Using a waiver expert vs DIY - a story

J Rogersposted 1 year ago

We talk about this all the time, and I want to be clear on the difference.

I talked to a very nice man on here who had a son who had a misrepresentation in 2022. It had to do with doing his residency (he is a medical school graduate)

The son is smart. The father is smart, and called me constantly after the waiver had been submitted to basically stress about the case.
I would have told the father "he is not going to get this waiver". Maybe 5% possibility but not more.
This is a person who NEEDS an expert. Yet for all his badly wanting this waiver, they decided to do it on their own.

So, result, waiver denied. Worse, the personal letter said things I cannot now refute. I am STUCK with whatever statements were made.

Had this happened in 2010, then doing it himself was not such a risk.

Now, if you have a shoplifting that is old, you did you research, and you don't mind rolling up your sleeves, there is very little damage you can do.
If your offence is serious, has serious sentences, or involves trafficking of drugs or people, if you have sexual assault, or if you have offences which are not serious but less than 5 years old, GET AN EXPERT.

My service costs money, and not every waiver applicant needs it. That is why I am happy to share on here. DIY are going to DIY, but as a Canadian, I want them to still be on the right track. We are all Canadian, and I want Canadians to do well.

If your waiver is a struggle, if its a tough issue, or you are just stuck, get an expert. I COULD do my own taxes, but I really cannot be bothered. I want them DONE, and no hassle.

I have no problem with DIY;s, and encourage anyone who wants to try. But its insane to say "my son is desperate to get this, but it just going to try it himself". It defies logic. Be smart. Know YOURSELF. If you can save money, and still get a good result, then I cannot argue with that logic. But don't risk your ability to travel, or even make future waivers harder by filing a bad waiver.

This is my opinion, and I will not get offended by anyone who disagrees with me. Feel free to debate this here, and I promise to participate.

Replies (recent first):

@SouthernBBQ

Not "normal" but needed in some cases for sure.

J Rogers replied 1 year ago   #11

Are court transcripts normal? What if a case was multiple months due to various co-accused and complexity.

SouthernBBQ replied 1 year ago   #10

@Waiverpending2023

It sounds like you will be fine. If you get a 5 year waiver, then you got the same result someone else would have also obtained, so you did a good job. Let us know how it turns out. It probably will not be long.

J Rogers replied 1 year ago   #9

@J Rogers

Thanks for the information. Just to clarify, I have my application pending, not approved or denied at this point. I’ve found this forum since submitting my application, and like many on here, am very anxious about the potential outcome. Did the application myself and after reading numerous posts here, professional help might’ve helped. I will definitely be in touch if the outcome is unfavorable as I don’t think time is the issue. For some context the charge is from 1999, is serious (not sexual) and I have a pardon (record suspension now). Submitted to ARO in August and had request for more information in November (court transcripts) which took almost the entire 87 days to obtain and submit. Been just over 2 weeks since those were submitted and now anxiously await a decision.

Waiverpending2023 replied 1 year ago   #8

@Waiverpending2023

It depends on WHY. If time was the issue, then wait until enough time has passed to get a different answer. Feel free to call me or email me the rejection and I can tell you what to do differently.

If time is NOT the issue, then you must CHANGE the application and include what they do not like.

Do not simply turn around a submit the application. That is a complete waste of money.

If anyone gets rejection letters, I am ALWAYS very interested in reading them and I will always give free advice. Rejection letters give me a wealth of information, and much of the advice I give here is FROM that. I learn much more form a "NO" then I do from a waiver that is granted.

pardon.experts@rogers.com. also you can text pictures to 647-533-9669. I prefer to only text at that number. You can easily reach me at 905-459-9669.

J Rogers replied 1 year ago   #7

If waivers are denied is there a timeline one should wait before reapplying? Do they give specific details on why it is denied or is it just a cut and paste response?

Waiverpending2023 replied 1 year ago   #6

@SouthernBBQ I agree 100%.

I have put up a thread in the past where I name certain companies and "bad actors".

The truth of the matter is companies (experts) copy each other. Years ago even I did waiver much differently than I did now. At some point I looked at the stats and realized that almost 30% of clients were not finishing waivers. I depend on referrals and I KNEW that I had to make the process easier to get closer to 90+% because it made good BUSINESS sense.

A "good" waiver expert should;
-explain all the details BEFORE you apply, meaning everything YOU will have to do
(provide proof of employment for example, and travel to the border at least once)

-explain ALL the costs, and any POSSIBLE costs. For example, I explain $750 includes fingerprints and taxes and the US fee of $585 is separate. If a person MIGHT have to do an I-212 I make sure they are aware of it. This will cost them an extra $930 USD and I do not charge for it if they get stuck doing it.

-explain, based on their experience, WHAT the client will get. September Letter? 1 year? 5 year? Rejected? They should be able to JUSTIFY why. BEFORE money has been paid.

-give you ACCURATE timelines. Be able to SHOW you why they think that timeline is accurate.

-be easy to reach on the phone. I have staff who can help if I am not available. I also forward my phones when I am not in the office for emergencies and we have a text line as well. If a person calls and says "I am at the border" I will take that call NO MATTER WHAT. Even if I am with a client.

-an expert should WANT to handle as much of the waiver as possible. They should ALWAYS write the personal letter. They should OFFER to write the reference letters if the person absolutely is stuck. Offer to obtain the court documents if they are needed. Its is a SERVICE.

-BE ACCREDITED BY THE RCMP. If they are not, that is a HUGE red flag. The companies that control the machines are trying to steal affiliates all the time. If you cannot get accreditation, you then must go elsewhere for fingerprints. You also don't know if the "expert" possibly has a criminal record himself (Like the guy at Dominion Pardons who is the worst of thee worst) or might close down and open under a new name (Scotia Pardons which became Pardons 4 less) or even has a real office you can visit. The RCMP puts me through a ridiculous vetting process and a long interview where they are VERY effective at checking credit, history, even the websites you frequent.

Michelle in Saskatchewan has all these criteria, as do I. Few companies unfortunately do. Most do the BARE minimum. They are worried about the next body through the door. I am worried about each clients sending me MORE clients. I cannot get that if I do a crappy job. Every waiver I do is a "job interview".

This keeps me honest, and makes me WANT to do a good job.

J Rogers replied 1 year ago   #5

Issue is some of us pay for experts.. Who turn out to be incompetent.

Waiver company I hired was exactly that.
A lawyer I hired to deal with a tenancy issue recently was exactly that.
A environmental engineer I hired recently missed a massive issue which will cost well into six figures.

[ SouthernBBQ appended this reply on March 7, 2023 @ 8:27 pm ]

So in some cases people may feel rather than rolling the dice with a expert.. They do it on their own.

It'd be easier if all experts were created equal

SouthernBBQ replied 1 year ago   #4

Hi. Thanks for your post. Is your concern that a non-expert might further incriminate themself in a personal letter? Or not show enough contrition?

CelineT replied 1 year ago   #3

@Tiffany

It was for his residency to become a doctor. So VERY anxious. That is the irony. Not an easy waiver, yet tried to do it himself.

J Rogers replied 1 year ago   #2

Misrepresentation in 2022 and already denied? He must have wanted to go back to the States badly.

Tiffany replied 1 year ago   #1

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