CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

Protect yourself! Use a lawyer who is authorised to practice in Canada.  BOOK A ZOOM CONSULTATION No individual can guarantee you a card to live in Canada permanently. This is the prerogative of the Canadian government, which selects qualified individuals and grants them a confirmation of permanent residence. After an individual has landed in Canada, then he will be granted a permanent resident card. It is your duty to guard yourself from scammers, or ‘choppas’, by verifying that the person you are dealing with is authorised to represent you and your family. The Canadian government will only accept applications from lawyers and paralegals who are members in good standing with a Canadian provincial or territorial law society. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also accepts applications from notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec and consultants who are members in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Con...

Dear Ms Powell, I am on long leave from my job as a teacher, and I'm visiting with my fiancÈ in New York. He wants us to visit his mother in Canada for the Christmas. Do I need a Canadian visa if I have a United States (US) visa? If I need a visa, can I just apply for it online or can I just visit the Canadian embassy here in New York? - I.J Dear I.J, Each country has its own rules and requirement for granting entry by a foreign national. So, if you are from a 'visa-required' country or territory such as Jamaica, Trinidad, St Vincent, Guyana, Sierra Leon and Bangladesh, you will need to apply for a temporary resident/tourist or visitor's visa to enter Canada. You cannot just use your US visa to enter Canada. Although you may have satisfied the US government that you should be granted a visitor's visa, you will still need to satisfy the Canadian authorities that you qualify for a tourist visa to visit Canada. If you are from a 'non-visa country...

http://expressimmigrationcanada.com/express-entry-seminar/ Join I mmigration Lawyer Deidre S. Powell  on March 7, 2015 at Toby's Resort, 1 Kent Ave MontegoBay to learn about Express Entry into Canada. PREREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED COST $2000 at the Gate or via PayPal. Email : info@deidrepowell.com or call 613.695.8777 http://expressimmigrationcanada.com/express-entry-seminar/

Join I mmigration Lawyer Deidre S. Powell on March 6, 2015 in Kingston to learn about Express Entry into Canada. PREREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED COST $2000 at the Gate or via PayPal. Email : info@deidrepowell.com or call 613.695.8777 http://expressimmigrationcanada.com/express-entry-seminar/

I want to apply for permanent residency - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | December 10, 2013 Dear Miss Powell, For the past 12 years, I have worked in Canada as a seasonal worker. Someone told me that I can apply for permanent residency, but I'm not sure if I qualify or how to go about it. I want to do things the right way, so I'm writing to you to help me. - KJ Dear KJ, You can apply to become a permanent resident under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This category is open to temporary foreign workers and foreign students. To be eligible, you must have acquired a minimum of 12 months of legitimate full-time or equal amount of part-time work experience within the last 36 months; plan to live outside of the province of Quebec; and meet the language requirements. I am not sure what type of work you were doing, but there are a few major changes of which you should be aware. Since April 2012,  Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) reduced the wor...

Canadian wants Jamaican citizenship - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | July 30, 2013 Dear Ms Powell, I  have been reading your articles on a weekly basis and must say that I've learnt so much about immigration to Canada, but I'm interested in learning more about moving to Jamaica. I hope that you are able to assist me as I am a Canadian citizen and I've been in a common-law relationship with a Jamaican man for the past eight years. He is a successful businessman and so I am the one going back and forth as he does not want to move to Canada and can't take much time off work. I visit very often and, whenever I visit, I am not permitted to stay as long as I wish, so I would like to know if there is any way that I can get Jamaican citizenship. Would I need to give up my Canadian citizenship? What do I need to prove and what documents do I need to submit? How long does it take to process? Would it be simpler if we were married? Should we get married in Jamaica or Can...

Dear Miss Powell, I   would  like to visit Canada in the summer. Can you tell me what documents I will need to apply for a visitor's visa? - KN Dear KN, An application for a visitor's visa to Canada is also called an 'application for temporary resident visa'. If you make your application now, you will avoid the additional cost to submit bio-metrics data. This new fingerprinting rule comes into effect September 2013. You should submit the following completed forms: 1. Checklist; 2. Application for temporary resident form; 3. Family information form; 4. Schedule 1. These forms are available free of cost from the a Canadian High Commission or may be downloaded from the Internet. The documents that you should submit are the following : 1. Valid passport, which should not expire within the next 12 months. If you have an old passport with a Canadian visa or proof of previous travel, submit that passport as well. 2. Birth certifica...

Published in the Jamaica Gleaner: February 26, 2013 Dear Miss Powell, My aunt, who is a Canadian citizen, is very sick, and I would like to get a visa for my cousin to come and take care of her for me as I work full time and can no longer manage on my own. My aunt will not go into a nursing home, and I prefer to use a family member and someone who actually loves and cares for her. Can I bring up my cousin under the domestic helper programme? - DG Dear DG, You or your aunt can sponsor your cousin to come to Canada if you are able to meet certain requirements. In a recent article I wrote about ways to sponsor a family member under the Family Class Category . If your cousin is not able to qualify under that category, you may hire your cousin as a temporary foreign worker under the Live-In Caregiver Programme . To qualify under this programme, your aunt must meet certain basic requirements. Some are: 1.Be over 65 years old or have a diagnosed disability or able to...

Dear Miss Powell, I Am 24  years of age and I have travelled to the United States (US) four times. The last time was in September 2012. I am now interested in visiting my relatives in Canada. Could you tell me what I would need to apply for a visa? - G.C. Dear G.C., In order for you to visit your relatives in Canada, you will need to apply for a Temporary Resident Visitor Visa. You will need the following: 1. Valid passport; 2. Proof of employment, job letter; 3. If self-employed, proof of business registration or incorporation; 4. Proof of assets such as title to home, land or car; 5. Bank statement and proof that you have enough money to cover expenses for the duration of your stay. The amount of money you will need can vary with the circumstances of the visit, how long you will stay, and whether you will stay in a hotel or with friends or relatives.  If your visit will be financed by a friend or relative, that person will need to send an invita...

Husband's name not on son's birth paper - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | November 27, 2012 Dear Miss Powell, My husband is now a permanent resident living in Canada. He is planning to file for us, his family of three, residing in Jamaica. The problem is that my husband's name is not on our son's birth certificate. He is now 17 years old. What should I do? Will this affect the filing process? - JT Dear JT, As a permanent resident of Canada, your husband is entitled to sponsor you, his spouse, as well as any dependent children under the Family Class Category, providing that you all meet the requirements. A dependent child is defined as a son or daughter under the age of 22 who does not have a spouse or common-law partner. The fact that your husband's name is not mentioned on your son's birth certificate will mean that you will need to take steps to prove that your husband is, indeed, the father of your 17-year-old son. Addition of Father's P...