It depends on the service and path you choose. For an LMIA-based work permit, Guided Application Review is $1,150 and Full Care starts at $2,500 - relevant for Hamilton's steel and manufacturing employers. For spousal sponsorship, Guided is $2,500 and Full Care starts at $5,500. For Express Entry post-ITA, Guided is $2,100 and Full Care starts at $4,500. For a Post-Graduation Work Permit from McMaster or Mohawk, Guided is $550 and Full Care starts at $1,200. Government filing fees and biometrics are separate. All fees are in Canadian dollars and subject to 13% HST. A clear fixed quote is confirmed in writing before any work begins.

For many Hamilton clients, McMaster and Mohawk graduates comfortable with paperwork, manufacturing workers renewing straightforward work permits, or families managing a first-time Super Visa, Guided Application Review provides expert oversight at a fixed fee while you stay in control. You prepare the application, we audit every detail before it reaches IRCC. Full Care Representation is the appropriate choice when your file carries complexity: refugee-background immigration histories requiring careful documentation reconstruction, spousal sponsorships from source countries with specific authentication requirements, any prior refusal on record, or an inadmissibility concern. If you start with Guided and upgrade to Full Care before submission, the full Guided fee is credited toward Full Care. Book a free 15-minute call for a direct, honest recommendation.

A refusal is a setback, not a permanent barrier, but what you do next determines whether the situation improves or worsens. The first step is reading the refusal letter carefully: IRCC provides reasons, and those reasons tell us what went wrong and what the right next move is. For most temporary residence refusals, reapplying with a corrected and more thoroughly documented file is the clearest path. If you received a Procedural Fairness Letter, your response must be precise and complete, an inadequate reply can result in refusal and a potential 5-year misrepresentation finding. For permanent residence decisions, the Immigration Appeal Division may be available. For cases requiring a judicial review before the Federal Court of Canada, refused sponsorships, removal orders, or specific IRCC decisions, Paulina's standing as a licensed Law Society of Ontario lawyer is not optional. It is what the process requires. Book a paid 45-minute consultation at tidycal.com/ipjimmigration to go through your specific refusal in detail.

Current IRCC estimates: outland spousal sponsorship approximately 15 months, inland approximately 21 months. Always verify using IRCC's official processing time tool, as timelines change with application volumes and staffing. For Hamilton clients whose spouse is in India, Syria, or the Philippines, the top three recent source countries for Hamilton immigrants, the document authentication requirements for those countries can add meaningful preparation time before the application is even ready to file. We address that timeline at the strategy session, so families know what to expect from the start, not after IRCC identifies a documentation gap mid-process.