Immigrant Visa Party and Seminar - Aristrocrat Restaurant Manila (April 17)

UPDATE: Change in schedule - Visa Party and Seminar at Aristocrat Restaurant (May 1, 2010)

Did you miss last Saturday's Immigrant Visa Party and Seminar? Here's your chance.



We will have another immigrants visa party this coming May 1, 2010 April 17, 2010 at Aristocrat Restaurant in Manila. During the visa party, we'll be conducting our in-house pre-departure orientation seminar to prepare our clients on their settlement in Canada.



Simultaneously, we will be conducting an information seminar for those who are interested to live and work in Canada! If you want to learn how to immigrate to Canada in just 6-12 months, you may attend this immigrants visa party.

Interested? Click here for online reservation.

Venue will be at Aristocrat Restaurant in Malate Manila. Registration Fee is P500/head inclusive of dinner. Mark your calendar - it's April 17, 2010 May 1, 2010, Saturday, 4pm.

Registration starts at 3:30pm.

See you there!

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New High Demand Occupations

I have a lot of blog readers waiting for the list of new high demand occupations. They are actually waiting for the changes in Canada's 38 High Demand Occupations since last year. Few days ago, I blogged about the public consultation on economic immigration priorities, which will run until April 16, 2010.

They are of course excited to know When will the new high demands occupations be released.

There's one blog reader who actually thought that the new list will be made available on April 16, 2010. That is highly unlikely. I think it will be made available not until 3-6 months from now.

You really have to file your application NOW!

We don't know yet how those with pending applications filed at Centralized Intake Office (CIO) will be affected by the new Ministerial Instructions in case their occupations are no longer included.

We also don't know how those with positive assessment from CIO already but haven't submitted the supporting documents to Canadian Visa Office at the time of issuance of new high demand occupations will be affected.

But one thing is certain, it will not be implemented right away. There will be some kind of a cut-off.

The more reason that you should file your application now. Your occupation may no longer be included in the list of new high demand occupations!

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Immigrants Visa Party and Seminar - Aristocrat Restaurant, Malate Manila (March 27, 2010)

Last month, we at Canadian Immigration Consultancy held an immigrant visa party in Baguio City as a way of celebrating Panagbenga Festival. We will have another immigrants visa party this time in Manila on March 27, 2010, 4pm. During the visa party, we'll be conducting our in-house pre-departure orientation seminar to prepare our clients on their settlement in Canada.

Simultaneously, we will be conducting an information seminar for those who are interested to live and work in Canada! If you want to learn how to immigrate to Canada in just 6-12 months, you may attend this immigrants visa party.

Interested? Click here for online reservation.

Venue will be at Aristocrat Restaurant in Malate Manila. Registration Fee is P500/head inclusive of dinner. Mark your calendar - it's March 27, 2010, Saturday, 4pm.

If you have previously sent your resume and you were assessed to be eligible but can't decide whether to apply or not, you should attend this seminar. Changes in Immigration Priorities, coming soon!

Don't just let this opportunity pass by.

The roads we take are more important than the goals we announce. Decisions determine destiny. - Frederick Speakman

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Immigration Consultant Fereydoun HADAD Sentenced

If you retained the services of West Vancouver Immigration Consultant Fereydoun HADAD, you better read this story.

West Vancouver Police opened an investigation in April 2008 after being alerted by Canada Border Services Agency and Vancouver Police to allegations of a Surrey woman.

The victim alleged over 50 thousand dollars had been illegally transferred from an account she had set up on the advice of West Vancouver immigration consultant Fereydoun HADAD.

Investigators determined a forged letter was used to direct the transfer of funds and that the funds had been transferred into a business account controlled by HADAD.

West Vancouver Police Detectives took over the investigation, as HADAD was believed to have offered most of his immigration services from within the community.

Following an extensive investigation, Crown Counsel approved charges of Fraud S.380 CCC and Uttering a Forged Document S.368 CCC in early 2009.
HADAD pleaded guilty to both charges at North Vancouver Provincial Court January 13, 2010 and is to be sentenced March 1, 2010.

Anyone who believes they may have been victimized in a similar manner is asked to call 604-925-7300 and ask to speak with Detective Trish Aylett.

West Vancouver Police advise any person seeking immigration consultation services to ensure the consultant is properly registered.

Closely monitor and document all transactions and report any suspicious conduct to police. [Source]

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Public Consultations on Immigration Priorities - Changes Coming Soon!

When Budget Bill C-50 that included changes on Canada's immigration legislation was passed on June 18, 2008, the Government of Canada immediately announced public consultations on immigration priorities. In less than 6 months after the passage of the bill, the list of 38 High Demand Occupations was released on Nov 28, 2008. The list of high demand occupations may change depending on the labor market demand in Canada.

Just recently, the Government of Canada announced another public consultation on economic immigration priorities. The list of high demand occupations may be changing soon!

Government of Canada consults Canadians on economic immigration priorities

Ottawa, March 16, 2010 — As the economic recovery gains momentum, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today launched consultations to identify Canada’s new and emerging labour market needs and how immigration can best respond to them.

The Government of Canada is seeking the views of Canadians on how to help lead Canada to full economic recovery from the global recession. These consultations will look at worker shortages in trades and professions across Canada as well as the factors that affect an immigrant’s ability to succeed in Canada’s work force.

The consultations will help develop instructions to immigration officers on which economic immigration applications are eligible for processing. As part of the Action Plan for Faster Immigration, the first set of instructions was issued in November 2008 as a tool to keep the backlog of applications from growing, to reduce wait times for new applications and to better match new economic applicants to Canada’s labour market needs.

“The Action Plan for Faster Immigration is designed to make immigration more responsive to Canada’s economic conditions. When these conditions change, the instructions are meant to change too,” said Minister Kenney. “The first set of instructions has had a significant impact, but our research shows it is time to revise them to make sure they continue to meet their goals.” [Source]

What's in it for you?

If you are eligible under the current list, you should file your application NOW! The longer you delay your decision to apply, the more you are risking your eligibility. It may only take 6 months before the Immigration Minister issue a new ministerial instruction identifying the new high demand occupations.

If you are not included in the current list of high demand occupations, this could be your chance.

Subscribe to this blog via email to keep you updated with the changes in Canada's Immigration Program.

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Changes on the proof of language proficiency rule

Language proficiency is one of the six selection factors in Canada's Points System. To prove language proficiency in French or English, applicants could either submit IELTS Examination Results or a written submission to a visa officer. The written submission was intended for people whose first language is either English or French. If the Visa Officer is not satisfied with the written submission, they are required to offer these applicants the opportunity to submit the results of a designated language test within a certain time period. That was rule before.

Effective April 10, 2010, this rule will be changed.

Improvements to proof of language rules will increase fairness, reduce delays, says Immigration Minister

Ottawa, March 10, 2010 — The Government of Canada is streamlining the process for assessing the language skills of applicants to the Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience classes, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

“The language requirements themselves have not changed,” said Minister Kenney. “But beginning April 10, 2010, prospective immigrants will be required to prove their English and French language abilities at the time they apply. This requirement supports our commitment to fast, fair and efficient application processing.”

Previously, to prove language ability in French or English, applicants could either submit an independent, third-party test or a written submission to a visa officer. The written submission was intended for people whose first language is either English or French. However, many applicants whose first language was not English or French were taking advantage of the written submission. The submission wouldn’t adequately prove their ability and they would have to provide further evidence, leading to processing delays that could take months.[Source]

This change in the proof of language proficiency rules shouldn't really affect you if you are a client of Canadian Immigration Consultancy. We do not encourage written submission as proof of language proficiency, as we know that it will only cause delay in the process and worst, possible cause of refusal.

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Embassy of Canada in Chile

The Embassy of Canada in Chile has temporarily moved to Hotel Rugendas located in Callao 3123, Las Condes, Santiago. It was due to the February 27th earthquake in Chile.

The Embassy of Canada in Santiago has been affected and the visa section of the embassy is temporarily closed. CIC is making every effort to restore services as soon as possible.

Temporary resident visa applicants who need to travel to Canada before the visa office re-opens are asked to submit their applications to another Canadian visa office. Persons with Permanent Resident applications in process should be assured that full processing is expected to resume shortly. Please check this website for updates.[Source]

For more information about Embassy of Canada in Chile, visit http://chile.gc.ca

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Authorization Letter from Canadian Board of Immigration Lawyers

If you are actively looking from employers in Canada through the Internet and somebody asked you to get an Authorization Letter from Canadian Board of Immigration Lawyers and that you need to pay $85 to get it, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ANY PAYMENT!

It's a scam!

LAW OFFICE, IMMIGRATION LAWYERS CANADA
OPEN 24 HOURS FROM MONDAY TO SUNDAY.
Greater Toronto
Law Offices of Charles W. Pley.
Address; 102, Sherwood Heights Drive Ontario, Canada.

Attention; On behalf of the immigration airport lawyers and board of directors.
An immigrant who is visiting Canada as a Tourist or invitation to visit any of the Canadian Hotel for work or Any Company, examination cannot be concluded at the port of entry by the officer, A visitor visa is a document or stamp in the passport (in most cases) which allows entry of a person into Canada as the person meets the requirements of the Act for the purpose of visiting Canada.

Visitors must apply to a Canadian Board of Immigration Lawyers and obtain admission in such an institute as you have contacted us. This institute must be certified by the Immigration Authority for the issuance of the AUTHORIZATION LETTER.

But before we can issue you the AUTHORIZATION LETTER, as requested by the Immigration Bureau Ottawa Department Canada to enable your Visa to be issued at the Canadian Embassy, you are required to pay the sum of $85 Dollars for the issuance of your AUTHORIZATION LETTER.

This is generally mentioned in the prospectus of the Tourist or Invitation by any Hotel or Company for work in Canada. And immediately your document is Approved Admission in that particular institute will qualify him / her for Working Permit Visa Approval Authorization, if you are ready to pay for the processing fee and obtain the AUTHORIZATION LETTER. You can contact our zonal tourist department on how you will make your payment in their office.

Note: you are advised to contact them through this email address below so that they will direct you how you will go and make the payment to their office.

Touristsimmigrantsdepartmentcvi@yahoo.ca

Note; As soon as we receive your payment fee from our zonal tourist department, you will be issued the AUTHORIZATION LETTER immediately as requested by the Immigration Bureau Department Canada, which will guarantee the issuance of your Visa at the Canadian Embassy. Be inform that you have only 48 hours to send us the payment confirmation receipt from our zonal tourist department, failure to do so your entire documents will be terminated.

THE BARRISTER. DAVID COHEN
DIRECTOR GENERAL OF IMMIGRATION LAWYERS
January 2010.

The above letter was forwarded to my by one of my blog readers. He's almost ready to pay them but fortunately he asked me first. You do not need Authorization Letter from Canadian Board of Immigration Lawyers to process your work permit. And there is no such thing as Immigration Bureau Ottawa Department Canada.

Atty. David Cohen is a legitimate Canadian Lawyer but his name is apparently being used by these scammers.

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Mark is now in Vancouver!

If you have read my post about Guide for Filipino Nurses, you will be familiar with the case of Mr. Mark Hernandez. For those who are just new here, Mark sent his resume to me for assessment a year ago. He is a Registered Nurse but at the time, he barely have one year work experience. He is not eligible to apply under Federal Skilled Worker program and like what I normally advise to those who are not yet eligible, I told him to start looking for a job offer from Canada (Here's how to find jobs in Canada).


He did and he is now working in the beautiful city of Vancouver!


I haven't met Mark in person but we constantly communicate through email and IM's. Yesterday, he told me that he was able to watch 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics! He also told me that he met Marieton Pacheco last month.

See you in Vancouver soon, Mark! :-)

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Baguio City Immigrant's Party | Celebrating Panagbenga Festival

Canadian Immigration Consultancy - Baguio Office celebrated Panagbenga Festival not by participating in Panagbenga Float Parade. Instead, we held an Immigrant's Party at Hotel Supreme, where some 30 applicants were awarded their visas!



That is the reason why I was in Baguio City last weekend.



Some of the visa grantees took them 5 years to get their visas, while some others took only 5 months. Some made it smoothly but there's this client whose application was initially refused but after we appealed his case, he eventually got the approval.

Most of the visa grantees are Registered Nurses and Physicians who initially thought of trying their luck in the US. There's also a number of College Instructors from different Universities in Baguio City who received the visa.

If, until now, you're still in doubt about the 6-12 months processing for Permanent Resident Visa application, it will be your loss. These applicants will be moving to Canada soon! If you are eligible to apply, start your application NOW! Don't let this opportunity just pass by.

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Online Resource for Newcomers | Finding newcomer services in your area

As you may have noticed, more and more applicants are getting their visas within a short processing period of 6 months on the average. These new immigrants will have a common concern once they landed in Canada - Finding newcomer services in their area.

Well, here's a good news.

Minister Kenney announces expanded on-line resource for newcomers

Ottawa, March 1, 2010 — From finding information on how to start a new business to opening a bank account, there are many steps newcomers take to successfully make their way in Canada. Now, an internet resource has been created for newcomers to help them quickly and easily find a range of government services, in addition to settlement services, in their communities, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. This resource is easy to find at www.servicesfornewcomers.cic.gc.ca.

“The Services for Newcomers resource has been put in place to help newcomers find the private sector and government services they need to succeed. With this resource, newcomers will easily find the many services available to them, such as how to buy their first home,” said Minister Kenney. “This can only increase their chance of successful integration within their new communities, and this is an important goal for Canada.” [Source]

The said Online Resource for newcomers has two major services being offered - Community Service and Government Service.

Community services for newcomers include free services such as:

language training

help with everyday tasks

finding a job

helping newcomers adjust to life in Canada

Government services include:

driver's license

passport

health care

government benefits

For more information, visit www.servicesfornewcomers.cic.gc.ca/.

Before moving to Canada, be very sure to check out Canadian Immigration Integration Project (CIIP) too!

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March 2010 Visa Bulletin

March 2010 Visa Bulletin is now out! Visa Bulletin is a monthly newsletter I am sending to my clients to keep them informed of the latest in Canada's Immigration program.

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