Out of millions of people in India who think about moving abroad, there is a small percentage who eventually succeed. With a personal experience of numerous people who spoke to me about moving abroad, less than 1% eventually achieved it.
Having lived in 3 countries over past 6 years, the number of people who spoke to me about this desire has been substantial. Anyone who would know I live abroad or have lived abroad, was intrigued to enquire about my experience, and I could see a sparkle of desire in their eyes. Of course, not everyone who expressed the desire was serious about it, very few took an initiative of starting their own research or seeking professional help. But why were there so many fallouts? Why are so many people afraid to even pursue this dream? I find 2 major factors responsible for this:
- Lack of awareness regarding immigration process of prominent destinations: This ignorance is often sponsored by agents who benefit with the vulnerability of their clients. When a person goes to the so-called visa expert without any prior knowledge of immigration processes, they make an ideal recipe for a potential fraud. In most cases, people eventually end up paying somewhere between INR 1,50,000 to 3,00,000 in exchange of a “guaranteed visa” scheme. Rule of thumb – run away from any consultant or agent who guarantees a visa, do not give in to your temptations. No matter how upscale the office setup is, run away!
- Lack of transparency in Immigration process of some major countries: In many desirable immigration destinations, unfortunately the process is quite ambiguous to a common man. Just because you are willing to immigrate does not mean you have the time to navigate through hundreds of pages of resources. Hence you are somehow forced to seek professional help, and we discussed what happens then, in the first point. If you are among the few lucky people that get to the application stage, the wait for outcome is often the toughest phase. This processing can take anywhere from 6 months to 5 years. Meanwhile you are staring into the dark night looking for a ray of hope, an update to your application. Imagine working hard on a project for months, and once you submit it, there is no hint of outcome for years. It is not easy mentally & emotionally!
Canada has been listening to Immigrants!
The issues around awareness & transparency have been mitigated tremendously in the Canadian Immigration system.
You can develop a general awareness of the system with a few hours of research. If you don’t like reading, you can watch some videos on YouTube that are NOT posted by visa agents. Look for trusted sources such as IRCC, prominent media publications, or simply book a free 1-hour consultation with an RCIC. RCIC are consultants authorized under Canadian Law to represent clients in their Visa application. None of these options cost you more than 3-4 hours, the last one being the quickest.
The second factor, transparency, was address by the Canadian government in 2015 with the launch of Express Entry, their online application system. You can do your own research and if you are confident enough, apply for yourself. There are risks associated with that, but it is possible. There is no harm in a free consultation anyways. Once you or your representative applies on your behalf, it is not a long dark night ahead to endure. There are some triggers that indicate progress in your application, and if you are working with a consultant who is experienced enough to notice these triggers, you will get updates on your application. Do not expect an update every month, but make sure you work with a consultant who handles your update requests patiently and talks to you even after he has been paid.
How did Canada achieve all this?
The answer lies in how Canadian immigration system has evolved over last few decades. Canada laid foundation of its immigration system based on needs of its society, and feedback from the segment that is most impacted by it – the immigrants themselves. Also, a lot came from its international obligations as signatory to notable conventions and covenants related to Human rights, refugees, best interest of child and banning torture of any kind. This is what makes this country an even better place to be – a country that respect lives, ethnicity & diversity.
If you are looking to move to Canada as a student, worker, immigrants or just to visit, get in touch for a detailed assessment of your options – it does not cost anything!