
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Company Related Questions
As a licensed immigration consultancy firm, Castle and Co is not only authorized to provide you with advice and guidance. We can also represent you before the Canadian Government as your third party to minimize any errors or omissions with your applications. We work mainly with IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) for any immigration application and ESDC (Service Canada) for any foreign worker-related LMIA application.
Our many years of experience have taught us how to prepare solid applications and communicate effectively and efficiently with government institutions.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Castle & Co is a consultancy firm that can provide services for the following immigration applications:
Permanent Residence through Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, or Quebec programs.
Family Reunification through Spouse Sponsorship (spouse, conjugal, common-law), Parent & Grandparent Sponsorship, Dependent Children reunification, or others.
Temporary Residence to acquire tourist visas, as well as study and work permits & visas.
Citizenship preparation for permanent residents who have lived in Canada for more than three years.
Consultations and expert reviews on your application if you are preparing it on your own.
We also help Canadian employers prepare a solid LMIA application to hire the foreign workers they need.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
We are not Immigration Lawyers. We are Immigration Consultants. Whether you choose a lawyer or consultant, it doesn’t generally change the nature of the services offered. Immigration Consultants are professionals specialized only in immigration-related matters. Lawyers can specialize in any legal area. When choosing your Immigration Consultant make sure he/she is licensed by the CICC.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Hiring a licensed Immigration Consultant ensures that your case is put forward in a logical and professional way. The solidity and strength with which your case is translated into an application are key when assessment officers weigh its merits.
Also, licensed immigration consultants ensure that your application for any Canadian immigration process is free from errors or omissions. Immigration laws, regulations, forms, required documents, and specific procedures can constantly change. Any mistake can lead to a refusal. With a certified consultant’s help, you are less likely to submit an incorrect or incomplete application, saving you time and money.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Temporary Residence Related Questions
Under certain conditions, you may continue with the same legal status as the one that just expired while you wait for the outcome of the application you already submitted. This is called implied status.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Under certain conditions, restoration of status is granted after an officer assesses an application to restore your legal status in Canada. For example, if you had a work permit that has already expired, you will need to apply to restore your status (this can be done within 90 days of the expiry date) along with applying for the new immigration document.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
In certain cases, your study permit allows you to work off-campus. Usually, you are allowed to work 20 hours (part-time) with a study permit and 40 hours (full-time) during scheduled breaks of the academic calendar.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
If you are in Canada as a visitor, you might have to leave the country before your study or work permit is approved and your status is changed. If you are in Canada studying or working, you may be able to change your status.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Permanent Residence Related Questions
That depends on your profile. Details, including education and work experience, are different for every person, making them eligible through different programs.
Please call our toll-free number to receive a personal assessment, and based on the information that you provide, we will give you the options that exist in your case.
You can apply through Express Entry and then be invited to apply to certain Provincial Nominee Programs or you can apply directly to a specific province.
Both the Express Entry system and the majority of the Provincial Nominee Programs work on point-based systems. However, they have different criteria when choosing a profile to be invited to apply.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Submitting your profile does not guarantee an invitation. We work on your profile to make it the best possible, and we will advise you on how you can make it better.
However, receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residency may not depend solely on your score. Several factors like labour shortages or the need for specific professionals may trigger invitations to apply to profiles that may have lower points than other selected applicants.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Certain family members or dependents can be included in your application, they will be applying with you as the principal applicant and will be granted their permanent residency at the same time.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Sponsorship Related Questions
Yes, under certain circumstances, you can apply as common-law partners (as long as substantial proof of having lived together in an intimate relationship for at least 12 months consecutively can be provided) or as conjugal partners (if you can prove that have had a binding relationship for at least one year but have not been able to live together for reasons beyond your control).
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Usually, they can be included in the application as accompanying dependent children and receive permanent residence status and the principal applicant (the sponsored sponsor). They will require specific authorization from the other parent to permanently immigrate to Canada.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Under certain circumstances, if the application is being processed as an inside Canada procedure, the sponsoree can work in Canada before getting approval.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Under certain cases, you could. There are alternative programs to help them immigrate. For more information, please contact us, and we can provide a free assessment.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Application Related Questions
We work at the pace of our clients. Gathering personal and professional documents may take time. We can help you speed up the process by fully customizing the official checklist for you and providing specific instructions on how and where to obtain the requested supporting documents. We can also work on all the forms and key parts of the application while the documents are obtained.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
It will depend on the program, the country of residence and the processing times in effect by the Canadian immigration offices when the application is submitted. You can find the approximate current processing times here.
Please keep in mind that these processing times are estimates. Sometimes offices process cases, prioritizing applications depending on several factors. Also, at times applications are forwarded to other processing centers that may have a lower work backlog, thus, reducing processing times considerably. If your application was not professionally prepared or contains errors or omissions, the processing times will be increased for several months or even years.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
As part of our service, we will walk you through this process and send you the proper instructions on how to pay these fees.
We give you the option to pay them yourself or include the costs in our service payments so that we can pay this on your behalf.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Employment Related Questions
Only an employer who justifies through an application his/her business need of foreign labour, can apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). An employee cannot apply for an LMIA. We are experts in preparing solid LMIA applications that dramatically increase the chances of being approved.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
The program fees have to be covered by the employer. That includes application fees, plane tickets (for most occupations), and health insurance for the employee (if applicable and depending on the province).
The only fees that an employee must pay are related to their work permit application.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Not always. You can apply for a work permit without an LMIA if:
1) You are the spouse of an international student or TFW in a high-skilled position.
2) You have a permanent residence application in process.
3) You recently graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution.
4) You have a job offer classified as “LMIA exempt” through one of these programs: entrepreneurs & self-employed, intra-company transferees, French-speaking skilled workers, international trade agreements, or international youth exchange programs.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
It depends on the stream, the province, and the job position. There is no specific processing time. It can take from a few weeks up to 6 months.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
The LMIA is valid for up to six months after being issued; the employer and the temporary foreign worker (TFW) have that amount of time to apply for the respective work permit. If the employee does not apply for the work permit before the expiry date, it will be necessary to process a new LMIA.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
The length of the employment specified in an approved LMIA is determined by the assessment officer. This determination is based on the time requested and justified in the application by the employer. It can be for as little as 1 or 2 weeks or usually up to 24 months. For seasonal jobs, it is usually approved for 6 – 9 months.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.
Under certain circumstances, you can apply to have a valid work permit while your permanent residence is being processed.
Call us or fill the contact form at the end of our FAQ to get a free assessment of your case.