Galyna Danchenko

I am an immigration and relocation specialist, with over 8 years of experience in the immigration field and about 2 years' experience in relocation. In addition, I am a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant and currently I hold a position of Immigration and Relocation Advisor at RLG International. In my current role I am responsible for coordination of employees’ relocation from start to finish and most importantly ensuring that it goes as smooth as possible for the employee and for the business. I am also leading and managing immigration cases from obtaining work permits to acquiring permanent residence and citizenship for our Canadian employees, managing the relationship with immigration service providers all over the world, and providing cost analysis.  Prior to that I’ve assisted one of the most reputable Immigration lawyers in Canada for over six years where I’ve had clients facing experience and dealt with a high volume of immigration cases, anywhere from 20 to 40 cases at a time. I am looking to evolve in my career and an opportunity to apply my knowledge and expertise in a meaningful way. In the next year I am looking to obtain the Global Mobility Specialist Designation (by Worldwide ERC) and also to complete a program at Justice Immigration Institute which provides a broad overview of U.S. immigration law.

Summary of Qualifications

• 8+ years of immigration experience with a primary focus on work permits and permanent residence applications (high volume)
• Professional experience in administration 
• Deep knowledge and understanding of business immigration applications and pathway to permanent residency 
• Experience working in a fast-paced and deadline-driven environment
• Detail-oriented, highly organized self-starter
• Advanced level knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word,) and all IRCC technology platforms and tools
• Extensive experience working with multicultural and diverse clients 
• Fluent in English, Ukrainian, and Russian

Professional Experience

RLG International, Vancouver, BC

Immigration & Relocation Advisor

May 2022 – Present (worked as a contractor till December 2022)
 

Immigration:

• Research and maintain immigration compliance in all RLG operating regions (EU countries, Australia, the US, UK, etc.)
• Organize documents for each stage of visa filings
• Advise and guide all internal stakeholders (employees, BU leaders, executive team, HR Business Partner) on immigration related matters
• Prepare visa applications (in coordination with legal counsel, business unit leaders and HR Business Partner) or where appropriate, work directly with the employee to obtain the requisite visa 
• Keep immigration data updated in HRIS and maintain visa tracking on a timely basis
• Monitor employee’s visa expiration dates and visa filing deadlines
• Keep abreast of information regarding latest consular processing procedures via web searches and consulate and legal counsel contacts
• Continually review immigration procedures and legal status of foreign national employees or national employees in foreign countries
• Plan and execute effective communications strategy to convey timely immigration updates for relevant countries/regions 

Relocation:

• Coordinate employee relocations from inquiry to closing with employees
• Move coordination with vendors and settling-in activities. Initiate services of third party vendors as needed
• Responsible for maintaining communication throughout the move process with employee, various vendors and accounting department
• Ensure moves are within company policies and guidelines at all times
• Demonstrating a proactive approach to potential problems, acting to resolve them quickly

HR & Mobility Support: 

• Provide backup assistance to HR Business Partner on HR and Mobility related tasks 
• Assist with special projects and other administrative duties as needed

McCrea Immigration Law, Vancouver, BC 

Paralegal

March 2016 – December 2022 (with 3-month gap, please see below)

• Assisting immigration lawyer with immigration matters and applications relating to temporary residence, permanent residence, and citizenship
• Assisting with, interacting with, and communicating with high volume, high profile, high touch corporate clients on a daily basis
• Working closely with Human Recourses departments of different companies
• Requesting and reviewing documentation from clients
• Preparing deficiency letters and general correspondence 
• Upload applications and documents into the government portal including but not limited to express entry profiles, eAPRs, various PNP programs, etc.
• Draft employer compliance filing, LMIA applications under various categories, LMIA-exempt work permit applications (ICT-SK, ICT-SM, NAFTA-Pro, NAFTA-ICT, Significant Benefits (C10), Reciprocal (C20), Specialized Service Providers, PNP, Short Term Worker and Business Visitors admissions, Charitable or Religious work, post graduate work permits etc.), study permits and open work permit applications
• Draft and post job advertisements in support of LMIA applications
• Outline recruitment efforts of employers based on received applications and/or interviewed applicants
• Assemble and submit applications to relevant government agencies
• Provide information and guidance concerning medical exams, police certificates, and educational credential assessments 
• Draft legal correspondence
• Conduct research as required
• Submit, monitor, track, and report on all filed applications
• Communicate directly with individual clients and HR departments’ representatives of our corporate clients on an on-going basis 
• Organizing and updating file lists
• Coordinate and execute requests as instructed by immigration lawyers
• File management and organization

RLG International, Burnaby, BC 

Immigration, Relocation, Health, and Safety Administrator

January 2019 – March 2019

Immigration: 

• Investigate, initiate and prepare immigration and entrance visa documentation for employees to work within and relocate to work locations around the world 
• Keep accurate and easily accessible records of personnel visas, passports and work authorizations, prompting renewals and updates as required 
• Assist with special projects and contribute to proactive planning for upcoming work in new clients and new countries 
• Update and maintain position manual and train backups to cover vacation relief and other absence 

Health and Safety: 

• Coordinate drug and alcohol testing for field staff in various locations in the US, Canada and other regions where work is performed  
• Drug and alcohol testing and coordination on vendor qualification systems (ISNetworld, DISA, Achilles, etc.) 
• Arranging offshore training and medical bookings with field staff 
• Ensure working hours are up-to-date for quarterly OSHA reporting 10 
• Ensuring records are up-to-date with injury and accident reporting 
• Quarterly company communication on Health and Safety lessons learned

Relocation: 

• Move coordination with vendors and settling-in activities
• Initiate services of third party vendors coordinating moves from inquiry to closing with employees 
• Responsible for maintaining communication throughout the move process with employee, various vendors and accounting department 
• Ensuring moves are always within company policies and guidelines 

CICS Immigration Consulting, Vancouver, BC 

Legal/Administrative Assistant

January 2015 – March 2016

• Answering and transferring phone calls
• Setting up meetings and keeping up on calendar management
• Drafting immigration applications and submitting them to relevant government agencies, specifically, permanent residence applications, study permits and TRVs
• Drafting legal correspondence
• Working closely with clients, supervisors, and managers 
• Process administrative tasks including: photocopying, filing, and faxing
• Data entry and general organization/filing

Education

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), August 2023

British Columbia Institute of Technology 2018

A few courses in Human Resource 

University of British Columbia, 09/2016 – 05/2021; 

Immigration: Law, Policies, and Procedures Certificate

MTI Community College, 02/2014 – 01/2015;

Business Administration Diploma 

The Humanitarian Pedagogical College named after M. Grushevsky, Ukraine, 09/2004 –06/2007; Associate degree in law