Ostap Bosak
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants
- License: #R707276
- Email: info@canadianbychoice.ca
- Phone: +1-416-262-0774
Ostap Bosak, RCIC
My Immigration Story
As an Immigrant myself, not so long ago, I have been in your shoes. I can truly understand what you and your family is going through. Moreover, my immigration has been far from smooth.
Same as so many before me, I have fallen victim to unlicensed (“ghost”) consultants in my home country and their “advice”. Their advice cost me over $50,000 of unnecessary expenses, heavy debt, and two years of hardship and uncertainty until I have finally secured my Permanent Residency despite their advice.
Because of the experiences I had, I have made it my goal to help future immigrants to avoid costly and sometimes life altering mistakes.
Ghost consultants
My family and I decided to immigrate to Canada shortly after Russia invaded our home country in 2014.
As a young professional, I believed that every person should be doing what they are good at and retain the services of professionals in the areas we are not familiar with. Immigration, was certainly not a part of my expertise at the time, so I have turned to Google with a simple search: “Immigration Lawyer, Canada”. After looking into a few “professionals” in the area, I have booked a consultation with an immigration consultant in my city. The price for consultation was pretty high – $100 (minimum wage in my city at the time was just under $150 per month).
What I have heard from the consultant can be summarized into a single sentence: Study in Canada for a year, Get a Work Permit in Canada for a year – and you will get PR (Permanent Residency). Seemed easy enough.
I have then contacted one of the most known “study abroad” agencies in my country, and for a fee of 500 EUR (about 750 CAD), they have helped me to apply to Centennial college in Toronto and Get a Study Permit. But there was a catch. I have been told that to maximize my chances of obtaining Study Permit, I need to show strong ties to my home country. And the best way to do so, is to claim on my application that my wife will not be accompanying me to Canada.
I have also been told that we can simply apply for her Visa a month after I arrive in Canada and everything will be fine.
Leaving ones wife for visa
After arriving in Canada in May 2015, the same firm I have been working with has convinced me that chances for my wife securing a visitor visa are low, and we should apply for her to study as well. Just for context, tuition and living expenses for just a single year in Canada have fully depleted my savings (despite working during my studies).
Nevertheless, we have been still listening to “professionals”, who not a single time mentioned that a spouse of an international student is eligible for an Open Work Permit (OWP). Instead we have asked our parents for a loan, to cover my wife’s tuition as well.
Summer 2015, My wife’s Study Permit Application has been denied. A blessing in disguise. This has forced me to do what I should have done from the beginning. I have started researching and studying official Canadian Immigration Website – cic.gc.ca.
We have immediately applied for my wife’s visa, asking for a short visit to maintain our relationships. Since we have started dating, we have never been more than a few days apart, and living on different continents for months now was simply not an option. As I now understand, we got incredibly lucky – her visa application got approved.
During my practice, I have seen families separated for years, while one of the spouses was studying, working and trying to secure permanent residency, while the other one (often with children) has been getting denied one visa application after another. I have seen as many as 8 consecutive denials, and they all started from the same “scheme” – claiming that the spouse has no intention of accompanying the applicant to Canada, and then “changing their mind” a month after.
After some more detailed research, I have finally realized that my wife was eligible for OWP. We applied for one in September 2015, and got the approval in April 2016. I was lucky to have my wife by my side, and that our separation was only a few months and not years. Nevertheless, we have missed out on 11 months of income my wife could have had, while I was studying in college. And this would have made a world of difference for us, as we could not even afford a bed at the time. The only furniture we had our first year in Canada was a mattress, chair and a table from IKEA. (I still have the table).
Heavy cost of Immigration mistakes
Had I stumbled onto an actual licensed professional at the start of my journey, it would have saved me approximately $50,000 and two years of hardship. Because my passway to the Permanent Residency should have been much more straightforward.
In early 2015 Canada started a new system of immigration called Express Entry. At its start (2015-2017 years) it was relatively easy to get an invitation to apply for PR with a CRS score of 425 or more. As a 26 year old, with a master degree, 3 years of professional experience and CLB8 English, I simply needed to get my English one point up to CLB9, and that would have given me over 450 points right off the bat. No need to study, no need to spend $50,000, and the ability to come to Canada as a Permanent Resident with all its rights and privileges.
Giving back
As the Chemodan forum was instrumental in my immigration education, I have stuck with it and did my best to “return the favor”. I have started to help the next wave of prospecting immigrants. Eventually I joined their moderation team for the Canadian branch, of which I am still an active member.
Later I have realised that volunteering my time on immigration forum is not enough, and this is actually something I want to do professionally, and full-time.
August 2020, I graduated from CSIC Academy with Immigration Practitioner Diploma: Laws, Policies and Procedures. I have passed my licensing exams on the following intake in November 2022. After finalizing all of my continuous education credits, and seminars, I have secured RCIC License (#R707276) in April 2021.
Since then, I have helped hundreds of clients to achieve their immigration goals.
Being on the receiving end of this profession, and having experience with bad actors of our industry, I strive to bring forward the best available advice to make my client’s immigration as efficient and reliable as possible.
Do not hesitate to fill up contact us form today, and let me help you immigrate to Canada.