Queries From Express Entry FSW Applicant From India

[hshringi]

Hi guys,

I've got a few concerns that I'm hoping you guys will be able to help me with:

a) I submitted my EE (FSW) application about 3 days ago but have since been unable to register for the Job Bank due to the following error:

"We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again later, and if the problem persists, contact the Job Bank Team."

Has anyone else been able to register for the job bank in the last 5 days or so?

b) I've got a, let's say, "bright" job history having worked in about 8 different organizations in 4 different countries. Not all of them qualify for my selected NOC but a number of them do.

Now my concern is, how do I get reference letters from say organizations in Singapore, Thailand and USA when I am based out of India? Will soft copies of the reference letter suffice or do I require hard copies? Should I then ask the companies to courier those hard copies over to India?

c) What about the start-ups I worked for previously? AFAIK they don't even have company letterheads so in such cases, do I just get the reference letter on a typical A4 paper?

d) I'm thinking of not putting in organizations where my work role didn't fit the NOC I am applying for. Will that be a problem? Also will I then be asked to justify the employment gaps?

I don't mind putting in the other NOC roles in the system however I definitely will not be able to get any reference letter for at least some of them (I don't even know who to ask for the reference letter in a couple of those companies - my supervisor, the HR, the MD, my colleagues - ALL have left the organization since)

5) Regarding police clearance, do I need a clearance for ALL countries I have lived in for longer than 6 months? In that case, how do I get a police clearance for Thailand, USA and Singapore when I am based out of India? Should I just approach the Indian embassy and they will be able to help me with this?

6) Finally, I know my case isn't as simple as various others due to international exposure (never thought that would come back to haunt me!) so in this case, should I work with an immigration agent instead? Any agents you guys would recommend in India that could help me out?

I would much prefer if I could handle this myself but I obviously don't want to take any chances either

Appreciate all help! - feel free to ask me any additional information that would help in understanding my situation

Cheers~

 

[Aragorn165]

Hi guys,

I've got a few concerns that I'm hoping you guys will be able to help me with:

a) I submitted my EE (FSW) application about 3 days ago but have since been unable to register for the Job Bank due to the following error:

"We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again later, and if the problem persists, contact the Job Bank Team."

Has anyone else been able to register for the job bank in the last 5 days or so?

CIC's systems have been facing some issues over the last few days.

b) I've got a, let's say, "bright" job history having worked in about 8 different organizations in 4 different countries. Not all of them qualify for my selected NOC but a number of them do.

Now my concern is, how do I get reference letters from say organizations in Singapore, Thailand and USA when I am based out of India? Will soft copies of the reference letter suffice or do I require hard copies? Should I then ask the companies to courier those hard copies over to India?

You should put any and all employment history that is within the NOC that you will be applying under in the employment history of your profile. Other employment can go under 'Personal History' when you ultimately apply after getting an ITA.
In this case, you would need reference letters for all employment under your NOC- i.e., anything under your employment history, you get a letter of reference for. For others, it does not matter. Soft copies will do, but make sure they are signed.

c) What about the start-ups I worked for previously? AFAIK they don't even have company letterheads so in such cases, do I just get the reference letter on a typical A4 paper?

Is there a company stamp you could have affixed on the letter?

d) I'm thinking of not putting in organizations where my work role didn't fit the NOC I am applying for. Will that be a problem? Also will I then be asked to justify the employment gaps?

I don't mind putting in the other NOC roles in the system however I definitely will not be able to get any reference letter for at least some of them (I don't even know who to ask for the reference letter in a couple of those companies - my supervisor, the HR, the MD, my colleagues - ALL have left the organization since)

As I said above, it's not a problem. You can put them in the Personal History section of the profile once you have an ITA. Leave them out until then if you want to.

5) Regarding police clearance, do I need a clearance for ALL countries I have lived in for longer than 6 months? In that case, how do I get a police clearance for Thailand, USA and Singapore when I am based out of India? Should I just approach the Indian embassy and they will be able to help me with this?

Yes, you need a PCC for all of them. No, the Indian embassy cannot help. You need to approach the local authorities of each of the countries concerned.

6) Finally, I know my case isn't as simple as various others due to international exposure (never thought that would come back to haunt me!) so in this case, should I work with an immigration agent instead? Any agents you guys would recommend in India that could help me out?

Having a long immigration history is never going to be a problem, don't worry. I recommend not hiring an agent- this forum is basically going to be able to perform the same function, but for free.

I would much prefer if I could handle this myself but I obviously don't want to take any chances either

Appreciate all help! - feel free to ask me any additional information that would help in understanding my situation

Cheers~

 

[hshringi]

Cheers for the reply! Just a few notes:

You should put any and all employment history that is within the NOC that you will be applying under in the employment history of your profile. Other employment can go under 'Personal History' when you ultimately apply after getting an ITA.
In this case, you would need reference letters for all employment under your NOC- i.e., anything under your employment history, you get a letter of reference for. For others, it does not matter. Soft copies will do, but make sure they are signed.

So I do need hard copies of reference letters for those that will be going in my profile, correct? I'm not sure how I can get hard copies from corporations that are based out of India - how did others manage to get such reference letters? Did you personally travel to the other countries to pick up the references or did you get the companies to courier them? (Would they even agree to the latter?)

Is there a company stamp you could have affixed on the letter?

Good idea - I'll have to check with the respective companies themselves

As I said above, it's not a problem. You can put them in the Personal History section of the profile once you have an ITA. Leave them out until then if you want to.

So I will still require soft copies of reference letters of the organizations that go under the Personal History section post-ITA? (in other words, companies that I won't be listing under employment history of my profile)

Yes, you need a PCC for all of them. No, the Indian embassy cannot help. You need to approach the local authorities of each of the countries concerned.

Wow I literally have no idea who to contact for this then

Having a long immigration history is never going to be a problem, don't worry. I recommend not hiring an agent- this forum is basically going to be able to perform the same function, but for free.

That's a relief - still I'm completely clueless how I'm gonna get PCC for 4 countries or reference letters of 8 companies *sigh*

 

[Aragorn165]

Cheers for the reply! Just a few notes:


So I do need hard copies of reference letters for those that will be going in my profile, correct? I'm not sure how I can get hard copies from corporations that are based out of India - how did others manage to get such reference letters? Did you personally travel to the other countries to pick up the references or did you get the companies to courier them? (Would they even agree to the latter?)

I had scans emailed to me- basically, ask them to print it, sign it, then scan it and email it back as a PDF. It is fairly common practice, actually. Beyond this, if I needed hard copies, I printed them out from the scanned PDFs.

Good idea - I'll have to check with the respective companies themselves

So I will still require soft copies of reference letters of the organizations that go under the Personal History section post-ITA?

Employment that goes under the Personal History section does not need reference letters of any sort.

Wow I literally have no idea who to contact for this then

Refer to this: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/

This has accurate instructions for all countries, except India. For India, you want a PCC by applying for it on the PSK website:
http://www.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/welcomeLink

That's a relief - still I'm completely clueless how I'm gonna get PCC for 4 countries or reference letters of 8 companies *sigh*

 

[hshringi]

I had scans emailed to me- basically, ask them to print it, sign it, then scan it and email it back as a PDF. It is fairly common practice, actually. Beyond this, if I needed hard copies, I printed them out from the scanned PDFs.

I see - I'm sure companies will be willing to do atleast that much - do the reference letters need to be dated post-ITA or should I start collecting them already?

Employment that goes under the Personal History section does not need reference letters of any sort.

That's good to know. Do they require any other proof or nothing?

Refer to this:

This has accurate instructions for all countries, except India. For India, you want a PCC by applying for it on the PSK website:

Thank you so much - again, do I wait for post-ITA or should I start requesting PCC certificates already?

 

[Aragorn165]

I see - I'm sure companies will be willing to do atleast that much - do the reference letters need to be dated post-ITA or should I start collecting them already?

That's good to know. Do they require any other proof or nothing?

Thank you so much - again, do I wait for post-ITA or should I start requesting PCC certificates already?

Start collecting all of this now. The letters don't need to be dated post ITA, they just need to be dated within a reasonable timeframe- say within the last six months or so from the ITA. You'd meet those requirements if you got them now.
PCCs can take a long time to get, and are the biggest bottleneck in the entire process- start it now, as soon as possible, and hopefully you have them all in hand by the time you are submitting your application.
Good luck!

 

[hshringi]

Well I'm finally following your word - only about 20 days after your post (sorry!)

Actually I've been hustling like anything last 20 days collecting reference letters (and I'm still only about half way done)

But since I've got the ITA now...I need to apply for FBI PCC like right now!