CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

Dear Miss Powell, I am an accountant and I want to move to Canada to be with my family, but the IELTS exam is killing me. I have taken the exam four times and I can’t seem to get a good-enough grade to apply under the express entry programme. I am just horrible at doing exams. I do well enough in speaking, but can’t get over six for writing, listening, or reading. Is there any way I can become a permanent resident of Canada without sitting the exam? Someone said I should try the school route. What do you think? Can that work? Thank you for your help. – AO Dear AO,   Most of Canada’s immigration programmes require that you prove your competence in at least one of Canada’s official languages. For English, the required language exam is the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), General Training examination, or the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Programme (CELPIP) – General Examination. For French, you would need to sit the TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de ...

  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...

  FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY. CLICK HERE TO SIGNUP Dear Miss Powell, I have been dating a farm worker from Jamaica and we plan to get married, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are facing all kinds of complications and we are not sure how to deal with everything. Now that we are planning the wedding, he tells me that he is illegal. He said that his permit expired, but he couldn’t renew it as his passport expired. Is he now illegal? If we get married, can I sponsor him? – F.M. Dear F.M., As a general rule, all applicants to Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada ( IRCC) must have a valid, unexpired passport in order for an application to be considered. Therefore, it is imperative that your partner applies immediately to get a new passport from his home country before dealing with IRCC. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations, a person may be deemed to be in Canada illegally, or ‘out of status’ or ‘lack status’ in Canada, for a number of reasons. An out-of-...

Dear Miss Powell, I read one of your recent articles and I am in a similar situation, as my girlfriend is living abroad. I would like her to visit me here in Canada, but I am not sure how to do this. A friend in the United States (US) said that he applied for a fiancé visa to get his girlfriend to go to the US, so he said I should ask you about that arrangement for Canada. I now seek your assistance in finding out how I can have her apply for a fiancée visa to Canada? That way, she can travel to Canada so that we can get married, and then I would sponsor her once I’m in a position to do so. How do we apply for my girlfriend to come to Canada? – E.B. Dear E.B., I know that family reunification is on the minds of many of my readers, as I have received several questions relating to this topic since COVID-19. I encourage you to contact an immigration lawyer personally as there may be various options available to you, based on the details of your case. Nevertheless, I will answer your quest...

Dear Miss Powell, I have been reading your articles for a while, and you have inspired me to apply to live in Canada. Based on your articles, I think I would be able to apply as a Federal Skilled Worker, but I have not applied as I am currently taking care of my mother and my nephew, and I’m concerned about the application. I am their only family member as my sister died, and I do not know who my nephew’s father is. I can’t leave them alone, but I see this as an opportunity to do better in life. Can I include my mother and my nephew as a dependent on my application? – R.A. Dear R.A., Your mother and nephew are blessed to have you in their life. I understand your concerns, and I am pleased to let you know that the Canadian government recognises the need to keep families together. If you are able to qualify to come to Canada, there are several programmes that you can examine to determine the best route to ensure that your family is not separated for any extended period. Co...

Dear Miss Powell, I am 28 years old and living in Canada. I have a half-sister who is five years old and living with friends in Jamaica. Her mother died last year, and I’ve been sending money to help her. Can I sponsor her even though she is a half-sister? She is my father’s child, but my dad also died a few year ago and I’m very worried about her and I would like to take her here with me. How can I get my baby sister to live with me? What documents would I need? How much would it cost? Is this an expensive process? Thank you in advance for your help. A.Y Dear AY Under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor an orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece or grandchild if you are able to satisfy the requirements. This applies to half-sisters as well. The most important requirements in this case are proof of age and relationship, that is, you will...

 FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY TO COME TO CANADA.   click link Dear Miss Powell, My grandmother is a citizen in Canada and would like to sponsor me to live with her in Canada. I am 16 years old my mother died last year. My grandmother has been sending money for me to stay with a family friend and finish up high school which I will finish soon. She wants me to get the information about how she can sponsor me as she would like me to live with her and go to college there. What documents do we need to apply? AM Dear AM, I am sorry to hear of the loss of your mother and I am glad that you have the support of your grandmother in Canada. There are several ways that citizens and permanent residents of Canada can assist family members to move to Canada permanently. This is provided that all the parties involved can satisfy the conditions set under the immigration laws of Canada. Sponsorship options Your grandmother may be able to sponsor you under two main categories u...