Terms and Conditions for the Immigration Matters 

UMER LAW is an independently owned business that helps customers with immigration and travel document issues. We are not the government and have no ties to any government agency. The Law Society of Alberta regulates certain of our services, and we adhere to its regulations and standards. To learn more, please click here. UMER LAW provides two sorts of services: fixed-price applications and retainer-based services. By using UMER LAW's services, you acknowledge that

• UMER LAW is affiliated with Law Society of Alberta who provide legal services on immigration matters. Only licensed immigration professionals can provide legal opinion, advice, explanation, or represent clients in immigration matters.

• UMER LAW is not responsible for documents lost by Canada Post, courier companies, or any mail service or government office;

• UMER LAW is not responsible for applications which are rejected. Applications are rejected at the sole discretion of the applicable government authority;

• All fees are non-refundable once the application has been submitted to the appropriate government agency;

• All fees paid are non-refundable 6 months after the payment has been processed if the application has not yet been submitted to the appropriate government agency;

• Purchase of a service which requires payment of a retainer also necessitates signature of a retainer agreement dictating the terms of UMER LAW’s service; no service will be rendered until the executed retainer agreement is provided;

• Purchase of service indicates the commitment by you, the client, to pay all fees associated with said service;

• All services are subject to a minimum cancellation fee of $42.50 once the transaction has been processed;

• Payment in full is due before an application will be submitted to the government;

• Processing times listed on UMER LAW’s website are estimates based on recent historical trends and current information listed by various government agencies, and are subject to change at any time without notice.

Client Responsibilities

When you retain UMER LAW to represent you with regard to any type of application, you undertake several responsibilities as a client, including:

• Providing all information and necessary documentation such as photocopies of ID documents, completed forms, original documents when necessary, and any other documents which are requested, in a timely fashion;

• Advising UMER LAW of any updates to your situation including changes in address or leaving Canada for extended periods of time;

• Advising UMER LAW of any correspondence you have received directly from the government in a timely fashion;

• Being honest and forthright about information regarding your application.

Description of Service

The applicant assumes all responsibility and liability that the information on government forms is true and complete. UMER LAW assumes no responsibility for any errors, omissions or incomplete or illegible information on application forms. Where required, all forms must have an authorized guarantor in order to process them. The applicant must qualify and / or be eligible to receive certificates, passports, and other documents. Eligibility is determined solely by the government in question. The applicant agrees to have made their own travel arrangements – these are not made by UMER LAW on behalf of the client. UMER LAW assumes no responsibility and / or liability for government processing and / or the production of certificates / cards or any other government task. The applicant agrees to be bound by the following terms and conditions with regard to payment:

• • Payment by Visa, MasterCard, debit card, certified cheque, money order or bank draft.

  • All payments and transactions are final.

  • The aforementioned terms and conditions are in full force and effect until UMER LAW has received written notification from the applicant of a cancellation in such a manner as to afford UMER LAW reasonable opportunity to act on the said request.

  • UMER LAW agrees to charge the applicant only for service, H.S.T., government fees, delivery charges, and any disbursements if applicable. There are no H.S.T. charges on government fees.

  • UMER LAW service fees are additional to any applicable government fees.

  • UMER LAW Service Fees are non-refundable.

  • The processing period will only commence upon receipt of the funds.

  • The applicant agrees that UMER LAW is not responsible for credit / debit authorization or approval.

  • The applicant authorizes UMER LAW, in accordance with these terms and conditions, to initiate credit / debit entries on behalf of the applicant.

UMER LAW provides Urgent / Rush / Accelerated Service only when the following terms and conditions are met:

• The service is offered by the jurisdiction in charge of the certificate or any other service being requested.

• Where required, a valid guarantor must be available for confirmation – this is a government requirement.

• All government terms and conditions must be met.

• The authorization letter provided must be completed and signed by the applicant and must accompany the application in order for UMER LAW to authorize the process and obtain certificate documents and / or government documents.

• Government holidays and closures for any reason(s) voids Urgent Service.

• In some cases, proof of urgency must be provided. Please contact us for more information.

UMER LAW provides Regular Service when the following terms and conditions are met:

• Regular Service is based on standard government processing. The time frame for receipt of the requested documentation varies by jurisdiction.

• Any time frame quoted regarding the receipt of requested documents is an estimate, not a guarantee.

• In some cases, the applicant will be notified by UMER LAW upon receipt of certificate from the government. In other cases, the government will forward the completed document directly to the applicant. This varies by jurisdiction.

• All other terms and conditions apply.

Cancellations

All fixed-price services are subject to a minimum cancellation fee of $42.50. Increases to the cancellation fee are assessed for each application in relation to how much work has already been completed on the file. All fixed-price application fees are non-refundable once the application has been submitted to the appropriate government agency. All fixed-price application fees paid are non-refundable 6 months after the payment has been processed if the application has not yet been submitted to the appropriate government agency. If a service is cancelled prior to payment of any balance due, the balance of fees owed for this service are still owed if cancellation is initiated.

Sending documents to our office by mistake

• Forwarding documents back to you will cost $25 handling fee and courier fees.*

• Forwarding documents to the government will cost $50 handling fee and courier fees. *We will provide tracking by email or phone text to you.
  We do not use regular mail (must have tracking).
  We don’t give options on which courier company will be used.
  We don’t take responsibility for documents being rejected by the government.

• Note: all unclaimed application will be shredded for security reasons.

Consultations

The basic charge for a consultation is $300 + GST (additional rates apply for specialized consultation services), which covers a 45-min session in person or over the phone. For appointments lasting more than 30 minutes, clients will be charged an extra consultation cost. Consultations are provided free of charge with the purchase of any UMER LAW service. If you purchase a consultation before deciding to utilize our services, the consultation price can usually be applied to your service fees (exceptions are listed on the specific application forms). If you meet with a UMER LAW representative about a fixed-price service and decide not to acquire the service at the end of the discussion, you must still pay the consultation fee.

Flat Fees, Included Hours, and Additional Billing

All legal fees are structured as flat-rate fees, which include a predetermined allocation of lawyer and legal assistant/clerk hours, as specified in the applicable service package or retainer agreement.

All professional time spent on the client's matter is recorded in increments of 0.1 hours (six minutes). This includes, but is not limited to, telephone calls, emails, text messages, communications through WeChat, WhatsApp, and other messaging platforms, document review, legal research, preparation of correspondence, and other work performed in connection with the client's matter.

All client communications are billable, regardless of the method of communication, and the time spent on such communications will be deducted from the hours included in the agreed flat-fee package.

Where the total time spent on the client's matter exceeds the allocated hours included in the package, any additional time will be billed separately at the firm's standard hourly rates, as follows:

• Lawyer: $300 per hour

Additional fees will be calculated based on the actual time spent, recorded in six-minute increments, and will be payable in addition to the originally agreed flat fee, subject to the terms of the retainer agreement.

What Is Not Included in the Legal Fees

The legal fees quoted do not include the initial consultation fee, which is charged separately and is non-refundable and will not be credited toward any future legal services.

All government application and filing fees, as well as third-party costs and disbursements, are the sole responsibility of the client and are payable in addition to the agreed legal fees.

Any legal services falling outside the scope of the original retainer agreement, including but not limited to additional consultations, responding to requests for further information or documentation from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) following submission of the application, or addressing unforeseen procedural developments, will be subject to additional legal fees.

Such additional services will be billed separately, and the applicable fees will be communicated to the client in advance, where reasonably practicable.

Guarantee

UMER LAW stands by all of its work. If you feel we did not submit the best application possible on your behalf, you may seek the contact information of the General Manager at UMER LAW, who will assess your case. You are also offered the opportunity to give feedback at the conclusion of your application so that we can improve our service in the future.