How helpful is it to go to an Immigration Consultancy for immigration to Canada.

[kapoor1992]

I am currently researching on the options I have for Immigration to Canada and though the PR process is already well explained in the Canadian websites there are so many Immigration Companies here in India which give Express entry Consultancy Services.

I just wanted to understand why so many people opt for these consultancies ?? Do they give you an extra help (apart from there experience in Immigration) ?? Is there any catch in the Immigration process which are difficult to understand for the general public ??

Also I wanted to know, if someone opts to take help from these consultancies, how can he/she make sure if are investing there money at a correct place(Immigration Consultancy).

All suggestions are welcome. And if possible request suggestions for which Consultancy to hire in Bangalore for a Crystal Clear hassle free process.

 

[xpressentry]

The process is simple and you can do it on your own if you have time. For those who don't have time to do it themselves, they pay someone to do it for them. I would prefer doing it on my own as I would have control over my profile. Consultants sometimes keep login details and control the application and leave the applicant in the dark. When it's your application, you will put in all your energy towards it. The consultant has loads of clients and your application will never be a priority. At the end of the day, you are paying the consultant to fill up some forms for you cos you have to arrange PCCs, ECA and work references.

If your case is complicated like having criminal records or medical issues, you'd rather go with a registers law firm.

 

[abhijeetwadhwa]

This forum is full of consultants related horror stories and therefore I will not risk my profile with one of them.

 

[xpressentry]

This forum is full of consultants related horror stories and therefore I will not risk my profile with one of them.

To be honest, you are asking in the wrong place. We are here because we dont want to use consultants and therefore our bias will be against using consultants.

The ones who are not on the forum have paid good money to someone else to fill up their forms. You need to ask them about their opinion with consultants.

 

[lifein360]

As previous poster above me, I have only heard horror tales from immigration consultants. I myself visited a Universal immigration in Brampton which is supposedly very popular - before I had any idea what Express Entry is and he kept claiming how its so difficult and complex and even with my "borderline" points(I had 548 points, extremely comfortable which I learnt much later).

I also remember how he said I need ECA even though I completed my highest education from Canada.

Thankfully the cost was way too high and I thought to try it out myself - thats when I realized it is so straightforward.

All said and done, he was talking out of his a$$ and I read this site and kept following forums and did it myself - as did thousands others here. It is mostly straightforward barring some unclear language used by CIC at times.

 

[vishalg]

I am currently researching on the options I have for Immigration to Canada and though the PR process is already well explained in the Canadian websites there are so many Immigration Companies here in India which give Express entry Consultancy Services.

I just wanted to understand why so many people opt for these consultancies ?? Do they give you an extra help (apart from there experience in Immigration) ?? Is there any catch in the Immigration process which are difficult to understand for the general public ??

Also I wanted to know, if someone opts to take help from these consultancies, how can he/she make sure if are investing there money at a correct place(Immigration Consultancy).

All suggestions are welcome. And if possible request suggestions for which Consultancy to hire in Bangalore for a Crystal Clear hassle free process.

There is a lot of help available in this forum. Start going through a Sicky thread about EE program, you'll get an understanding on how to move forward.
After you get a hang of it and you still feel there are certain issues for which you might need some legal help then only I would advise you to go for an immigration agency. While shortlisting the lawyer, select the one who is licensed to do so, which you can check on CIC website.
Wish you all the best.

 

[yodheydhara]

Very true.. agree with the folks who said its a waste of time. My personal experience has been pretty rough - I consulted an agent for PR under the previous program. I was given incorrect advises on how to get my police clearance from India while I was in the US. Later, after many back and forth questions, I finally submitted my documents and then I had to follow up every few days to get an update on my case. After a couple of months I got a response that my application was returned because the cap limit was reached. The only good thing that the agent did was that since I had already paid the consulting fee, they created my Express Entry profile for free and then after many requests, gave me the profile details.

Then, I found out how simple it was to do this on my own, seeing some of my close friends doing on their own from India. No advises given by the agents whatsoever on how can I boost up my points etc. I found out from my friends that if my wife also gave IELTS and gets her WES done, that will give me additional points.

From that point on, I never consulted that company again. Me and my wife did the whole process by ourselves and now we got the PR cards last month.

In conclusion - you do not need these agencies - loads of information available on the CIC website as well as this forum (I am very grateful to all the folks on this forum who has responded to my queries, questions and provided some really valuable inputs)!

 

[xpressentry]

People on this forum are very nice and helpful. I visited a prominent agency which is in India, UK, Middle East, etc during the initial stages where I gave an IELTS without any prep and had a 7.5. Yes, I had achieve the bare minimum but my score was only 412 and anything below 450 was unthinkable then. The consultant made it sound like I had a great score and he had to enter me into the pool cos by being out of the pool, employers wont have access to me and provinces especially Ontario wont have a chance to pick my profile. He offered services like marketing my profile to provinces. How? I think it was a gimmick. He made it sound like employers were waiting for me with jobs at the airport to make me an offer on landing. This sounded too good to be true. My wife being against agents whether for travel or visas said she wouldn't pay a penny to that airhead and all I had to do was get reference letters and a CLB 9 while she would do the rest. I developed interest in the Canadian immigration and joined the forum. Ever since, I am looking forward to my new life in Canada.

Had I listened to the agent, I would be waiting in the pool for a PNP or 412. I pushed myself to do better in language as that was the fastest way to increase my score. I entered the pool over the weekend and I am waiting for a draw today.

 

[thinkshady]

A complete NO NO to any gents, this forum is life saver for many....