CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

Immigration Corner | How do I become a citizen? :  Dear Ms. Powell, I was born in the Haiti and my mother was born to a Jamaican citizen. She took me to the United States (US) when I was 10 years old. We have not been able to get US citizenship, so we went to Canada. My mother checked with a lawyer in Canada and he said we could apply to stay, but he can't guarantee that our application will get through. I don't like the cold in Canada and I met a nice Jamaican online. How can I apply to get Jamaican citizenship? I don't want to go back to Haiti. -M.U. Dear M.U., There are a number of factors involved in the application for citizenship in a country in which one was not born. In Jamaica, the citizenship rules stipulate that for an individual to become a citizen you must demonstrate that you are married to a Jamaican citizen, or demonstrate that you have a first-generation connection, that is, your parents were born in Jamaica; or that you have a second-ge...

Immigration Corner | How can I stay in Canada? :  Dear Ms Powell, I am on long leave from my job in Jamaica and I visited Canada in June. I met a really nice guy and I have been staying with him and helping him in his business - not for money, just as a friend. I'm just helping him to sort his records out. I'm an accountant. I have a Bachelor's Degree and just need a few more courses to get my ACCA certification. I like Canada and would like to stay, but I don't want to run off or be deported. How can I apply to stay? - L.L. Dear L.L., Tread carefully. Usually, when someone visits Canada on a visitor's or temporary resident visa, they are not authorised to work and are required to spend no more than six months in the country. You should pay attention to the timelines so that you don't jeopardise your ability to remain in or return to Canada in the future. Since you are an accountant by profession and have the basic qualifications to be able t...

Dear Miss Powell, I came to Canada with my mother on a visitor’s visa in 2008 to help my aunt who was sick and needed a helper. The summer after I finished high school in Jamaica my mother took me to Canada. I was 16 at the time.  My mother and I now live with my aunt.  I passed seven subjects in Jamaica and wanted to go to college/university here, but my aunt and mother are worried that the immigration authorities would send me home if they found me. I have been helping my aunt and some of her friends with housework just to get some pocket money and to have something to do.  I would really love to get my documents so that I can go to school and stop hiding. I’m scared go anywhere and to talk to anyone apart from family friends as I don’t want to be sent back to Jamaica. My aunt says if I’m not careful anyone can call the police who can lock me up and then deport me. I don’t have anyone in Jamaica to help me so I wouldn’t know what to do th...