What do I do?

Question

I am in a sticky situation hoping that I can get a answer .
Travelled to US for aToronto/Buf game in the US , unfortunately I got stopped and was refused entry for a crime that is dated back about 15 years ago. To make the story short I hired a a so called specialist to complete my US Waiver for me . I know that this can be a very tedious process and expected it to take time. After paying her via moneyorder 5 elapsed and called to know the status of my application. She said it was going along smoothly and it will take a couple more weeks. I said " no problem" , but please keep me informed. 6 weeks have gone by and still nothing yet, called and felt very strange with her response, I felt that she was making excuses of it not being ready. she had sent me an invoice indicating that my appl. is complete please forward final payment and apllication will be prompty mailed. Cashed cheque, still waiting for completed forms. What do I do to get my applic? Note: avoided all phone calls

Apparently she has indicated that she is accredited and certified by the RCMP. What does that mean? Would the RCMP have any control over this?

Answer 1

You've been had! You might as well say "adieu" to your money. Go to a certified and reputable immigration lawyer for advice and assistance.

Answer 2

Was this 'so-called specialist' a member of the legal profession? If so, where? Lawyers are regulated by the law society in the jurisdiction in which they practice. Most law societies allow you to look up members and confirm that they are members of the bar. That's the first question that needs an answer.

The second is, what is the usual procedure in the type of application you sort of describe? We note the following at the Canadian Pardon Service website:

7. CPS will work diligently but cannot guarantee a time frame when you will receive your results as these are based on the response times of the involved government agencies.
8. All fees must be paid before we can petition the National Parole Board ("NPB") for a pardon on your behalf.

Is there any legal basis for rule no. 8, I wonder, and says which regulatory body? I would be curious to know who regulates these characters if they're not lawyers - and probably so would the federal Sol/Attorney General Vic Toews.

If your specialist is a lawyer who has deviated from the usual method of handling these cases, the law society will indeed investigate. If you don't see your specialist listed at the law society website, call them up and inquire. They are there to protect the public interest.

Answer 3

I think this is a problem for the state dept or immigration.
Local U.S. laws don't cover this because every state is different and at the border with Canada the laws have changed.

Answer 4

Talk to someone in immigration, they have their own police...