Canadian Experience Class

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is a permanent resident category for individuals who had already established themselves as skilled workers in Canada. CEC program opens the door to Canada for foreign students and foreign workers. For many international graduates, Canadian Experience Class may be fastest option for achieving Canadian permanent residence. One of the objectives of the CEC is to increase the supply of skilled workers in Canada. Please note that any work experience acquired in Canada without valid work authorization will not be considered. Self-employment and work experience gained while you were a full-time student (such as on a co-op work term) doesn’t count under this program. CEC application will take some time to process. If you are currently working in Canada and you have applied for permanent residence under CEC class, you may be eligible for a bridging open work permit if your work permit will expire in four months or less. This means you can keep working while IRCC makes a decision on your permanent resident application.

As of January 1, 2015 foreign nationals will be selected through Express Entry System and must receive invitation before they may apply. Applicants can remain in Canada throughout the application process. However, the Canadian Experience Class is also open to individuals who are no longer in Canada, if they submit their application within three years of leaving their job in Canada.

To qualify for the CEC through Express Entry, you must have:

at least 12 months of skilled work experience in Canada, in the last three years (before you apply). The work was: full-time OR an equal amount in part-time
gained your work experience in Canada with the proper authorization
take approved language test and meet minimum requirements
planned to live outside the province of Quebec

To be eligible for the CEC, you need to have Canadian skilled work experience within three years of applying. According to the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), skilled work experience means:

Managerial jobs (NOC skill level 0)
Professional jobs (NOC skill type A)
Technical jobs and skilled trades (NOC skill type B)

Your experience must be at least

12 months of full-time work: 30 hours/week for 12 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours), OR
equal amount in part-time hours, such as: 15 hours/week for 24 months = 1 year full time (1,560 hours); 30 hours/week for 12 months at more than one job = 1 year full time (1,560 hours)
If your experience doesn’t meet the duty and job description requirements set in the NOC, IRCC may not accept your application.

Please note Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) require that applicants submit government application processing fees for most of applications.

Speak to licensed immigration consultant to find out, if you’re eligible to proceed with CEC application under Express Entry or a bridging open work permit by booking consultation.

Our professional fees

For one applicant

Full package

$

2000

Book a consultation

Initial Consultation Credit
Consultations - As Required
Authorized Representation
Designated Client Portal
Online, Phone & Email Support
Secure Online Data Collection
Personalized Document Checklist
Representative's Submission Letter
All Supporting Letters
Online Application Forms

For family of two

Duo package

$

3000

Book a consultation

Initial Consultation Credit
Consultations - As Required
Authorized Representation
Designated Client Portal
Online, Phone & Email Support
Secure Online Data Collection
Personalized Document Checklist
Representative's Submission Letter
All Supporting Letters
Online Application Forms

For family of three or more

Family package

$

3500

Book a consultation

Initial Consultation Credit
Consultations - As Required
Authorized Representation
Designated Client Portal
Online, Phone & Email Support
Secure Online Data Collection
Personalized Document Checklist
Representative's Submission Letter
All Supporting Letters
Online Application Forms

— FAQ

Who is authorized representative? How can your company help me?

Only authorized representatives are allowed to represent you in an immigration or citizenship application as well as communicate with the Government of Canada on your behalf.

Patrick Bergeron is licensed Canadian immigration consultant. You may choose to use an authorized immigration representative to act on your behalf for immigration, citizenship or temporary residence applications with:
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Be aware, if you use an unauthorized representative, in Canada or abroad, IRCC may return your application or refuse it. Choose your representative carefully.

How do I get started?

It depends on what you are looking for at this point. There are three options we offer based on your needs:

1) Contact Us Form

• Takes less than 5 minutes to complete
• Assist with choosing right program(s)
• Assist with choosing right service(s)

Pros: Free of charge; Response within 1 business day.
Cons: No direct interaction with consultant.
Best for: People who are still undecided on program(s) they are looking for

2) Initial Consultation

• Assess applicant’s eligibility
• Review eligibility questions
• Assist with choosing right program(s)
• Assist with choosing right service(s)

Pros: Direct interaction with consultant; Lower consultation fee; Initial Consultation Credit.
Cons: Only 1 Initial Consultation is allowed per client; Does not include case specific questions, document review, consultation on paperwork as well as consultation on submitted or in progress applications.
Best for: People who want to make sure they are eligible for the program(s) before signing retainer agreement with us.

3) All Purpose Consultation

• Case specific questions
• Document review
• Both document and application related questions
• Available for both submitted and in progress applications

Pros: No limitations on case specific questions; Document review is included.
Cons: No initial consultation credit on 1-hour all-purpose consultation.
Best for: People who are still undecided whether they need authorized representative, as initial consultation credit is still available; People who have already submitted their application or looking for in-depth document review before they submit it on their own.

What are the next steps after I finalize retainer agreement?

The digital document includes three main steps:
• Signing the retainer agreement
• Booking initial appointment
• Making the payment
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Once all steps are completed, you will receive an email from our immigration office. Please note, that there are no other requirements prior to initial appointment. During your initial appointment, you will be introduced to your case processing manager, who will activate your online client portal and will go over next steps.

Are you currently taking new cases?

Yes, we are taking new cases as usual. However, IRCC processing times are impacted nationally due to COVID-19, as a result of which processing of your application may be longer than usual. Thus, we strongly recommend to get started at earliest to avoid any further delays.

Do you currently offer in-office appointments?

Safety of our staff and clients is top priority during pandemic. Unfortunately, in-office appointments with immigration consultants are temporarily unavailable due to COVID-19.

However, we offer both phone and online immigration consultation with a screen-sharing feature, which gives you an opportunity to share with us all information and the documents required for your application.

As an exception, existing clients are also able to book document drop-offs, if required.

Do you accept cases from other countries/provinces?

Yes, our immigration company assists clients from all countries regardless of the type of application.

How many years of experience do you have?

Bergeron Immigration was founded in 2020.

When it comes to experience in Canadian immigration, number of years in industry is not the only factor to consider. It’s also important to consider the scope of expertise as well as number of clients served per year.

For example, a law firm with 35 years of experience may assist clients in all aspects of law, but at the same time process less than 5 immigration related cases per year.

Our immigration consulting firm is solely focused on Citizenship, Permanent Residence (PR) and Temporary Residence Visa (TRV) applications.

If I retain your services, will I have an access to my file through IRCC account after submission?

In case of full representation, you will have no access to your application from IRCC Portal.

All applications are submitted through IRCC Authorized Representative Portal rather than regular client portal.

However, we update our clients on all IRCC notifications within 1 business day. Exceptions may apply in rare cases when prior documentation review is required by our team. Usually, that takes no longer than 3 business days.

What is the difference between full representation and consultation packages?

Full representation packages include end to end assistance with your application(s). While consultation packages are strictly limited to consultation time allocated.

Everyone tries to find the best immigration consultant for their needs. People usually consider factors like experience, reliability, accreditation and easiness in communication. But total cost for achieving immigration goals can be higher than expected with constantly increasing prices in Canada.

Most of immigration law offices in Toronto will offer only full representation services and will present immigration lawyer’s fees only after initial consultation. While here at Bergeron Immigration, we offer at least four different packages for each program we are specialized in. As to immigration consultant’s professional fees, you can find all packages with detailed breakdown on our website prior to booking your immigration consultation.

Do you guarantee approval? What if my application gets refused?

No one can guarantee approval of your application, as final decision fully depends on immigration officer.

Kindly avoid all kind of ghost consultants as well as unethical representatives who “guarantee results” or provide “success rates” to grab your attention.

We put all our efforts in maximizing your chances of success. Reputation of our immigration company is extremely important to us, as you can see from our client reviews.

If your application gets refused, we will resubmit it one time free of charge. This does not include government application fees, as well as cases where false/misleading/incomplete information or document was provided by client.

What happens if I do not receive ITA?

Some IRCC programs require Invitation to Apply (ITA) prior to submission. Receiving ITA may be fully based on luck (e.g. PGP applications), data entry speed (OINP applications) or on applicant’s points (Express Entry applications). Thus, outcome is not based on your immigration adviser’s professional skills. At the same time, adding your profile into pool of candidates to participate in draws is a must.

If you do not receive ITA for PGP or OINP, we will refund all professional fees paid except $250 non-refundable deposit.

We want to see you succeed, thus we will resubmit your profile into pool free of charge within next two years.

As to Express Entry applications, immigration consultant’s fees are already split between two retainer agreements:

Stage 1: Express Entry Profile Submission
Stage 2: PR Application upon receiving ITA (CEC or FSW)

Do you offer payment instalments? What is your refund policy?

Bergeron Immigration operates through trust account in accordance with IRCC Trust Account Regulation.

Clients are required to make full payment into Client Trust Account. However, client funds will be withdrawn from Trust Account as per payment schedule.

How long does the application process take?

Processing Time Before Submission: Usually it takes us up to 5 business days to review and submit application to IRCC once personalized document checklist is completed by clients. The overall process may take from 1 week to 6 months based on type of program as well as how fast client can gather all required documents.

Processing Time After Submission: IRCC Application processing times vary depending on:
• Type of application
• Country of residence
• Canadian Visa Office
• Interview requirements
• Number of applications under consideration

Please visit processing times tool for more details. Kindly note that IRCC processing times may be longer than usual due to COVID-19.

Can you assist me if I have previous refusals?

Yes. Statistically, more than 30% of our clients were refused at least once prior to retaining our services.

However, an initial consultation is required to assess your individual situation and reasons of refusal to make sure we can take your case.

Are government application fees included in your prices?

Our prices include professional fees only. HST may be applicable on top of that.

Government fees and disbursements (translation services, medical insurance premiums, medical examination fees, language exam fees, international student admission fees, etc.) are paid directly to government or third parties.

What can prevent me from coming to Canada?

Some people are not allowed to enter Canada. The definition used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is “inadmissibility”. There are many reasons, why you may be refused entry to Canada:
• you are a security risk,
• you have committed human or international rights violations,
• you have been convicted of a crime, or you have committed an act outside Canada that would be a crime,
• you have ties to organized crime,
• you have a serious health problem,
• you have a serious financial problem,
• you lied in your application or in an interview,
• you do not meet the conditions in Canada’s immigration law, or
• one of your family members is not allowed into Canada.
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If there is a valid reason why you have to travel to Canada, you may be issued a temporary resident permit.

Please note a Canadian immigration officer will decide if you can enter Canada when you apply for a visa, an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), or when you arrive at a port of entry.

Don’t wait until your visa is refused. If you or your dependent family member has an inadmissibility condition, contact our visa consultant today to discuss your options.

Can I split my POM/DIY time allocated into 15-min or 30-min appointments?

To get most out of your sessions, you can split POM and DIY packages into 1-hour appointments only.

Kindly note, in case you use less than 1 hour at a time, no additional time will be added to the total time allocated.

Will I get a discount if I retain Bergeron Immigration for more than one application?

Some of our packages (Duo, Family, Value) already have a built-in discounted price per applicant or service.

However, if you decide to retain our immigration agency for two separate applications, you will be eligible for additional 15% discount on the second package.

Same discount is applicable for all our returning clients. Moreover, if you have already retained us for one of our full representation packages, and now require assistance with your status extension or restoration, you will be eligible for a 50% discount.

Canadian Experience Class

Our professional fees

Full package

$

2000

Duo package

$

3000

Family package

$

3500

— FAQ

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