Whistler Immigration, a women-led team of professionals, empowers people to seize opportunities to enable them to live their fullest, most prosperous lives in Canada.
Immigrating to Canada is an ever-changing experience and finding a strategy and timeline to suit your needs can help you move through the process with ease. Barbara Kolvekova, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant and case manager at Whistler Immigration, shares six tips to prepare your pathway to permanent residence.
1. Apply for an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
“An ECA shows the Canadian equivalency of your education level achieved outside Canada. The ECA allows your education to be recognized in certain immigration programs and awards points where invitations to apply are relevant. Apply for your ECA early as it can take several months to process.”
2. Take a language proficiency test with an agency approved by IRCC
“Most immigration programs in Canada have a mandatory English or French language requirement. The language proficiency test contains a reading, writing, listening and speaking component which are scored individually. The score on your language test determines the immigration programs available to you. Study and take advantage of free, online resources to achieve the strongest score possible.”
3. Find your NOC (National Occupation Classification) code
“Jobs described in the NOC code are based on the duties you perform daily at work. Each job is issued a skill level (0, A, B, C, D). Skill levels 0, A, and B are skilled work and C and D are entry-level. There are different immigration programs available to different NOC codes and skill levels.”
4. Gather important personal documents
“This includes birth certificates, marital status documents, employer reference letters, police clearances, and education documents. If any document is not in English or French it must also be accompanied by a certified English or French translation.”
5. Track your immigration status in Canada
“Submitting your permanent residence application does not give you status in Canada until the application is approved. Track the date your temporary status expires, whether you are here as a visitor, student, or worker, and ensure you extend your status before it expires.”
6. Do your research
“There are more than 100 immigration programs available to achieve permanent residence in Canada. Each has specific eligibility criteria, submission processes, timelines, and costs.”
Bonus tip: Immigration is personal
“Your immigration journey will be uniquely catered to your background, age, education, work experience, and language test score. Immigration is deeply personal and no two cases are alike.
The Whistler Immigration team is the perfect embodiment of this – most of our team members are immigrants themselves and each person had a vastly different experience, process, and timeline.”
Whistler Immigration’s commitment to their clients extends far beyond providing immigration advice. Their client-service philosophy puts you at the centre of care.
Their passionate team will design a custom approach for securing your goals. You can expect honesty and transparency about your likelihood of success, potential obstacles, costs and timelines paired with compassion and understanding.
Have questions?
Interact with the Whistler Immigration team directly on their Facebook Page Whistler Immigration Community.
For more information, visit their website at whistlerimmigration.com.
