should be a little cautious, especially if they're asking...

Skeptical, perhaps, yeah.

Yes, especially if they're asking for a lot of money. If it's... We say in English,

if it's too good to be true, then... Right? So, just...

It's probably not true.

Yes, yes.

Okay. And that path sounds difficult because you

also have to find an employer who is willing to

take the extra step to complete more documents

on your behalf, and they are just meeting you

for the first time through a resume or through

a video conference meeting or something. And,

you know, if your skills are highly specialized

and highly sought after - this means a lot of

people want your skills - then maybe it's easier.

It does... It does happen, right? Like, you do...

You do see people entering Canada through this path, right?

Yes.

Okay. But it's still more difficult because...

It's more difficult...

Extra steps.

...than most people think, yes.

Okay. And I think, you know, even the people

watching this and myself and you... Of course,

you would know this. I think I know the answer,

but you can clarify. Is the immigration process

the same for every country outside of Canada?

So, it isn't. There is a general checklist for

each type of visa or permit that you're applying

for. However, it also depends on the political

situation, so what's happening in the country,

the economic situation that's happening in the country. So, me as a representative,

I'm aware of these things and I'm able to

guide clients in terms of what extra additional

documents you need. So, it's not... It's not

the same. Also, depending on your own personal

situation, you might need to prove some more items in your application.

Okay. So, if I am... You know, if my country is in a period of war, for example,

that would automatically change the

potential processes that are available to me.

In getting documents, maybe, proving additional

extra things, as well as processing times

might be longer of how long it takes for your application to go through.

Okay. So, Jen, you mentioned the general

checklist that visa offices are going through,

whether they are looking at someone who wants

to become a temporary resident, as a worker or

student, or a permanent resident. What is on

that general checklist? Can you give us, like,

two to four different things that are on that checklist?

Yeah. So, it will depend what you're applying

for, but the most common items you'll see on

the checklist are things like proof of funds.

So, you want to make sure you have enough money

to come to Canada and to support yourself while you are here in Canada.

How much money do I need, then?

Yeah, so...

Sorry for cutting you off, but how much... How much money?

Yeah. So, if you're staying a short period as a visitor visa, maybe a couple months,

maybe you only need a few thousand Canadian

dollars. It may help if you are staying with

a family member or friend, they can help you in supporting this.

Okay.

But if you're coming, let's say, as an international student,

now the minimum requirement has just been raised, so you might be looking at around

$20,000 per year to...

$20,000.

...to show that you can support yourself, pay

for everything you need to while you are here

as a student. So, money, you need to make sure you

have your official documents ready, so passport,

birth certificate. If you're a student, you may

need your official transcripts, your degrees,

and all of these official documents, you need to

make sure they're translated in English or French,

and by a certified translator as well.

Okay, so that's a very important detail, I think.

Any documents that you have, that you have to

show, especially if you're a student, you're going

to get diplomas or notes from the university,

you need it translated. It has to be in English, it can't be in another language.

Yes.

Okay.

And then, again, depending if... Let's say you're

coming as a student, English is very important,

so you need to show... There might be a cutoff of

level of your English that you need to achieve,

and you prove this through one of the recognized exams, like IELTS or CELPIP.

Okay. And do you recommend IELTS or CELPIP

if a person is specifically coming to Canada?

I think people are familiar with IELTS who are watching this video.

CELPIP might be new to some of your ears. That

one is more specific just to Canada, right?

Yeah, so you could do either one. Some have found CELPIP a little easier,

but IELTS might be easier to find a test center

in your country, so either one you could use.

Yeah, I think there are definitely more resources for IELTS online for now,

but you mentioned CELPIP. Some people have told you it might be a little bit easier

based on what you have heard from people going through the process.

Yes.

And this, you know, proof of your English,

this isn't mandatory for every category, right?

Not for every category, no.

Okay, so what are some categories where your

level of English is... It's not important, like...

I'm assuming if you're a visitor, for

example, you don't need to prove your English.

Visitor visa may not... Right, yes. Refugee

might not be important, but things like permanent

resident, if you're coming as a skilled professional and you're going through the

express entry path that we'll speak about, English is very important and it gives you

more points the better your English is, so that's very important.

Okay.

And coming here as a student is also important.

Okay, so, so far I've heard money, like you need to prove how much money you're making,

and the amount will depend on whether you're

coming alone, whether you're coming as a student,

a worker, temporary, visitor.

You might need to prove your level of English

depending on which path you're going through,

and what is... Can you tell us, like, maybe one

more thing that's on that general checklist?

So, money, English level, what else?

Let's say you're coming as a visitor, you might

need an employment letter to show that your

employer's... You're almost confirming your

employment in your country, which kind of ties

in with your ties to your country and that you'll return after.

Okay, so... All right, so let's go back there

for... So, you said ties to your country, so

if you are coming as a visitor, you need to...

You need to prove to the visa office that you

will return to your country.

Yes.

Okay, and one of the ways you can show that you will return to your country is by

having a letter of employment from your employer in your country.

Okay, what are some other ways that people can show their ties to their country that,

"Hey, I'm just here to visit. I'm just here temporarily. I'm just going to work for a

little bit, and then I'm going to go back."

What are some other things or documents that

might be requested?

Yeah, so employment is good. If you own any assets, which are things like property or

house, or if you have a second property as

an investment property, these are all certain

items you can use to show your ties. Also, if you are traveling alone and your family

is staying in your home country, that might

be another way to show your ties, so you might

have a wife or husband at home and children

at home that you need to return to afterwards.

Okay, perfect. So, again, I don't want to go through everything, everything. I think

that's substantial for now. So, you mentioned

express entry. So, number one, what is express

entry? And number two, what is the process that... Or maybe different processes that

you can go through to gain express entry? So, two-part question. What is it? How do

I do it?

Yeah, so the name is express entry. It's not so express. It doesn't...

It's just the name.

It's not like you will get permanent residency in two months, but...

But I want to get residency in two months. Come on.

Yes, everyone... Everyone does, right? But express entry is a point system that leads

to permanent residency. There are many different

streams within permanent residency that you

may be eligible for, but as a candidate, what

you would first do is create a profile for

yourself. In your profile, they will evaluate

certain things like your level of English,

your work experience. So, if you have work

experience outside of Canada, you get points

for this. If you have work experience inside of

Canada, you get more points for this. Education,

as well. So, if you have a bachelor's degree,

you get points. If you have higher education,

like a master's or PhD, you get even more

points. If you studied at a Canadian college

or university, you get more points for this.

So, it's a full point system. At the end,

it will tell you what program you're eligible for and your score.

So, how is this different from, like, just the paths we have discussed? Because isn't

every application an express entry application

in this case? Like, how are the... Aren't

my points always being evaluated?

They are, yes, but this is a certain... Once

your points are calculated, you are a candidate

that is put into a pool of candidates.

And so, you can stay in that pool for up to one year. And during that year, there are

draws. So, the federal government, IRCC, does

draws every other week, sometimes more often,

and they choose... Sometimes they choose no

program at all, sometimes they choose a specific

program. For example, people who have studied

at a Canadian college or university, and there's

a cutoff. So, let's say my final score was 450, and the cutoff was 460. Would I make

it, Alex?

The cutoff was 460, I only have 450. Wait,

my points are 450. I'm not good at math, but

I'm going to say that's not good enough, Jen.

So, you didn't make it that round.

Okay, but let's...

And when... And just going back, you said there is a draw. When I think of a draw, I

think of a person putting their hand in a hat and picking out a name, saying, "Hey,

this person is the lucky winner of residency

in Canada," for example. Is that literally

how they do it?

Well, they'll...

I mean, not with a hat, but...

They'll choose a number. They'll choose...

We don't really know what goes on behind the

scenes of immigration, but they choose a

number that's cutoff. We don't know how these

numbers are really chosen, but they have different

quotas, which is how many people they want

to offer permanent residency per year, so it might be involved in that. And so, then

if you meet the cutoff, so maybe the next round you will make it, then you will get

an invitation to apply for permanent residency,

and then you do your full application to permanent

residency.

Okay. So, just so I'm clear, is express entry only for permanent residency?

Yes, it leads to permanent residency.

Okay, so as a temporary resident, there's no, like, express entry?

No, no. It's just... It only leads to permanent residency.

Okay. So, if I go to the official site where

I complete my application, is there a specific

link that says "express entry", or am I automatically

put into a pool of, "Hey, this person's application

looks really good. Let's put them in the

express entry pile." Like, how does that work?

No, you have to officially apply for express entry on your own. Yes.

Okay. So, you have to be very confident. "Hey,

my English level is great. My job is really

good. I can prove my funds. I'm very solid.

I want to bring my family, and I think I have

enough points to, like, immigrate to Canada.

I'm going to try the express entry path."

Yes. And there is what's called... So, your score is called a CRS score, and there is

a CRS tool that you can kind of play around with and see if you would be close enough

to be eligible.

And CRS, is that Canadian Residency Stream?

It's Comprehensive Ranking Score.

Okay. I wasn't close. Okay. Comprehensive Ranking Score, so like your overall total

score.

Yes.

Okay. So, let's move on. Thank you, Jenn. That was very informative. Wait times. So,

this is one of the biggest questions that people have. When I, you know, I complete

my application, everything is ready. I'm like,

"I'm done. This is perfect. I know I'm going

to get into Canada. They have all my documents,

my marriage certificates, my diplomas, etc.

And I'm sitting at home. I'm twiddling my

thumbs. How long can I expect to wait to hear

a response from the visa office in this case?"

Yes, that's what everyone wants to know, right?

So, it depends if... It depends on a few things.

It depends if you're applying within Canada,

if you are in Canada, or applying outside

of Canada. It also depends what application you're applying under. So, for example, and

there is a website, we can put the link in the description as well. You can check IRCC

processing times, and these actually change

weekly. So, maybe when you applied, the wait

time has gone up or down a few months after if you're still waiting.

Can you check your own personal wait time, or is it based on, like, the country?

Yes. So, you can choose within Canada. If you choose outside of Canada, then you will

choose your specific country. So, it's just a general processing time for that type of

application. So, for example, current application

times, visitor visa in Canada. So, most likely

you already have a visitor visa if you're in Canada, but you might need to extend it.

Ask for a longer time. So...

While you're waiting for the processing time.

Yeah, while you're in Canada. Let's say you want to stay longer.

Yeah.

So, a visitor visa in Canada is only 16 days

right now. So, you get approval, hopefully

not refusal, approval in 16 days. That's probably

the fastest in any type of category. However,

if I am applying for a visitor visa outside of Canada, and let's say I choose France,

right now the processing time is 297 days.

297 days? Okay.

So, almost a full year. Now, this can go up and down, so it could be less, but it could

be more as well.

So, can you... I don't know. I'm assuming

you've looked at this site fairly often. So,

can you give us a range? Like, it could be as fast as this, or it could be as long as

this. Can you give us a range?

Yeah. Visitor visas are a little maybe more unpredictable outside of Canada, but let's

say a family sponsorship, normally I range

this between six months to, I think, current

processing times are nine months. But it also

depends, if you don't have all your documents

ready, it's possible they just refuse it right

away, or they follow up with you, they send

you an email saying, "I need this document

from you", so that might take more time. So,

let's say a family sponsorship, normally I say it's between six months to a year.

Okay, six months to a year for a family sponsorship.

Okay. And it could be longer than a year in

some cases as well.

Could be longer, yeah.

And I guess that depends on, like, just the pile of applications sitting on the desks

of people in visa offices.

Yeah, so whatever processing times you see

on the IRCC website, that normally takes into

account how busy they are. But it could be longer just specifically for your case if

you don't... If you didn't include all of the

documents required. So, that's why I always

say you must be very organized and make sure

you have everything there so the process is

very smooth and can... There's no delays. Yeah.

So you can... And this is moving on to the

next point on the list. You can increase your

chances of having faster processing times if you do what, basically? So, what are...

I'm going to read from my card here. What

should people be ready for when applying for

immigration? Like, what are the best practices

when you are preparing your application? We've

talked a lot about when you're preparing your

documents, you have everything translated,

etc. What are some of the best practices that

people can do in order to increase their chances

of an approval?

Mm-hmm. So, first of all, you want to make

sure you're eligible for the path that you're

applying for. So, if you're coming as a student,

if you're coming as a visitor, are you eligible?

And you can find that on the IRCC website, which we've put in the description, but you

can check if you meet all of those requirements.

Then it'll be important that you get... You

look at that checklist and you get all your

documents ready. I would probably not advise...

I have a lot of people coming to me saying, "Well, I got advice from this blog online

or this group online." What I would say to

that is every person's situation is different,

and well, they're not officially giving legal

advice, so you want to be a little careful

there. A lot of people will also say, "Well,

my cousin did it this way" or "My uncle told

me to do this." Again, every person's situation

is different, so you want to look at your

situation. Your uncle might have more money

than you or might have other assets that you

don't have or vice versa, so you want to be careful about that.

So, make sure you're eligible. Don't just, like, listen to hearsay from other people.

Hearsay is just things you've heard. Go to

the official sources of the information. So,

the websites that we have in the description to

this video are the official Canadian government

websites which have the most up-to-date information. Okay?

Yeah, and I will be honest and I think it's

known that government websites aren't always

the easiest to navigate, so sometimes it can

be very confusing or your specific answer

is not answered on the website. So, if you

think you have a complicated case or you just

want more help, you can look at getting legal

advice, but again, you want to be careful

with this that maybe someone else has used the

same legal help, and so you feel comfortable

using that person. We can put the link below

as well. If you are using a regulated Canadian

immigration like myself, you can check if

they are certified, but even certified RCICs

may, you know, they may not have the best

practices. So, overall you want to make sure

you're working with someone that you can trust,

and if anyone says they're guaranteeing you

something, again, it's probably not... So,

only a visa officer can approve an application,

so... And most likely you're not speaking with a visa officer.

No. So, if someone says, "Hey, listen, I can

get you approved to Canada in two months."

They're not the ones who make the decision. No.

Right? Like, they can maybe help you push the

application to the visa office, but they can't

speak on behalf of the visa office. Yes, exactly. Yes. So, even me, I can never

give a guarantee. I would say we're good at what we do, but we can't say, "Yes, 100%,

you will receive our approval." So, we can't do that.

is dependent on other people. Yes, yes.

So, I think that makes total sense. Okay, so

yeah, you need to make sure you're eligible,

make sure your documents are in a good order,

and we'll talk about that more a little later

about documents not being in a good order. How

about... Because this sounds like a complex

process, right? Like, how about mentally? Like,

what should people expect? How can you avoid

becoming frustrated or discouraged because you

have been asked, "Sorry, you have to complete

this application again," or, "Sorry, this information is missing," or maybe they're

just frustrated because they're waiting, right?

And maybe they're in a political situation that

they want to get out of, and they're just waiting.

Like, mentally, what advice would you give to

someone in those types of situations? Yeah.

Well, I would say immigrating to any country is a big decision.

Yeah, this isn't just to Canada. Right. You might be... Again, if it's permanent,

it might be a little more serious. You might

be leaving your whole family. So, taking those

things into consideration, but I would say that

immigration is an investment, so you do need money,

and it's important to figure out how much money

you need, and it is a waiting game, so to speak.

So, again, checking those processing times, but

if your... If your documents aren't in line,

it could take longer as well. So, just... I think

mentally you need to be prepared that it is an

investment, and it may take time depending on,

yes, what country you're from, what stream of

immigration you're applying under. So, just patience is a virtue in this case,

and you need to be willing to and be... Expect to

wait in some cases. We've talked about processing

times of six months, nine months, more than a

year, so you should be ready for these things

and not expect to have an approval within, you know, two weeks. It's like, "Oh, well,

I submitted my application." You know, it's

just like when you order something from online,

two to three weeks, you know, it's going to come

from the Atlantic Ocean... Across the Atlantic

or something, or the Pacific. Yeah, and not comparing your application to someone else,

because someone will come to me and say, "Well, my

friend's application was approved in four weeks,

but yours is now at three months." So, again,

every application is different, so you don't

want to compare, and if you do receive a

refusal, I would say to not get discouraged.

That might be another conversation we can have,

but it doesn't mean it stops there. You can

reapply depending on the reasons for refusal.

Yeah. To give a personal example, when my parents

immigrated to Canada in the 80s, it took multiple

years for us to get our visa approved. We were in

a political situation in Poland at the time,

and it took us multiple years before the visa

application was finally approved. So, just keep

going, basically. Don't get discouraged. Be

patient, and thank you, Mom and Dad, for doing that for us and continuing to apply.

Okay, so, Jen, you mentioned that, you know,

you shouldn't just, like, trust blogs or,

"Hey, my uncle said this," and all these types

of things. So, moving on to help and scams,

I'm going to address the scams part first. What

are some signs, and you've mentioned some already,

and maybe you'll repeat them here, that, "Hey,

this might not be legitimate," or, "This might

not be the most trustworthy way to immigrate to

Canada." Yeah, so, as I mentioned, if anyone is

promising you something or guaranteeing, it's

probably not true and probably some type of scam,

because, like I said, the only person that can approve your visa is the visa officer,

and normally there aren't... People from the outside don't have these connections.

Even people working in this field for, you

know, 40 years don't have those connections.

What if they say, like, "Hey, you know, my friend Frank, he works at the visa office,

you know, I have a tight connection with Frank, and

we can get your visa approved, like, super fast."

Again, I would be quite skeptical of this,

and it's not a guarantee that Frank gets your

application. So, when your application is submitted, there are many visa officers

that it goes to. So, this is most likely not true if they say this to you.

Okay, and this is going back to the best practices

about... Well, actually, the best practices of

asking for help. This is something a little new.

So, what... When do I know that I can't do this

by myself, you know? Like, I can't just... This government website is very confusing,

there are so many links, there are so many paths, there are so many documents,

I have to get this translated, what? And you feel

overwhelmed. And maybe this is a good time to ask

for help, but so... Maybe I answered your question

for you, but when is it a good time to ask for

help from someone who knows what they're doing?

And how can you make sure that that person

actually knows what they are doing? Yeah, so I think it depends on the person.

Some people look at the checklist and they say, "I don't want to do this on my own,

it's too confusing", and they look for help

right away just because they don't want to do it

themselves. Some people have a more complex case,

like if you have received a refusal in the past,

you most likely want legal help because there's a

few more steps that will go into your application,

making sure that the reasons for refusal before

are no longer there. So, if you've had a refusal

or your case is complex, you probably want to

seek legal help, but you may also just want to

do it if it's your first time and it's very complicated or... Or overwhelming.

Okay. So, you can seek legal advice, you might

look for a regulated immigration... Canadian

immigration consultant in your country, but it

could also be in Canada. So, I have clients all

around the world and they are not in Canada, or

an immigration lawyer. You... It's... I talked

about referrals, it's good to work with someone

that you know someone else has already worked with

and had a good experience. Like a doctor or a dentist?

Yeah, right. It's like when you're choosing a doctor or a dentist for the first time,

you're not going to go with anyone because similar to a dentist working on your teeth,

and that's pretty important, this is... Could

be, you know, your life that's on the line,

almost. So, you want to work with someone who is

referred or that you believe you can trust. So,

you might want to research. I think it's very important to do your own research.

Does this person have a website, but is the website legitimate, or...?

What if it has a maple leaf? My website has a maple leaf, I'm going to help you

move to Canada.

Yes, that's not always... That doesn't mean much.

The maple leaf is not a sign of quality?

It's not. So, you might want to see if this person is on other platforms online.

Okay.

Yeah, you need to do your own research to see if you trust this person.

Agencies outside of Canada are... Also can be

difficult to trust. They have a lot of people

working there, but they're not all certified or

lawyers, and so they may be taking your money,

but not really providing or performing the services that you're looking for. So,

we don't want that to happen to you. We want you to get... If you need legal help,

you want to get the right help. Another

thing is that, yeah, it might cost you money,

so you have to consider that, but some legal

representatives will meet with you for just say...

Let's say one hour consultation, and maybe they

can answer some of your questions that you had

doubts with. So, you're not fully committing to...

Working with them.

Working with them and spending money, but you

can maybe get some of your questions answered,

and then you can decide at that point if you want to work with them.

Yeah. And going back to the scams a little bit,

I mean, there are immigration consultants who are

not really immigration consultants, and before

the video, you mentioned about ghosting, like

people turn into ghosts. Can you just... Maybe

people already know what we're talking about,

but just take a few seconds to mention that.

Yes. So, ghost consultants or ghost lawyers,

so this exists in Canada and outside Canada.

So, I will have clients that come to me saying

they spent all this money, gave this money to a lawyer or a consultant...

Thousands of dollars.

Thousands of Canadian dollars, and now they're

gone, and they don't know if their application

has been submitted, started. So, you want to avoid this. Again, doing your research,

seeing if this person really exists besides their website or just a name that... Or an

advertisement that you saw. Yeah.

Okay, that's good. And going to the final section of our video, I want to talk about

and ask you about the biggest mistakes or the

biggest... Oh, what's the term that I'm looking

for? Okay, we'll stay with mistakes. The biggest

mistakes that people made or can make on their

application that could lead to a refusal. So, in

your experience, what are some of the things that

lead to a refusal of an application and that people should avoid doing?

Yeah, so we will probably go over some of

the things we mentioned before, but having...

Repetition is good. Repetition is good. It will stick in your mind. Okay.

So, when we talked about proof of funds, making

sure that probably on the document checklist,

they will say how many months of bank statements

you need. So, sometimes it's three months or four

months of bank statements, so make sure you have those. A common...

Read carefully, right? It will tell you. We need three months of bank statements,

not just one bank statement with, you know, two weeks or something.

Yes. Okay.

And dumping, meaning putting a large amount of

money, let's say $10,000 or $20,000 in the bank...

In your bank does not count that showing proof of

funds. That's why they ask three to four months,

because they want to see that you have a consistent amount of money.

Okay. You can also submit a savings account

that maybe has, you know, bigger lump sums,

bigger, large... Larger amounts, but that's one

common mistake. So, proof of funds, making sure

all your documents make sense. We talked about

translating. When you're... So, some people don't send translated documents,

and it's sent back to them. Okay, and that could lead to a refusal.

Yes. Okay.

Also, with your official documents, you want

to make sure they're scanned properly. So, now

everything is online, so everything is being

scanned, but sometimes people will send a

picture of their passport and the corner is cut off, or... I have seen this. Yeah.

So, nothing can be cut off or shouldn't be cut

off in your scan. So, think about it as if you're

the officer and you're looking through this application, so organization, if everything

is in order, it will be easier for the officer to

look through your application, maybe to approve

your application. If things are cut off, they

can't read the information. They don't know if

those documents are legitimate or the official

documents. So, all of these things are very

important. It sounds like these are super basic

things, right? But people make mistakes with

basic things, and I think, like you said, immigration, it's a life-changing decision.

So, when you are doing these things, maybe you're anxious, maybe you're nervous,

and maybe you say, "Ah, okay, it's missing, like,

half of the letter 'r' at the end." But they will

know what it is. Okay, it's fine. No, re-scan

it, right? Like, scan it again so you have the

complete document. Yeah. Yeah, I would say it's

not a rushed process. It's better to do it over

again so that you submit the right and clear

document. And two other main things I'll mention

is we talked about ties to your country. So,

this is a common refusal is not showing ties

to your country. So, you want to have those items

we talked about before. So, whether it is an

employment letter, whether you have children that

are staying in the country, different ties like

this that you're showing the officer that you will

return to your country after your stay is finished

in Canada. So, that's very important. That's a

very common reason for refusal. Another common

reason for refusal is... Oh, sorry. Before you

continue, showing the ties to your country,

before the video, you also mentioned another way

to show ties to your country is that you have a

travel history. Right? Yeah. So, if this is... If

you have a passport and there's zero times that

you have traveled, you have never been able to

show that you have left the country and come back,

the visa office will be a little skeptical and

say, "Wait, this is the person's first time

traveling. We don't see any evidence in this case

that they have a travel history." Yeah. That was

actually the other reason I was going to say is a common reason, but that's okay.

I'm going to disappear now. That's another

reason for refusal is not enough travel history.

It's difficult if you have never traveled, then

you may want to explore ways to maybe prepare

your application in advance. But similar to what

Alex said, not showing enough travel history or

any travel history at all might be a concern

for an officer saying, "Well, if you have never

traveled outside your country before and returned,

how do we know that you are going to do it again

this time when you come to Canada?" So, that might

be a longer conversation of how to prove travel

history if you don't, but that is one of the common

reasons for refusal. And this is specifically

important if you want to get, like, temporary

residence. Yes. Right? Like, "I'm just going to

work. I'm just going to school. I'm going to

come back. I promise." And, yeah. Your age might

be a factor. Like, let's say you are 18 and you

are applying as an international student to study

in Canada for your bachelor's degree. Maybe travel

history isn't as important because you're younger,

right? It's obvious that you may not have as

much travel history. Yeah. But if you're older,

this might be more important. Perfect. Yeah.

Okay. So, I think we have gone through a lot

of information about the Canadian immigration

process today. I hope you have gotten a lot of

useful information. Before we finish, I just

want to thank Jen again for coming in today,

and I've learned a ton of stuff before recording

this video, during the video, and again, I hope

you have as well. So, Jen, thank you very much

for coming onto my channel. And where can people

find your work and more about you? So, this is

your chance to tell people where they can learn

more about you. Yes. So, I think a good starting

point, I'm currently on Instagram and TikTok doing

similar videos like this, some tips and tricks,

things like that about immigration. So, you can

find me on Instagram and TikTok at MyImmigrationCA,

and we'll put that in the description as well.

MyImmigrationCA. Yes. So, you can find videos

there, and then from there, if you are ever

looking for help, a consultation, legal representation, you can contact me through

those two channels. And I think if there are any other questions, right, you can...

Yeah, absolutely. So, thank you for reminding

me. I know there was a lot of information in

this video. I'm sure a lot of you are going through the immigration process if you are

watching this video. Maybe not a lot, but some

of you. If you have specific questions related to

Canadian immigration, please leave them in the

comments. And depending on how, you know, this

video does, if you enjoy this video, if you found

it informative, we might do a follow-up video that

answers specific questions that people have about

the Canadian immigration process. So, thank you

for leaving your comments. Thank you for watching

this video. Thank you for having me. Absolutely.

Thank you, Jen. It was a pleasure. And

hopefully, we'll see you in Canada very soon.