# Best Approach to Immigration



## rossebeck (Jan 23, 2016)

Hi all,

I'm looking to migrate to Canada this year and looking for advice from those who have done it already. Did you use a migration agent? If so did it make it easier? Also, is it better to use an attourney or just a migration agent?

Thanks in advance. Ross.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

The Express Entry program is pretty straight forward to apply to... you should be able to do the whole thing yourself.

Why pay some attorney or migration agent your hard earned £££ when you're still going to have to do the majority of the work yourself - they can't sit the English exam for you; they can't have your education qualifications assessed (you have to go and get your transcripts and send them in); they can't get your work experience letters/references for you (you have to contact your employer(s) yourself) etc etc. If you have questions, you can ask them here and we will try to help answer them for you.

Unless you've got an adverse travel history (have you ever been refused entry to a country? have you been refused a visa to anywhere in the world?) or an adverse criminal history (you have to declare any marks against you then a migration agent or attorney really isn't warranted.


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## rossebeck (Jan 23, 2016)

Thanks for the very quick reply and the guidance. It sounds like doing it myself is the best approach. Have a good weekend. Ross


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

I agree - emigrating is an expensive enough process, keep the money in your pocket.


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## rossebeck (Jan 23, 2016)

Thanks for the confirmation. I notice you are located in Brampton, Ontario. I'm looking to move to London, or failing that, one of the areas outside of Toronto. How have you found it? Thanks


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

rossebeck said:


> Thanks for the confirmation. I notice you are located in Brampton, Ontario. I'm looking to move to London, or failing that, one of the areas outside of Toronto. How have you found it? Thanks



Well London is nowhere near where I am and I have only been there a handful of times so I cannot comment on that city.

As for Brampton, I have lived here the majority of my life so my perspective will be skewed by familiarity. 

If you have specific questions about the areas just to the west of Toronto - Brampton, Mississauga, Milton, Georgetown, etc. - I can answer those as well as questions about the Kitchener-Waterloo (including Cambridge) area as I lived there for a decade during university and grad school and return to visit friends often.


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## JT9688 (Jan 19, 2016)

You dont want an agent, you want immigration counsel to do the application. Agents are not licensed to do Canadian immigration. 

Canada is one of the few countries that really regulates their immigration consultants. the only people who are legally able to prepare immigration documents and get paid for it are Canadian Law Society sanctioned lawyers and ICCRC licensed Immigration counsel other than Quebec where MIDI is the licensing body there.

If anyone uses unlicensed counsel they can be charged with misrepresentation which is a reason for having applicants barred from 2 - 5 years from applying again.

So is it a good idea to use immigration counsel. No you can do it yourself. Some people are successful - some are not BUT if you are not successful and you have to go to counsel after the fact, you will probably be charged more because they will have to back out of your mistake and provide details of why the mistake was made, Plus they will have to get the notes from IRCC to determine what went wrong 

So I think it would be better to have it done right the first time.

JT9688


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