Consultants or On Your Own?

[pooja82]

hey papmanindia
yes i m going wid a consultant....although once i thought of doing it on my own do it own but i don't have much time.after going through the pros n cons i have decided to go wid the proffesional...............hope it helps u to make ur decision................

 

[papmanindia]

hey papmanindia
yes i m going wid a consultant....although once i thought of doing it on my own do it own but i don't have much time.after going through the pros n cons i have decided to go wid the proffesional...............hope it helps u to make ur decision................

Can i ask you, which consultant u approached, had u started your process with them?

 

[qorax]

Hi Pap...

If u have to, select a consultant based on the following 2 factors:
1. They must be in your city, or the closest.
2. They/he must be in good standing with the CSIC.

A consultant is best located near u so that u can personally communicate with him, rather thn over phone or vide e-mails. There'd be many things where a personal touch is recommended. For checking their 'good standing' visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/representative/verify-rep.asp. Naming one might not help.

All the best &
HAPPY NEW YEAR !

 

[raoolr2007]

dont go to y axis, they are very bad ...I had a tough time with them

 

[pooja82]

it is good to see that Senior Memebers are using this thread as reference.
i feel proud today........................

 

[moneycat]

We started using them since December 2009, they had lodged in our applications on our behalf in January, we are still waiting to hear back from CIC.
The experience so far has been positive, they would assign 1 case manager before you lodge in the applications, then appoint a 2nd one after you lodge them in. I had asked both of them maybe 10 questions, and they could usually come back to me within 24 hours. Their fees are actually reasonable compared to others, I had 4 quotations from other lawyers from BC and Toronto.

Good communications is always the most important thing I find, and David Cohen seems to be a bigger firm, not a one-man shop, I had called them personally a few times and would be directed to someone in charge immediately.

Also, their fee structure is based on staged payments instead of 100% upfront.

 

[saxena.sagar]

hey papmanindia
yes i m going wid a consultant....although once i thought of doing it on my own do it own but i don't have much time.after going through the pros n cons i have decided to go wid the proffesional...............hope it helps u to make ur decision................

believe me it wont save your time... they cant get the PCC on your behalf, they cant get the transcripts on you behalf nor the reference letters from your company.. they would just tell you get this get that.. eventually its you who has to run.

 

[clint.marc]

It is really easy for people to say do it your self. It is such a big decision and how do people like to take a chance some dont realise the High Commission does not always come back if documents are missing. Incomplete applicantions get returned and sometimes get rejected. Which is a waste of time and money.
A lot of documentation is required to process a visa its not like buying an air ticket.

Do remember, when it comes to your visa, you are making a life changing decision. Don't settle for second best. We are the experts at it.

If there are any questions send me an email on clint.marc@y-axis.com I will be able to clear all your doubts.

 

[clint.marc]

dont go to y axis, they are very bad ...I had a tough time with them

lol.... Hey r u another competitor or what ... We like fair competition for the last 11 years people have tried everything in the book to disrepute us .. but anyways keep trying....With 15 offices in India, 1 in the UK and US and with thousands of happy clients I have come across several competitors trying all they can to spoil our name but sadly once clients speak to other consultants they know we are the best.. The best way is for people who are going to apply to speak to ten other consultants get all the information and then come to us and find out if we are the best or not in terms of counseling .. We dont charge to give advice.

 

[csic_student]

CIC website is extremely explainatory however, can't replace consultant or a lawyer. People have spent hours in the classroom and studying on their own to get the certification in Immigration. Consultants are like doctors. You can go to a pharmacy and buy over the counter medicine on your own. But if you have a serious dieseas and need some serious medication, only doctor can prescribe one. I sit down in the classroom and watch videos of real life cases where it looks really simple where someone think that they can do it on their own . But we start disclosing the fact patterns, boy do you ever need a professional to do it for you.
Consultant can take your case to Appeal if he/she has a reason to believe that your case wasn't processed fairly. Only a consultant can give you a fair and honest advise and tell you different options available for immigration. If you don't fit one category, consultant can look up ways to fit you in a different one. There are bad apples out there, like in any other profession. Calling all the consultants THUGS is pretty bold statement. Remember its totally up to you to get the work out of a professional. Intelligent questions will lead to intelligent answers. We have a few success stories here on this board but how many skeletons are buried in the closet, we don't have that number.

 

[saxena.sagar]

If there are any questions send me an email on clint.marc @ y-axis.com I will be able to clear all your doubts.

so we have someone special here. hi clint, i agree to your concern that such important things should be handled carefully and we shouldnt experiment. but when the CIC website clearly states the documents required, even a lehman can do it. its so easy that you name the CHC office and even i can copy paste the list of documents required by them right here.
P.S. In worst case if you forget to send some documents, the CHC sends a request letter to applicants asking for aditional documents required.
On an average every applicant spends about 1 year going through the CIC website before he actually files the application.

Q1 - would you stand in the queue and follow up for my PCC in local police station and CID office, while i can sit back at home?
Q2 - would you take responsibility to get transcripts from my college, that too in sealed envelope?
Q3 - would you take care of obtaining PCC from foreign countries where we have resided in the past? Have you ever obtaining a PCC from sharjah police?
Q4 - Can you get the reference letters from my employers showing responsibilties exactly as required by CHC?

If a consultant can do all this for me, i can understand why i should hire him. If its just the list of documents and eligibility check to be done, then i personally think its not worth such huge fees and would take the risk of doing it alone. Its not that i WANT to be a hero, financial constraints also matter. The entire process costs me about 65000 rupees if i do it alone(inclusive of ielts, medicals, pcc and also courier charges). Maybe it takes 2.5-3 lakhs with a consultant. Not everyoen can afford this high fees. But cant even accept it as an obstacle in our canadaian dream.
My savings here = Rs. 2 lakhs = C$4000. Its value?? i can settle myself descently in canada when i reach there. In tough times every penny would count since i am not a millionaire.

Consultants are helpful when they arrange employment and get additional points for applicants who dont score 67.
The Canadian High Commission has made it way to easy for applicants. But yes, if it woudl have been Australia application i would have gone for consultant because CDR reports look complicated. Well tell me something new Clint. How is the France work permit project going? How is the response to it? Do you all provide employment along with work permit?

Sagar.

 

[rocky272727]

I think hiring a consultant or not hiring a consultant depends upon each individual and many people on this forum ask the same question

So here is my opinion.

The CIC website has complete information which is required for arranging documentation and preparing a case. Now some times there are options and ways which a normal person like me or any other will not come to know but consultants have expertise in it and know way outs. Now I stress here expertise in way outs means like telling you alternate routes which first timers or people who do not sit on blog's and forums like these do not know.

In my opinion, I never went to a consultant. I also had difficulties in my case but with the help of CIC website and this forum was able to solve them and finally I got the visa. Some people here might call me lucky and a fluke but to be honest, I knew what I was doing and how I did it. I was simple, plain vanilla file. If your case is correct, and you have all the relevant documentation for your case then you should go by yourself.

People who are very busy with work and cannot find time at all, can go for consultants and yes there are consultants who are good. As suggested by many people here, hiring a consultant should not be a quick decision. Spend a week researching about them by meeting them, reading about them on internet and other sources and if possible try and find out its clients from a 3rd party source and meet them to know the actual and transparent picture about that particular consultant.

As mentioned by some one here, immigration visa can be a big decision for some one as it means starting things in a different land and might be from scratch, where you leave everything or almost ready things to make it again.

I would pay attention to saxena.sagar post which is above me. Well said.

Spend time on it and your case. You will be able to answer most of your questions yourself.

 

[charninder]

I think hiring a consultant or not hiring a consultant depends upon each individual and many people on this forum ask the same question

So here is my opinion.

The CIC website has complete information which is required for arranging documentation and preparing a case. Now some times there are options and ways which a normal person like me or any other will not come to know but consultants have expertise in it and know way outs. Now I stress here expertise in way outs means like telling you alternate routes which first timers or people who do not sit on blog's and forums like these do not know.

In my opinion, I never went to a consultant. I also had difficulties in my case but with the help of CIC website and this forum was able to solve them and finally I got the visa. Some people here might call me lucky and a fluke but to be honest, I knew what I was doing and how I did it. I was simple, plain vanilla file. If your case is correct, and you have all the relevant documentation for your case then you should go by yourself.

People who are very busy with work and cannot find time at all, can go for consultants and yes there are consultants who are good. As suggested by many people here, hiring a consultant should not be a quick decision. Spend a week researching about them by meeting them, reading about them on internet and other sources and if possible try and find out its clients from a 3rd party source and meet them to know the actual and transparent picture about that particular consultant.

As mentioned by some one here, immigration visa can be a big decision for some one as it means starting things in a different land and might be from scratch, where you leave everything or almost ready things to make it again.

I would pay attention to saxena.sagar post which is above me. Well said.

Spend time on it and your case. You will be able to answer most of your questions yourself.

Hi,

Sagar and Rocky rock.

well done.

 

[truthseeker]

is it better to go with some consultants or one should go on thier own?
their is information on CIC's website but is it sufficient for a novice to follow it?
consultants do charge money but isn't it worth spending? they are professionals or they are SUPPOSED to be professionals?
what do you guys think...................

Better do it yourself, or risk getting your money swindled by corrupt consultants like James Walter Hanley or Protech.

 

[coolguy2010]

ageed with saxena sagar.


Regards
Cool