Attorney Recommendation

[cvask]

Hello Friends,

I am planning to apply for Canadian PR under Family Sponsorship.
If you could recommend any immigration attorney with whom you have worked with and have had a good experience, I would really appreciate that.

I have contacted few attorneys on my own but they are quoting much higher than I expected (in the range of USD 6000-8000).

Mine is a very simple and straightforward spousal sponsorship since my wife is a Canadian Citizen and we have been living in the US for last 5 years.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[kasskiss125]

If your case is simple and straightforward, why do you need an attorney? People in this forum have more knowledge than any attorney. ask your questions and you will be surprise how good people are in this forum.

 

[browning911]

Immigration Matters
Ramkissoon & Associates
Ronald Ramkissoon
2390 Eglinton Avenue East
Suite 207
Scarborough, ON M1K 2P5
Tel No: 416 288 1486

 

[cvask]

If your case is simple and straightforward, why do you need an attorney? People in this forum have more knowledge than any attorney. ask your questions and you will be surprise how good people are in this forum.

Thanks for your response kasskiss125. I am in 2 minds if I should do it on my own or if it is a good idea to use attorney's help. I went through the paperwork and it does look straightforward however I thought maybe there are some things that I am overlooking which attorney may point out. Plus, if something happens and my application gets rejected that I will be wasting crucial time. But reading your response gives me confidence that I can do it on my own with the help of friends in this forum.

Thanks again.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

The vast majority of us did it on our own. A lawyer is a waste of money.

 

[cvask]

The vast majority of us did it on our own. A lawyer is a waste of money.

Thanks. I will start my paperwork and revert to this forum if I have any questions.

 

[avatarkyoshi]

Thanks for your response kasskiss125. I am in 2 minds if I should do it on my own or if it is a good idea to use attorney's help. I went through the paperwork and it does look straightforward however I thought maybe there are some things that I am overlooking which attorney may point out. Plus, if something happens and my application gets rejected that I will be wasting crucial time. But reading your response gives me confidence that I can do it on my own with the help of friends in this forum.

Thanks again.

I agree with kasskiss. Do it on your own. Only people who have rejected cases or highly complex cases should bother with an attorney. Otherwise, it's a pure rip off. I know tons of people who have applied. Anyone who used a lawyer told me they just wasted money. A guy in another post was saying how his lawyer didn't even review the basic qualifications of their case. Just be your own lawyer lol.

 

[MonzB]

Hello Friends,

I am planning to apply for Canadian PR under Family Sponsorship.
If you could recommend any immigration attorney with whom you have worked with and have had a good experience, I would really appreciate that.

I have contacted few attorneys on my own but they are quoting much higher than I expected (in the range of USD 6000-8000).

Mine is a very simple and straightforward spousal sponsorship since my wife is a Canadian Citizen and we have been living in the US for last 5 years.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

204-952-1551 Mike-- he is a CIC consultant---information is free and the cost is way cheaper than any lawyer out there if you're not confident doing it on your own.

 

[emip106]

Plus, if something happens and my application gets rejected that I will be wasting crucial time.

I think it depends on how crucial time is for you - hiring an attorney definitely speeds up the application process (took me approx. four months to submit VS around a month for a friend who used an attorney). If you are able to research and submit your own application, I'd strongly recommend it. I have a much better understanding of the process than friends who have hired attorneys, and one even had his application returned as incomplete because his representative screwed up the paperwork!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I think it depends on how crucial time is for you - hiring an attorney definitely speeds up the application process (took me approx. four months to submit VS around a month for a friend who used an attorney). If you are able to research and submit your own application, I'd strongly recommend it. I have a much better understanding of the process than friends who have hired attorneys, and one even had his application returned as incomplete because his representative screwed up the paperwork!

Hiring an attorney doesn't speed up the process in any way. If it took you 4 months to get your app together, that was the result of your own actions.

 

[Omegabyte]

As someone that is in the US to Canada Spousal PR process, I would wholeheartedly agree with everyone else here encouraging you to do the application yourself. It took my wife and I less than a month to compile all the info we needed. With the new 2017 application forms and process, it'll be easier yet.

A couple tips:

(1) Use a FBI channeler to get your FBI PCC. Using the FBI takes 2-3 months or more. Now that the FBI no longer uses copy proof paper, IRCC accepts the FBI PCC from any recognized channeler. https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/compact-council/list-of-approved-channelers

(2) Make sure you tell IRCC your detailed plan for returning to Canada upon PR approval.

Good luck!

 

[Rob_TO]

Hiring an attorney doesn't speed up the process in any way. If it took you 4 months to get your app together, that was the result of your own actions.

Ya if anything usually involving a lawyer actually slows things down because CIC needs to communicate through them to get to you which causes delays if your attorney is busy with other things. Not to mention the literally hundreds of posts on this site explaining how lawyers gave bad info creating the application, resulting in long processing delays and various other problems.

Unless your case involves some serious criminality or other such issues, or if you simply can't understand english/french well enough to understand the application guide and forms.... you should NEVER hire an immigration lawyer to do your app.

 

[cvask]

As someone that is in the US to Canada Spousal PR process, I would wholeheartedly agree with everyone else here encouraging you to do the application yourself. It took my wife and I less than a month to compile all the info we needed. With the new 2017 application forms and process, it'll be easier yet.

A couple tips:

(1) Use a FBI channeler to get your FBI PCC. Using the FBI takes 2-3 months or more. Now that the FBI no longer uses copy proof paper, IRCC accepts the FBI PCC from any recognized channeler.

(2) Make sure you tell IRCC your detailed plan for returning to Canada upon PR approval.

Good luck!

Thanks for this info. I feel confident now that I can do it on my own. Also, thanks for the tips shared by you regarding the FBI PCC. I will start this process today itself.

Few questions -
1. When I am checking FBI channeler website, they have an option of getting the results through email and/or by tamper proof paper through a regular mail. Which one is preferred by IRCC, email or a paper copy?

2. If I have to send a paper copy to IRCC, do I need to request the copy to be directly delivered to IRCC through FBI or I receive the copy from FBI and then send it to IRCC as a part of my application packet?

3. Since getting PCC directly from FBI get 2-3 months, how long does it take to get the same from FBI Channeler? In other words, how quick are the channeler to turnaround with the results?

4. Which channeler (you used) and do you recommend any specific channeler from your experience?

5. Though I am applying from the US, my home country is India. Do I need to get PCC from my home country as well? Please advise.

Thanks again for giving me the confidence to do the application on my own.

 

[danawhitaker]

Thanks for this info. I feel confident now that I can do it on my own. Also, thanks for the tips shared by you regarding the FBI PCC. I will start this process today itself.

Few questions -
1. When I am checking FBI channeler website, they have an option of getting the results through email and/or by tamper proof paper through a regular mail. Which one is preferred by IRCC, email or a paper copy?

2. If I have to send a paper copy to IRCC, do I need to request the copy to be directly delivered to IRCC through FBI or I receive the copy from FBI and then send it to IRCC as a part of my application packet?

3. Since getting PCC directly from FBI get 2-3 months, how long does it take to get the same from FBI Channeler? In other words, how quick are the channeler to turnaround with the results?

4. Which channeler (you used) and do you recommend any specific channeler from your experience?

5. Though I am applying from the US, my home country is India. Do I need to get PCC from my home country as well? Please advise.

Thanks again for giving me the confidence to do the application on my own.

I used Fieldprint. They only provide a PDF, I had my results back in five minutes. We were still in the parking lot after they scanned my prints into the system and I received an e-mail letting me know my results were ready. I submitted with the old application kit, and simply printed out the PDF. They didn't have an issue with this. With the new kit, they're asking for the police check to be uploaded anyway. While they say they could ask for an original, I've seen other people who used Fieldprint successfully with no issues. There were problems in the past, and I suppose they could decide to have problems again with them in the future, but in terms of what the current trend is, they should be fine. I was thrilled with how fast I got my results.

With the new application kit, this is what they're asking for:

"When we ask you for police certificates at this stage, you’ll have to submit them for:

the country where you currently live, if you have lived there for six months or more; and
the country where you have spent most of your adult life since the age of 18."

 

[emip106]

Hiring an attorney doesn't speed up the process in any way. If it took you 4 months to get your app together, that was the result of your own actions.

Interesting! Paying attorney fees was never an option for me, and I had the impression that my friend hadn't prepared much before instructing a representative (hence my impression of a speedier app preparation process).