On Honesty

The phrase "honesty is the best policy" has applications throughout my work as an immigration consultant and is, perhaps more that anything else, the most important aspect to a successful working relationship with clients, as well a successful immigration application in general. Because of this I decided to make it the topic of my very first blog post.

The role of honesty in the representative-client relationship is a two way street. From my side--the side of the legal expert paid by the client--I have an obligation to be honest to the client as well as the government of Canada. I need to be honest to the client about the reality of their situation and what their options are, even if that means telling them that they don't have any! I need to be honest in my services and how much I charge for them; the price needs to be fair and the services need to be professional. And I need to be honest with the government; dishonesty, if discovered, can have very serious consequences for both myself and my clients.

As for you, the client, you need to be honest with your legal representative (if you are using one ); do not lie, do not twist the truth, do not bend the facts! If an immigration consultant is smart, they will refuse to help you if they discover that you have lied or misrepresented the truth. And as for the government, the discovery that you have lied or failed to be completely honest is called misrepresentation and can result in your removal from Canada, criminal charges, a ban from entering Canada for 5 years, and more. Serious stuff!

So be honest. I will be honest. And together, if your reasons for Canadian immigration and honest and true, you will build a successful application to submit to the Canadian government. Honestly.

Sincerely, Thomas Sproat R515846