Having lived in Dubai with my wife and two kids for around 27 years, the UAE has always been a second home for us. In 2008, I had experienced a series of unfortunate events during the recession and was bound for India. Two years later, I returned to Dubai with everything back to normal again, but thoughts of facing a similar situation haunted me and raged in my mind.
That's when the idea of getting a second passport struck me, though at the time, I found immigration to Canada to be quite unachievable. I had finally decided to reach out to a Canadian immigration consultancy after witnessing a colleague who had successfully landed in Canada and is now living the life of his dreams.
In 2018, I sat down with a list of two to three migration consultants in Dubai, who to me looked very promising, but I had a gut feeling that they may not be right for me in order to immigrate to Canada. So, after enquiring with my friends and relatives, I reached out to another consultancy - Pelican Migration Consultants located in Business Bay.
After a couple of detailed discussions, I knew I had found the right immigration consultancy for us. Their professional approach was devoid of sugar-coated words and false promises, and most importantly, their IRCC licence gave us the confidence we were in search of. It was evident from their approach and guidance the reason why they called themselves the best immigration consultants in Dubai, especially when it comes to immigration to Canada.
The consultant at Pelican said that the first step would be to get my Indian degree evaluated to Canadian equivalent. All I had to do was provide them with my master's degree marksheets and certificate copies. They took care of the entire evaluation procedure and walked me through every step with detailed guidance. Most importantly, they kept me informed about what was exactly happening with my application through e-mail linked with the Canadian bodies. Once the evaluation was complete, and I received my master's equivalency for Canada, my IELTS results reached me with an overall score of band 8.
Soon, I filed an Express Entry application in September 2018 along with other all known provinces. Months passed by and Pelican kept me updated about the new draws and point variations, however by June 2019, I started losing hope and started to doubt whether my application would ever be successful.
In September of 2019, I received a call from Pelican, letting me know that they had refiled my application in Saskatchewan with 67 points as the province had updated their occupation list under Express Entry. To put it simply, I had better chances of getting selected. I was happy but still didn't have any hope left in me. In another nine to 10 months, my IELTS would expire. Then what? But to my surprise, I received a call from Pelican again in October 2019, informing me that I was invited for a Saskatchewan nomination application. Rays of hope and belief surrounded me, as I felt that I was inching closer towards immigration to Canada. The consultant explained the next steps and about the second round of federal Express Entry invitations, and I learned that I could file for PR (permanent residency in Canada) while my IELTS is still valid. My Saskatchewan nomination application found success in March 2020. And just before the Covid-19 lockdown, I received my federal invitation, allowing me to submit my final permanent resident application well in time with the Canada immigration office.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions and office closures, I had a difficult time getting my police clearances and other documentation done, but my consultant kept guiding me in the right direction even during the trying times. In October 2020, I got my "Ready for Visa" letter from the Abu Dhabi visa office asking me to send the passports for stamping. I have submitted my passports and am expecting to receive my visa issued by January 31, 2021. Due to the current global travel restrictions, I am currently waiting for Canada Immigration's travel approval.
Through this journey, if there is one thing I have learned, it is that if you truly wish for something it will happen. So, always trust your instincts! This also applies to those hoping to immigrate to Canada. Even before signing up with a consultancy, many had advised that I rather immigrate to Canada on my own than get help from an immigration consultancy but had I listened to them, my chances of success would have been minimal or maybe I might have to wait longer to get an invite from the government. You have the best chances when you sign up with a professional ICCRC licensed consultancy, such as in my case Pelican Migration Consultants, as they take away all the complexities in the form of documentation, immigration policies and even regarding the eligibility.
I am now looking forward to spending the rest of my life in Canada and I have a clear idea of how my initial settlement days are going to be, thanks to Pelican Migration Consultants. I am planning to celebrate my next Christmas as a Canadian by the Banff!
Based on my own experiences, I can say that if you are looking to migrate, and are looking for professional help, always look for one with knowledge and expertise about the steps and procedures of migrating. They should be clearly able to brief you about the changing laws in your preferred country. Additionally, they should also advise you on what should be done when you are outside of Canada as well as once you are in Canada.
If you need any advice, go through the Canada immigration consultancy websites' reviews. On your own end, ensure that all your queries are cleared from time to time. Finally, if an agency gives you a job guarantee upfront when applying for Canadian immigration, understand that it is not real and you will likely be cheated.