6 tips to consider when hiring an immigration lawyer or consultant

Your immigration application is one of the most important procedures you will plan for in your life, which is why we believe that you should consider the following tips before choosing your immigration lawyer or consultant.

There will be times during your application when you will need to ask for an update on the processing times or contest a decision in case of a refusal. Is your representative competent and caring enough to fight for you if things go wrong?

1. Authorized Representative

The first step in order to avoid fraudulent representatives is to verify if they are authorized to practice and give advice. If you choose a paid representative who is not authorized, you may receive outdated or false advice and your application may be returned. Its a simple question that all authorized representatives are happy to answer: Are you legally allowed to represent me in my Canadian Immigration Application?

2. Who is handling your application?

An immigration application is very personal and requires specific details to be submitted and verified. It is also important that the person you speak to is also the person handling your file so that no details get lost in the way. You should always ask yourself who is the lawyer actually working on your file and specifically, will you receive the personal attention you need to obtain your Canadian Immigration?

3. Do they have experience in your specific situation?

There are many types of immigration applications and Canadian Immigration Law is constantly changing. It takes a dedicated professional to stay on top of all the changes in immigration law and regulations, and more importantly to help you if something goes wrong in your application. Even though we hope for the best, its always better to prepare for the worse. Does your representative have the right experience to help you if things go wrong?

4. Are you being offered a contract?

Your legal fees to be paid to the lawyer or consultant should be clear and written in a contract. In most cases, the legal fees will be a fixed amount which may be split depending on the milestone you reach in your application. For example, you should pay an initial fee for your application to be submitted but only pay the rest of the fees if your application is successful. Make sure you understand the extent of your legal fees before signing the contract.

5. What are you being promised?

If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn't true. There are a lot of immigration lawyers and consultants in Canada, some of them will make false promises in order to win you over. The final decision on your immigration application is not made by the lawyer or consultant, it is made by the immigration officer. Therefore, as every single immigration application is different from the other, stay away from those who guarantee you success.

6. Consultation

Finally, if you are to give your trust to a representative to take care of your application, make sure you have a consultation with them in order to ask all your questions and fully understand your case. They should be able to answer most of the questions you ask and make an honest plan for you. After your consultation, you should know which programs you qualify for and what kind of attention will be put into your application.