Documents

You have to provide documents to support your application.

• Should you send originals or copies?

• The only original document(s) you have to send is/are the police background check reports, from the FBI, Scotland Yard, etc. Everything else can be a photocopy - we got ours certified. We did not need translations but if your documents are not in either English or French you will need official translations. I do not believe you can do this yourself. You must employ someone licensed to do so. You can find Translation Services in the Yellow Pages in most countries. Failing that many universities have people who can do it for a fee. Remember to bring the originals with you when you attend the interview. Sometimes they will ask you to send the original for them to check. Make sure you send it Recorded Delivery/Registered Mail/or via courier. It seems that a great many pieces of paper get lost in the Immigration Department and they will simply say they never received it from you. But, if you have proof that it was delivered and can quote that to them and show the signature of the person who received it, it is quite amazing how often those 'We never got the packet.' things turn into 'Ah yes, it just arrived/we found it.'

• What about these references they ask for?

• They ask to see letters from previous employers to demonstrate that you did, indeed, hold the position you claim to have done and that the duties involved in the job fit the criteria for the occupation category you have applied under. This is particularly important in the IT industry because, as we all know, it is a very new area of business and job titles are extremely varied and often confusing or vague. For instance, I never know what to put down for my occupation when asked. I have been employed as an 'internet specialist' by one company, a 'producer' for another (which job involved managing numerous web pages, supervising webmasters, writing html, perl, javascripts etc.), I have been described as a webmaster, net guru and so on. So what do you do about the letters then? I have found that most people write the suggested contents of the referral letter. Mr. Smith worked for us as 'insert job title here' for the period of 'insert dates'. His duties included 'XXXXXX' (here you ensure that it is clear what your job actually entailed). They can add something about you being a wonderful person and how sorry they are to lose you if they like and that's that. If you do not want your present employer to know you are attempting to emigrate then simple don't ask him/her and explain that in a note with the application. This common and it won't count against you. If previous employers are no longer available - company went out of business, person died, that kind of thing, then also explain this in a note with the form. If you have any evidence - pay slips, old paperwork, that kind of thing, to support your claim to having had the job then go ahead and include those too. If you were self employed then of course you can't write yourself a reference but they will take letters/testimonials from customers and/or reviews of your work in newspapers or magazines. The authorities are flexible and will understand if you can't provide exactly what they ask for as long as you make an effort to come up with something.

• You are from a country where they don't issue birth certificates. What do you do?

• This is fairly common. Often you can provide a baptismal certificate if you have one, or a statement from the doctor who delivered you, letters from a local priest or holy person what may have known of your birth. Even an early school registration showing your name, home address etc. will help.

So now you've done everything, sent the application form and the fees, had the medical, are either interview waived or going through that process, now what? Well you're half way there.
Click here to find out what happens next.

Back to Home Page