New website for newcomers to Canada offers advice and services
Citizenship, Multiculturalism and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced this month that a new division of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website would be created to better help newcomers to Canada find links to appropriate government services and opportunities within their communities.
“The Services for Newcomers resource has been put it place to help newcomers find the private sector and government services they need to succeed,” said Kenney, “with this resource, newcomers will easily find the many services available to them, such as how to buy their first home. This can only increase their chance of successful integration within their new communities, and this is an important goal for Canada.
The website offers links to information on immigration news, language training, job hunting, adjusting to Canadian life and applying for government benefits, passports, health care and driver’s licenses. It also provides information for Canadian citizens on sponsoring their family members, adopting children and hiring foreign workers. The website is found at www.servicesfornewcomers.cic.gc.ca
The website for newcomers to Canada resource allows for the paying of fees, submission of immigration forms as well as checking the status of any applications. However, it’s extremely important to be careful when submitting immigration applications online. You may make an accidental error, typo, unintentional omission or fill the form out incorrectly, which may severely affect the approval of any application form you submit. Having a qualified immigration lawyer help you review and prepare your applications will ensure that everything is filled out properly, which can go a very long way and even mean the difference between approval or denial.
Be careful when submitting applications online. Even when using this website for newcomers to Canada, things can go wrong.
So while CIC is clearly improving its technology in form submitting there is a potential downside in such easy access which can give applicants a false sense of security. So while technology makes things easier, the law remains the same with all its trips and traps. For the uninitiated, this could mean a faster route to an immigration refusal.
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President & CEO
Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
