I spent $600 on a "premium" resettlement consultant and got nothing but generic PDFs

Everyone in this community seems to swear by those pricey resettlement consultants who promise to walk you through the whole process. But I dropped $600 on one called Global Bridge last March, and honestly, it was a waste. They sent me a bunch of PDFs I could have found for free on the UNHCR website. When I asked about specific housing options in Toronto, the consultant just said "do your own research" and sent a link. I felt like they took advantage of how desperate and confused I was after leaving Syria. My friend spent half that on a local community group and got way better help. Has anyone else dealt with these overpriced consultants, or did I just pick the wrong one?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant7281d ago

Used to be one of those guys who said consultants were worth the money. Not anymore. A buddy of mine @johnthompson paid someone $700 and got a generic checklist and a link to a bus schedule. Same old story. My neighbor from Eritrea got the same treatment, spent $500 just to be told "Google it." These people are sharks, plain and simple. The real help comes from local community centers and immigrant groups, not some slick website.

johnthompson1d ago

My buddy paid $800 to one of those firms when he was moving from Colombia and they literally sent him a map of Toronto he could have printed off Google Maps for free. I remember he called me all pissed off because the "consultant" on the phone sounded like a college kid reading off a script about winter coats. It's crazy how these places prey on people who are just trying to start over, man.