WHY CHOOSE LEGAL ASSISTANCE?

 

HOW DO YOU OBTAIN CANADIAN IMMIGRATION STATUS?

 

(1) hire an immigration lawyer

(2) hire an immigration consultant; or

(3) do it yourself.

 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN IMMIGRATION LAWYER AND AN IMMIGRATION CONSULTANT

 

Lawyers, like Sheela Gupta, the Founder of Mosaic Immigration Law,  are members of the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) which is the governing body for lawyers in the Province of Ontario, Canada. Members of the LSUC are recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Lawyers, unlike consultants, do NOT have to be registered with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) to be recognized by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Effective legal representation for your immigration needs can assist with:

  • advising you of any changes to Canadian immigration laws, regulations, policies or procedures, which impact upon your proposed Canadian immigration plans;
  • drafting your application package cover letter with reference to legal language;
  • drafting legal arguments to accompany your application;
  • assembling an application package that is consistent with the legal argument;
  • interpreting the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPA)and applying them to your application;
  • highlighting your qualifications and knowing what information to include to support your application;
  • ensuring that your reference letters comply with CIC's standards; and
  • ensuring that your Application forms have been filled out correctly;

Over the years, there have been many instances of malpractice by immigration consultants in Canada. Some consultants lack training and/or experience in handling complex files, overcharge clients, guarantee undeliverable results, and abuse clients' trust. As a result, CIC developed new Regulations, which, among other things:

  • define "authorized representative";
  • specify that a fee-charging person who is not an authorized representative may not provide immigration advice, represent or consult; and
  • require applicants using authorized representatives to submit contact information of the authorized representative for verification purposes.

Any person who calls themselves an "immigration consultant" must now be a member of the ICCRC if he/she wishes to deal with CIC. CIC will not conduct business with consultants who are not members in good standing with ICCRC or one of the law societies. 

 

DO YOU NEED A REPRESENTATIVE?

 

The decision to uproot yourself and even your family in order to work, study or settle in Canada is one of the most important decisions in your life. Navigating the immigration process can be quite overwhelming, financially and mentally. As such, it is useful to think about hiring a lawyer who can save you time, energy and resources and ensure that the process is as straightforward and expedient as possible.