How It Works

  • Every immigration application is different, but they have in common the following, nine-step process.

  • Step 1: Book your consultation

    To receive legal advice from us, you first need to book a consultation. A lawyer cannot provide you with advice without an appointment.

    Please fill in this online form with your details.

    We will then send you an email with instructions and available times for the consultation. You will need to pick a date and time that works for you, and provide any additional required information, such as further details about your case, a copy of your ID, etc. 

    We will also send you a link to a Law Society of Ontario-compliant ID verification service (Vaultie) that we use. 

    Your consultation will be arranged through Zoom, or a similar service. Our services are provided entirely online.

    All consultations are paid. We will send you instructions on how to pay: you can either do it in advance or at the beginning of the consultation.

  • Step 2: At the consultation

    During your scheduled consultation we will review your case, ask any necessary clarifying questions, and advise you on the realistic immigration options available. Where multiple approaches exist, we’ll explain the advantages, risks and likely timelines for each, tailored to your circumstances. You choose whether to proceed and which option to pursue. If you decide to move forward, we’ll give an estimated fee and a summary of the services covered.

  • Step 3: Agreement for Legal Services

    If you decide to go ahead, and you decide upon a specific type of service you’d like to receive from us, you sign an Agreement for Legal Services. After you have signed the Agreement, we will be officially retained to work on your case, and you will be responsible for following the Agreement’s conditions, including paying our fees. You must read the Agreement carefully and ask us any questions you may have about the Agreement before you sign it.

  • Step 4: Different types of fees

    There are three types of fees, all of which will be outlined in your Agreement for Legal Services:

    A. Legal fees
    These are the fees you pay us for the work we do on your case. Legal fees can be structured as a flat fee, meaning a fixed amount for all work on your file regardless of time spent, or hourly, where you pay for the actual time we spend on your file. We can discuss these options during your consultation.

    B. Government processing fees
    These are official fees charged by the government to process your application. They are not payments for our services, but payments to the government. If you do not pay these, the government will not review your application. You can find the full list of fees on the official government website [here].

    C. Disbursements
    These are additional costs that may arise in connection with your application, such as translation fees for documents, printing or photocopying costs, courier or mailing fees, and similar expenses, should they be necessary.

    All fees and costs will be clearly outlined in your Agreement for Legal Services, and billing will follow the plan described in that agreement.

  • Step 5: Who decides if your application is successful?

    It is important to remember that we are not the government. We do not make decisions about your case. 

    Our duty is to represent you and prepare your application in the best possible way, in order to make it more likely that the government will approve your immigration application.

    The responsible government entities that deal with immigration applications is ​Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

    The processing times for your application is something that we have no control over. We will, however, submit reminders or enquiries to the government about your file on a timely basis. 

    If you would like to learn more about the differing processing times of different types of immigration applications, you may visit the IRCC website.

  • Step 6: Collecting your documents

    Once you sign the Agreement for Legal Services, we will send you a personalized checklist of the documents we need in order to prepare your application and present your case as strongly as possible.

    It is your responsibility to carefully follow our instructions and provide the requested documents in the format we specify (for example, originals vs. photocopies, file formats, or quality requirements). We cannot submit an application or represent you effectively without the necessary evidence. The strength of your case depends in large part on the quality and completeness of the documents you provide.

    There are two main types of documents we will request:

    A. Required government documents
    Each type of application has a mandatory list of documents that must be included. If any required documents are missing, the government will not process your application and will simply return it. Our firm cannot submit an incomplete application. For example, a copy of your passport is required when applying for a Temporary Resident Visa. If you ask us to file an application without a required document, we cannot and will not proceed.

    B. Supporting documents that strengthen your case
    These documents are not strictly required by the government, but they can significantly improve your chances of success. While the government may accept an application without them, doing so usually weakens the case. If you decide to proceed without providing these supporting documents, we will ask you to confirm in writing that you understand the risks and that your chances of approval may be reduced.

  • Step 7: Preparing your application

    Once we have received all of your required documents, we will prepare your application’s submission letter.

    For straightforward applications, this letter may only be a few pages and take less than an hour to complete. For more complex cases, however, it can extend to several dozen pages and require in-depth legal research and references to case law, which may take several days to prepare.

    The submission letter is a critical part of your application. It is not simply a cover note or a formality. In this document, we carefully explain your situation and build a persuasive case to the government officer reviewing your file. Our role is not just to organize your paperwork, but to present your application in the strongest and most convincing way possible.

  • Step 8: Submitting your application

    Once we have all the required and requested documents from you, and you have signed all the required forms, and our submission letter is complete, we will file your application with the appropriate government office. Courier or postal fees may apply, although most applications these days are submitted online through a government portal or by email. We will keep an electronic copy of the whole application package for our and your records.

  • Step 9: After the application is submitted

    After your application is submitted, we must wait for the government office to review it and communicate with us. Typically, before a decision is made, the government will issue an acknowledgment of receipt and, in some cases, request additional information or documentation. When this happens, they usually set a strict deadline of 30 or 60 days. We will notify you immediately, explain exactly what is being requested, and it will be your responsibility to provide the documents to us in time to meet the deadline.

    If your application is approved, there are often additional steps required to finalize the process. We will guide you through each of these steps with clear instructions.

    If the government takes an unusually long time to respond—especially if the delay goes beyond the published processing times—we will submit a status request on your behalf to ask for an update and clarification about the delay.