Summary Letter for Canadian Immigration – Immigroup
What is a Summary Letter for Canadian Immigration?
Some say that your Summary Letter is one of the more important documents, if not the most important document, in your immigration package. This is the document that clearly answers the following questions for the Canadian immigration officer reviewing your application:
- Does this person qualify for this application?
- How to they qualify? – what is the supporting documentation
This letter is known by a few names, most call it a Summary Letter, but it’s also called, Submission letter, Letter of Explanation (LOE), and cover letter.
DOWNLOAD YOUR SUMMARY LETTER TEMPLATE (SIMPLE CASES) – PDF OR WORD
Tip: When to use a template vs. when to write a Summary Letter methodically: Use a template with a straightforward application but any complexity needs care, attention and experience.
HIRE IMMIGROUP TO WRITE YOUR SUMMARY LETTER
Who needs a Summery Letter for Canadian immigration, and who can skip it?
First, technically everyone needs a summary letter but the reality is very few people that are filing their own applications will take the time to create one. Even people in the legal industry will not use one at times because the application request is minor or just they are lazy.
The good news is so many poorly completed applications must be sitting on the desk of that immigration officer. When they get yours, it will be a sigh of relief, seeing your professionally written, well argued, perfectly completed application. It can make even weak cases look a lot stronger.
People submitting simple applications can all skip the letter, unless you have some complexity in your case (see examples below).
Examples of when you should and when you shouldn’t use a Summary Letter for Canadian immigration:
PR Card renewal application: You can skip the letter BUT anyone whose status in is jeopardy – anyone who has been outside of Canada for 1,000 days or more out of the last 5 years – should really provide a summary letter.
All Sponsorship applications, PNP applications or even normal Express Entry immigration applications (FSW, CEC, FST) should include summary letters (LOEs).
A simple application with a unique circumstance should include a summary letter. Any application with multi-jurisdictional problems should include a summary letter. Example: you’re filing an application but you need to explain to Canadian immigration that you are missing a document. (Example: ‘I can’t get this document from the check list because my home country does not issue it anymore’.)
When do you hire Immigroup and when to write your own Summary Letter?
Do it yourself:
- It is not a complicated application, I just what things to look clean and professional
- It is a little complicated, but the case is not that confusing. I am an excellent writer; I have written business letters and I have submitted applications to the government before.
When do you hire Immigroup?
- My case is complicated.
- I need the Canadian immigration officer to complete my application as quickly as possible.
- I don’t have the time to do this myself.
I am thinking of shopping around, what is a reasonable price to pay for a Summary Letter/Letter of Explanation?
The price of a review of a Summary Letter in the immigration industry can be all over the place. We have seen prices as low as $150 all the way to $2000. The reality is price is just one important indicator, the second factor and the more important one, is the experience of your consultant.
- First off, someone asking for $150 for a letter will give you low quality work, so you are better off not wasting your time and money. Paying $150 for a Summary Letter means you’re not getting a good deal, rather only false hope and almost certain disappointment.
- The other extreme of $2000, could be a good thing or a bad thing: In the legal industry when someone does not want to do something because, for example, they are too busy or, even worse, they are apprehensive because they have lack of experience; instead of being honest they quote an extremely high price. This is a legal practitioner’s way of telling you to get lost. They do this because one in ten potential clients will actually say yes. I am assuming these clients must think, ‘wow, they must be really good if they ask for such a high price!’ Again, in most cases this is a trap you don’t what to fall for. There is the occasional exception of the amazing legal perfectionist with 20 years of experience, the rock stars of our industry, which do deserve this amount. But more likely you will end up paying a top fee for mediocre results.
- So, what is a reasonable price for a letter? A good price would be between $500 (little complexity) to $1500 (a lot of complexity) which is a reasonable standard to pay for a Summary Letter.
TIP: Did you know that Summary Letters are included with a full Immigroup service for any application?
Who at Immigroup will write my Summary Letter (LOE) for Canadian immigration?
This depends on the complexity and type of application. For example, if you are doing a Spousal Sponsorship, it will likely end up going to an immigration consultant or a paralegal who does a lot of these types of applications. These are licensed and regulated individuals that who regularly include summary letters in applications they submit to the Canadian government and have lots of experience.
If your case is complex, we will send it to a specialist – no choice here we need to call for the big guns. Some are lawyers, some are consultants, but all are very respected in their field.
Using Immigroup to write a Summary Letter
- Scan and email your applications to us – including all supporting documents (example: Sponsorship) – [email protected]
- Once you have sent us your package, we will contact you by email in 1 or 2 business days after we have evaluated the cost to write a summary letter regarding your case. We will send you a payment request link (you can at this time refuse paying and we will delete your personal information).
- Once payment is sent, it will take our team 5 to 10 business days to review your documents and write your Summary Letter.
Average cost for a summary letter $225 easy case, $550 normal case, $750 hard case, and $1500 challenging case.
Tip: Because your immigration specialist needs to review your documents to write the Summary Letter, you can request for them to make corrections to your application. Additional charges will apply.
Other Services
Review and make corrections of my application: $550
Become my representative when I file the application $550
Terms of Service
Summary Letters do not come with use of representation, this service is extra.
All Summary Letter are completed by regulated immigration consultants or paralegals.
If you need one of our lawyers to do this for you, additional charges will apply.