Do I Need An Immigration Lawyer to Move to BC?

While you don’t necessarily need an immigration lawyer, hiring one in BC could be the difference between a successful application and a failed one. Immigration to BC or Canada is not simply following checklists and procedures that the government sets out online. It is about telling a convincing story, knowing what the immigration officer will look for, and avoiding statements that could result in rejecting your application and providing proper documentation.

The Type of Documents and Statements Needed for Your Immigration Application

It is definitely important to follow checklists and instructions carefully when preparing your application. But it’s often necessary to go above and beyond what the instructions and checklists call for to really make your case well.

What you can see on government websites is essentially the bare minimum of what is expected; often there are unspoken expectations by the officer that you do more to convince them you are qualified. An immigration lawyer is familiar with such expectations.

Examples of Mistakes People Make Without the Assistance of an Immigration Lawyer

To give just one very simple example: a certain form that is required for all permanent residence programs asks you to give your personal history from the age of 18 or 10 years ago, whichever is more recent. So if you’re over the age of 28, it’s okay to just give the last 10 years of your personal history, right? No, unfortunately.

In every case for a number of years now, the IRCC officer has asked for personal history information from the age of 18, regardless of the applicant’s current age. Just this one simple further requirement can result in weeks or even months of delay in processing, as it takes time for the officer to assess the application, send out the request to you, and then for you to gather the information and respond, then for the officer to re-assess the new information.

There is also the fact that the instructions and requirements are sometimes not very clear, ambiguous, or at times even contradictory between different web pages, guides, or other instructions. With how fast immigration law and policy changes, sometimes confusion can result from something as simple as a certain information source not being updated on time.

Human Expertise is Crucial for a Successful Immigration Application to BC and Canada

Hiring an immigration lawyer in BC, who has experience with how immigration requirements have evolved through the years, how they differ or are the same between different types of applications and programs, and what exceptions or other deviations from the norm officers will and won’t accept has a good sense of what the government is really looking for when they assess your application.

And they can use this knowledge to help you make the best case from the start, not only to give you the best chance of success but to help you avoid any complications down the road that may delay your application and result in a waste of your time, money, and efforts.

Understanding IRCC Criteria with an Immigration Lawyer in BC

This is another situation where an immigration lawyer’s experience is a great help in making sure your immigration journey is as smooth as possible. When an officer has a concern about your eligibility, it can be even less clear than at the outset what is expected from you. In many instances, the notice of the officer’s concerns will simply state the concern(s), then state “I am giving you an opportunity to respond to this.”

The nature of the concern is very important to how and with what you respond. Depending on what the concerns are, a refusal of your application can mean some minor inconvenience and wasted time/application fees, or it can be serious and form a negative record on your immigration file that will potentially affect all your immigration applications, and maybe those of your family members, into the future. Hiring an immigration lawyer in BC can help you determine the nature of the concern, how serious it is in terms of your (and perhaps your family’s) future, and how to best address it.

Immigration is an ever-evolving area of law that sees a large number of policy changes every year. In order to ensure you have the most recent information, please note the dates on each article, as any law and policy information within may have since changed. For the most up-to-date information, please see Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s official website. The information in these articles should not be construed as legal advice.

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