For those about to take the exciting journey and move to Canada, there are many elements to consider. But perhaps the most important part of the process is ensuring your immigration paperwork is handled expertly. Your immigration lawyer is there to guide you and ensure that the process is completed effectively within a short timeframe. But it’s not always easy to find the ideal specialist for helping your family with the moving process. To help guide you, we’re highlighting five questions to ask a potential immigration lawyer when moving to Canada.

1. What Credentials do you Hold?

In finding an immigration lawyer, it’s important to work with a specialist that has the proper credentials and is helping you succeed within the immigration process. The specialist should be able to provide their full credentials, including the degree they possess and the law school they went to in achieving their qualifications. They should also be able to highlight their background in the industry. This experience should include several years running their own office and helping people from all over the world successfully move to Canada.

2. Are You Available Out of Office?

Some clients find that their immigration lawyer has very limited hours. And this can mean that their specialist is not available when they need them most. Your immigration lawyer should at least be able to answer emails out of office hours. That’s because you may have questions that arise throughout the day, with answers required on short notice. You might also be working during the day, which would require you to do the vast majority of your work on your immigration case in the evening time. Make sure your chosen professional has flexible hours and is committed to communicating with clientele.

3. What is the Total Cost of Your Service?

Another important consideration for those going through the immigration process is the total cost of all phases. Your immigration lawyer should be able to provide you with comprehensive information on the total cost of the process as well as a breakdown of the costs. These costs will include their office fee, as well as the fee for any external work they complete on your behalf. The costs will also include the fee for processing immigration documents and for completing medicals and police reports that are required during the immigration process.

4. How Long Do You Expect the Immigration Process to Take?

While the length of your immigration process will be difficult for the lawyer to determine, they can still give you a basic understanding on the immigration process. They can point you to the resources that will tell you how far along your application is within the process and can help you build a strategy that helps to limit this timeline. By learning more on the length of time you’ll be waiting for the paperwork to be completed, you can then ensure that you’re ready for the process and ensure your family is fully prepared.

5. What Can We Do to Move the Process Along?

Now is the ideal time to make the steps to ensure the success of your immigration process. You can move the process along effectively by filling out the forms as requested by your immigration lawyer. Your immigration lawyer can also advise you on how to locate other documents important to your case, including banking information and job details.

Take the next step in the process of completing your immigration to Canada. Speak with a local immigration lawyer to learn more on the range of options available to you.