|
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I choose
a Reliable Representative?
The decision is very subjective. The service of Immigration
is an intangible product, like buying life insurance. It is unlike
tangible product, like buying a TV whereby you can buy from anyone
and not necessary from the TV Producer or Designer. Therefore selection
is more complex as, your application is all involve with documents
and promises of services by Representative in the future. Emigration-center
suggests the following considerations for choosing a reliable representative:
- Check whether the company is locally registered Limited Company
so that you can check officially with the Registration of Company
on the register capital, what type of business( include immigration
consultation or not), who are the persons responsible for the
company, when does the company established, etc. The person who
is directly handled and prepared your application should be one
of the responsible officers of the company listed on the shareholder
or Director list.
- Therefore, it is vital and practical for you to sign the agreement
contract with the Director of the company or the officer who is
authorized to sign for the company. You are advised to request
a copy of their shareholder list or "authority to sign"
for verification.
- Verify whether the Representative handling your application
has the relevant immigration experiences. You should ask for his
civil status (from Canada) proof. It is advisable for you to deal
with person who directly prepares your application personally.
You must be able to meet the Representative in person to discuss
the preparation of your application and eventual coaching you
in person in your home country to pass the immigration interview.
- Verify whether the Representative is the application Processor
by asking to view other cases in progress at the office in your
home country. If the representative is the processor, you can
physically see their staff working on the clients' file at the
office. This is the best proof to witness the Representative credential.
- Check the local client's successful record that has the similar
skills as yours. If the Representative claims to have many years
of immigration experiences and he/she must be able to show proof
of many successful clients at their office locally. Successful
of clients (foreigners) from overseas company/representative do
not necessary means the clients locally will be successful for
their applications. Skills, qualification and personal documents
vary significantly from country to country. Think of it, like
Thailand still uses traditionally Buddhist year. It is only practical
to choose Representative who is familiar with local documents.
- Make sure the Representative is the Processor who can guide
and coach you in person to pass immigration interview locally.
English Language skill is a compulsory requirement during personal
immigration interview or Skill Workers category, as you will be
awarded points under English language and personal suitability
factors. You should ask to speak to their successful clients and
verify who had conducted the personal coaching interview. If the
Representative who is living in Canada, ask to speak to him (you
only invest very little long-distance telephone cost to verify
this) and get letter of confirmation that he/she can conduct personal
coaching at your home country. This is a vital verification because
the Representative is not living in Thailand and you do not have
any contract obligation with him/her (Overseas Processor) as you
signed the contract with the local company and not the Representative.
So be careful.
- Check and verify from different Representatives about their
immigration knowledge - as you do not want an incapable Representative
to use your application as "guinea pig" to learn about
immigration application process. Should your application is being
refused by immigration authority, it will be difficult to approve
for the 2nd time submission.
- Nowadays, most Representatives use website to market their services
and provide immigration information. Thus, you can research easily
at home via internet and analyze the Representative knowledge
of Immigration by comparing with information from official Canadian
website.
- Be careful of some Representatives who make critical comments
about other Representatives on their website or marketing materials.
This is an unethical business approach for "over selling"
their own credential by "back stabbing" other Representatives
who are on the same business. They do not provide any concrete
evidences and just simply criticizing others and praising themselves
or their works. It goes without saying that "if you are good
and others will speak good of you. You do not need to praise yourself.
These unethical Representatives criticize others when their immigration
knowledge is limited or giving misleading information to clients
at their website. Some Representatives claim they posses many
years of immigration experiences with over hundreds of successful
clients locally. When you verify their company registration, their
company only registered in the year of 2000 or 2001 and majority
of the successful clients were foreigners belong to the overseas
Representative /processor.
- Be extra caution, when the Representative or marketing Agent
who is "over-selling" their services at their website
but they do not provide date of company registration and at the
same time these companies "self-claim" for having many
years of immigration experiences. CHECK THEM OUT!! Therefore,
it is recommended that you should verify personally of their critics
by visiting the other Representatives that being criticized and
judge the truth of it so that you will be more equip to choose
a reliable representative that you can trust. It is not practical
and risky for you to make decision on " who to contract "
by basing on " Hear-say " without verification. The
application of Permanent Residence is "one-time" or
life time opportunity for you and it is unlike buying a tangible
product whereby it can easily be replaced. If the application
is being refused, it is computerize at the immigration Authority
and may lead to difficulty to approve for future application.
" Shop around and shop for the Best ".
What is the different
of engaging the service of the following Representative?
- From the Internet
- From local marketing agent who contract Representative
from Canada.
- Local registered company
For the first two, there are no different as it
is like mailing service whereby all communications and correspondences
are conducted with no physical contacts with Representative in Canada.
There are many clients who engaged Representative via Internet because
of low cost. You cannot verify their credential. Some of the companies
cannot be contacted after you have made the payments. Most of these
Representatives who only assist your application until getting the
Immigrant Visa and they do not provide any landing service or assist
how you can return to your home country. Eventually you end up paying
more because they charge for these additional services. Should the
Representative defaulted the agreement with you, you will have to
appoint a lawyer in Canada to sue your Representative because you
have signed a Canadian Agreement. Canadian lawyer is very expensive
and you will end up abundant the suit and lost all your fees.
For engaging the service of local marketing agent
is even more complex and insecure for the applicant. In fact you
are placing your trust on the marketing agent to select the Representative
and you are not in the position to verify the credential of the
Representative. (Does the agent permit you to speak or write to
the Representative?) On the other hand, you are signing an agreement
for engagement of service with the local marketing agent and not
the Representative who is actually the qualified person to process
& prepare your application. In the event should the marketing
agent ceased operation locally, do you think the Representative
will continue servicing your application or do you have any legal
responsibility over the Representative in Canada. Obviously, you
can't because you signed the legal contract with the marketing agent,
not the Representative. Does the marketing agent pay the Representative
for you? You are not in the position to know the relationship between
them, right. Therefore, it is very insecure for you to engage an
indirect Representative via marketing Agent whereby you have no
control over your payments and service. For engaging a local registered
Company as Representative is the best solution if the application
processor or person directly preparing your application is based
and live in your home country.
Should you not able to locate a local registered
Representative and you have to contract an Overseas Representative
through mailing or internet, Emigration-center suggests the following
steps:-
Step 1
Only deal with the Director or owner of the registered overseas
company and not an individual or employee of the company as it is
difficult to verify who they are.
Step 2
Ask them to send you the official company documents stating the
name of the Director or owner and date of company incorporate.
Step 3
If
you satisfy with the above, make a long distance calls to check
him out by talking to other staff at the company and then make a
separate call on different day to speak to Director personally to
verify his credential. If you have a friend in Canada, arrange for
him to verify or visit the company in Canada.
Step
4
Before you finally sign an official contract with him by mail,
you must ask him to send a certified true copy (by notarized public
lawyer in Canada) of his Identity and his company registration document
showing his name and date of Co. Registration with the agreement
contract send to you at your home country.
Step 5
All payments must be paid to the company's name by international
bank draft and payable according to job performance at each stage
of the application process.
Does it make any different
if the Representative is a foreign or local person operating the
Limited Company or sole proprietor in my home country?
Yes, it does if it is a sole proprietor. Only a local
person can be a sole proprietor. For example in Thailand, a foreigner
without residency status cannot register as sole proprietor. Additionally,
you cannot verify the background the local Sole Proprietor (not
foreigner) easily. But one can verify the Limited Company legally
with the Registration of Companies, as it is required under the
company ACT. Additionally there is no different between a local
or & foreign person operating the Limited Company because the
Liability of the company is limited by the Register Capital Thus,
the liability of the company cannot be extended to the officer of
the company unless he/she personally signed a letter of guarantee
to the business transaction. Therefore, it is important for you
to determine the amount of register capital, assets, staff strength,
etc. of the company before you engage their service. So it is not
so important whether he or she is a local person or Foreigner. You
are advised to consult a qualified Accountant for this matter.
|
