Oh, those online advisors…

A typical situation from immigration forums and social media groups:
"Hello, my wife and I want to immigrate to Canada. We are 32 and 34 years old. I work as a sales manager, and my wife is a retail consultant. Our English is intermediate, still learning, and we haven’t taken any language tests yet. We have some savings and can sell our apartment. Where should we start?"

Let me answer to this in an article.

First of all, let’s remember: we live in 2025, not 2005. If you’re wondering what’s the difference and how it’s relevant—here’s the answer: the difference is h u g e. If this question had been asked back in 2005, it would’ve been enough to follow advice like: “Go to this link, download these forms, use Google Translate to fill them up, and if you’re going to Quebec, just write that you’re willing to learn French and your PR is waiting for you.”

But now we’re in 2025, and immigration has changed drastically. It's still a points-based system, but the scoring is different and much harder to achieve. Language requirements are significantly stricter, unless you hold a PhD and speak English or French at an advanced level, you’ll likely need to compensate with a strong knowledge of a second language.

On top of that, Canada is experiencing a housing crisis and over saturation with temporary residents. Today, successful immigration often means that you already have to be in Canada and apply through one of the provincial immigration programs, each with its own criteria and limitations.

Returning to our couple from the forum: a professional approach would be to assess the possibility of applying through one of the provincial streams, based on their real situation. An immigration professional receives constant updates across all immigration programs, understands what works now, what occupations are in demand, and what pitfalls to avoid. This takes deep knowledge, constant learning, and strong analytical skills. It’s a hard job that goes far beyond casually browsing a forum.

Let’s take a look at another common misconception:“Just find any job in Canada, and you’ll get PR.”
Canada has over 5,000 (!!!) occupations in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system. You can only apply for PR under certain jobs, and that list changes regularly at both federal and provincial levels. Keeping up with immigration and economic trends is essential to steer clients in the right direction from the very start.

Let’s talk about studying in Canada. I’ve seen countless misleading comments like: “Finish any program and you’ll get a PR.”

That used to be true but only in Quebec. Now, it’s not. Only a few provinces allow graduates to apply for PR. Only specific schools and programs qualify for a post-graduate work permit (PGWP), and not all programs lead to PR eligibility. Even with a PGWP, attention is required: not all schools are eligible, and not all fields of study are approved. This pathway has been significantly tightened in the past months.

Be extremely cautious when choosing your immigration strategy. Let professionals guide you in the right direction because the wrong approach can cost you years, and no one will give you that time back. Over the past three years, immigration has developed a strong base of qualified professionals. We pay significant licensing fees, complete mandatory continuing education annually, and are part of professional associations, conferences, and legal forums.

We invest a lot in sharing knowledge, staying updated, and supporting one another. Our work is highly important because a client’s life path may depend on just one piece of advice. And with the speed of change, one person can’t keep up with every new update across every immigration stream.

Someone outside of the professional immigration field can only speak from their own limited experience and as we've seen, every situation is unique. Even information from a year ago is often no longer relevant today.

Have a piece of mind, protect your time and your future by consulting with professionals.