Has anyone used CFIS to migrate to Canada? (professionals, costs)
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My wife and I are considering a move to Canada - I was wondering if you used this service to facilitate the move. https://cfis-org.ca/
According to a government warning, the best way to apply for PR is to go directly through the government. I get that, but will this service facilitate the process?
**I'd like to kindly ask that this thread not turn into a debate as to whether or not we should move to Canada. It's a decision that will be made by my wife and me. We're just interested in knowing peoples experience with this particular service.
not sure how many posters on this forum have immigrated to Canada so not likely to get much of a response, i would try the various ex pat forums on Facebook, I was once a member of a Brit expat forum, and this is the exactly the kind of topic that got lots of debate.
not sure how many posters on this forum have immigrated to Canada so not likely to get much of a response, i would try the various ex pat forums on Facebook, I was once a member of a Brit expat forum, and this is the exactly the kind of topic that got lots of debate.
I have never had a need for such services, but if I did I would prefer to use the services of either the Canadian government (first choice) or of a reputable government recommended business that is entirely Canadian owned and operated and has their head office based in Canada. Being an English speaker myself, the service provider and it's website would need to have a perfect command of the English language. I don't believe that CFIS fits the bill.
I have never had a need for such services, but if I did I would prefer to use the services of either the Canadian government (first choice) or of a reputable government recommended business that is entirely Canadian owned and operated and has their head office based in Canada. Being an English speaker myself, the service provider and it's website would need to have a perfect command of the English language. I don't believe that CFIS fits the bill.
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They are based in Vancouver, but I'm still not sure. I think they're legit, but I just don't know if they're necessary.
I have never had a need for such services, but if I did I would prefer to use the services of either the Canadian government (first choice) or of a reputable government recommended business that is entirely Canadian owned and operated and has their head office based in Canada. Being an English speaker myself, the service provider and it's website would need to have a perfect command of the English language. I don't believe that CFIS fits the bill.
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I worked for an immigration law firm for a while. If you wanted to immigrate to Canada, and you fit the criteria, we usually recommended that you go through the Canadian government. Yes, we could shepherd your application for permanent residency through, but it would take the same amount of time as if you did it yourself, and it would cost, and you wouldn't like the bill. Far better for you to deal on your own with the Canadian government through its consulates and embassies in foreign countries. Cheaper too, as while there will be various fees and costs incurred in the process, you're avoiding our fee on top of those.
Such a company as CFIS might be useful if you're a Canadian company who needs an expert from, say, the American head office to come to Canada on a two-year secondment. But your average, everyday, "I'd like to move to Canada and I fit the parameters" applicant would be better off dealing with the Canadian government directly.
I will state that one thing I do not like about what I saw on their website, dealt with citizenship. They make it sound like they will get you here, under permanent residency, and then they can move forward with citizenship, if you want. The only thing they got correct in their remarks was the "time-consuming process," since there is a period of residency requirement (I believe it is 3 to 5 years), and you must document each and every time you left Canada, for how long, and for what reason. If you're out of Canada too long, or if you cannot recall where you went or why or for how long, the clock resets, and you start over.
But even pursuing citizenship is a "do it yourself" matter. My ex, who was American, went through it. It was not difficult, and while there were forms and fees and a test that I found laughable, she fulfilled all the conditions and became a naturalized Canadian about twenty years ago. When it came to documenting the reasons she had left Canada in the preceding 3 or 5 years, they accepted "Business conference, Chicago, Illinois, March 2000, five days" and "Visiting my mother in Seattle, December 2001, three days" and "Colorado vacation, September 2000, 14 days." Yes, you have to be that specific.
I would suggest that the OP pursue permanent residency to Canada through a Canadian government website, and eventually a Canadian government embassy or consulate. If he fits the parameters, then it would be a matter of forms and fees, without paying a third party to do what he can do himself, in the same amount of time.
Last edited by ChevySpoons; 03-21-2023 at 11:36 PM..
I worked for an immigration law firm for a while. If you wanted to immigrate to Canada, and you fit the criteria, we usually recommended that you go through the Canadian government. Yes, we could shepherd your application for permanent residency through, but it would take the same amount of time as if you did it yourself, and it would cost, and you wouldn't like the bill. Far better for you to deal on your own with the Canadian government through its consulates and embassies in foreign countries. Cheaper too, as while there will be various fees and costs incurred in the process, you're avoiding our fee on top of those.
Such a company as CFIS might be useful if you're a Canadian company who needs an expert from, say, the American head office to come to Canada on a two-year secondment. But your average, everyday, "I'd like to move to Canada and I fit the parameters" applicant would be better off dealing with the Canadian government directly.
I will state that one thing I do not like about what I saw on their website, dealt with citizenship. They make it sound like they will get you here, under permanent residency, and then they can move forward with citizenship, if you want. The only thing they got correct in their remarks was the "time-consuming process," since there is a period of residency requirement (I believe it is 3 to 5 years), and you must document each and every time you left Canada, for how long, and for what reason. If you're out of Canada too long, or if you cannot recall where you went or why or for how long, the clock resets, and you start over.
But even pursuing citizenship is a "do it yourself" matter. My ex, who was American, went through it. It was not difficult, and while there were forms and fees and a test that I found laughable, she fulfilled all the conditions and became a naturalized Canadian about twenty years ago. When it came to documenting the reasons she had left Canada in the preceding 3 or 5 years, they accepted "Business conference, Chicago, Illinois, March 2000, five days" and "Visiting my mother in Seattle, December 2001, three days" and "Colorado vacation, September 2000, 14 days." Yes, you have to be that specific.
I would suggest that the OP pursue permanent residency to Canada through a Canadian government website, and eventually a Canadian government embassy or consulate. If he fits the parameters, then it would be a matter of forms and fees, without paying a third party to do what he can do himself, in the same amount of time.
Thank you very much for all of that. You've been really helpful.
I've gone through the Canadian immigration website, and while trying to see if I qualify, I've hit a roadblock. Apparently, despite the fact that I'm a native English speaker, I'll need to take IELTS or some other internationally recognized English exam.
Not sure if I can go further than that if I don't take the exam. I'd also want to bring my wife and daughter and the official Canadian site hasn't give me much info about taking them (and ensuring my wife can work).
I've been leaning towards CFIS because I figure they might make the process easier, but I'm also cheap, so I'll see what I can do with the national website.
Can you link to where the Canadian government is asking that you take an English test?
I'm not doubting you, but it seems absurd that the Canadian government would be asking an American whether they could speak English. Hell, English is the de facto national language of the United States.
My ex never had to deal with an English test when she immigrated to Canada from the US. Her English was just fine (though she misspelled a few words ). As I recall from her conversations, "I had an interview with a Canadian official at the consulate in Denver, and we talked, and he determined that I knew English." She never took a test, in other words.
Could it be that you are misreading the Canadian government's website? I plowed through there myself, today (on your behalf), and it is awfully confusing. There is no clear, "Here is how to immigrate to Canada. First, fill out this form (link), then prepare something-something, then prepare for an interview at [location]." Or anything quite so simple. It's too busy with "family class," and "professionals under NAFTA," and "sports/entertainment stars," and similar. Nothing about the ordinary guy and his family.
So I would suggest: telephone (do not text or e-mail) the Canadian embassy in Washington DC, or the Canadian consulate closest to you. If they say, "Why did you not look at our web site?" just reply, "It did not give me the information I was looking for." If they ask why not, explain why not: it explained everything for everybody except for the ordinary person who just wanted to immigrate to Canada.
It can be done, regardless of an English test, which I don't believe is required, but which you would pass easily in any event. My best regards,
Can you link to where the Canadian government is asking that you take an English test?
I'm not doubting you, but it seems absurd that the Canadian government would be asking an American whether they could speak English. Hell, English is the de facto national language of the United States.
My ex never had to deal with an English test when she immigrated to Canada from the US. Her English was just fine (though she misspelled a few words ). As I recall from her conversations, "I had an interview with a Canadian official at the consulate in Denver, and we talked, and he determined that I knew English." She never took a test, in other words.
Could it be that you are misreading the Canadian government's website? I plowed through there myself, today (on your behalf), and it is awfully confusing. There is no clear, "Here is how to immigrate to Canada. First, fill out this form (link), then prepare something-something, then prepare for an interview at [location]." Or anything quite so simple. It's too busy with "family class," and "professionals under NAFTA," and "sports/entertainment stars," and similar. Nothing about the ordinary guy and his family.
So I would suggest: telephone (do not text or e-mail) the Canadian embassy in Washington DC, or the Canadian consulate closest to you. If they say, "Why did you not look at our web site?" just reply, "It did not give me the information I was looking for." If they ask why not, explain why not: it explained everything for everybody except for the ordinary person who just wanted to immigrate to Canada.
It can be done, regardless of an English test, which I don't believe is required, but which you would pass easily in any event. My best regards,
Chevy
Yes, you actually do. I think it was implemented in 2012 when the Conservatives decided we were going to be overrun by non English speakers. Remember Harper's "old stock" comment about Canadians?
The provincial nominee program in Manitoba, for example, received a lot of immigrants prior to 2012 whose English was as good as non-existent, mainly from Eastern Europe. My husband translated many documents for immigrants before it changed.
Thanks, Netwit. I had forgotten about that--I guess I was relying more on the experiences of my ex, when she came here, but that was about thirty years ago, before that requirement.
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). As I recall from her conversations, "I had an interview with a Canadian official at the consulate in Denver, and we talked, and he determined that I knew English." She never took a test, in other words.
