Privacy Policy

This privacy policy has been compiled to better serve those who are concerned with how their "Personally Identifiable Information" (PII) is being used online. PII, as used in US privacy law and information security, is information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person, or to identify an individual in context. Please read our privacy policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how we collect, use, protect or otherwise handle your Personally Identifiable Information in accordance with our website.

What personal information do we collect from the people that visit our blog, website or app?

When ordering or registering on our site, as appropriate, you may be asked to enter your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, occupation, birth country, age or other details to help you with your experience.

When do we collect information?

We collect information from you when you register on our site, fill out a form, or enter information on our site. Your information is stored in our systems for 2 years from your first registration.

We do not collect credit card information. The payment is made only from the client-side.

How do we use your information?

We may use the information we collect from you when you register, make a purchase, sign up for our newsletter, respond to a survey or marketing communication, surf the website, or use certain other site features in the following ways:

• To personalize the user's experience and to allow us to deliver the type of content and product offerings in which you are most interested.
• To improve our website in order to better serve you.
• To allow us to better service you in responding to your customer service requests.
• To administer a contest, promotion, survey or other site feature.
• To quickly process your transactions.
• To ask for ratings and reviews of services or products.

How do we protect visitor information?

Our website is scanned on a regular basis for security holes and known vulnerabilities in order to make your visit to our site as safe as possible. We use regular Malware Scanning. Your personal information is contained behind secured networks and is only accessible by a limited number of persons who have special access rights to such systems, and are required to keep the information confidential. In addition, all sensitive/credit information you supply is encrypted via Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. We implement a variety of security measures when a user places an order, enters, submits, or accesses their information to maintain the safety of your personal information. Transactions are processed through a gateway provider and are not stored or processed on our servers.

Do we use 'cookies'?

Yes — to understand and save user's preferences for future visits. You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent, or you can choose to turn off all cookies. You do this through your browser settings. Each browser is a little different, so look at your browser's Help menu to learn the correct way to modify your cookies.

If users disable cookies in their browser:

If you disable cookies, some features will be disabled. It will turn off some of the features that make your site experience more efficient and some of our services will not function properly.

Third-party disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your Personally Identifiable Information.

Third-party links

Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third-party products or services on our website. These third-party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.

Advertising and Analytics (Facebook / Meta and Google)

We use advertising and analytics tools from Meta (Facebook Pixel and Conversions API) and Google (such as Google Ads and Google Analytics). These tools use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your visit, such as the pages you view, the forms you submit, your device and browser type, and your approximate location. This helps us measure the performance of our ads and show our ads to people who may be interested in our services.

When you submit a form, some of your details (for example your email or phone number) may be shared with Meta or Google in a hashed (encrypted) form, only to measure and improve our advertising. Meta and Google process this information according to their own privacy policies.

You can control or opt out of this tracking at any time:

• Facebook / Meta: in your Facebook "Ad Preferences" settings.
• Google: in Google's "Ad Settings" page, or by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Any website: by blocking or deleting cookies in your browser settings.

California Online Privacy Protection Act

CalOPPA is the first state law in the nation to require commercial websites and online services to post a privacy policy. The law's reach stretches well beyond California to require a person or company in the United States (and conceivably the world) that operates websites collecting personally identifiable information from California consumers to post a conspicuous privacy policy on its website stating exactly the information being collected and those individuals with whom it is being shared, and to comply with this policy.

According to CalOPPA we agree to the following:

Users can visit our site anonymously. Once this privacy policy is created, we will add a link to it on our home page or, as a minimum, on the first significant page after entering our website. Our Privacy Policy link includes the word "Privacy" and can easily be found on the page specified above. Users will be notified of any privacy policy changes on our Privacy Policy page.

Users are able to change their personal information:

• By emailing us
• By calling us
• By logging in to their account

How does our site handle Do Not Track signals?

Our site does not currently respond to Do Not Track (DNT) browser signals. You can still control tracking by managing cookies in your browser and through the opt-out options described above.

Does our site allow third-party behavioral tracking?

Yes. As described in the "Advertising and Analytics" section above, Meta (Facebook) and Google may collect information about your online activity on our site for advertising and measurement purposes.

COPPA (Children Online Privacy Protection Act)

When it comes to the collection of personal information from children under 13, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) puts parents in control. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule, which spells out what operators of websites and online services must do to protect children's privacy and safety online. We do not specifically market to children under 13.

Fair Information Practices

The Fair Information Practices Principles form the backbone of privacy law in the United States and the concepts they include have played a significant role in the development of data protection laws around the globe. Understanding the Fair Information Practice Principles and how they should be implemented is critical to comply with the various privacy laws that protect personal information.

In order to be in line with Fair Information Practices we will take the following responsive action, should a data breach occur:

• We will notify the users via email within 1 business day.
• We will notify the users via in-site notification within 1 business day.

We also agree to the Individual Redress Principle, which requires that individuals have a right to pursue legally enforceable rights against data collectors and processors who fail to adhere to the law. This principle requires not only that individuals have enforceable rights against data users, but also that individuals have recourse to courts or government agencies to investigate and/or prosecute non-compliance by data processors.

CAN-SPAM Act

The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.

We collect your email address in order to:

• Send information, respond to inquiries, and/or other requests or questions.
• Process orders and to send information and updates pertaining to orders.
• We may also send you additional information related to your product and/or service.
• Market to our mailing list or continue to send emails to our clients after the original transaction has occurred.

To be in accordance with CAN-SPAM we agree to the following:

• Not use false or misleading subjects or email addresses.
• Identify the message as an advertisement in some reasonable way.
• Include the physical address of our business or site headquarters.
• Monitor third-party email marketing services for compliance, if one is used.
• Honor opt-out / unsubscribe requests quickly.
• Allow users to unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of each email.

If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, you can email us at support@meritric.ca or follow the instructions at the bottom of each email, and we will promptly remove you from ALL correspondence.

SMS / Text Message Communications

By providing your phone number when you register, submit a form, complete a quiz, or purchase a service on our website, you expressly consent to receive text messages (SMS) from Meritric and its authorized agents. These messages may include, but are not limited to:

• Updates and notifications regarding the status of your immigration file and its progress through each stage.
• Reminders, confirmations, and rescheduling notices for scheduled calls or meetings with our immigration consultants, RCICs, and support agents.
• Requests for missing documents or information required to advance your case.
• Important service announcements, appointment follow-ups, and case-related administrative messages.

Message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier. Message frequency depends on the activity in your immigration file. You may opt out of SMS communications at any time by replying STOP to any of our messages, or by contacting us at support@meritric.ca. Opting out of SMS will not affect your ability to receive service updates by email or phone. Your phone number and SMS consent information are never sold, rented, or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

Contacting Us

If there are any questions regarding this privacy policy you may contact us using the information below.