“Thank you in advance for taking the time out to read this review. I sincerely hope this can help others so they don’t have to go through what we have.
I have all copies of email correspondence for any legal representatives &/or for those who want to see what kind of company Great North visa are. Please do not work with this company if you value your mental health. What has been one of the most exciting times of our lives has also been marred by anxiety & stress working with his company since summer 2022. It is January 2024 & we they have still not delivered on what we have paid for.
From start to finish they have been unprofessional & we only remained using their services as they made threats we would not get our visas & they would not refund us. Additionally we were concerned about causing any delay to our visa process if we made a formal complaint earlier.
The main person dealing with us initially, Lisa Baker, is wholly incompetent and has no customer service skills. I have never come across someone so utterly unprofessional & lacking in empathy & compassion. Her emails never made any sense & never answered whatever question we asked, so it would often take several emails for us to get an actual answer to our query. She never took any accountability for mistakes that were made.
When she found out information that would have an impact on our application she didn’t inform us until we asked her what was happening. In two instances this had an affect on our timeline.
Despite fully knowing we were on a strict timeline as my partner had as job waiting for him, Lisa didn’t submit our application in time & the visa pool closed in 2022, meaning we had to wait months for it to reopen before we could get an invitation to apply. This put my partner’s job in jeopardy as when we did our first telephone consultation with GNV, a male named Alex Wilson, said the process would be done within a few weeks which we had subsequently passed onto the employer in Canada.
Once the pool reopened & my partner’s working holiday visa was finally approved following Lisa’s delay tactics, I managed to obtain a job myself as GNV’s services that we had paid for didn’t find me one single suitable job. Initially there were applying for jobs for me in Lethbridge when I said I was moving to Medicine Hat, so I obviously wouldn’t want a 2 hour commute. My salary in England is almost £50000 & they were applying for jobs absolutely nowhere near this salary expectation & not related to my field of expertise at all.
Once I found my own job I sent in the job offer as requested. Lisa then suddenly informed that I needed to get a higher salary, yet they had never told me at any time before that there was a minimum salary needed. If I had known this I would obviously have only applied for jobs higher than the minimum required so once again her failure to communicate meant more delays.
Luckily I managed to negotiate a higher offer so I sent in that job offer. From 12th April we asked for a call with someone to explain what was happening with my visa & we didn’t hear a SINGLE thing back from Lisa - not one single reply. Nobody else replied nor said that Lisa was off work or gave any update via email.
I think this was intentional as they didn’t want to document the next thing they told us. Instead we get a call out of the blue from an Alex Wilson, who is by far the most obnoxious & obstructive person I have ever had to speak to. We remembered him from a time early on in the process when he rang up unscheduled & said we needed to pay $3,549USD that day on top of $1,490USD or we wouldn’t get our visas.
This man has no empathy and I fail to see how someone like that could have a job working with people who are going through a stressful immigration process. Alex now tells us this time that we now need to pay approx £1600/2000USD immediately, in order to proceed with my application. We had asked repeatedly at the start of the process when we paid £4000 if there were any more fees to be paid & were told we had paid for the “full” immigration process for both of us.
When we said we needed a few days to consider this he couldn’t seem to grasp that people don’t just hand over a significant amount of money just because someone with no customer service skills is trying to to put pressure on them. He said if we didn’t pay that day we would have to pay more, however we refused to give into that scaremongering tactic & arranged a call a few days later.
In the meantime we asked for a breakdown in writing of what the initial $1,490USD & the $3,549USD that we had paid covered since we were being asked to pay even more money despite thus far only having one WHV & being told we had paid for the “full” immigration process. Especially when a WHV only costs a few hundred dollars.
Alex didn’t give us a breakdown. He just said that we had paid for the “full” immigration process (without saying what that meant). Saying we paid for the full immigration process seemed at odds with us having to now pay more money.
We asked to speak to a manager at this point as Alex was being very condescending & patronising, & he said his manager was ill. We said we would wait & he said that his manager wouldn’t have a different response. We still stated we would wait & he said fine & then terminated the call without letting us know when we would get a call from management.
Eventually we get an email from Alex’s manager. She didn’t provide any empathy either. At this point as we had Joe’s WHV & were moving to Canada imminently we reluctantly paid the extra money as we didn’t have time to delay any further & we were not getting anywhere with anyone in the company.
Suddenly out of the blue Lisa replies, which is convenient because after a month of no contact she replies as soon as we made a payment of $2000.
Luckily we had not given in initially to Alex as he had actually lied about the prices going up if we didn’t pay, as the price was the same.
We asked why Lisa had not replied for weeks & she said she had been off sick. This seemed bizarre as there had been no out of office email informing us of this, nobody else had once said that she was off sick so somebody else would look after us. She also didn’t say she was off sick in her first email, it was only after we asked why she had been ignoring us that she suddenly said that she had been ill.
Lisa then started asking for documents that we had already sent her. I asked if she had lost what we had already sent as why would we need to send the same thing in again. I asked this on 17th May & didn’t get a response.
By this time we had actually moved to Canada so my partner could start work, & I was on a visitor visa. We moved on 1st June 2023. We had asked for an update on 17th May & got no reply. We asked again on 2nd June, & my prospective employer also asked for an update. We didn’t get a reply until 5th June which said the were sending documents to the RCIC.
On 24th August we were randomly told by Lisa Baker she was passing out case onto a colleague. With no explanation. A week later wr still hasn’t heard anything & on 31st August asked when we would hear from this new colleague. On 3rd September we heard from Melissa Fuentes who asked when we would be free for a call. I said any day after 8am would work & she said she would call at the requested time without saying what time after 8am she would actually ring.
When we did speak to Melissa she said that she would regularly update us now she was taking over, however form the first phone calls & emails she didn’t even know anything about where we were at in the process.
Working with Melissa wasn’t much improvement. She too would take days to reply to emails, so even my prospective employer ended up emailing her too asking for updates.
If I worked for GNV, & one of my clients who had paid a lot of money upfront was asking questions & for updates I would provide them, as that would clearly be my job. It shouldn’t be a chore to respond to someone who is paying for a service.
Then out of the blue, to our dismay, on 14 December 2023 we suddenly get an email from Lisa Baker again. This time saying that as the working holiday visa process had not upped the age range we could apply for that. She was asking for more money to now go through the WHV process which is absurd as I was already aware after they conned us with my partner’s WHV that I could do that myself without paying their fees. Plus it would be much quicker doing it myself as they don’t respond to anything.
Also since we had already paid for the LMIA process, as well as thousands of pounds for the “full immigration process for myself & my partner, it didn’t make sense to pay them any more. They hadn’t even started the process with my partners permanent residency which was allegedly included in the “full” fees we had paid.
I asked repeatedly if we would get a refund for the LMIA process & not once did I get an answer from Lisa Baker, Melissa & then suddenly another woman named Karen Leblanc was out of the blue emailing saying that she was now randomly taking over the case & would I like to pay for the WHV process. That was truly absurd. It is like the staff working for this company do not communicate with one another or are unable to read emails.
When I pointed out that was farcical since we had already paid for the LMIA process that they still hadn’t submitted & that I could do the WHV online myself without paying their fees they suddenly realised what they had said & decided that they could now, all of a sudden, waive their fees for the WHV.
I obviously decided that I would rather do the WHV myself without their “assistance” as I had no trust whatsoever in GNV anymore & proceeded with this speedily getting an invitation to apply almost immediately & submitting everything required. However what Karen Leblanc tried to do following me opting to not continue with GNV was to go to my employer behind my back & say I had refused to go with the WHV even though it would be quicker. What she didn’t know was that my employer also had no faith in GNV & was in constant communication with me so knew that was a lie, & proceeded to forward me her email.
This was the last straw & I asked repeatedly for a refund for the LMIA process that they still hadn’t started. I started asking Karen Leblanc for a refund on 27th December & it is now 30th January 2024 & she has not once answered the question.
Each time I asked via email Karen Leblanc would avoid the question like her colleagues before her, until I said I would be reporting GNV. On 17th January 2024 she still had not answered about the refund but said within 72 working hours I would hear from GNV customer relations team. Surprise surprise, 72 business hours passed & no contact. On 22nd January I asked when I would hear back.
On 1st February we finally got a response saying we wouldn’t get a refund and asking if we would like to continue working with them. Absolutely baffling. How can you work with a company who have taken thousands of pounds from you, not provided a service & ignore you for weeks at regular intervals.
I genuinely cannot believe what they are putting us through & I am so thankful that my partner is so supportive or I think the stress would have been overbearing.
I responded to their email on the same day, 1st February, with the many reasoning highlighted above of why we would of course not wish to utilise them & they once again did not respond.
Then, completely unscheduled at 7:20 in the morning on 19th February I get a call from somebody called Sebastian Jones who leaves a voicemail & says that he has been trying to get hold of me via telephone. This is untrue as I only have this one voicemail & no other missed calls or voicemails.
He then sends an email whereby he asks for an updated mobile number which is laughable as he has literally just called & left a voicemail on my mobile number. He also says that he hasn’t received a reply to their email on 1st February which is again laughable as I have the email in my sent items so I forward that email to him once more. He also says in his email that he wants to have a brief chat to which I say I would prefer for it to be done in writing so I have proof of what they are saying. I then, once again, hear nothing back.
We then write a review on trust pilot & suddenly someone names Alan Pitt contacts us however he sends an email which is clearly a proforma as it makes no sense & suggests he has spoken to us before. Which he has not. At the time of writing we have still not had an apology or refund.
We have saved all email correspondence in relation to our allegations.
I have never had to work with such an incompetent, disorganised & corrupt organisation. They have cost us thousands of pounds & have still not provided us with what they were meant to deliver. They have also caused a detrimental impact on my mental health. We have been advised to take a meeting scheduled with our local politician & legal representative to raise this issue further. We have still not received a single apology , any refund nor any compensation for what we have endured.
If you are reading this review I sincerely hope we have helped to save you a lot of time, money & more importantly your mental health.
Thanks,
Suki & Joe.”
“I applied to GNV for a working holiday visa for the summer season ‘23 back in January, where I signed up for an extra info call.
Upon receiving a callback (and due to my own premature excitement and unfortunate lack of research) I decided to go ahead with the application. A few red flags (that I didn’t think of at the time)… they asked for USD not CAN. A worker called and said that her day had just started (a time that lines up with a European Timezone as opposed to vancouver, where they claim to work out of). I also (due to transaction limits) couldn’t pay in full, and they suggested two payments. Don’t get me wrong, upon realising that night and doing further research I was kicking myself.
Reading further reviews, this is a pattern happening to many people. The Facebook page has little engagement. The website is full of stock images and fake, vague positive reviews. The fine print on the website says that they have an office in Bulgaria, but no listed address. The listed address in Vancouver exists, however they do not have a tenancy there, as I confirmed with another businesses in the building. Upon emailing a few reputable immigration consultants (including the RCIC they claimed to contract to) in the area, no one had heard of the business nor had dealings with them.
I contacted GNV a few hours later stating that I was not feeling supported or confident in their ability to provide the service, with no response despite their claims of 24/6 support.
I spent the next few weeks calling, chasing emails, being beat around the bush to try and get in contact with someone. Multiple attempts to contact went ignored. I received one vague information email during this time. My ‘online portal’ which I was supposed to be able to edit info on, was not editable and full of mistakes. When I did finally get in contact (without being passed onto another team member or being told I would receive a callback), I was told that I would have my case passed onto the client liaison team, all communication should continue in email form and I would have a result within 48 hours.
Four days later, after accusing them of scamming me, that I was not continuing further with my application and that I wanted a full refund as requested within less than 12 hours of paying, I received a scathing email accompanied with an initial offer of a 250USD refund while still being able to use the service. After a rebuttal, they further offered a refund of 750USD.
Do not use this service. And if you have, keep all of your receipts. Use a reputable RCIC that is listed on the CICC Canada website, where GNV is -not- listed as an approved immigration agency.”
“Any positive reviews here must be fake given my unfortunate experience with GNC. The entire operation is a scam. These are well polished con artists who robbed us of close to 10k and never submitted an application to immigration. Every complaint is met with dip!somatic fodder and lies. We are obtaining Sponsorship and residency on our own after facing the trauma of being scammed by GNV. Do the applications on your own or hire an independent RCIC. You will sorely regret hiring GNV.”
“Pathetic customer service ! One of there reps. Jake Woods call me and tells me that he had given me all the information in July 22 and was not ready to give any further information telling me that I can call them when I am serious . It’s good that I never went with Great North Visa ! This shows their class.”
“If I could give 0 stars I would have. DO NOT GO WITH THIS COMPANY THEY ARE A SCAM. I was promised a second IEC visa, €3,000 and 18 months later still nothing little or no contact with them after the money was sent over. They sent me an email saying I have my second visa then a few days later said I can’t get them. Asked for a refund or even partial refund and then said I don’t fall into the Category for a refund. The guy working myself named Ken is the biggest liar I’ve ever came across, then after I wanted my refund he was nowhere to be found always ‘on another call’ or ‘busy with other cases’. I don’t know how they are even a company. I went to another company ‘SWAP Canada’ and paid $1,000 and I had my visa within 2 months after starting the application.”
“My friends and family all had problems applying by themselves and I didn’t want to go through the same thing. I hired Great North Visa and took their help for my immigration plans. I was very happy with them and I highly recommend their services.”
“I enjoyed working with Great North Visa on my PR visa. The agents were courteous, patient, and professional. Communication was great too! They were reassuring and supportive throughout the entire application process. I was a bit confused in the beginning about who will be handling my case but that was straightened out quickly. Overall, I'm certain to recommend Great North Visa to everybody.”
“Immigration documents is a hectic process but great north visa took care of my application diligently. Every time I reached out to my immigration agent he was available to help.”
“Great north visa is one of the best immigration consultancies out there! This is why I chose them for my immigration process. My consultant was very supportive and professional throughout the journey. I really appreciate his efforts so far and his fast responses to my emails and phone calls. He made the process of my application looks seamless and I am really happy for the support I got here.”
“To all the people who have faced rejection once, I would recommend taking consultancy from Great North Visa. These people have years of experience and knowledge and can be helpful.”
“I searched a lot on the internet for the best Visa provider and I found Great North Visa. After a great experience with them, I do recommend this platform to everyone. Their every service is thoughtful and convenient. Also, it is quite a user-friendly platform to look up to. Their expert consultants and 24/7 customer support is probably the best thing.”
“so, bascically it's a great platform for immigration, but don't get fuzzy that they'll deliver you the visa in one night or a week. Sigh, it takes time! plus, you can enjoy its alternate visa services like PR, Immigration, Work, Family, Partner, Working Holiday Visa but no post for student visa, right. Make sure to prep yourself for that as they do not promise visas, it solely depends on you. apart from there consultant services are quite useful. I do recommend this to everyone.”
“Getting a legit immigration service provider is very hectic these days many thanks to greatnorthvisa.com they make the work easier completely reliable and helpful platform that can help to get a work visa to Canada site is legit and equipped with experts. I am very happy with their service highly recommended.”
“Last two years, I took Great North Visa after finishing my high school. I wanted to go abroad to further my education. The process wasn't stressful at all. In fact, I never believed I could get a visa within the short period I got it. I'm looking forward to bringing my family here and I believe they can help.”
“I’m thankful to Great North visa for helping me to get the visa for Canada, by the help of their service I smoothly moved to Canada without getting a delay in the visa. Their service is top-notch and much impressive and fast and efficient. I find this place by the recommendation of a friend and a Great North visa really helped me a lot in getting the visa for Canada.”
“Relocating to Canada was a fast experience all thanks to Great North Visa’s services. I checked out their website in order to gather information about them, conversed with a member of the support team before finally starting out my visa application. Great North Visa’s top notch service is very impressive.”
“Thanks to Great North Visa I moved smoothly to Canada. I was always scared of the long immigration process, but Great North Visa made it fast and very efficient. I started with a Visa, which allowed me to move first as the immigration process is being taken care of. I didn't need to keep following up; everything worked out very well”
“Getting a working holidays visa In Canada is not the easiest thing, especially if it is the first time you apply for it. Thanfully, a friend of me recommend a Facebook group and the people there talked with good words about Great North Visa. And after my experience so far, I am grateful to Great North Visa. I do not know if I could have created such a nice profile and application without them. Now waiting for the results”
“I have personal experience with great north visa, they took my case, this being somewhat complicated by my nationality and all that it implies, with the greatest of professionalism. They were there to answer my questions every time I need it. I am and I have everything I could need, in addition to all the results were positive”
