Today, let me tell you my story. My story of migrating to Canada from India as an HR professional. For me, it was indeed an “Express Entry”, as I got my Canadian permanent residence much sooner than I expected. In around 5 months.

Why Canada?

Immigration or migrate overseas was something that did not just suddenly pop into my mind one fine day. It was a carefully thought-out process. I always wanted to settle abroad. The carefree life and a high standard of living were the biggest motivating factors for me.

Also, free education and excellent healthcare. After all, we all require healthcare at some point in time. If I could somehow settle in a country that could guarantee me a good hospital stay, should I need it for any reason, it was seriously worth the effort.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against my home country. While I did want to immigrate overseas and experience the good life, I also planned on giving back to my own country once I was successful overseas.

With the entire world connected through the world wide web, reaching anyone at almost any part of the world hardly takes a few seconds. I would be a successful NRI in Canada one day. That day, I will give back to my community back in Valsad in Vadodara in the form of the remittances that might help in making my community a better place for the next generation.

Canada, though not the top country for immigration for me, it was definitely on my list. Initially, I had planned on Australia immigration. But then, some simple online research, as well as personal feedback from a couple of my friends and friends of friends that had settled in Melbourne, I decided my HR career had brighter prospects in Canada.

So it was Canada for me.

Why getting the right help matters?

Though I learnt my lesson the hard way, I did learn it in the end. Always seek immigration and visa assistance from those who know it the best. Trust me, friends and relatives are not the right people to turn to for immigration advice.

While friends and family, or even colleagues and neighbors for that matter, might have your best interest at heart, they don’t have the complete picture.

Honestly, with the immigration policies being changed so often and so unpredictably by the foreign governments, it is difficult for a layman to keep abreast with all the latest updates.

Here is where a team of professionals come in.

Experience Matters

Trust me, getting professional help is always better for visa and immigration. You might think you can do it on your own, but visa and immigration take a lot of money and time. Visit visas can easily be done on your own. Immigration though needs guidance.

Now, not everyone can be asked for help. If you do think that you need a professional on board, it is always recommended to approach someone that has experience. Preferably, over 10 years of experience in visa and immigration matters. Y-Axis, for example, has been around since 1999.

When you go for the initial counseling, always ask questions. The more, the better. Make it a point to understand the process completely. The best visa and immigration consultant will be the one that will explain in detail, and not force you to only sign on the dotted line.

Express Entry

Finally, my profile was in the Express Entry pool. The Canadian occupation code for me was that of 1223, human resources and recruitment officers. I work as a Staffing Analyst.

I got my Educational Credential Assessment report “for immigration purposes” from World Education Services. I got my WES report quite easily. Then, came the English language test. Busy with my full-time job, I opted to get my IELTS coaching completely online in weekend classes only.

IELTS I had to give 2 times. I had passed the first time itself, but I wanted a better score. Coaching for IELTS was taken the second time around.

ITA from IRCC

After some time in the Express Entry pool of candidates, I finally managed to get my invitation to apply for Canadian Express Entry through IRCC of Canada.

By this time, I had also secured a good job in Canada from India. I took the help of Y-Axis Jobs for this. Online coaching that I got for IELTS was also through Y-Axis.

No, I did not take the complete Canada immigration package. I took the Y-Axis coaching and Y-Axis Jobs assistance only. Rest I managed on my own.

Canada

Now, I’m in Canada. I'm working as an HR professional in the city of Burnaby in the province of British Columbia, to be precise. I was nominated by British Columbia PNP for my Canada PR so I had to settle in BC itself. So far, I’m enjoying the new life I opted for.

Might be getting married to a Canadian permanent resident soon. We have much in common. Also from India, my fiancé got through as a skilled worker under the Express Entry system. She is a Software Engineer.