Simon Chelat, Founder & PresidentIn an interview with Manage HR, Simon Chelat, founder and president of Noaisys, discusses how his firm helps clients from various backgrounds, qualifications, and age groups find the right immigration program to start their journey in Canada.
The Genesis of Noaisys
My career trajectory began as a junior engineer on large oil tanker ships, eventually working my way up to being a chief engineer in the merchant navy. I switched to the oil & gas industry sometime after, where I worked for almost nine years. I later moved to human resources consulting for large O&G companies, where I needed to bring in overseas workers. This prompted me to take the Immigration Practitioners Program at the University of British Columbia to save on paying a law firm to handle the immigration paperwork of the workers coming to Canada.
My journey toward immigration consulting was an accidental move. However, I enjoyed the new line of study and spent almost 60 hours a week on the program, wanting to be one of the very best in running a successful immigration practice. Immigration consulting and problemsolving became my passion from the very beginning. My goal and intent were—and continues to be—to help and serve as many individuals as possible through my immigration consulting company.
Finding the right name for the company was also a journey. Noaisys is an acronym for Noah’s Immigration Systems, which encompasses the various immigration programs we deal in. It is derived from the Biblical idea that anyone entering Noah’s Arc received a safe passage and survived the deluge, just as Noaisys helps clients navigate, withstand, and overcome the tumultuous immigration process. It symbolizes trust, hope, and new beginnings.
When I founded Noaisys, we advertised in various communities, especially colleges and universities in Canada, targeting individuals whose work/study/visit/PR applications were previously refused or who were facing complications in their immigration process. We started getting positive results for clients, with our success rate crossing 98 percent. Word slowly traveled, and Noaisys grew organically to where we are today.
Standing a Class Apart with Transparent Processes
The unique aspect of Noaisys is transparency in methods, which permeates our organization to the core. We walk our clients through the entire immigration process, making them aware of exactly how their visa application process will begin and end. If the client is at a stage where they are not eligible for the right immigration program, we inform them right away and ask them to revisit us in a few months when they meet the requirements. This unique approach truly sets us apart from other players in the immigration space.
Whenever a person walks into our offices, our first thought is to determine what service we can provide to meet their immigration goals. We assess their credentials, find a suitable path and lay it before them prior to beginning their application process, and try our best to ensure its completion. While certain things are beyond our control, we’re very upfront and transparent on what we do. Even our office design, which primarily comprises open spaces and glass doors, reflects this dedication to transparency.
Current Challenges in the Canadian Immigration Scene
There is a substantial ongoing backlog in the immigration process. Due to this, there will be a limit on the number of invited applications, with the visa programs adopting a “first come, first served” approach. Applicants need to have everything handy when the application process starts. During this time, we are reaching out to people, assessing their applications, preparing their documentation for any programs that are slated to commence, and ensuring everything is ready.
For instance, we successfully submitted 269 PR visa applications in a single day during peak application time in the year 2021. We were one of the companies that submitted the highest number of applications that day. This was because we ensured that all the forms and supporting documentation of our clients, including receipts of government fees were kept ready prior to the starting of the program. Furthermore, the advanced system we use and a highly efficient team helped achieve the timely submission of these applications.
An Outstanding Demonstration of Noaisys’ Capabilities
In 2021, a client sought us out to extend his and his family’s stay in Canada. He arrived in the country in 2019, set up a business, and applied for a stay extension and an investor program. His stay extension application was rejected, and he and his family were advised to leave Canada at the earliest. But he had an expensive inventory in Canada and more goods arriving in containers within two weeks, which made it impossible for him to leave the country.
We went through his extension refusal letter and discovered a provision through which his stay could be extended, and successfully implemented it. We also ensured his family gained valid work permits and avoided deportation.
Impressed by this feat, the client forwarded his pending investor program application to Noaisys. We took over his investor application and suggested the necessary changes, which led to its approval. The client resumed his business and eventually received his Permanent Residence.
A Streamlined, Elaborate Process for PR Applications
Canadian immigration is highly competitive and points-based, mainly targeting younger people—29 years and below, possessing at least a master’s degree, with skilled work experience, good language skills—who can hit the road running after gaining PR. For people who are older than 29 years, the possibility of them getting directly invited for permanent residency becomes difficult as the points drop. For them, we find different ways to improve their scores by discovering options for studying or working in Canada.
We find the easiest path for our clients to successfully immigrate to Canada, regardless of their educational and professional backgrounds, age, or any other category
Expertly Navigating Immigration Programs
We help older applicants find suitable routes for immigration through investor programs. There are three federal programs offering visas for self-employed entrepreneurs, intra-company transferees, and startups that we help them leverage to make up for the points lost due to their age.
Along with these, each Canadian province has its entrepreneur immigration programs that require applicants to clear certain predefined conditions. The province will nominate them for PR if they meet the necessary conditions.
We assist clients in successfully applying and getting accepted into the multitude of immigration programs at the federal and provincial levels. Regardless of their educational and professional backgrounds, age, or any other category, we find the easiest path for our clients to successfully immigrate to Canada
