****MARCH 2019 INLAND SPONSORSHIP****
- Thread starter Mar1219
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Agree to that. I also hope that due to lower submissions, We will get AOR sooner than the December and January applicants since they were delayed due to the backlog of winter holidays. Good luck all.
Hi Guys,
Kind of off topic but did any of you use an immigration lawyer or just fill and submit the forms yourself?
Kind of off topic but did any of you use an immigration lawyer or just fill and submit the forms yourself?
Hiring a lawyer was a big mistake I did, and I would advise you not to do the same mistake. I will explain why:
1. You will have to run after them to get updates on your case since your file will be linked to their account and email id along with dozen other applicants. (You wouldn’t be able to link your file to your account when you have representative).
2. You will depend on them for when to submit the case, when to fill up the forms and for every single other steps and the worst is that they run on their own schedule and don’t pay a Dammm about your individual urgency or pity situation.
3. You will suffer because of their ill advises sometimes, like my lawyer suggested me not to file “extension of visitor status” because according to him my file was in system even though AOR hasn’t been issued yet, and I followed his advise and guess what? my file came back after 2 and half months due to his negligence that he forgot to fill up dependent section in my application.
Hence, the Conclusion is: Lawyers are also human and they can do the same mistakes what we might do. So please try to do it your self (IRCC has already simplified the forms a lot for the applicants’ convenience and to save them from hassles of hiring lawyers), and you are welcome to ask any question and we will try to help you out the best we can to save you from hassle and to save your money which you will spend on lawyer. Just go through the application guides and do it yourself please, according to my personal experience.
*(Final choice is still yours)*
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I also filled the forms myself. No reason at all to pay so much money to a lawyer. I’m a student who works a part time job so the fees included in the application were enough for me! Haha. As long as you have patience and thoroughly go through the application you should be just fine
This was something I debated over for a while. After doing a lot of research, it became quickly evident to me that hiring a lawyer would get very expensive really quickly. Anywhere from $2000 to $5000 for the completion of my wife's PR application. But since I had so many unique questions, I wanted to get advice from a professional.
So I decided to go for a hybrid approach. I did the legwork of filling out forms and putting together most documents, but I hired an immigration consultant to do a file review. It cost me $400, which included $100 each for two 1-hr meetings and $200 for the file review. Our consultant was wonderful, answering a lot of one-off questions that I had via email, and then providing some creative solutions to some difficult questions that we ran into. I don't think I would've been able to adequately complete the PR application without our consultant's advice.
I agree with tayrg about avoiding using a lawyer as long as you're willing to put in the hard work. These forums have been very helpful in answering some questions, so definitely take advantage of this resource -- people here are so generous and willing to offer their two cents. Keep in mind that everyone's situation is different, so what might work for one individual may not work for you.
I would suggest that an immigration consultant might be a good "third option" for you if you can find someone who will do just the file review. If you decide to go that route, try to find someone who will do the file review for a flat fee rather than at an hourly rate. I know I'm stating the obvious, but do your research, see what immigration professionals are in your area, and look at Google reviews. Try to find someone who has experience with immigration and has a decent number of positive testimonials.
Hope that helps, and keep us updated on how your application goes!
Thanks so much everyone! I’m gonna tackle this by myself!! If I have any questions I’ll be sure to ask! Again, thank you guys!!
I sent an OWP for my spouse. Usually it takes 4-5 months but from looking at the January tracker it seems applicants have been receiving OWP around the 2 month mark which is amazing. There also seems to have been significantly less applicants in February and March so hopefully it is the same case for us
I hope someone can provide me the correct way forward. I had sent my application January 28, 2019. However, since IMM5669e Schedule A Background / Declaration was not signed by hand in addition to the electronic signatures, I have received my application back on March 21, 2019. My common-law partner's study permit expired Jan 30, 2019. She is within 90 days of the expiration of temporary status so we can apply for restoration. I have some questions before we take our next steps:
Q1. The application was received with the reason that IMM5669e was not signed by the Principal Applicant as highlighted in the attached document. Should we just sign and mail the application back trusting that this is the only error we have on the application? On the other hand this might just be the first error the Processing Officer found and he returned the application. Do they go through the entire application and send back all the reasons it was returned or just the first one they locate?.
Q2. Is the visitor visa application process to restore the status the same as applying online. Are there any differences in applying online v/s applying on paper? I know online processing time is much less than applying through paper. Any other benefits or differences?
Q3. Do I need to include the visitor permit with my PR application now or can I send my PR + OWP before I receive the visitor visa?
Q4. Since the PR application's processing time is 12 months, should I be choosing period of stay on visitor visa as more than 6 months. Although since we are including the OWP which has processing time of 4 months, should we choose period of stay on visitor visa less than 6 months.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Congratulations to everyone who received their OWP and AOR
Hi, sorry to hear your application was returned. Since January there have been a few updates to the forms so I would check the website to ensure you fill out the new correct forms to avoid another return. I do believe the officer would have highlighted any issues instead of stopping at just the first one. As far as your partner’s status, I don’t think there are any differences between applying online vs paper besides the processing time. Since their study permit is expired, although there’s no way for the officer to know it is expired, it does ask for proof of status in Canada on the checklist so I would submit it just in case. There’s also no need to extend it for more than 6 months because by that time they would have OWP.
Hi everyone,
My wife and I are getting ready to submit our app but i have a question regarding the fees. the website states 1040 with the right of PR then there is 550 without the right of PR, how much should it be in total ? same thing with the open work permit is it 155 +100 for OWP + 85 for biometrics? I am sorry but i am just kind of confused
also we filled the forms on the 14th of March but we are signing it tmw does it matter or it has to be sent on the same day that was signed? like it should not be singed with an older date
My wife and I are getting ready to submit our app but i have a question regarding the fees. the website states 1040 with the right of PR then there is 550 without the right of PR, how much should it be in total ? same thing with the open work permit is it 155 +100 for OWP + 85 for biometrics? I am sorry but i am just kind of confused
also we filled the forms on the 14th of March but we are signing it tmw does it matter or it has to be sent on the same day that was signed? like it should not be singed with an older date
Hi, I didn’t pay right of PR fee so I paid 550 plus the OWP fees which is 155 + 100 a lot of people mistake this so make sure you pay both. If you are applying Outland then you need to pay the 85 biometric fee and if you are applying inland and your spouse is in Canada they are currently exempt from giving biometrics until there is service established in Canada, IRCC told me not to pay the fee. I signed all of my forms with the date I filled them out!