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In this guide, I will explain to you the application process of the Canadian Permanent Residence Visa under the Skilled WorkerImmigration scheme in three simple steps:

How is this guide organized?

The main objective of this guide is to make your life easier! Decidingto immigrate to another country is a complex decision, and Iunderstand that the last think you expect is to struggle with yourapplication process!

For this reason, this guide has been organized in a very simple way.

The guide is divided in three sections:

1. Meet the Pass - Mark

In this section, I will explain the requirements you must meet in order to be eligible to apply for the Canadian Permanent Residence visa under the Skilled Worker Immigration scheme. These requirements are called the Pass ' Mark. Based on your characteristics, such as age, education, work experience and others, you will reach certain points. If you reach the Pass ' Mark (a certain number of points) you would be eligible to apply for Permanent Residence Visa under this scheme.

2. Submit your Application

Since September 1st 2006, you must submit a Simplified Application Form before sending your documents to the Visa Office. If you have met the Pass ' Mark, you will be able to submit your application! Sometimes you will be required to go to an interview before your visa is approved. The interview is also a very important part of the process, since you will be able to give a great impression to the visa officer.

After submitting your application, your file is received by the Visa Office. Once the Visa Officer responsible for your file is ready to analyze your case, you will be asked for the supporting documents.

3. Gather your supporting Documents

This section is very important! If you have enough points to meet the Pass ' Mark, and you have sent your application, you would now be eligible to apply for Permanent Residence under the Skilled Migration scheme! Now you would only have to gather the necessary documents to prove that you have enough points based on your education, work experience, age and other characteristics. This is the more complex part of the application process, since it take time to gather several documents that you have not seen for a while! During this step, many potential immigrants decide to give up and forget about their dream! However, this step makes the whole difference between the immigrants and the people who have great dreams but do not have the courage to achieve them. It is not a difficult step, but it is time consuming. You will have to be patient and very organized during this second step in order to submit a successful application.

When you apply for Permanent Residence visa under the Skilled

Worker Immigration scheme, you have two options:

a) Hiring an Immigration Representative:

The first option is to hire the services of an Immigration Representative / Consultant. They are also called Immigration Lawyers. Their job is to make the process easier for you, because they know exactly the documents you need to submit with your application.

They normally charge legal fees and government fees. The legal fees refer to the fees they charge for their consulting services, and the government fees refer to the fees that have to be paid to the Canadian government in order to apply.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (2005), authorized, paid representatives may only be:

*Immigration consultants who are members in good standing of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants.

*Lawyers who are members in good standing of a Canadian law society and students-at-law under their supervision.

* Notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Qu'bec and students-at-law under their supervision.

If you wish to hire an Immigration Representative to assist you with your Permanent Residence application, you need to complete the form called 'Use of a Representative' [Number - IMM 5476]. Its purpose is to appoint the representative to establish communication and conduct business with Citizenship and Immigration Canada on your behalf.

This form can also be used to cancel the appointment of the Immigration Representative that you had chosen before.

This Institution (CSIC) was created in 2003, and its main objective is to regulate the activities of Immigration Consultants (its members), who provide immigration services and advice for a certain fee.

Immigration Consultants can be members only if they have demonstrated knowledge and ability to provide immigration advice and represent potential immigrants to Canada. They also have to present and pass a Knowledge and Ethics Test to obtain the membership. The Society has also created a code of conduct called 'Rules of Professional Conduct' in order to establish the expected standard of professional conduct and competence for its members. These rules also provide guidance to this profession in order to protect the general public from unprofessional, improper or incompetent service from the members of the Society.