CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

  Dear Miss Powell, I ’m in a pickle and I need your urgent help. Please don’t judge me, just hear me out. My situation is this: I was living with my boyfriend a few years ago and I went to a party with my friends, where I met a really handsome guy and we had a little fun. I became pregnant, but I wasn’t sure who the father was when the baby born. My boyfriend signed the papers, and so my daughter has his name. I realise that my baby couldn’t be for my boyfriend, so I asked my friends to help me find the guy from the party. We found him on Facebook and he said he often wondered about me and that he is living in Canada. I told him about my daughter and sent him pictures. He said my daughter is the splitting image of his daughter in Canada. They could pass as twins. He now wants to sponsor my daughter, but the problem is she doesn’t have his name. Can this be fixed? Do I have to go to court to prove who is the father? I have since broken up with my boyfriend and he doesn’t want to ha...

  Dear Ms Powell, I was doing some research online and came across your articles. I notice that you write mostly for people in Jamaica, but I wonder if you would still be able to help me although I am in the UK. I have lived in the UK for years but only on a work permit. I have a friend who lives in Canada, and he said he is now applying for his citizenship. Canada seems to be the best option for me and my family. When I researched, I saw so many programmes. I don’t know what the best option is. I’m highly skilled and my wife and I have degrees. I am confused. Please help. – A.N. Dear A.N., Thank you for your email. I enjoy hearing from my readers around the world. Although the articles are published in  The   Jamaica Gleaner , the policies and programmes are applicable to individuals in other countries except where I highlight that it is specifically for a particular country. CITIZENSHIP APPLICATION Canada has several routes to becoming a permanent resident and then beco...

Click link to c omplete our free online form to FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY TO COME TO CANADA.   Dear Miss Powell, Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I hope it will be one of the answers published. I am a nurse in Jamaica and I have been offered a job as a caregiver in Canada. I am interested, but I would need to know that I can become a citizen if I take that job. Would I be allowed to take my daughter? Can she attend high school? What are our options to become citizens? – M.K. Dear M.K., Thank you for contacting us. The pathway to citizenship in Canada is usually a two-step process for most immigrants and in some cases, three, depending on the route you take to come to Canada. Since you indicate that you have a job offer as a caregiver, I will outline the current most common pathway to citizenship for individuals with a valid job offer as a live-in caregiver. Click link to c omplete our free online form to FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY TO COME TO CANADA. ...

Immigration Corner | I want to extend my time in Canada :  Dear Ms. Powell,  I'm a farm worker and I want to apply to extend my visa to stay in Canada. I also want to bring up my wife and son from Jamaica. My wife is a teacher. What can we do to become citizens of Canada?- NC Dear NC, A recent study by Statistics Canada revealed that one out of five foreign workers become permanent residents. Immigrants now represent 20.6 percent of the total population in Canada and the numbers are growing. So there is a strong possibility that you, your son and wife can become citizens of Canada with the correct application and with time. Your ability to renew your work permit depends on the type of permit that you received or the programme under which you came to Canada in the first place. The rules differ for each category of temporary foreign worker. Since I do not know the details concerning your permit, I will provide you with possible options.   Seasonal Agric...

Dear Ms. Powell, I am a Jamaican and a permanent resident of Canada. I have had difficulty locating a good job in Canada, so I returned to Jamaica and have accepted a very well-paying job there. I'm scheduled to start this job on September 1. My permanent resident card will expire in December 2017. I use my Jamaican passport to travel, so I'm not worried about getting into Jamaica. Can I apply for citizenship now? How will taking a job in Jamaica affect my application for citizenship? What are the processing times? - P.A. Dear P.A., Individuals who have been granted permanent residence status are required to ensure that they have a valid permanent resident card when they travel to and from Canada. While you will not need the card to enter Jamaica, you will need to have a valid permanent resident card before you re-enter Canada. Therefore, I strongly recommend that you submit an application to renew your permanent resident card immediately before you depart for Jamaica....

Immigration Corner | Can my father help me? :  Dear Ms. Powell, I am a 40-year-old engineer and I was born in Jamaica. I always heard that my father is a Canadian citizen but I had not met him until recently. We have been communicating regularly since then. I was checking how to immigrate to Canada and I came across your name. What is the best way to get to live and work in Canada? Can my father sponsor me although I am an adult? - JJ Dear JJ, I am pleased that you have reconnected with your father and that you are communicating with him on a regular basis. I know the importance of having loving support and guidance of a father. Your situation is very unique as there are many laws and regulations that affect the rights of children born to Canadian citizens before April 17, 2009. The general rule is that most children born to Canadian parents before April 17, 2009, were citizens at birth. Also, under the Canadian Citizenship Act, some people who were born outsid...

Dear Ms. Powell, I  met a man on the beach a few years ago who said he was a Canadian citizen. I took him home with me, where he spent the rest of his vacation with me. I showed him all of Jamaica and we had a wonderful time. After he left, I realised that I was pregnant. I told him about the child and he sends money every now and again. Can he sponsor our daughter to be a citizen? I asked him to sponsor her and he said he can't. What would prevent him from making the application? What can I do to make sure my child has a good life? She looks so much like him. I think she would have better opportunities in Canada. What can I do? - A.W. Dear A.W. , Only citizens and permanent residents of Canada over the age of 18 are permitted to sponsor family members to Canada. Family members, under Canadian laws, include dependent children under the age of 19 years old. The definition of who is deemed to be a child was changed in August 1, 2014, from the previous limit of 22 years...