A Comprehensive
Look at Asset Gold
Migration has been a continuous and hot topic in
Sri Lanka . Scores of Sri Lankan leave the shores
of their motherland armed with bundles of hopes
that the grass is greener on the other side with
aspirations of becoming somebody. Though there are
a number of those who realize their dreams amidst
all odds, there are several unsuspecting Sri Lankan
who get hoodwinked by unscrupulous agents or so
called consultants leaving them utterly disillusioned
about their dream of reaching greener pastures.
We are trying our best to prove that all consultants
are not rogues. My advice is Fear of failure is
often worse than failure itself. Be prepared with
you qualifications and experience because pressure
comes from being unprepared.
I juggle
such a demanding job and still manage to spend time
with my parents at home?
To start from
the beginning I studied at Alexandra College . After
my A/L’s I started my BBA course while was
working as trainee Marketing executive N.Vaitilingam
Co in Colombo . Then I worked in different companies
to get my marketing experience in different field,
salary was not my main target. My father has been
my strength. He gave me the strength and provides
the opportunity to expand because he notices my
potential to grow.
I work on a strict schedule; I meditate every day
which gives me an enormous amount of strength to
focus on my goals and improves my level of concentration.
I take a break on Sundays and spend quality time
at home.
What led us to provide migration
services in Sri Lanka ?
I first went to my higher
studies after my advance level. Afterwards, during
the process of getting my first job, I heard a few
bad experiences about people in visa agencies, and
I learned that a man’s worst enemy will be
the member of his own family. So, I felt that I
could assist people and started small. Once I got
my business license, I began by providing this service
to my close friends and then it turned into a business
opportunity. Subsequently the business has been
growing.
How Asset Gold (Pvt) Ltd
came into being?
I was studying with my father
about the visa procedure and how the visa officers
view to select people for the visa when he was working
in the embassy of Japan six years ago when I was
a teenager. With time, I started taking on more
cases. Subsequently, I started my company is 2007.
This profession requires ability to send people
to Canada through our consulting have the knowledge
of existing law in Canada . There are very few licensed
practitioners operating in Sri Lanka and the public
don’t generally have access to a licensed
practitioner because most of them are based overseas.
But it all depends on how much we study about the
country and its law when coming to migration. Subsequently,
I started this firm in Colombo with only 2 staffs
in 2007 which is now a fully fledged company with
case officers.
We work with consultant agents in Canada who are
experts in the field of migration. The operation
is bigger than one would anticipate but we are at
an advantageous position as visa Consultant firm
is permanently based in Sri Lanka . What our advice
to the clients is that successful people keep moving,
they make mistakes but they never quit.
What are the services that
the Asset Gold (Pvt) ltd provides?
We assist people to migrate
under the permanent visa or PR, temporary visa,
spouse visa, parent visa or any other kind of visa
by functioning as the middle person. What we say
to customers is, if you want to migrate to a Canada
, then hold on to its roots tight, then you will
go in the future. We facilitate clients here through
registered migration lawyers and consultants. We
also provide services for those who want to migrate
to Australia . In case of Canada , we do not hold
a direct license but function through this Canadian
Migration law firm.
Now we are trying to diversify our services.. We
also provide ticketing services. Upon receiving
the visa, you can come to the Asset Gold (pvt) ltd,
give the necessary details and we contact travel
agents, check prices and give the options to the
client. These are additional services we offer to
clients free of charge. Then we also offer a settlement
service. Instead of the hassle of going to different
places, we try to get all the services under one
roof to save them time and money. Clients come to
a migration firm because they want to get it done
sooner and to make their lives easier. That's what
we aim for. So it costs 6 to 10 times more to gain
a new customer than to retain an existing one.
Migration to Canada isn’t obviously as easy
as it seems, I will take you through the process
and enlighten you as to how you provide a service
to those who wish to migrate to Canada ?
Well, if
we have an inquiry from someone interested in migrating
we test their eligibility. There is a basic criteria
you need to fulfill such as the age limit, English
knowledge and mostly importantly the occupation
has to be in Canada’s skills in demand list.
Once we cover the basics then it progresses into
an in depth analysis of the case in concern. After
careful consideration we come to a conclusion if
the client can migrate or not.
Once the application starts processing we look after
the total procedure until the client gets the visa
into their hands. We liaise with several Canadian
departments to get the visa across, so lots of coordination
is done by us.
Migration prospects to Canada depend on the profession
and no case is exactly the same.
Asset Gold handles skilled migration, spouse visas
and parent visas, but 98% of our profile consists
of skilled migration. We believe in building a reputation
because people in Sri Lanka believe that foreign
employment equals a rogue but we want to prove that
it’s not the case with every Consultant. Building
this image against the stigma that exists has been
a tough task for us. We anticipate there will be
new laws enforced by the Sri Lankan government to
crack down on unstable migration firm operations
to protect the interest of the public.
How do you ensure that applicants
successfully get through the process of acquiring
a visa?
Sometimes
we have to go through hard time in a customer’s
process to migrate to Canada . So if you don’t
climb the mountain, you can’t view the plain,
that’s the sweet fruit of hard work. We always
try to maintain a 100% success rate and assist them
through the entire process. When a client arrives,
we look at their educational background, work experience,
age and English language requirements. The system
is points based and depending on the points the
visa class and the pass mark differ. Depending on
their criteria, qualification and experience, they
will be given points.
We identify if applicants fulfill those criteria
and if they have the necessary documentation. After
the initial assessment, we give them the relevant
options and the process that should be followed.
If they want to go ahead, we liaise with the assessing
authorities which means the very first step of the
process is getting the skill assessment done. This
involves getting their qualifications recognized
as an equivalent to an Canadian qualification. Even
if some customer doesn’t have certain diplomas
or other course for migration, we always motivate
them to get the qualification in a proper manner
and teach them that faith is necessary for victory,
so if you think you can win, you’ve won.
How does one pick a suitable
Migration Consultant?
The
public must take into account that anyone who is
practicing in this industry must have sent people
recently and at least try to get a client who already
got the visa to Canada through there consultancy.
Some consultants have the knowledge of existing
law in Canada but why cannot they send people to
Canada , so this is the only way to pick a migration
consultant.
I would advice those who wish to migrate to shop
around and not limit you by visiting just one. It’s
important to remember that apart from this that
consultant must give exact advice as to how your
visa will be processed? How will it be processed?
.Under which category? What are the monies involved?
Are the ideal questions that need to be raised prior
to handing over your case?
The process is transparent and by law we are required
to have an agreement between the consultant and
the client where every single detail is thoroughly
spelled out. Travel hopefuls can check out the HR
center immigration website.
What are the other advantages
of consulting with Asset Gold (Pvt) ltd?
First a good plan today, is
better than a perfect plan tomorrow. Since we are
permanently based here, it has given a lot of advantages
as clients have access to us anytime. Today anyone
can get their work done through the Internet, but
if you get assistance from an experienced migration
consultant in the field, it will give you more assurance.
This is what we do day in and day out so we are
aware of the difficulties that may be encountered.
Especially in case of clients applying for the first
time and have never gone through the process. We
conduct the first interview, which is an obligation-free
consultation, free of charge. During that consultation,
we do an in- depth analysis of the clients details
and then decide if we can proceed or not. If there's
any issue, we will know what it is immediately as
we are in touch with the department there and then
we can quickly respond and rectify it.
This is a fiercely aggressive
profession such as this must be challenging. How
do I take on this challenge head on?
A:
I had to work really hard to bring our business
to this level. It involves a lot of dedication and
focus.
Building the trust was the most challenging because
I was too young in the business. I’m grateful
to the support I’ve got from the staffs and
clients as it has helped the business a great deal
and I’ve built the trust and confidence among
the public.
Service is the key to building a successful company.
My experience with my father who worked in Japanese
embassy taught me how to serve and bow down to my
customer. I try my best to talk to each client regularly
and build a rapport with them by making myself available
whenever they want me. I sometimes see 30 people
a day and it’s really exhausting, but to the
30th person it’s his or her precious life
so I treat that person as if they are the most important
thing in my life.
Our company is different because the client has
access to information and there is a confident person
to talk about the law, provide the necessary advice
and protect the confidentiality.
What
are the future plans, for Asset Gold (Pvt) ltd?
At
present we are trying to provide more settlement
services so that when clients come here, its not
just getting the visa and leaving. If you can find
employment, that is a great achievement. We plan
to have employment contacts and we are dealing with
a few job agencies. We have been successful but
its not widely practiced. We are working with some
job bank to get these employment opportunities sorted.
We are also in the process of developing our website.
We want to provide more services such as checking
visa status so you don't have to wait for updates,
as they are readily available online. We are working
on that. We are also looking at providing more services
in IELTS such as holding English classes as well.
AssetGold is my own business.
I enjoy working with my staffs? There is a positive
thing?
A: It is positive because motivation
is there only if a motivator is there and I don’t
waste time on unproductive thoughts. The public
trust us because I m young and I will never spoil
my future.
There
a philosophy that has guided me and seen me through
life’s trials and tribulations?
I
strongly believe that success is measured in the
problems we overcome to get there. And there people
who sometime lie to clients to overcome a problem,
but my point of view is, a lie may take care of
the present but it as no future. I never work for
money, its quality and customer service first and
then money simply follows. I always take risk because
when a person risks nothing, he does nothing; he
has nothing and is nothing.
Final thoughts.
There are many people
going to Canada , because it is a multicultural
society and the many prospects there. There is freedom
to keep your identity, in terms of race religion
or even food, which has made Canada the preferred
destination. Whatever your reasons may be, if you
are looking to migrate and seeking assistance you
must look for a migration consultant. In the market,
there are many people involved but professional
migration consultants should be the way to go.