You Can Prepare And File Your Own Immigration Application

By Gregory James
Pride Guest Columnist 

The internet seems to be full of people wanting to help other people migrate to Canada – for a fee. And there are many good people who want to migrate to Canada.

Unfortunately, many of those offering immigration services have no proper training or experience. In many countries it is enough to call yourself an “expert”, put up a sign and start sharing “advice” without any training, without any experience, without any supervision, and without any knowledge.

Today I was looking at a website from India, promoting their services for immigration to Canada. There was no indication whatsoever that anyone working there had any official training or other credentials in Canadian immigration matters. I suggest that is not a place to get assistance.

Any hopeful applicant should first make sure that the person offering immigration services is licensed to provide this service. Canadian immigration counsel must be licensed by a provincial law society or by the immigration consultants’ regulatory council. In order to protect applicants from dishonest and incompetent counsel no one else is allowed to give immigration advice for a fee.

There are people who apply for immigration to Canada without any help. As experienced counsel I see many of these cases … once they have been refused. And, sadly, many of the refused applications could have been successful if the applicant or their unlicensed counsel had known what she or he was doing.

Could I tell you in advance which ones the applicants themselves might screw up? No. I have seen too many ways people can make mistakes, and I do know of some cases where people were successful when they did it on their own. But at what risk?

Anyone who has a real chance to be approved has to be very careful to get it right. The opportunity may never come again.

If you want assistance with a Canadian immigration matter, be you an employer, a worker, a student, a visitor, or in Canada illegally, I strongly recommend that you use Canadian licensed immigration counsel so as to minimize the risk of unnecessary errors and missed opportunities.

You will find there are many of us to choose from. You do not need to use someone who is not qualified. You don’t have to use someone who is qualified either, but you do it on your own at your own risk.

Gregory James is an immigration lawyer with over 26 years of experience, a former senior manager at the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and has seen many good cases ruined by unlicensed counsel or by the applicants themselves. He can be reached at gjames@gregoryjameslaw.com or 416.538.1301.