CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

CALL 613.695.8777 TO FIND OUT MORE Immigration Corner | How to get a Canadian work permit in two weeks : Find out if you qualify by completing our free eligibility assessment form. Click here Dear Ms Powell, I am a restaurant manager here in Jamaica. I recently met a director of a charity in Canada who was on vacation here in Jamaica. He has been searching for a good manager and a handyman to work with his organisation and has not been able to find anyone. He said that if I can get a work permit by the end of the month, he would be happy to hire me. Can you please tell me how to get a work permit quickly? He sent me a written job offer and said I just need to let him know if there is anything else I need to submit. My boyfriend is a carpenter. Can we submit our application together? Can you please respond quickly to my questions, as I would love to take up this opportunity? - M.M . Dear M.M., Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can process most t...

Dear Ms Powell, I heard that I can get a Super Visa to go and stay in Canada for up to five years without going back and forth every six months. Can you tell me how to apply for a Super Visa? - B.D.  Dear B.D., Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has a category called the Super Visa that is usually granted for a maximum of five to ten years. Qualified individuals will be authorised to stay longer than the usual six months - from the date of entry, up to a maximum of two years - without paying a fee to apply to extend the time authorised to remain in Canada. However, this visa is only open to parents or grandparents of permanent residents and citizens of Canada, who are able to satisfy certain requirements. The main requirement is that you must be a genuine visitor and do not intend to work without a permit during your visit. You must also leave at the end of the time granted to stay within Canada. If you are a parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permane...

Dear Ms Powell, My niece is in Jamaica and I am in Toronto. She would like to visit me for the summer holidays and she asked me for an invitation letter, but I'm not sure what to write. Can you tell me what information to put in the letter? Thanks in advance. Keep up the good work. - K.P. Dear K.P., An invitation letter is one of the most important supporting documents that anyone who is applying for a temporary resident/visitor visa should include as a part of their application to the Canadian Embassy. The letter should have all the essential facts about both your niece and yourself to help the visa officer to make a decision on whether or not to grant the visa. Therefore, it is important that it is well written. Your letter must include the following about the person being invited: - Complete name; - Date of birth; - Passport number, date issued and date of expiry; - The person's address, telephone number and email address, if available; - Your relatio...

The facts about Canada's express entry - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | January 13, 2015 I work at a hotel in Jamaica and all I seem to hear is everyone talking about express entry to Canada. A friend just lost her job, and now she claims that she is leaving her baby father to go to Canada. She said she emailed a consultant who told her about express entry and that anyone can get a green card for Canada. I am confused. Can you give me the basic facts so that I can be better informed and all my friends can stop hyping up about moving to Canada as I can't see why Canada would want anyone who is unemployed, has six children, and no money. Can you please just give me the truth about this new programme? - H.Y. Good day H.Y., Express Entry is not a new programme. It is a system to manage the existing economic immigration programmes to Canada. That means for one to qualify, he would need to be eligible under at least one of the existing economic programmes such as ...

What can I learn from US visa process? Deidre S. Powell - Canada  Dear Ms Powell, I have a United States (US) visa and I would like to apply for a Canadian visitor's visa. Do I need to submit the same documents that I did to get the US visa? Are they going to ask me pretty much the same questions? What can I expect at the Canadian embassy? - RM Dear RM, Most visa officers are looking for the same basic reassurance. Therefore, you will need to satisfy the visa officer that you have strong social and economic ties to your home country that would motivate you to return at the end of the time granted. Essentially, you need to establish that you will not remain in Canada illegally and that you can afford the expense of the trip. To establish social and economic ties to Jamaica you will need to provide certain documents such as: 1. Birth certificates of your dependent children. 2. Marriage certificate /proof of common-law relationship such as a statutor...

What am I doing wrong? - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | October 28, 2014 Dear Ms Powell, I  submitted  my application under the federal skilled worker programme. I submitted everything they asked for and the forms came back twice. I'm confused and time is running out. What could I be doing wrong? - TP Dear TP, I'm sorry to hear that your application form was returned. It is not uncommon for persons who do not have the required experience with dealing with applications to the various immigration authorities, to have their application rejected, because of various errors or omissions. I am not able to say the particular problem with your application without first reviewing the documents. However, I will outline below some of the common mistakes made by applicants. 1. Incomplete or inconsistent forms A major problem with most visa applications is that individuals provide incomplete or inconsistent information in their application. CIC will not overl...

Will I be denied? - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | March 25, 2014 Dear Miss Powell, I am planning to apply for a  visitor's visa and am a little scared of the process. What are some of the reasons people are rejected? I'd like to know, so I can be prepared. - YM Dear YM, Citizenship  and  Immigration  Canada  (CIC) has established policies which require  visa  officers  to evaluate each applicant's overall situation in order to decide whether to grant them a temporary   resident  visa / visitor's visa. The key issue is to convince the visa officer that you will leave Canada at the end of the time granted for your visit to Canada; that you can afford the trip; and that you are not a risk to the Canadian society. In reaching this decision, the visa officer considers several factors, including, but not limited to: Your travel history Your family ties in your country of residence Your family ties to Canada You...

I want to work in Canada - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | March 18, 2014 Dear Ms Powell, I  was  born in Jamaica and work in Jamaica, but I am also a citizen of the United States (US). I am interested in working in Canada and I heard that US citizens can work in Canada without applying for a work permit. Is this so? How would I go about doing this? How long could I work? Is this possible under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? - CJ Dear CJ, There are very few jobs that would require a non-resident/citizen of Canada to work without a valid permit. Since you are a citizen of the US, to be able to work in Canada, you would need to fall in one of the following categories: 1.  Become a permanent resident; 2.  Work in one of the specified fields that do not require a work permit, for example: some business visitors, athletes, clergy, performing artistes, public speakers, news reporters, film and media crews; 3.  Have a job ...

I want my son to study in Canada - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | March 4, 2014 Dear Ms Powell, I am  a frequent reader of your articles and notice that you have not mentioned anything about high schools. I have a 15-year-old son and my husband and I would like to him to study in Canada because of the harassment he is getting here. Is it possible to apply for a study permit for a Canadian high school? What would be the cost? Looking forward to hearing from you. - MS Dear MS, Canada has an excellent education system. This includes both public and private high schools. I have noticed that parents are now more willing to allow their children to complete high school in Canada and then go on to university. One of the most common reasons for choosing to study in Canada from an early age is that these schools offer students more flexibility and an opportunity to 'specialise' in their particular areas of interest, while preparing for post- secondary e...