Hi,
Compliments for your detailed & very helpful post on OINP process which was a one-stop shop for many questions!
Having browsed thru this forum, I feel you’d be best placed to guide me on the following points, or please direct me to any other thread/location where these have already been answered. I have poured out my help items here hence it is a heartfelt request that you bear with me on this long-ish message and help me as I’ve just not been able to find answers to these.
Points
1. Age points: My birthday falls in March
a. If CRS cutoffs fall enough for me to get an ITA and I apply before my birthday, I’ve read a ministerial instruction on CIC site that there’s a relaxation such that my age points won’t decrease (because I aged 1 year) if I have a birthday during the application process. Question: Have you/anyone you know gained from this relaxation (i.e. is this relaxation actually practiced by CIC)? If yes, then I can relax a little otherwise I’ll have to ask my wife to take another IELTS attempt just to go from IELTS 8.0 to 8.5!!
Age is locked the day you get your ITA. Any changes to age after that will not affect your application.
b. If the CRS cutoffs don’t fall as much and I have to imperatively rely on OINP: I’m eyeing OINP human capital priorities stream. If OINP cutoff stays @ 400 only, and if I get a call, I expect to cross my birthday soon after applying for OINP. Does OINP too consider this relaxation, or would they do a 10-point deduction as a result of which I go down to 399 hence a notch below the OINP qualifying 400 points – as a result my candidature would not be valid?
Age is locked when you get a PT NOI from Ontario. Changes to age after this will not affect your application.
2. Spouse employment points: For gaining points from my wife's (outside Canada) employment - please advise how old experience can be considered as she was last employed in 2011? I understand OINP program says experience required in the past 5 years, but what about CIC (federal) guidelines?
You CANNOT gain any CRS points for your spouse's work experience that was gained outside of Canada. I am assuming you are the primary applicant.
Documentation
1. Employer letters: I have 17 years of work experience. Do I need to get employer letters for all 17 years or only for the last 10 years?
Only for the jobs you are claiming points for.
2. Employer letters: I plan to get employer letters right away to save time later hoping I’d be invited to apply! Please advise if there is any validity period for such letters, beyond which I'll have to get fresh ones.
If the nomination process takes a long time, you might have to get a reference letter before submitting your e-APR.
3. Wife’s maiden name: My wife's surname changed after marriage. Her education credentials carry her maiden name whilst the ECA report carries her maiden & current surname. Will our marriage certificate and an affidavit from her on name change suffice for establishing that it is the same person?
Yes.
4. PCC: While being employed in India, I made 8 official visits to Indonesia in one year basis a multiple entry visa - however wasn’t employed there. All visits were under 60 days and total days spent there were 230. Since I was not employed in Indonesia, I do not have KITAS/SKLD as required by Indonesian authorities - who are not issuing a Police Clearance Certificate. Please advise if I need this certificate if I've spent 180 days in continuation, or even if split across multiple visits?
Yes. You need PCC from Indonesia.
5. PCC: If I must produce an Indonesia PCC, which the authorities are refusing – will the email reminders/exchange suffice as their official decline?
Well, IRCC isn't going to accept that explanation. You need a PCC from Indonesia. This is the process of getting PCC from Indonesia -
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/asia-pacific/indonesia.asp
6. Birth certificate: Whilst my passport, 10th & 12th marksheets, PAN card and other documents all carry my date of birth + name, my own birth certificate of 1975 (which I luckily have in original) doesn’t carry my name as it was not a norm 40 years ago. Would my documents put together with the birth certificate suffice or must I get one issued in the manner those are issued by Delhi municipal folks these days?
BC for the PA and spouse is NOT required for your e-APR. If the province asks for it, you can submit whatever you have, an affidavit mentioning your DOB and a Letter of Explanation that outlines your situation.
7. Financial position: How much is respectable for a family of 4? I surely meet the minimum criteria set out but is there a level above which an application gets a boost/strength? Can I include my immovable property valuations?
At least 22,603 CAD. Check here ---> http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/funds.asp . No you cannot include property valuations.
8. Appointing an agent: Must I appoint a consultant/agent for subsequent stages? I think I’m a reasonably informed & educated Banker who has thus far cleared the IELTS, ECAs for multiple universities, EE profile stages etc. myself and even going forward the agent would in any case ask me only to arrange stuff like employer letters, PCCs – India/Indonesia, financial position documents, med clearances etc. Is the remaining stuff (documentation) or steps so complicated that merit 150k INR to be spent?
Not required IMO. You seem to me as a person that does research (I don't see that in many new applicants). So, IMO, I believe you can get through the process without a representative.
[size=10pt]CRS 409
NOC 0013
Relevant Streams FSW & OINP (Human Capital Priority)
IELTS Primary Appl 8.5 (CLB10); Sep’16
IELTS Spouse 8.0 (CLB8); Sep’16
ECA Primary Appl Bachelors degree 3 years + Bachelors degree 4 years
ECA Spouse Bachelors degree 4 years + PG diploma 1 year
Year of birth Primary 1975
EE created Oct’16[/size]