Moving to Canada can be a difficult task – there is a lot of paperwork that is involved, and a lot of time management skills are necessary. Besides that, there are also many options to choose from – and with over 80 immigration programs, you may need to contact an immigration consultant. But how much do immigration consultants charge in Canada?
Well, the answer depends. It depends on whether you need a service or a simple consultation. It depends on the scope of work that needs to be done and what kind of program you are applying for. Beware that higher prices do not have to increase your chances of getting drawn from the Express Entry pool. Likewise, paying too little does not mean receiving even the most basic service quality.
When you add the concerns and their unrealistic promises, the situation gets even more complex. These services often overcharge and promise a guarantee of getting drawn in the next cycle – this is simply not true, as there is no way to ensure that your application will be better than others. With this in mind, let’s consider what some realistic fees for an immigration consultant are.
How Much Do Immigration Consultants in Canada Cost?
No two consultants in Canada charge the same exact fees when it comes to their service. In general, how much you will be paying for depends on:
- their years of experience
- the value that they can add to your application
- the range of services they offer
- the complexity of programs that they can cover
But also on you:
- how complex the program that you would like to join is
- how complex your particular case is
- how complete your documentation is
- how many family members you will be applying with
- if you have had a refusal before
- if you have been deemed ineligible during previous program applications
- whether you have been convicted of any criminal activities
- if you have been deemed inadmissible on health grounds before
Full Representation Cost
When it comes to the full representation cost, this is the most costly option. Besides gathering the documents, there is not much that you will need to do in this case. Your RCIC (Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant) will take over from there on, and with a few extra forms, they can even take over the following steps and simply inform you when your papers are ready. This is the best way to immigrate, with the least hassle and with the least headaches along the way.
Consultation Fees
Whatever the fees may be, there should be a payment plan offered. Usually, you will also be given consultations that can be carried out over email, phone, skype, or even in person. Let’s consider them in more detail and see what option you should choose as the best for you.
Canadian immigration professionals will always have an email address. The email address should correspond to the name and the company name that the person is working in, and it should be clearly stated on the website. When it comes to email consultation, this type will follow your schedule (and the time difference) and will enable you to sit, think, and then write. If you have a lot of ideas, this is probably a good way to talk.
Phone/Skype
When it comes to talking over the phone or Skype, both these means of communication have both pros and cons when compared to regular email correspondence. Namely, they are both more personal and will let you understand and know the person on the other side of the line better.
Phone, for example, lets you hear their voice and speak to them in real-time. At the same time, your authorized immigration consultant will be able to hear you and learn more about you, which can lead to more fruitful communication and cooperation.
When it comes to Skype, it beats the phone on a few levels. First of all, being able to see the person on the other side of the line is going to be very beneficial to you. At the same time, you can use the Skype chat function to send the scanned documents, which you can revise at the same time and ensure that both you and the consultant are on the same page. They can provide some more information on how and where to get the missing document, and they can also advise you on how to fill in the Canadian documents so that you can increase your chances of being drawn in the first draw cycle.
In-person
When it comes to in-person communication and consultation, this is probably the best way to actually do the communication during your immigration process. However, considering the geographic constraints, this can pose a lot of issues.
Namely, to be able to have in-person communication, you need to be in Canada already, and this option may be available only to those who are looking forward to extending their student stay or turning it into a PR or to those who are in Canada on a temporary resident visa (TRV). At the same time, if you are in Canada on a tourist visa (also the TRV), consider scheduling consultations, but be aware that you can only apply for a PR once outside of Canada in most cases.
Typical Cost Range
As there are many different Canadian immigration programs, there are also many ways to charge for these services provided by Canadian immigration agencies. In addition to this, you may also need to consider that each of these programs may need a different level of involvement and that a different number of family members may dictate a different price. In addition to this, the length of consultation can also dictate the price, and some programs may need additional fees to be charged. The prices outlined below are an estimate based on our experience, and they (the prices) may change at any time:
Consultation Cost for Canada Immigration
Type of Consultation | Cost in CAD |
Immigration Consultation | 250 |
Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel consultation | 250 |
Visa Consultation | 125 |
Immigration Consultant Service Cost for Temporary Canada Immigration
Type of Service Offered by a Consultant | Cost in CAD |
LMIA – Labour Market Impact Assessment | 3,500-6,000 |
IMP Work Permit | 2,750 |
Work Permit | 1,000-2,500+ |
Study Permit | 1,000-2,500+ |
Post-Graduate Work Permit | 750+ |
TRV (Visitor Visa) | 1,000-2,500 |
Visa (for work, study, or a visit) | 1,200 |
Visa applications from inside Canada | 1,000 |
Immigration Consultant Service Cost for Permanent Canada Immigration
Type of Service Offered by a Consultant | Cost in CAD |
Family Class Immigration | 4,000 |
Self-Employed Economic Immigration | 7,000-15,000 |
Provincial Entrepreneur Economic Immigration | 45,000 |
Express Entry Skilled Worker Application | 4,000-4,500 |
Express Entry Canadian Experience Class | 2,500-3,500 |
Express Entry Provincial Nominee Application | 4,000-4,500 |
Atlantic Immigration Pilot | 1,500 |
Express Entry Profile Building | 1,500 |
Expression of Interest | 1,500 |
Immigration Consultant Service Cost for Other Types of Immigration
Type of Service Offered by a Consultant | Cost in CAD |
Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications in Canada | 6,000 |
Refugee Applications and Hearings | 5,500 |
TRP – Temporary Residence Permit | 4,000 |
Application for Criminal Rehabilitation | 3,500+ |
Medical Inadmissibility | 3,500+ |
Section 44 Preparation and Interview | 2,500 |
Immigration Appeal Division Dispute Resolution | 2,500+ |
Immigration and Refugee Board Hearing | 4,500+ |
Federal Court Judicial Review | 8,000+ |
What Is an Immigration Consultant?
Immigration consultants are Canadian visa experts. They are there to provide advice on the topics of immigration and visitor visas, temporary visas, and permanent resident visas. They can help you with your study permit applications, your study permits, and your student visa. The same goes for a temporary resident visa and even business immigration visas. They are likely to be a huge help.
This is especially true as so many people need help with the paperwork and their visa applications. Applying for permanent residence can cost a lot, and paying a bit more to have an immigration representative can help make your investment worthwhile. Hiring immigration consultant services does not mean that you will succeed in your application, but it rather means that you will be able to increase your chances of getting your immigration status.
Still, probably the best use for an immigration consultant is in more complex economic immigration programs. Business immigrants joining the Atlantic immigration program, as well as those attempting immigration with a past criminal conviction or those that have been deemed inadmissible to Canada, will probably prosper the most from hiring an authorized immigration lawyer. With this in mind, let’s have a look at what some of the fees are for hiring an immigration consultant.
How Can an Immigration Consultant Help You?
A certified immigration consultant can help you throughout the application process. To start off with, they can offer advice on any type of Canada visa application. They can provide consultation and a full service with representation if this is what you need. Here are some things that a Canadian immigration consultant can help you with:
- consultations and advice on immigration options
- assistance with immigration applications (such as permanent residency applications through the Express Entry (EE) program
- child sponsorship and sponsoring other family members
- choosing the right business immigration categories for your existing business
- offering consultations and application help for those who have been convicted before or have otherwise been deemed inadmissible to Canada
- offering help in getting your study permit, work permit, or extending your existing TRV – Temporary Resident Visa
- offering advising and consultation in order to see how you can improve your CRS score and many more
Besides this, they are there to:
- help make things easy during more complex application processes
- to help you increase your chances of getting accepted after your application has been rejected
- to help you with the application process if you have been found guilty of a crime before
- if you have been deemed inadmissible on health grounds
- to help ease things for you if you have applied through a difficult or complex immigration program before
To Make Things Easy
Canadian immigration application process is not too difficult; however, if you want to apply on your own, you will need to be an expert in the field. As Canada has high immigration goals, your chances of getting drawn are not slim – but you need a good immigration advisor to make things easy for you and to take care of the immigration forms and processes instead of you. Immigration services have their own immigration charges, but they are worth the money, especially as an expert eye can catch nuances that you may not.
If You’ve Already Been Rejected
Canadian immigration services are many, and knowing Canadian immigration consultants can help you quite a lot with the application process. If you have been refused before, a Canadian immigration expert can go through the refusal letter with you and help you identify your mistakes during the application process. This will make you more of an ideal candidate for immigration and can help you make fewer mistakes during the application process.
If You Have Been Arrested or Found Guilty of a Crime
If you have been arrested or have been found guilty of a crime, this could be a big problem on your way to Canada. In fact, you have to hire a Canadian immigration consultant to ensure that your file looks the best it can. You need not have committed a serious crime, since a petty theft can make you criminally inadmissible to Canada.
At the same time, you may see an immigration consultant to help you with mediating the damage that your criminal activities have done and to ensure that you can get accepted onto Canadian soil with these convictions. This way, you pay a bit more to the immigration experts, but you increase your chances of not getting rejected during your next application.
If You Have a Health Concern
An immigration consultant firm can also help you out if you have been deemed criminally inadmissible to Canada before. Knowing which conditions can make you unacceptable is a good starting point, and only immigration experts can help you understand this. Travelling to certain parts of the world, for example, can make you inadmissible.
The same can happen with those who have very high medical expenses that could cost Canadian insurance companies over CAD102,585 over a five-year period. At the end of the day, you need to understand that even the best immigration professional may not guarantee results.
If You’re Submitting a Request Through a Difficult Immigration Program
Immigration consulting services are best used if you are applying for a program or a territory with restricted immigration policies. These kinds of immigration matters happen all the time, and sometimes a simple mistake in the application procedure can ensure that you do not get accepted. For this reason, when applying for a PNP program through Express Entry or when looking for ways to migrate your entire business, we always recommend hiring a qualified immigration consultant to help you during this complex procedure.
Immigration Consultants Offered Services
Whether you want to immigrate from Colombia or Japan, the rules of any program are the same. While there may be programs offering you more options and priority treatment, it may be best to check in with a consultant because even these programs may be complex to apply to. A good, regulated immigration consultant can help you a ton with your application, and they can also:
- they can do a full profile assessment and see which areas of your profile you can improve on
- they can provide a checklist for documents that you need to submit with each program
- they can help you write a Canadian-style resume for your application for job positions in Canada
- they can help you prepare for your language exams
- they can help with your visa application process
- they can help with post-landing assistance when looking for a job or health insurance
Check Out What is Immigration Consultant?
Profile Assessment
Immigration law firms can help you by doing a profile assessment for you. If you are applying for an Express Entry immigration pathway, a licensed immigration consultant can help you establish how many CRS points you will have and can even recommend ways to boost this number. Anything from language exams to getting more education is allowed, so if you are unsure, let professionals do the work for you.
Checklist for Documents
Next, they can provide a checklist for documents that you need with each specific immigration program and offer immigration advice on additional documents that you may be asked to submit. Every immigration program in Canada has a checklist, and you can download it yourself, but discrepancies between the legal systems of Canada and your domestic country can mean that a marriage certificate is one thing in Canada, but something entirely else in your country.
For this reason, unless you can find someone from your own country who has already undergone the immigration process, it is probably best to consult immigration law firms and check with them once you have your documents. These checks can usually be done during consultation hours and do not cost much, usually just a fraction of the total application with representation price.
Writing a Resume
When looking for a permanent visa or a citizenship application, you will need to have a Canadian resume as well. Unless you are a stay-at-home mom, you will need to join the labour market simply to provide for yourself and your family. When looking for a new job, you will notice that you need to secure a Canadian resume – and a consultant agency can help you with this as well.
Preparation for Language Exams
In addition to this, you will also receive advice on how to score better points when taking a language exam. As only some of the language exams that are available on the market are acceptable, it is important to go with the right one. Although this may seem demotivating or too difficult to some, it is important to note that this also provides for standardization and that this can be a good chance for you to receive good advice on language test taking and to increase your chances of scoring better.
Visa Application
One of the basic roles of immigration consultants is submitting the visa application for you and paying the immigration application fee (you have to reimburse these expenses). This way, you get a hands-off approach and can save a lot of time and headaches, and the immigration consultant fees you pay are put to good use.
Post-Landing Assistance
When it comes to post-landing assistance, a good immigration consultant will help you with seeking a job and finding the best health insurance package for you. They will also help you find the documents, application centers, and municipality offices. They can guide your way to actually settling in Canada, but make sure to arrange these services before coming to Canadian soil.
FAQs
Who Can Sponsor Me in Canada?
Several close (blood) relatives can sponsor your arrival to Canada. Canadian immigration programs generally allow your children, grandchildren, siblings, parents, and grandparents to sponsor your arrival to Canada, even if you are an adopted child. In-laws cannot sponsor your arrival.
Is It Easy to Get a Canadian PR?
It can be easy to get a Canadian PR. However, you should understand that getting a permanent residency depends on many factors, including those related to the quality of other candidates. You should understand that each case is observed with its own individual circumstances and that, while some applications can take as little as six months to be reviewed, some may take way longer.
What Is the Age Limit for a Work Visa in Canada?
When applying for the Canadian immigration process for a work permit or a work visa, you should know that there is no upper age limit unless you are applying for the IEC – International Experience Class. In all other cases, you should be at least 18 years of age to apply.
Which Is the Easiest Place to Migrate in Canada?
Many say that Alberta is the easiest place to migrate to in Canada. However, both the Canadian government and immigration lawyers specify that the Canadian immigration application and people who opt for their visas and permits change in their profile and that the profile of people who are accepted into the country changes. This means that a province that allows easy migrations one year may change its policies next year – and make the immigration process more complex.
Final Thoughts
Many potential immigrants to Canada think that hiring an immigration consultation firm is a waste of money, but they can be very useful. If you have a history of being declined on your visa application, have had criminal convictions, or simply need assistance during the application procedure, you need to secure their services to help you and advise you during your new application. Although they do charge, their fees are not that high, especially when compared to how much some of the immigration programs usually cost.