CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

Dear Miss Powell, Is the Canadian High Commission accepting applications for visitor’s visa? Since I have to stay at home, I decided to use the time to apply for a visitor’s visa. I would like to visit my family for Christmas. Will my application be processed? If so, what are some of the documents I would need to submit? How can I make sure that my application is successful? Thank you for your time. – A.S . Dear A.S., Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the department which processes applications on behalf of the Canadian government, is currently accepting online applications for temporary and permanent residence visas. This includes applications for visitor’s visa, study permits, work permits, and applications under the Express Entry System. The processing time for these applications may be delayed. However, you can still expect that your application will be processed. You will just need to be patient. HOW TO APPLY Do not go to the Canadian Consulate ...

Dear Miss Powell, I am a single woman looking to apply for a visa to study in Canada. Since I'm single, what information can I present about 'family ties' to the officer? O.P. Dear O.P., Many individuals are faced with this issue when they apply for a temporary resident visa such as a student, work, or visitor's visa . The standard question that is asked of an applicant is: 'Why would you return home after your trip?' Many individuals are offended by the question, but it is a legitimate one as the visa officer needs proof that you will not be a flight risk, will not break the immigration laws of Canada, and that you honour the terms of your temporary resident visa. That means that you will need to present substantiated facts that at the end of your studies, you will not remain in Canada illegally but that you will return to your home country when required to do so. The visa officer is looking for proof that you have established social and econom...

Dear Ms Powell, I have a good friend in Canada and he is willing to sponsor me for a visit to Canada. I?m not working but he will pay for the ticket and I can stay at his place. How do I go about applying for a visitor?s visa? My friend said he will send all the documents I need to show that he can afford to have me there for the visit. Can I just send the application to the Canadian embassy with all his information? LK Dear LK, When an individual is seeking to apply for a visitor's visa or a temporary resident visa to Canada, the person applying, the applicant has to satisfy the Visa Office that has strong social and economic ties to his home country that would motivate you to return to your home country. That means that the onus is on you to show that you can afford the trip and that you will return to Jamaica at the end of your trip. The person sponsoring you would only need to send an invitation letter, enclosing proof of his status in Canada and financial situatio...

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 ...

Dear Ms Powell, Thank you for keeping Jamaicans worldwide informed. I live in Alberta and I was born in Jamaica. About two years ago, I sponsored a girl to come to Canada. We weren't married, just common law. Things didn't work out, so we split up. I don't even know where she is right now. I met another really, nice Christian woman from Jamaica and I plan to marry her and take her here. We are planning to be married next June. Will the fact that I sponsored someone before affect my ability to sponsor my fiancée? - A.B Dear A.B., There are several issues here. We need to look at your duties as a sponsor, the date that your sponsorship application was approved, and the reason for the separation. The critical date in this situation is October 25, 2012. Was your sponsorship application approved before or after that date? In October 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) introduced new rules relating to spousal sponsorship. These new rules s...

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...