Immigration Blog about US & Canadian Immigration matters.

If you are under the age of majority or travelling with a minor to Canada, you must adhere to strict guidelines. The border officers are on the lookout for missing children, runaways and those being taken against their will. Minors travelling without proper documentation will be turned away at the border. Continue reading below to learn about the proper documents required.

What is a minor?

Each province/territory in Canada has its own age of majority. Anyone under that age is considered a minor.

Do You Want to Immigrate to Canada in 2019

As you may know, Canada’s education and living conditions attract many foreign nationals to visit, study, and work. Furthermore, the multiculturalism in Canada is one of the essential reasons that drives one's longing to move. After they have experienced the beauty of Canada, they may consider settling down permanently in Canada. While numerous individuals are contemplating moving to Canada, they may be thinking about looking for assistance from an immigration representative to make the immigration process more smoothly. Indeed, here comes the most significant inquiry: is hiring a representative necessary? In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of hiring an immigration representative and how to avoid immigration fraud.

Who are Immigration Representatives

Immigration may be difficult and complicated, especially if you are not family with Canadian immigration law. If you are struggling with your application, you may be able to seek guidance from a representative. An Immigration and citizenship representative’s job duties include but are not limited to:

How do you Cross the Border

Any foreign national will experience some anxiety or fear when crossing the Canadian border, especially when the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officer asks questions. Foreign nationals who have criminal inadmissibility or, in other words, a criminal record will have more questions and more examination from the Immigration officer when attempting to cross the border. Therefore, as a foreign national, you should be well-prepared and anticipate all questions that the Immigration officer may have for you. In this blog, you will learn about relevant information with regards to crossing the border as a foreign national.

Interview Process

As a foreign national, it is very likely that you will undergo two interview processes when you are crossing the border. The interview process shall be finished quickly, if you can address all questions asked by the officer properly, and you have sufficient documentation.

How to Avoid Common Application Mistakes

The number one reason applications are refused is because they are riddled with mistakes. These applications are difficult applications to pursue on your own, because, if you are unfamiliar with the process, there is a good chance you overlook certain details and submit an imperfect application. Unfortunately for applicants, the Canadian Government is not interesting in assisting others file applications; this is why they recommend you consult an immigration specialist, or a lawyer. It often comes as a surprise when an application which is incomplete is returned and refused, without any ability to re-submit it and pick up where it left off. However, one needs to understand, immigration and border protection cannot be taken lightly. Applications must be complete and robust for the security of Canada as a whole. Therefore, it makes sense that when an application is complete, it cannot simply be approved. Furthermore, the Canadian government has to devote all its time and resources to processing and approving complete applications for individuals who truly deserve to fulfill their long-worked-for-wish of immigrating to Canada. Everyone who submits an application to immigration can understand, the wait time are agonizing at the best of times, and they would not like to think their applications are being inefficient they are spending too much time processing applications. Ultimately, we have created this article to help applicants have an easier time submitting applications which will not be returned and refused, and get everyone working together to help Canadian border officers process more files successfully.

1. Always check country specific requirements before submitting your application.

Regardless of the type of application you are submitting, whether it be for permanent residence, or for temporary residence, please take the time to do this. Depending on the country and the type of application you are submitting, you could need to submit additional documents. Or for example, you could have to submit originals of some documents which other countries are only required to submit a copy of. If you do not submit original documents when required, your application will be returned as incomplete.

Do You Need a Visitor Visa to Enter Canada? 

Do you wish to come to Canada in the near future, and have no intentions of working or studying in Canada for longer than 6 months? Are you from a non-visa exempt country? If this is the case for you, you’ll need to apply for a temporary resident visa, and receive approval on this application, before you are permitted to travel to Canada. If you are from a visa-exempt country, you may only need to apply for an eTA (electronic travel authorization), if you are flying to Canada. An eTA gives you permission to board your flight which will land at a Canadian airport. A visitor visa gives permission to citizens from countries who are not allowed to enter Canada without a valid visa, the permission to enter Canada, the permission to do so. Please remember, everyone needs a valid travel document, and must not be inadmissible to Canada. Though, this article will cover how to apply for a temporary resident visa, for those individuals who must go through this extra step, before being permitted to enter Canada.

Step 1: Gather Documents

Always start by collecting all the necessary documents, which will have to be submitted with your application for a temporary resident visa. This helps to ensure nothing is missing once your application is submitted, which will result in increased processing times on your application. You will need to provide a variety of things, which Akrami and Associates would be glad to help you with. We help our clients applying for visitors visas every step of the way, to ensure they truly understand what is required in their application. You application must include the following, but is not only limited to these documents.

What is a Travel Document?

If you are a permanent resident returning to Canada, you will need to show a valid permanent resident card or travel document before boarding an airplane, train, or any other means of transportation. Not everyone will need to show their travel documents.

Who Needs Them?

• Convention refugees