Have to pay more money

helpme23

I went with an agency to get my visa now i have to pay an additional 300 euros to get more forms to get my visa for rehabilitation because of a conviction i have.I have been advised to go with this by the migration officers who have been given my second stage of the visa.Only still this does not guarantee me getting the visa.So have been saving for the last couple of weeks thanks to my dole.But i am getting second taughts with this having to fork out again i have done all ready.What to do.????????

silja

Do you feel comfortable saying what the conviction is? Some will be deal breakers, for others it may be worthy it, though 300 seems a lot, especially if the agency knew ahead of time this would come up and did not warn you.

helpme23

Yea it was a drink driving ban from over 8 years ago.And i went with visa first cos they seem the only decent company to do all off this.

COYVB

Sounds very fishy. Is this an IEC visa or some other kind?

helpme23

Yea its the IEC its just that i have to go through this process because of having a D.U.I criminal conviction on my record this is to provide evidences that i am not in any way going to do such a thing ever again.I was told visa first were a good agency thay are doing all the paper work for they have an office in Dublin and seem very legit compared to other agencies i looked into.Alot of friends went with them before.And i did check out this rehabilitation entry process online and it cost in and around this money.

COYVB

Well in Canada DUIs only stay on your record for 3 years, so given that this was 8 years ago and in another country it should make zero difference

COYVB

Actually I've just checked some more sources, one says 3, one says 5, one says 10

Nothing like consistency, eh

helpme23

Its 5 years so i am outside the bracket but this situation is different in Ireland it always stays on your record so i cant get it wiped off.So the agency have told me this would be the only way to have any chance to get the visas.

COYVB

I'd call CIC and ask to be honest. It shouldn't matter how Ireland views it, if Canada views it as outside the time frame that's relevant, it'll not be factored in

helpme23

Thats why this is in place because i am outside of there country and makes me eligible to be deemed rehabilitated and shows that even with my conviction i can get a second chance so unlike in canada once 5 years has past my record is wiped cleaned.If this only happened say last year i could not apply for this and would have to wight for 5 yaers to past.They are saying its the only way to get the visa.

COYVB

Is it just the place you're paying large amounts of money to that's telling you it's the only way to do it, just out of curiousity? Because their job is to get as much cash as possible out of you for filling out forms you could fill out yourself

helpme23

No i dont think so ah problem is i still have to go through with this process if i am outside canada to show i am rehabilitated but they are sayin is this does increase the chances of me getting the visa.

COYVB

helpme23 wrote: »

No i dont think so ah problem is i still have to go through with this process if i am outside canada to show i am rehabilitated but they are sayin is this does increase the chances of me getting the visa.

Well here's the thing, unless you've already got the visa, you're not getting one on their side

helpme23

Well people have to do this rehabilitation process to get visa for canada in the uk and ireland.Thats if you have a conviction.But i dont really see what your saying.?

CatMc48

helpme23 wrote: »

Well people have to do this rehabilitation process to get visa for canada in the uk and ireland.Thats if you have a conviction.But i dont really see what your saying.?

I'll have a look for you in the Megathread, but there's definitely been at least 2 posters who had to deal with sending on information on a drink driving charge or conviction. As far as I'm aware they were just asked by CIC to provide more information on the charges against them - and I think they were doing the application themselves.

Anyway, my point is that going by their posts on the issues, they didn't have to pay anymore money when doing this, just more clarification on the issue.

I think you're being diddled by VisaFirst, and if it was at all possible I'd take over the application yourself if you could, and deal directly with CIC from here on in?? Don't withdraw your application as you might lose your visa spot, just continue on from here on in if you can??
It may be a bit extra work but going by what other people have had to do using a 3rd party applying for them, well those of us who applied direct seem to have done just as much work. The 3rd party seems to be only clicking 'send' on the computer for them and getting paid ridiculous amounts for their services!!!

The process is fairly straight forward, and IEC/CIC will email you direct with their queries and you can always reply to them for clarification. Also ALL queries have been addressed in the Megathread at some stage - so a quick search of the thread will provide you with all answers!!
And at the end of the day, if you really want to go then putting in extra time yourself shouldn't be an issue. Also, if you're going to get rejected, you're better off getting rejected on your own application than one you have paid an extra €300 on!!


- here's a link to one of the posters - maybe contact them in a PM and see how they dealt with the issue?
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=82790182&postcount=424

Hope this helps you!

helpme23

Thanks for that.I have a funny feeling they are trying to get the extra cash of me alright.

COYVB

helpme23 wrote: »

Well people have to do this rehabilitation process to get visa for canada in the uk and ireland.Thats if you have a conviction.But i dont really see what your saying.?

I was saying all the visas are gone for this year since January. Sounds like you're being shafted

CatMc48

COYVB wrote: »

I was saying all the visas are gone for this year since January. Sounds like you're being shafted

Not necessarily as he said above that the visa company are onto the second stage of his application. Once you go through the initial stage your place is guaranteed until the second stage gets rejected. If that happens, only then will your WTN number become available for someone else to use. And also, once the first stage is approved you have 6mths to do the second stage.

COYVB

CatMc48 wrote: »

Not necessarily as he said above that the visa company are onto the second stage of his application. Once you go through the initial stage your place is guaranteed until the second stage gets rejected. If that happens, only then will your WTN number become available for someone else to use. And also, once the first stage is approved you have 6mths to do the second stage.

Would he have gotten on to the second stage though if there was an issue with a previous legal offence?

CatMc48

COYVB wrote: »

Would he have gotten on to the second stage though if there was an issue with a previous legal offence?

Yes, as the first stage consists of you filling out an initial application with IEC and a scan of your passport (ID page only). Then they send an email looking for payment for your visa participation by a certain date to ensure your place on the program. It was €120, so USIT/VisaFirst are making a mint off people irregardless of if they get them through or not!!

When the payment has been verified - can take a wk or two in some cases - you're then given a Conditional Acceptance Letter to participate on the program, and directed by IEC to set up a CIC account direct with Canadian Immigration. This Conditional Acceptance Letter is valid for 6mths, so your application number is valid for that length of time too.
In the CIC account, this is where you submit all the detailed reports/application forms/letters, etc that they ask for. It's here you would upload your Garda Cert, and then if they wanted more information they will email you and again, give you a date to submit the relevant information to them.

They're process is slow, but they do offer help via email, and the application is long winded, but easy to do once you just take your time and give them what they ask for. There's an guide which I used (along with all the posts on here) to fill in my forms, etc, and I also had to mail CIC regarding my time spent in Canada before, and once I had my answer from them I sumitted everything and we were approved 3 weeks later. So I'm not sure what the initial fee to VisaFirst was, but am sure it was more than enough to cover the visa fee and any admin charges VF may have! This extra fee is just ridiculous in my eyes! I would strongly advice OP to take over the application from here on in themselves if they could, and just deal direct with CIC also. As they are the only ones who can issue the final visa - no amount of money paid over the odds will 'guarantee' a spot!

gary27

COYVB wrote: »

Would he have gotten on to the second stage though if there was an issue with a previous legal offence?

yes he would have as the first stage just determines your eligibility and its the second stage where you have to submit your documents and police certs so to determine whether you will be approved for the visa by the cic.

helpme23

I am on my second stage like a whole lot of other people but have come to a bridge if you like and what is required now is for me to go through the rehabilitation process which is paying for more forms that will give me the chance to get through to get my visa.It does cost for this no matter if i do it myself or not but how much on my own is the question.I did ask if i can take on the rest of my visa application myself because it is mine after all i have payed for it through visa first.They some what changed there tune a little and said they will ring me back.They are saying that there certified migration officer has told them that i need to get the rehabilitation forms to continue because i am inadmissible to enter canada with this conviction.

CatMc48

helpme23 wrote: »

I am on my second stage like a whole lot of other people but have come to a bridge if you like and what is required now is for me to go through the rehabilitation process which is paying for more forms that will give me the chance to get through to get my visa.It does cost for this no matter if i do it myself or not but how much on my own is the question.I did ask if i can take on the rest of my visa application myself because it is mine after all i have payed for it through visa first.They some what changed there tune a little and said they will ring me back.They are saying that there certified migration officer has told them that i need to get the rehabilitation forms to continue because i am inadmissible to enter canada with this conviction.

Well fair enough if it's going to cost you the money either way, then stick with them. I don't know anything about that whole rehabilitation thing, so wouldn't be in anyway able to advise. I just wouldn't like to see you pay over 3times what the rest of us have paid for no reason other than administration.

COYVB

helpme23 wrote: »

I am on my second stage like a whole lot of other people but have come to a bridge if you like and what is required now is for me to go through the rehabilitation process which is paying for more forms that will give me the chance to get through to get my visa.It does cost for this no matter if i do it myself or not but how much on my own is the question.I did ask if i can take on the rest of my visa application myself because it is mine after all i have payed for it through visa first.They some what changed there tune a little and said they will ring me back.They are saying that there certified migration officer has told them that i need to get the rehabilitation forms to continue because i am inadmissible to enter canada with this conviction.

Have you double checked all this stuff they've been telling you with the CIC?

COYVB

Did a little research on this for you and the fee is $200, not the €300 ($400) these scammers are charging you. The forms are also very straightforward

All the information is here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5312ETOC.asp

helpme23

Yea i have been in contact with them alright the deal is if i proceed with my application i will most likely be refused straight away and will not get the visa.And if i pay the additional fee it there for means that i am preventing myself from not getting refused the visa straight away and if deemed rehabilitated this still does not mean that i will get my visa.So as far as these two options go its not looking good.And to get deemed rehabilitated means paying these guys 300 euros.And even when deemed i can still be refused a visa.And to go further with that stage to get the visa after been deemed rehabilitated it with cost another 800 dollars to finally get the visa and this is down to the migration people to say that i am aloud to enter canada .Pretty much.

CatMc48

helpme23 wrote: »

Yea i have been in contact with them alright the deal is if i proceed with my application i will most likely be refused straight away and will not get the visa.And if i pay the additional fee it there for means that i am preventing myself from not getting refused the visa straight away and if deemed rehabilitated this still does not mean that i will get my visa.So as far as these two options go its not looking good.And to get deemed rehabilitated means paying these guys 300 euros.And even when deemed i can still be refused a visa.And to go further with that stage to get the visa after been deemed rehabilitated it with cost another 800 dollars to finally get the visa and this is down to the migration people to say that i am aloud to enter canada .Pretty much.

And to reiterate what COYVB said earlier - have you confirmed all of this with CIC directly? You have time to decide what to do, so I'd ensure all of the information was correct before going ahead with either option!

helpme23

Ah no i have not contacted them about this i am just to annoyed with all this at the minute i should but if the outcome is refusal by any off these options why bother with paying more to a potential dead end.I dont think CIC would be able to tell me much different either i think.

CatMc48

helpme23 wrote: »

Ah no i have not contacted them about this i am just to annoyed with all this at the minute i should but if the outcome is refusal by any off these options why bother with paying more to a potential dead end.I dont think CIC would be able to tell me much different either i think.

On the contrary, CIC are the issuing body, so the facts they'll give you will be the correct ones, with no monetary values swaying the outcome.

I'm sure it is frustrating, but it will just boil down to how much you really want it. I know if it were me I'd be looking for the true facts off CIC, and would make my decision based on what they tell me. Then I'd decide how much I wanted the visa and whether to continue the process.

Third party agents do take a lot of the hassle out of these things, but you could be paying unnecessarily for something that CIC might not even ask for - surely it's worth your time to write an email to CIC to clear up all your queries is it not?!

helpme23

Yes u are correct indeed but i am just having to go around in circles at the minute with this and to be honest i just dont know what to ask them just tell them my story of were i am at with the visa?

COYVB

Read the CIC link i posted. the total cost is $200 - and if you're refused you get your money back. If i take you up correctly, it sounds like these guys are looking to charge you a total of €1100 - which is close to $1500 for something that costs $200

Total cost of this should be about $400 from start to finish, with your rehabilitation certificate and visa included. You're getting completely and utterly screwed sir

CatMc48

helpme23 wrote: »

Yes u are correct indeed but i am just having to go around in circles at the minute with this and to be honest i just dont know what to ask them just tell them my story of were i am at with the visa?

Exactly - draft an email - bullet point if need be. Explain that you're at the second stage of the application and what exactly you're being asked for. Include your full name and date of birth and even passport number in the email so they can quickly identify you. If you have your WTN number even better - but am not sure how much information VisaFirst has given you.
Don't tell them your life story, simply tell them what you have been asked for and where do you go from here.
Keep it concise but to the point, and ask all the questions you're unsure of. They make take a couple of weeks to reply, but like I said before your Conditional Acceptance Letter is valid for 6mths, so once VisaFirst haven't created a CIC account on your behalf and started the timeline on it, then you should be fine - what I mean by that is when you go into your CIC account you have to do a checklist which determines what forms you need to send onto CIC - this starts a 60day window - but you can delete this checklist and start again at any time, so you in effect start a new window for yourself.
Don't let the process stress you out, it is fairly straightforward, so just take your time. And keep in mind the end goal, so if everything goes according to plan then it'll be worth it.

COYVB wrote: »

Read the CIC link i posted. the total cost is $200 - and if you're refused you get your money back. If i take you up correctly, it sounds like these guys are looking to charge you a total of €1100 - which is close to $1500 for something that costs $200

Total cost of this should be about $400 from start to finish, with your rehabilitation certificate and visa included. You're getting completely and utterly screwed sir

Read the link COYVB posted, there's no point in coming onto the likes of boards and having people give you valid information, for you to just choose not to use it and still be annoyed with the process.
And I know it's easy for me to say this now as I have my visa sorted, but I did do a bit of stressing when applying and found the posts here to be very helpful, but I used the information I received. COYVB is also right about the refund - this is also stated on the IEC website - if they refuse you for particular reasons, they'll refund you your money.

COYVB

Rather than doing it via email, just pick up the phone and call the CIC. They're very helpful and will give you a straight answer in most cases. If not they'll take your email address and forward on the relevant information when they've found it. Be very clear in telling them that the company (name them) is trying to charge you whatever amount for each step, and tell them you're worried that you're being taken advantage of financially

helpme23

Cheers guys for the help i will get onto it 2moro just dyin with flu at the minute so my mood is some what uneven with more stress piled on top of it.But just when i did ask visa first were i was on the deadline they said my 60 days is nearly up and i would have to make up my mind by the 4th of may or my place would be lost.?So my time is limited for me to be e-mailing these guys in CIC.I think.

COYVB

Best bet is do it over the phone so

helpme23

Hi just trying to find a number for the cic office in london and cant for the life of me find it anywere.

helpme23

Their is no numbers for uk office to do with iec applications or any phone numbers for any iec applications in canada only through e-mail can you contact them about any problem.

COYVB

Give the canadian one a bell instead

helpme23

Yea theres only certain things you can contact them about ring them anyway a lot messing to be honest.

helpme23

Ah this is getting to cost more and more got no info from them only phone numbers and web addresses and nobody picking up phones could just pay them other crowd get it over and done with even though i know im paying over the odds.

COYVB

It's only 944am here, give it 20 minutes and call CIC again

helpme23

Hi rang one of the numbers on the cic and got taking to a guy he just gave the number off the london based office for overseas and basically they dont deal with information regarding iec.Only by e-mail.Its mad.Unless i ring the number i rang and get them to email me but i have got no id number for my application because i went with third party its just more e-mailing phoning and waseting more and more cash i dont have on phoning these places .I know im complaining but it is whats happening i just cant get any straight anwsers.

COYVB

The fact that it's IEC doesn't come into it. Don't bother telling them about that. You're querying the process for a rehabilitation form, that's all

helpme23

It does because i just rang the london based office got through and the just switch me directly to a recording machine.All it was doing was telling me to e-mail them with any queries.

COYVB

They wouldn't have done that had you not mentioned the IEC though I'll wager. No matter what the Visa/Work Permit you're going for, this is applicable. Tell them you're looking at applying for work and have spoken to a company who said they'll handle everything for you for the costs they gave you, but you checked the CIC website and it tells you that you can do it yourself for a lot less. Tell them you just want clarification on whether or not you can do it yourself, and how much it would cost.

The IEC is something that they don't really care about all that much. It's a temporary thing so it gets fobbed off a lot. Leave that bit out and ask about it and you're much more likely to be able to actually speak to someone

Call +1-613-944-4000 and press number 2 for immigration. Don't mention the IEC. Tell them you're looking at applying for work and hopefully getting an LMO, but you have a prior DUI conviction from 8 years ago in Ireland. Explain to them that you've spoken to a company here in Ireland who are looking to charge you approximately $1,500 to get the paperwork sorted for the rehabilitation stuff, and you want to know if it's something you could do yourself for less

helpme23

Cheers i will do that and let ya know the story just need to get to a landline cos me credit is of the rector scale doing all this ringing these places at the minute anyway your very helpful thank you appreciate you help cheers.

gary27

helpme23 wrote: »

Cheers i will do that and let ya know the story just need to get to a landline cos me credit is of the rector scale doing all this ringing these places at the minute anyway your very helpful thank you appreciate you help cheers.

Have you ever used Skype to call?
http://www.skype.com/en/rates/
its 2.2cents/min to Canada

helpme23

Yea never taught of that will do that if i can get it at home.

gary27

helpme23 wrote: »

Yea never taught of that will do that if i can get it at home.

you just need to buy credit using a credit card or visa card i think.

helpme23

ok so set up a skpe account and then get in contact via skpe?

gary27

helpme23 wrote: »

ok so set up a skpe account and then get in contact via skpe?

you have to buy credit, then you can phone the canadian number.