Immigration Visa OnlineA Blog of Mr. Ajay Sharma, Immigration and visas Specialist

Travel documents such as passports and visas are the most important documents to be carried, especially when you are traveling abroad. These documents hold proof of you being a citizen of a particular country. So, always give a second look to your documents before you touch them up inside your bags. Check to ensure that you have all the relevant documents.

Incase, you do not have a passport, we suggest that you apply in time to obtain a visa and leave for your trip on time. Each and every country has its own procedure for granting a visa. Hence, check with your Regional Passport office on the relevant procedure to be followed.

In some countries, clearing an interview is a must. For others, police verification is an important aspect. However, an application form has to be filed in all cases with the relevant supporting documents. You can hire the services of a passport agent for such purposes. Some countries also provide online application forms which could be submitted on the internet.

Ensure that your passport is valid for atleast six months before you travel abroad. You would not fancy being forcefully deported by the government of that particular country. With passport, comes the eligibility for a visa. A visa can be termed as a permit to enter and reside in a country on a temporary basis (depending on the type of visa). If you intend to travel to a country as a tourist, you would be granted a temporary resident visa.

Important points to be remembered while you travel are:

• Check for the vaccines certified by the government of the specific country. Get vaccinated incase you are not. Carry the relevant documents certifying that you have been vaccinated for those specific diseases.
• Always carry a separate photo id as well.
• Inform the nearest consulate of the country incase your passport is lost or stolen.
• It is better to keep your passport and other important documents safe in the hotel locker.

Above all, it is always best to seek the services and advice of a passport, visa or an immigration specialist or a consultant who is an expert in the matters of the above.

Federal skilled worker class- Listed occupations

Applications filed – after February 27th 2008, under federal skilled workers class can apply under three options, and most popular being where they are assessed for eligibility according to a point based system. Such applications are assessed based against six selection factors in the skilled worker point’s grid. The six selection factors are: Education; abilities in English and/or French, Canada’s two official languages; work experience; age; whether the applicant has an arranged employment in Canada, and finally adaptability.

Most critical requirement to apply under this option is that the skilled worker who has at least one year of experience in one or more of the following occupations. Do read my simplified review of these listed and get a better understanding of who or who may not qualify to apply for permanent resident visa under the federal skilled worker class.

0111: Financial Managers
0213: Computer and Information Systems Managers
0311: Managers in Health Care
0631: Restaurant and Food Service Managers
0632: Accommodation Service Managers
0711: Construction Managers
1111: Financial Auditors and Accountants
2113: Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
2143: Mining Engineers
2144: Geological Engineers
2145: Petroleum Engineers
3111: Specialist Physicians
3112: General Practitioners and Family Physicians
3141: Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
3143: Occupational Therapists
3142: Physiotherapists
3151: Head Nurses and Supervisors
3152: Registered Nurses
3215: Medical Radiation Technologists
3233: Licensed Practical Nurses
4121: University Professors
4131: College and Other Vocational Instructors
6241: Chefs
6242: Cooks
7213: Contractors and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
7215: Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
7217: Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
7241: Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
7242: Industrial Electricians
7251: Plumbers
7252: Steamfitters, Pipe fitters and Sprinkler System Installers
7265: Welders and Related Machine Operators
7312: Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
7371: Crane Operators
7372: Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
8221: Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
8222: Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
9212: Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities

The four digit codes mentioned prior to Occupation is the applicable code as per the Canadian National Occupational Classification list.

My simplified review of listed occupations

A first glance review of the list is very encouraging. Following broad categories of listed and permitted occupations immediately come to mind:

• Computer and Information technology Engineers and professionals
• Financial auditors, accountants and managers; mostly they will means Chartered accountants, cost accountants. Company secretaries, financial and investment analyst
• Health occupations and professions
• Managerial occupations in Hospitality sector like accommodations and Restaurant managers
• Trades occupations in Hospitality sector like Cooks and chefs
• Engineering and Supervisory trade occupations in mining, oil, Gas and petroleum
• Engineering and  supervisory trade occupations in construction and civil
• University professors and college and vocational teachers

Conclusions from above summary of broad categories of listed occupations:

• Majority of identified occupations has many sub-occupation mentions and many applicants may actually be qualifying though their occupation does not appear to be figuring on the face of mentioned occupations. A clear and comprehensive understanding of NOC and its related aspects is critically and very important.
• Almost all general skilled occupations like Sales, marketing, administration, teachers, human resources, bookkeeping etc do not appear in this list and hence are not likely to succeed  for immigration under point based system announced for federal general skills program.
• It is highly unlikely that they will be able to get an arranged employment offer from a Canadian employer as enough human resources under the general skills occupations are available locally and within Canada.
• It will be best that they look for filing immigration applications to another country like Australia, UK, New Zealand, Denmark etc
• Applicants who are high net worth individual and with business experience should consider filing their applications under one of the business and investor visas options.

Canada Federal skilled worker Immigration- Importance of Canadian National Occupational Classifications (NOC)

Canadian immigration programs for federal skilled workers and professionals require the applicant to have experience in one or more of the occupational categories identified in the Ministerial Instructions. These occupations are listed in National Occupational Classifications (NOC).

Canadian National occupational classification (NOC) provides occupation specific information to policymakers, job-seekers, employers and Immigration and Visa officers. This information relates to occupational job titles, their duties and responsibilities and finally the educational, professional and trades qualifications that persons holding respective job titles are expected to perform.

The applicant is required to identify an occupation in which he is qualified to apply his application under the federal skilled worker class. The applicant must have has at least one year of experience – during the last ten years- in one or more occupations that appears on the prescribed list of occupations.

Over the years, NOC has become a major assessment tool in the hands of Citizenship and Immigration, Canada.

Prospective migrants not having at least one year experience in one of the prescribed occupations are not eligible to apply under the federal skilled worker category.

The applicant may however, may apply in two other categories.

But even while applying in either of the other two categories; he must still identify the NOC under which his immigration application can be processed.

Thus importance of NOC for the citizenship and Immigration Canada- as an assessment tool for applicants under federal skilled workers- is paramount and critical. In short, one cannot file an application under this category unless he identifies the right NOC category.

The official website of National Occupation classification can be visited at http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/Welcome.aspx.

The applicant should visit this site and identify the closest occupation – listed in NOC- whose requirements he meets. It is required that he performs or has performed majority of duties and responsibilities that are listed in the claimed NOC. The applicant might have many years of experience and hence would have worked on more than one positions and occupations. In such a case, he can also claim qualification in more the one NOC occupations. He however, ought to have worked for at least one year to claim assessment in any occupation.

As a critical step toward ensuring success of the immigration application under federal skilled worker program, it will help the applicants cause to prepare a resume that is specific to Canadian work environment. Such a resume can identify the NOC identified occupations that you qualify in and the relevant duties and responsibilities that you perform.

Been associated with the industry since 1994, I (To know more about me click here) feels that identification of correct NOC requires careful review and study of applicant’s credentials and qualifications. This means years of practice and knowledge of past precedents, especially in cases where the applicant qualifies in more than one occupation.

Dear Readers,

My journey in Immigration and visa consulting industry started in the year 1994. I started accepting the mandate(s) for Immigration Visa consulting services to general skilled and professionals and for advisory areas related to global relocation and job search, post landing settlement in destined countries. I continue to be an immigration and visa specialist even today. I run my company in the name of ABHINAV (www.abhinav.com).

It has indeed been an interesting journey and the most important learning is that bureaucrats are same across the world – go by book and use the book to hide their failings, have no accountability for their actions and in most cases non-actions.

Bureaucrats and officers dealing with Immigration and visas matters are unique since they have extreme discretionary powers. And in majority of the time they are misused. They take refusal decisions that are unfair and mostly unexplained and then leave it to the applicant to fight it out with the department – with senior officers and ministers or with the court. The department is not much helping either as they have standard responses for appeals. And the court procedure is so expensive for ordinary applicant to follow that – in most cases- is ruled out.

So if the situation so dismal all around! Not really, as many countries seem to have learned from failings of systems of countries that started early. In my opinion and going by experience, leading the pack of countries with most mismanaged immigration system will be - without doubt – Canada followed by USA, Hong Kong, Thailand. Talking of Canada, Quebec Immigrant investor program is an exception but then that accounts for a small number of the actual number of large immigrants and how many applicants have a net worth of close to CAD 800,000/-?

Among the most applicant, efficient, accountable and user friendly system I have experienced is Singapore, followed by Australia and New Zealand. Denmark has recently started the green card process and the initial feel factor is comfortable.

In this blog I will share

• My experiences from past and how they affected applicants?
• How past can be used to as a learning tool by future applicants, governmental bodies and agencies?
• Latest happenings and changes and what these changes will mean to candidates whose applications are pending or who intend to apply?
• Proposed changes in future and if introduced what these changes will mean to candidates whose applications are pending or who intend to apply?

Visitors to the blog can

• Share their experiences and ask the queries related to Immigration issues and visa matters
• Can comment on the articles in the blog
• Can respond to queries
• Can submit articles

Welcome to my Blog… To know more about my self you can check About Me or you can also visit my website: www.abhinav.com. If you like the blog then please subscribe to our feed at http://www.immigrationvisaonline.com/feed/