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Sponsorship of parents, children, spouses (common-law, conjugal, same sex), refugees.

List of reliable Immigration Lawyers / RCIC ? 

jabueg
jabueg
Posts: 1


Posted On: 6/22/2020
jabueg
jabueg
Posts: 1
Hello Settlement.org Forum,

First post! Glad to be part of the community and I hope that this post will help future couples/families. Here goes:
I am reaching out as my partner and I are looking for an Immigration Lawyer / RCIC to help us complete the Family Class / Spousal Sponsorship process.

I am a Canadian Citizen and my partner is an American Citizen. Our goal is to have her immigrate here to Canada.

So far in our research, we concluded that there are 3 options into completing this process:

(1) Hire an Immigration Lawyer
(2) Hire an RCIC
(3) Do it yourself

Although hiring a lawyer or RCIC is quiet costly, it does reduce risk. On the other hand, we have read countless forums that doing it yourself is fairly straight forward especially if there isn't any complications.

Our questions are:


(a) Is there a "Official" recommended list of lawyers or RCIC's that can help us? We've collected a list from searching online, however, the reviews are inconsistent and we are worried of potential scammers and people taking advantage (fake reviews etc.)

(b) Based on peoples experience, are there any pros/cons to hiring a lawyer vs. an RCIC?

(c) Calling all DYI-ers. Do you have any tips / recommendations / resources that could help us if we choose to complete the application ourselves?

Looking to get your thoughts on this. Thanks everyone :)

JA
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Moderator
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 4063


Posted On: 6/29/2020
Moderator
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 4063
Hello There,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us. We are glad to hear from you too, and hope that the community can also share their experiences with you.

(a) Is there a "Official" recommended list of lawyers or RCIC's that can help us? We've collected a list from searching online, however, the reviews are inconsistent and we are worried of potential scammers and people taking advantage (fake reviews etc.)


You may find helpful information on how to find a reputable and registered lawyer or immigration consultant in the Settlement.Org articles, How do I find a lawyer? and What other kinds of legal help can I get?.


It may also help to connect with a community resource navigator at 211 to narrow your search.

211 Ontario is a free, confidential service. Their phone service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Here is a link to their live chat if you prefer to communicate online. Their live chat service is available Monday to Friday from 7am-9pm ET.

(b) Based on peoples experience, are there any pros/cons to hiring a lawyer vs. an RCIC?



The Settlement.Org article, Should I get help with my immigration application from an immigration consultant or lawyer? may also provide some insight on the type of help and advice you can receive from a lawyer or immigration consultant.


We hope the community can also share their experiences with either service in this thread.

(c) Calling all DYI-ers. Do you have any tips / recommendations / resources that could help us if we choose to complete the application ourselves?



If you are looking for more information on Sponsorship, you may find Settlement.Org article How do I sponsor a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner, or dependent child living outside of Canada? a helpful resource. This article provides an introduction to the IMM 5289 Guide: Sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child.

We hope this information is helpful. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.


Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team
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