# Should we use an immigration consultant



## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Hi
My husband and I are hoping to move to Vancouver Canada , we had a meeting with a liscensed immigration consultant and what he said made a lot of sense and seemed a good idea to use them but it's also a lot of money.

I'm looking for as much advise as possible as to wether or not we should use an immigration consultant or do it by ourselves. We don't have children and haven't been married to anyone else so I'm wondering how straight forward it would be to apply by ourselves.

I should mention that we are applying under the skilled migrant category.

All advice welcome please!!!


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

If either of you have an occupation on THE LIST you do not need to hire/pay a consultant. Many (most) people do it by themselves and save a whack of money, which you'll need further down the line..


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Yes my husband is on the list


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## Freddy_uk (Feb 11, 2012)

Do the research and do the paperwork yourself. Using a 3rd party does not increase your chances of being approved.


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

I'm just wondering if it's easy to mess it up If you don't know how the system works


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## Freddy_uk (Feb 11, 2012)

My wife did the sponsor visa for us. It is stressfull but there are plenty of ppl on this forum and others who have been through the process that you can ask questions and gain confidence from that you are doing the right thing.


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Thank you!


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## G-Mo (Aug 17, 2011)

scubacam87 said:


> Yes my husband is on the list


THE LIST has been closed since May 8, if you are going to apply you need a job offer. I don't know what your husbands job is or if it will be on the list when it reopens...


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Hi
Yea I got some information from a consultant that it all opens again in July and fingers crossed he's still on list if he's not we'll have to wait for a job offer


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

I used one - brazolot! It cost a lot, but the stress was significantly reduced, I know that had I done it myself, i would have missed some vital parts of the documentation, I had the documentation 99% done when I decided to employ them, turns out i was way off being 99% done. I read on another site of others that have their documentation rejected due to having insufficient evidence to prove experience/qualifications and education. We applied under my wife whose employed as a RN. I could not risk it being rejected as it fills up too quickly. 

The bottom line is: What is your attitude to risk? Can you afford to take some of that risk away? Good luckwith your application.


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

fletcher m said:


> I used one - brazolot! It cost a lot, but the stress was significantly reduced, I know that had I done it myself, i would have missed some vital parts of the documentation, I had the documentation 99% done when I decided to employ them, turns out i was way off being 99% done. I read on another site of others that have their documentation rejected due to having insufficient evidence to prove experience/qualifications and education. We applied under my wife whose employed as a RN. I could not risk it being rejected as it fills up too quickly.
> 
> The bottom line is: What is your attitude to risk? Can you afford to take some of that risk away? Good luckwith your application.


Thats so weird, our appointments have been with Brazolot. Costs a fortune.
I just don't have that amount right now as I'm finishing my PGCE.
May I ask what else you were missing that you hadn't included till Brazolot stepped in?


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## Freddy_uk (Feb 11, 2012)

The more evidence you submit the better. I know when I posted my application it cost over £30 using dhl.


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

The immigration guidance says you shouldn't submit anything they don't ask for


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## Freddy_uk (Feb 11, 2012)

scubacam87 said:


> The immigration guidance says you shouldn't submit anything they don't ask for


And you shouldn't.

They said what can be used and how much as a minimum they will accept. (I think)


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Im just curious as to what the member who posted the previous post about Brazolot missed out on their paperwork


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

scubacam87 said:


> Thats so weird, our appointments have been with Brazolot. Costs a fortune.
> I just don't have that amount right now as I'm finishing my PGCE.
> May I ask what else you were missing that you hadn't included till Brazolot stepped in?


It is critical that you show the experience you have, on a letter from your employer, and that this experience matches the NOC code experience from the CC website. 
You can not state your 15 years of education without evidence that you completed GCSEs, A Levels, diplomas and UNI transcripts. If you are claiming additions points for adaptability, (for other half) as much documentation as possible. 
Proof of funds, we used our property as proof, mortgage letter from lender, valuation from estate agent -difference being our equity. 
Getting the right person to sign the forms in the right places. Both you and other half must sign the correct documentation. It is not brain surgery, you can do it I am sure, but to take the worry away, we employed someone.

As freddy is carefully saying, big difference between several thousand and £30.


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Thats really helpful thank you, I guess its making the whole thing idiot proof.
Its too much money for us right now, but we had a meeting with Dennis the director on saturday and it just seemed sooo stressful. I'd definitely use them if I had the money.

Out of interest, are you landed in Canada?


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

Freddy_uk said:


> The more evidence you submit the better. I know when I posted my application it cost over £30 using dhl.


Sorry, I may have misquoted you, my package cost £50 to Canada by dhl. I initially thought you total costs were £30. But the point is made, IC's are expensive and the package is heavy when completed - well over a kilo.


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

scubacam87 said:


> Thats really helpful thank you, I guess its making the whole thing idiot proof.
> Its too much money for us right now, but we had a meeting with Dennis the director on saturday and it just seemed sooo stressful. I'd definitely use them if I had the money.
> 
> Out of interest, are you landed in Canada?


No, awaiting med requests.

What NOC code are you hoping to go under?


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

Another area we almost fell foul was Birth certificates - me and one of my kids only had the free short birth certificates, you must have the full birth certificate showing the mother and father. This would have had us rejected too!


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Skill Type 7. We're are submitting in july when the list re opens with the new amounts of allowed applicants under each job skill. 

We have done our english tests and about to apply for police certificates. 

I was reading another expat forum sites and its full on people coming home after 10 years etc, that scares me a bit I don't wanna go just to come home ten years later.


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Oh yes we discovered this at the meeting, i have the full one but my hubby doesn't. Is that even on the guidance to warn people????


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

Oh yes, and only the applicant needs to do the IELTS, and not the technical one either. Happy to help.


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## Auld Yin (Mar 10, 2009)

fletcher m said:


> Another area we almost fell foul was Birth certificates - me and one of my kids only had the free short birth certificates, you must have the full birth certificate showing the mother and father. This would have had us rejected too!


The bottom line is immigration consultants cost a good deal of money. Some are good, some okay and some downright bad. Personally I would not use Brazelot under any circumstances. Most people do not use consultants and if you have a modicum of intelligence there's no reason to hire one, unless of course you've money to burn.


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

scubacam87 said:


> Skill Type 7. We're are submitting in july when the list re opens with the new amounts of allowed applicants under each job skill.
> 
> We have done our english tests and about to apply for police certificates.
> 
> I was reading another expat forum sites and its full on people coming home after 10 years etc, that scares me a bit I don't wanna go just to come home ten years later.


What is his job? Electrician, nurse, plumber?


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## scubacam87 (Jun 3, 2012)

Auld Yin said:


> The bottom line is immigration consultants cost a good deal of money. Some are good, some okay and some downright bad. Personally I would not use Brazelot under any circumstances. Most people do not use consultants and if you have a modicum of intelligence there's no reason to hire one, unless of course you've money to burn.


Why would you not use Brazolot?

Fletcher - we have unfortunately both already done our english tests but we have both certificates if needs be


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

Auld Yin said:


> The bottom line is immigration consultants cost a good deal of money. Some are good, some okay and some downright bad. Personally I would not use Brazelot under any circumstances. Most people do not use consultants and if you have a modicum of intelligence there's no reason to hire one, unless of course you've money to burn.


Had i had some views on the company concerned, i suspect I would not have used them either, however, we did not have any experience with anyone else and it has all turned out good so far. My take on this is that had i not used them I would be queuing like everyone else at the mo, bitting the finger nails down praying that RN was on the list (or any other NOC for that matter). It is personal choice, it seems the OP can't afford the services and we should now be using our experience to help others, the fact that I paid is something that me and my wife thought worth doing. trust me, we have more than a modicum of intelligence, there are loads out there that are rejected and wish they had the money to put in place all the dots and crosses, and were only awating med requests.

I do not have money to burn, i considered it money wisely spent, with the benefit of hindsight, I might have used a different IC.


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

scubacam87 said:


> Skill Type 7. We're are submitting in july when the list re opens with the new amounts of allowed applicants under each job skill.
> 
> We have done our english tests and about to apply for police certificates.
> 
> I was reading another expat forum sites and its full on people coming home after 10 years etc, that scares me a bit I don't wanna go just to come home ten years later.


Don't worry about those coming back to the UK, you are not them, they will have their own reasons for doing so, perhaps they have made their money and now wish to return to village life and be around grandchildren, who knows. If you are alone and have never lived outside UK, perhaps you will struggle, perhaps not, you should not concern yourselves with the trouble of others, unless you are able to help them. I have lived in several countries for extended periods of time and I am very much looking forward to the challenges ahead. Again, good luck with the application and if you need some assistance, PM me.


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## fletcher m (May 9, 2012)

Absolutley Gutted !!! our whole application sent back as i had completed the Generic form in the wrong order!!. e.g (Principal applicant, 2 children, spouse)
I didnt think it mattered as long as we all were on there, so nit picky i didnt see in the instructions it saying u cant list the kids first!! Damn it! Stumped what to do now do i re apply with everything . Only thing is all the work references have been dated in march. And the company has now went bust. any advice guys????

Lifted this from somewhere else, another pitfall you can now avoid.

Not me by the way!


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## Freddy_uk (Feb 11, 2012)

Study the instructions and comply with what it says. We completed the paperwork a few times until we were 100% sure everything was completed as they want it presented and with sufficient supporting evidence. Its been said its not rocket science but it is like any legal document, hard to understand 1st time round.


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## iancollett (May 8, 2012)

@Scubacam - We immigrated two years ago, with two kids and my profession was on the LIST (it's not now though). We didn't use an immigration consultant. There's a lot of forms and we did check and double check each form we did - however we had nothing sent back and we're here....... Who knows if you'll want to go back after 10yrs, can anyone think that far ahead. I think once you've decided you want to come, and then you get your pappers, you'll always be thinking "what if" ..Good luck


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## cics (Jun 10, 2012)

As a consultant, I can tell you that every case is unique to itself. A few points to consider while you move forward:

- If the cost is too much for you, then i recommend doing your own application and then requesting a consultant to review it, before sending it off.
- Ask around to see if anyone could refer a good consultant. Unfortunately, there are bad consultants out there who add no value to an application.
- Make sure the consultant is licensed by the regulatory body, ICCRC.
- If you're not on the next fsw list and/or you do not qualify under the expected rule changes on July 1st, remember that there could be other options as well, like Quebec Skilled Worker. Going through QSW does not necessarily mean that you'd have to live in the province or your French would need to be fluent. There are people who are eligible to use the program with very little or no skills in French.

Good luck.


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## bolita.p (Jun 22, 2012)

*Please don't hire Opcion Canada*



scubacam87 said:


> Hi
> My husband and I are hoping to move to Vancouver Canada , we had a meeting with a liscensed immigration consultant and what he said made a lot of sense and seemed a good idea to use them but it's also a lot of money.
> 
> I'm looking for as much advise as possible as to wether or not we should use an immigration consultant or do it by ourselves. We don't have children and haven't been married to anyone else so I'm wondering how straight forward it would be to apply by ourselves.
> ...


Hi guys:

You should definately do the process on your own. My partner and I decided to give it a try, we hired a member of the *ICRCC* (Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council) *Opcion Canada Consultants*. Long story short, we did all the forms by ourselves, the consultant wanted us to lie on our application, he promised to us that I would be living in Canada in about 4 to 6 months, he promised that I would not be interviewed by a visa officer because they all were "**** suckers" (couldn't find a proper translation) and he lied about his education (he did not have a degree).

Of course we filed a complaint with *ICRCC,* but the thing is, if they are getting a lot of money out of the members, what are the chances for them to really care about immigrants? they are not getting money out of me or out of anyone of you, why would they care if a member doesn't do his job? 

Please be aware of this little fact, I'm sure you can do the process on your own.
I wish you all the best in your process.


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## cics (Jun 10, 2012)

bolita.p said:


> Hi guys:
> 
> Of course we filed a complaint with *ICRCC,* but the thing is, if they are getting a lot of money out of the members, what are the chances for them to really care about immigrants? they are not getting money out of me or out of anyone of you, why would they care if a member doesn't do his job?
> 
> ...


I'm an immigration consultant, authorized by ICCRC, and I can tell you that your assumption about ICCRC's role is misguided. ICCRC is mandated by the government to protect the consumer. They are not an advocacy group for immigration consultants. There is such an organization and they're called CAPIC.

_The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) is a non-profit organization appointed by the Government of Canada to regulate the immigration consulting profession and safeguard consumer interests._

Check the ICCRC - CRCIC web site for more information

I hope that gives you a better understanding.


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## bolita.p (Jun 22, 2012)

*Be aware of Immigration Consultants, mermbers of ICCRC or not.*



cics said:


> I'm an immigration consultant, authorized by ICCRC, and I can tell you that your assumption about ICCRC's role is misguided. ICCRC is mandated by the government to protect the consumer. They are not an advocacy group for immigration consultants. There is such an organization and they're called CAPIC.
> 
> _The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) is a non-profit organization appointed by the Government of Canada to regulate the immigration consulting profession and safeguard consumer interests._
> 
> ...



Thank you for your concern but I do understand, maybe you don't agree and that's ok.
Obviously you are in the winning side of the millionaire business that represents Canada Immigration, and to be honest it is quite naive not to think that where there is money, corruption may be involved, I'm not saying you are one of them, but we all know there are people who just want easy money. 

I am a consumer and as a consumer I have the right to warn other consumers like me about the risks of hiring an immigration consultant, it doesn't matter if they are members of ICCRC or not.

I briefly explained my experience and I hope people should be more careful of who they hire. I highly recommend everyone to do the process on their own, even CIC tells you to do so. If someone hires a consultant, ask for every little detail, every promise, everything in writting before you hand over money, ask even how long would it take for them to answer if you have any question during the process, most of them would be very friendly and they would answer you very quickly before you pay them, after that, seriously you are on your own.


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## cics (Jun 10, 2012)

bolita.p said:


> Thank you for your concern but I do understand, maybe you don't agree and that's ok.


This is not about my opinion. I am only sharing what the role of ICCRC is. ICCRC is mandated by the government, with strict guidelines to protect the consumer against the very thing that happened to you. Unlike what you are insinuating, their role is not to be an advocate for consultants. 



> Obviously you are in the winning side of the millionaire business that represents Canada Immigration, and to be honest it is quite naive not to think that where there is money, corruption may be involved, I'm not saying you are one of them, but we all know there are people who just want easy money.


I think the problem here is that you are generalizing. It's wrong to paint the whole profession as corrupt and useless because you had a bad experience. In my first post in this thread, I said the following:

_As a consultant, I can tell you that every case is unique to itself. A few points to consider while you move forward:

- If the cost is too much for you, then i recommend doing your own application and then requesting a consultant to review it, before sending it off.
- Ask around to see if anyone could refer a good consultant. Unfortunately, there are bad consultants out there who add no value to an application.
- Make sure the consultant is licensed by the regulatory body, ICCRC.
- If you're not on the next fsw list and/or you do not qualify under the expected rule changes on July 1st, remember that there could be other options as well, like Quebec Skilled Worker. Going through QSW does not necessarily mean that you'd have to live in the province or your French would need to be fluent. There are people who are eligible to use the program with very little or no skills in French.

Good luck._

My second point mentions that there are bad consultants around.



> I am a consumer and as a consumer I have the right to warn other consumers like me about the risks of hiring an immigration consultant, it doesn't matter if they are members of ICCRC or not.


I fully agree. You have every right to voice your opinion. Also, I agree that being licensed by ICCRC it does not guarantee that you will get a perfect service. This goes with any profession. You will always find bad apples in pretty much every industry.



> I briefly explained my experience and I hope people should be more careful of who they hire. I highly recommend everyone to do the process on their own, even CIC tells you to do so. If someone hires a consultant, ask for every little detail, every promise, everything in writting before you hand over money, ask even how long would it take for them to answer if you have any question during the process, most of them would be very friendly and they would answer you very quickly before you pay them, after that, seriously you are on your own.


My response to your original post was mainly due to your comment about ICCRC's role and, what I perceived as, generalization of authorized immigration consultants. There are many ICCRC members who are currently either suspended or under investigation by ICCRC. As members, we are required to follow strict rules and guidelines and every year we take numerous courses and write exams to keep ourselves updated on immigration regulations, professional conduct and business management.

I applaud everyone to share their experiences and give their perspective on any topic. I was merely giving mine.

Cheers.


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## headzred (Mar 20, 2012)

My husband and I are in the process now (mostly waiting on background check and such), doing it all on our own, and though it is a pain in the keester, it seems doable. I suppose I can not accurately have an opinion until the process is complete, which as I understand it, is sometime between now and never, lol.


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## bolita.p (Jun 22, 2012)

cics said:


> This is not about my opinion. I am only sharing what the role of ICCRC is. ICCRC is mandated by the government, with strict guidelines to protect the consumer against the very thing that happened to you. Unlike what you are insinuating, their role is not to be an advocate for consultants.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm glad you agree with me that there are fraudulent consultants even though they are members of ICCRC.

Let's not generalize, that just because they are members of ICCRC they are not gonna scam you, the news can tell you a different story, and if you are lucky you can talk to people who take their case againts to ICCRC to the government (not everyone share their experience because there are a lot of interests going on) 

Like I said I don't generalize, maybe you are not one of them, maybe you are not one of those Immigration Consultants that go into Immigration forums because it is a great opportunity to attract clients, like I said maybe you are not one of those, but there are people like that.

People should not trust entirely to ICCRC. Ask for everything in writting, and if ICCRC doesn't hear your complaint, there is always an option. After all I am not the only one who had a bad experience with ICCRC. There is a reason why this industry doesn't have a good reputation.

Have a good day


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