Immigrating to Canada - Page 2

Can anyone suggest, a lawyer (a legit one) that does free consultations. this could be an option, for me, if nothing changes in the next 3-4 years, obviously i have to fully think through this, b/c of that 10 yr ban.

I'm not sure of any good ones that do free consultations, when I looked for mine the free ones were the crap ones that didn't even knew waivers existed. The one I have is a bit expensive but he knows his ish, yet if you retain him he will deduct the consultation money from your total fees. He was an INS attorney for 7 years I think & has been featured in the media a few times. I myself am currently working with an attorney he appointed me to who seems to very good as well, however, I won't be able to tell you if they are any good in practice until summer 2009 when I apply for my visa & they send me the huge waiver packet we have been working on through the post. If this doesn't work...helloooooo Canada @ some point :] but @ least I will have a peace of mind that I tried everything, i figure if this attorney can do nothing then forget it so i went for quality over quantity. My best friend hired an attorney w/reasonable fees but he's crap, he is still sitting in INS fighting his case 3-4 years later & nothing has progressed.

Canada is pretty much my only choice if I choose to leave. I need an English speaking country because it's all that I speak. Plus, Canada is culturally similar and a short plane ride for my family and friends to come visit.

Lucy why don't you want to stay in England?
I listen to the BBC world service and it's made me very anti-British. The Brits are annoying. No offense to the DREAMers from Britain we have on here. One of my relatives had to live there for work and they hated every minuet of it. So the BBC world service just reinforces what they told me.

To become a legal resident in Canada looks a lot easier than here.
I have a friend living and studying there. She lived in the U.S. for a year before going back home to Indonesia and applying for school in Canada.
She likes Canada much better than the U.S.

That's where I'd go if this DREAM Act doesn't take off, too.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp has just about all the information you'd need to immigrate to Canada. Very helpful.

why are they racist or something? I've actually heard that they are very class conscious, which is wrong in my ethnocentric opinion lol.

Hmm I wish my parents illegally immigrated to Canada, sigh... maybe that would have been easier? Plus my favorite actress Grace Park is from Canada, you know that hot chick from Battle Star Galactica? She's so hot.

lol aw i'm sorry you hate the brits They're good people I think, it's not a bad place to be but I want to be in the same continent as my family & friends - a ticket from London to Mexico (my brother & extended family is there) is over $1,000 US dollars, my close friends are all in the U.S., so Canada would be perfect cus it would be close.

I have also heard of some people who prefer Canada because it is a lot more social, my dad always say Germans especially prefer it over the U.S. because there is a lot more land still & it is more social. I changed my mind towards Canada when I met a lot of Canadians @ school that are really good people, Canada & Canadians are almost the same as Americans, somebody told me that 80% of Canadians live within 20 miles of the U.S. border which explains everything.

I like london but I am done with my Master's as of yesterday & after my internship & working a bit I want something new where I can see myself permanently settling in the long term & def near all my loved ones.

They are definitely more class conscious lol but honestly I've never had a bad experience with a brit, they are just direct like all europeans & if you need help they will always provide it for you. Most are actually very sophisticated there are just a few that take it to the extreme & literately walk with their nose up in the air...esp @ the events place I work at where it's rich weddings & ish, but we still get paid minimum

Canadians are not "culturally similar" the Americans, a fact that we are quick to point out.......just because there's McDonalds and Taco Bell doesn't mean they are "the same". There are some huge cultural differences/perceptions.

You definitely won't get approved in that short a time.
The best advice I can give, is, read through all the info on the website and make a checklist, and prepare as much of the documents that you will need ahead of time, since the govt is notoriously slow at getting back to you if something is "missing", further delaying your application.

The absolute first step is applying to have your transcripts evaluated. I think the cost should be under $1000 -- a bargain compared to immigrating to the US -- I paid $3000 USD to have my transcripts evaluated when I came to the US -- but this process takes some time -- so factor that in.

Yea i looked into it after my post & it looks like it will take about 4 years for the application, so it will probably be a student visa 1st if i do apply.

By the way, does anyone know whether you can apply for 2 visas (diff countries) simultaneously? I just want to be safe & apply for 2 @ once esp if if my waiver is denied ... otherwise I will have to wait til the 2010 school year which I really don't want to do

I don't see why you can't apply for two visas or three or four hundred.
It's not like they share information.
It's always a good idea to keep your options open.

So glad that you're enjoying London and school is going well.
I think it's great that you are posting here, telling the other DREAMERS your story and giving them hope, too....that there isn't just "one" path to your dreams. If the US wants to close doors to you, then all of you need to realize that that's their loss .... you have alot to offer and there is no reason why you shouldn't aim high.

DREAMERS like you who refuse to be held back and instead take wing and fly....if that doesn't make people realize how stupid denying achievers like you is, nothing will.

I hope you realize what an inspiration you are to lots of other DREAMERS who I am sure are reading your posts but not joining or posting.