Month: March 2020

The Canadian Express Entry System is a popular immigration stream that allows people to move to Canada more efficiently. This program has even helped thousands of immigration candidates and their families to apply for Canadian permanent residence. 

Now, a huge part of your success with this system hinges on their Express Entry profile. This is why Express Entry consultants have tirelessly worked with applicants to help fine-tune profiles to give them the best shot at qualifying for Canadian permanent residence.

You can liken this process to an audition or job application, which is why you’ll want to put your best foot forward and optimize your Express Entry profile. Given this, there are a few things that you have to be extra careful with when putting together your profile.

To help make this easier for you, we’ve put together a list of things to take note of when creating your Express Entry profile: 

Information Accuracy

The first thing you want to do is to make sure that the information you input is correct and accurate. This is because small errors like typos can drastically affect your chances as they can lower your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.

CRS Score

Keep in mind that your CRS is what will determine whether or not you qualify for Canadian permanent residence. One of the latest Express Entry draws has had the lowest CRS score requirements in years as candidates with scores as low as 455 managed to qualify for Canadian permanent residence. Despite this, you’ll want to do all you can to ensure that your score is up to par. One thing you can do to prepare for this is to try and estimate what your CRS score will be based on your situation. 

While this would be easier with the help of an Express Entry consultant in Toronto, all you need to know is that they consider your skills, educational attainment, language ability, and work experience when computing for your score. If you find that you’re lacking in some of those departments, it is best to try and make up for it during the other aspects of the Express Entry application process.

Federal Skilled Trades Program

In relation to your CRS score, it’s important to note that there are around two Express Entry draws each year that are specifically for the Federal Skilled Trades Program. This is usually for tradespeople who may be put at a disadvantage as they lack high levels of educational attainment. If you’re a tradesperson, be sure to enter your profile in this pool to help increase your chances for Canadian permanent residence.

Family Composition

One thing that people often forget is that your family composition affects your eligibility. This is why you’ll want to update your Express Entry profile whenever your civil status changes, and this also applies to having children. If you’re planning to marry your partner and are both seeking to immigrate to Canada, it would be in your best interest to check with an Express Entry consultant and see how this union will affect your chances.

Deadlines

Be sure to take note of the deadlines if you are issued an invite to apply for permanent residence. This is because these invitations expire and will not be carried to the next draw. Take note that missing a deadline means that you will have to go through the entire process all over again.

Conclusion

At this point, you now know several vital points when creating an Express Entry profile and how you can improve it. Similarly, remember to be meticulous when it comes to reviewing your profile to increase your chances of qualifying for Canadian permanent residence. 

If you’re looking for professional help from a trusted firm, please contact us at info@brightimmigration.com or call 1-888-404-8472.

In light of the global pandemic that has affected the world since the onset of 2020, many plans have been paused and major adjustments were made. It’s been over seven months since the world came to a stop due to the prevalence of a deadly virus, yet there is still no cure in sight. Because of this, many individuals have found ways to get their plans moving again with the help of modern technology. 

How Technology Has Helped Many People

Today, almost everything is done online, such as classes and meetings. Zoom has become one of the most reliable platforms to hold events that many couples even use it to host online weddings. The weddings that pushed through despite the pandemic and that were held online were mostly in the hopes of helping progress documents, especially for Canadians who are in relationships with people abroad who want to sponsor their partner. 

The thing is, if you’re planning to do an online wedding to sponsor your partner to travel and live in Canada, you might need to wait until you both are physically present before you say “I Do.”

According to Canadian’s Immigration regulations, both partners need to be physically present at the time of the marriage ceremony for it to be considered legal. 

Some of the US states may have changed their marriage requirements in response to the global pandemic, yet Canada has not done so just yet. This has become clear due to the two provisions in Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. It clearly states that marriages through video conferencing will not be acknowledged even if they’re recognised in other jurisdictions. 

Moreover, it states that a foreign national will not be considered a spouse of a person if either one or both of the spouses was not physically present during the marriage ceremony. An exception to this will be if the partner is in the Canadian Forces, and that’s not all. The CIC also prohibits proxy marriages where one or both partners are not physically present and represented by another person; this is to prevent forced or early marriages. 

What Can You Do?

Fret not, as there’s still hope. The Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications or Conjugal Partner Sponsorships might provide you with an alternative if you were planning to be married and start the spousal sponsorship process. However, this is only for people in relationships for at least one year.

Conclusion

It is undeniable that the pandemic has made significant changes to many peoples’ lives, and will continue to do so. Yet, this doesn’t mean that you have to wait until a vaccine comes out before you can push through with your marriage. At this point, many governments and individuals are trying to resume their normal lives, and any time soon, marriages, where both partners are present, will be possible again. 

With that, if you are eager to start the sponsorship process, keep in mind that there are significant delays as well due to the previous months. As of now, practising patience is the best thing you can do. 

You can also get creative and have a wedding with proper safety protocols and social distancing during the event. This is for couples who just can’t wait to jumpstart the sponsorship process. However, if you can wait a while for a proper and “normal” ceremony, then that will be much better. 

If you’re looking for professional help from a trusted firm, please contact us at info@brightimmigration.com or call 1-888-404-8472. 

Canada’s education system is one of the best in the world, and it’s actually becoming more desirable to international students compared to the United States’ previous dominance. Many fresh high school graduates have been setting their sights on the great north because of the incredible investments the government has made to the system. Whether you’re gunning for the east or west coast, the various universities in the country can give you unique opportunities to study. 

Canada believes in education for all, and they’ve recently eased up on international students who have the dream to pursue their studies in the country. Students should work with an immigration consultant alongside their college and university counsellors to ensure that they secure a future in Canada’s top schools. Here’s how you can obtain a study permit to pursue your education in the best universities:

Know What Doesn’t Require a Study Permit

Not all students will be required to secure a study permit, as there are special instances that aren’t as pressing for the Canadian government. Some areas of study are accepted by the Canadian government with the right documentation, such as pre-school students and online learning in today’s day and age. Additionally, non-credit academic courses, tourist packages, non-academic courses, and any course less than six months in duration won’t require study permits. However, most universities offering a full undergraduate degree or postgraduate studies will require study permits in most cases. 

Checking Your Eligibility

In the Canadian embassy in your home country, you can consult with the agents there to serif you are eligible for a study permit in Canada. Each country has its own requirements and criteria for passing as per international relations between them and the Canadian government, so you’ll have to consult the right people. Your local embassy will check criminal records from local government offices, medical conditions, and financial standings as the basic few criteria for admissibility. Even if you’ve been accepted to the universities you’ve applied to, if the Canadian embassy doesn’t grant you the visa or permit, you cannot pursue your studies. You may also check with immigration consultants in Canada for a better view of what you need to get a study permit. 

Have All Documentation Ready

The embassy may ask you for a letter of acceptance (LOA) that comes from your learning institution. This letter entails that you have passed qualifications and are an accepted student in their program. Boarding schools for K-12 students are best applied for between January and April, which is where assessment for the new enrollees begins and they start to give out their LOAs. Later applications have a higher risk of rejection and can damage your chances to obtain a student permit in Canada. Asides from your hired immigration consultant, be sure to consult with school counsellors and professionals who can help with chances of success. 

University education or postgraduate studies will have their own respective processes, deadlines, and application periods. Check the right schools and find what works for you, and ensure that you meet all documentation requirements. There will be several options you’ll need to consider and you will want the right documentation for the Canadian embassy to take your application into consideration. 

Stay tuned for part two of our guide to obtaining a study permit in Canada!

Conclusion

Being a student in Canada is a dream that many people want to achieve. In the great north, there’s tons to experience and a whole new horizon of learning, which is why many international students set their sights on the top Canadian institutions and universities. Be a part of the great new generation of learners by applying for a student permit today!

If you’re looking for professional help from a trusted firm please contact us at info@brightimmigration.com or call 1-888-404-8472.

Sponsoring your parents or grandparents to Canada lets you reunite with them. Your loved ones also get the chance to enjoy a more convenient life as they reap the benefits of being permanent residents. They will be able to work in the country, access health care, and eventually earn the right to become Canadian citizens.

If you are planning to sponsor your parents or grandparents for permanent residency in Canada, you may be thinking about its benefits and wonder if you should apply. Use this article as your guide to learn more about this program. 

What Are the Benefits of Sponsoring My Parents or Grandparents to Canada?

Getting chosen to sponsor your parents or grandparents for permanent residents offers a wide range of benefits. For instance, they don’t have to maintain costly travel insurance because they will qualify for healthcare coverage. They are also not subject to additional immigration processes when renewing or extending their temporary status. 

How Long Does It Take to Sponsor My Parents or Grandparents to Canada?

You can expect faster processing times for this program, especially since Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) manages the process through the invitation-only system. It takes six months to a year to process straightforward applications, while more complicated applications take one to two years.  Just take note that due to the global pandemic, processing times will be affected. These setbacks refer to both Canada and the home country of your parent or grandparent.

What Should I Do If I Find Out I Was Not Invited to Sponsor?

If you discovered that you were not invited to sponsor your parents or grandparents to Canada once the invitation period has passed, here are some options you can consider:

• Your parents or grandparents can use a super visa

A super visa to Canada lets your loved one stay with you while you wait for the chance to sponsor them for permanent residence. While some processes were put in place as the country’s border remains closed to most travellers during the pandemic, Canadian citizens or permanent residents like you are allowed to join with your close family members in the country.

• Your parents or grandparents can use a regular visitor visa

A regular visitor visa can be used by your parents or grandparents. While its requirements are less strict than a super visa application, it can be more difficult to gain approval. Keep in mind that refusals are frequent, and they can make gaining approval more challenging in the future, so it’s best to reach out to immigration consultants for professional advice.

• You can submit another application

For 2021, the parent and grandparent sponsorship intake will be the biggest in recent years as 30,000 sponsors are invited. You could be asked to sponsor your loved ones in the months ahead as long as you submit another application and express your interest once the program reopens.

Conclusion

While your parents or grandparents can enjoy travelling in Canada using a regular visitor visa, sponsoring them to become permanent residents is definitely the way to go to ensure they have the chance at a better life. Keep all the information in this guide in mind and consult a reputable immigration agency to gain approval for your application. 

If you’re looking for professional help from a trusted firm, please contact us at info@brightimmigration.com or call 1-888-404-8472. At Bright Immigration, our immigration consultants in Toronto can help address all your immigration needs.

It can be challenging to spend months or years away from your spouse or partner, but a separation due to immigration rules is a whole other level of difficulty. Gaining immigration approval for a loved one is a complex process, and each situation requires a unique solution to ensure quick processing and approval. If you are trying to join your partner, here are some things you should know about spousal sponsorship applications in Canada.

IRCC Might Refuse Your Visitor’s Visa

If a foreign national applies for a visitor’s visa, the officer must assess if they have strong ties to their country of residence. If not, they might reject the application. When a foreign national has a Canadian partner and applies for a visa, it demonstrates strong ties to Canada. It makes the officer question if the foreign national intends to stay permanently. If the application has documented reasons for why they must return to their country of residence, the officer will be likely to approve it. The chances of this happening are slim, though, when a Canadian spouse or partner is in the picture.

You Must Prove Your Common-Law Status

For the IRCC, a common-law relationship consists of partners engaged in an exclusive, cohabiting, conjugal relationship for at least 12 consecutive months. The partners must also have combined their affairs similar to the way married couples do. 

There are various ways to prove a common-law relationship, like photos demonstrating your public relationship, shared lease agreements or purchases of property, and identity documents with the same address. Each couple will have a different life situation, so the documents they could present to prove their relationship would differ.

In Canadian immigration, the conjugal partnership category is for legitimate relationships between partners unable to cohabit or marry legally. An example would be a same-sex couple where one of the partners resides in a country that prohibits same-sex relationships.

You Can Pursue A Divorce In Your Jurisdiction

Suppose you are married in your home country and cannot get a divorce there. There are workarounds to this situation, and you can consult a Canada spouse immigration expert to learn more. If you can live together with your Canadian spouse, you can apply as common-law partners as long as you have reached the required timeframe. This rule applies even if you have not gotten a divorce.

You Have To Know How To Manage Your Online Applications

Some people find it challenging to link their online applications. Keep in mind that when linking applications, the total you write should have the principal applicant, the sponsor, and dependent children on the IMM0008. If the applications still don’t link, you can use the Case Specific Enquiry webform for submitting requested updates.

Conclusion

Spending time away from your loved ones can be trying, and people who have the chance to apply for a spousal sponsorship visa should take advantage of it. However, the application process can be involved and complicated. Applicants and sponsors must know how to work through it or seek help from a Canadian spouse immigration expert.

If you’re looking for professional help from a trusted firm please contact us at info@brightimmigration.com or call 1-888-404-8472.

A spousal sponsorship application in Canada can be challenging, as you can never guarantee its success. Its fate will depend on the immigrant officers from the Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). As such, the documents that the applicant and their spouse submit should provide firm proof of the genuineness of their relationship.

Apart from the primary requirements, some applicants also submit supporting letters to further validate their relationship with their spouse. Although not mandatory, these documents provide support and may help advance their application.

If you are applying for spousal sponsorship, immigration consultants may suggest that you write a supporting letter. However, they may not provide you with the proper way of writing it. To help you out, here are some things that you may include in your supporting letter to help convince the immigration officers:

1. Detailed information about your relationship with your spouse

Your supporting letter should mainly discuss your relationship with your spouse. Start by providing an overview of your relationship, including how you met and how things progressed over time, as this will be the basis of whether the relationship is genuine or not. It is crucial that you provide detailed information, especially for the dates and years, to create strong arguments and a solid timeline of events.

2. Relationship of your spouse with your other loved ones

Apart from your romantic relationship, you should also describe your spouse’s connection with your family, relatives, and friends. If you have children, you should also discuss how they communicate and the nature of their relationship. This is important, as it provides an idea of whether the relationship may fail or further progress after the application.

3. How you communicate

If your spouse is from a foreign country, you should describe how you communicate with each other daily. You should also discuss how often you speak or if you have a set schedule to catch up with each other’s lives. To some extent, this will show how stable your relationship is.

4. Activities you have done together

Describing specific activities that you have done together will also help establish the genuineness of your relationship. If you plan to discuss events, make sure you provide the exact date and attach photos. Also, describe how long you have done such things and why you decided to go to a particular place or perform such an activity together.

5. Things you like about your spouse

The immigrant officers will assume that as their partner, you will appreciate certain things about your spouse. Talk about the great qualities that made you interested in them. If you have common traits or hobbies, it would be best to include them as well. Overall, you should tell the officers why you think that your spouse is the one for you. Remember that the point of a supporting letter is to provide strong arguments about the genuineness of your relationship.

6. Your wedding details

If you already got married, describing your wedding ceremony and reception will help a lot. You should outline the details in the event, especially the guests you invited, the date and time of the wedding, and highlights of the event. You should also describe how the event was special and how memorable it was for both of you.

7. Your plans together with your spouse

At the end of your letter, you should describe how you plan to live together and the goals you want to achieve. This information will help the immigration officers see how you plan to move forward with your relationship.

Conclusion

Spousal sponsorship application is one of the toughest sponsorships to apply for in Canada. The CIC department makes sure that the documents are valid and legitimate. Moreover, they conduct thorough background checks to review the genuineness of the couple’s relationship.

To provide more substantial proof and argument, you may submit a supporting letter, alongside your primary requirements. Doing so should be easy so long as the relationship is genuine, but it can go a long way towards improving your chances of success.

If you need immigration services in Toronto, get in touch with us today. Our immigration consultants will help ensure that your documents are complete and valid to give you the best chances of success.

When marriages don’t work anymore, they usually end in separation or divorce. If you live in Canada and you’re still willing to sponsor your ex-spouse despite your irreconcilable differences, the office of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can cater to your situation.

It’s crucial to meet specific requirements and prepare the right documents before officials can guarantee your ex-partner’s residency, despite your marital status. For people having a hard time understanding the rules, it’s best to seek help from an immigration consultant in Toronto.

If you want to know the petitioning requirements in Canada for your ex-spouse, keep reading below to find out.

They Should Obtain Clean Records Before Moving

Before your ex-partner is given the right to move to Canada by the government, they must pass a screening test to prove they do not pose a threat to the country. If they have committed criminal offences in the past, they need to prove that their case has been closed and issues have been dealt with so they won’t be a problem to the residents of Canada.

The same goes for denying a person’s right to entry due to medical reasons. Your ex-spouse must face the same procedure to show that they won’t be a concern to the community. As such, before they are allowed to apply for residency, it’s best to ask help from a Canada immigration company to review your documents and overall status.

They Should Prove Their Relationship with You is Genuine

If you want to petition your ex-partner because you’re still in a sincere relationship with them that proves more significant than your marriage’s breakup, it’s possible to sponsor them. You can request an application that married couples undergo, but take note that you will be monitored closely due to your situation.

Since you will be held liable for the person you’re sponsoring, the CIC will ask you to sign an undertaking contract. The agreement shows that you will be in charge of your ex-partner’s basic needs, as well as that of any children they have that are also moving to Canada with them.

They Should Be Living with You for at least a Year

For a relationship to be considered valid, you must prove that you’ve lived with your partner for at least one year during your marriage. Your previous conjugal relationship should show a significant degree of attachment between you and your spouse. If you want to sponsor your ex-partner successfully, there must be proof you need to present during your application that shows you lived with them for twelve months. 

They Should Meet the Five-Year Condition

As stated by CIC on their website, if you successfully sponsored your ex-partner, they themselves cannot sponsor a new spouse for the next five years while applying for permanent residency in Canada.

The government declared the five-year rule in 2012 for the primary purpose of helping the community eliminate the abuse of the sponsorship program of the country. If you find yourself in the same situation, it will help if you asked an immigration agency to assist you properly.

Conclusion

Just like any other country, moving to Canada has specific legal policies you need to follow. For those who plan to sponsor their ex-partners, you should meet the government’s requirements if you want a successful application. In most cases, it’s best to rely on an immigration expert to make sure you have all the necessary documents ready to ensure smooth processing.

Bright Immigration is one of the best Canada immigration consultants in Toronto. If you’re looking for professional help from a trusted firm, please contact us at info@brightimmigration.com or call 1-888-404-8472.