I discussed confronting bias and antagonism at the Immigration and Refugee Board in my book. The most recent iteration of this phenomenon is canvassed in a Toronto Star article. The Refugee Appeal Division set aside a biased RPD Board Member’s decision and granted protection, noting, in part: In her decision, Bobkin said there’s a high
My friend Jatin Shory (who also practices immigration and refugee law) had asked Ian McKay (an experienced criminal defense lawyer here in Calgary) and myself to give a presentation to the CBA Immigration Section on ‘crimmigration’ in February. Part I of our discussion follows… Jatin Shory:
Borderlines · #69 – COVID-19 as an H&C Factor, Mandamus and FSW vs. CEC Priorities, with Raj Sharma … Steven Meurrens: Hello, and welcome to the Borderlines Podcast. The podcast for the discussion of Canadian immigration law and policy. I’m Steve Meurrens. This week, Deana Okun-Nachoff and I are joined by Raj Sharma an immigration
Transcript Jasraj S. Hallan: Hey everyone. Welcome to the second episode of All That Jas. I’m your host, Jasraj Singh Hallan, Member of Parliament from Calgary Forest Lawn. We are so honored today to have my good friend, and I would say world-renowned immigration lawyer, Raj Sharma, joining us today to talk immigration and
In order to maintain status, a permanent resident must comply with the residency obligation set out in s.28 of the IRPA. With some limited exceptions, this means being in Canada for 2 years out of every 5 year period. Non-compliance carries with it a risk or jeopardy to status. Section 41 of the IRPA establishes
Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · RedFM Interview -Immigration Backlog Raj Sharma Audio With MP Jasraj Hallan RedFM News Director Rishi Nagar interviews immigration lawyer Raj Sharma and Member of Parliament Jasraj Hallan as to the recent news of a 1.8 million application/file backlog with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
I had a fun time chatting with Chantal Desloges and Cathryn Sawicki on their new immigration podcast -Welcome Home. We talked about practicing in the complex area of inadmissibility law. Topics covered: The amount of discretion that remains in the hands of an Officer even when confronted with inadmissibility; The challenges and rewards inherent in
Many international student applicants have been found to have used false documents to secure their student visas/study permits. Some are aware of the use of false documents. Some are innocent dupes and victims at the hands unscrupulous agents. Some are discovered at the visa office. Some are found out during an examination when they land
It was a pleasure collaborating with my co-author Aris Daghighian in writing a text on the Canadian Inadmissibility Law and Remedies. There is no facet of immigration practice more complex and consequential than inadmissibility. The purpose of this text is to assist counsel in navigating the law surrounding restrictions and prohibitions upon entry and the
This year IRCC will pull 30,000 “interest to sponsor” forms from the remaining 2020 pool. The draw will take place the week of September 20, 2021. Those who submitted their interests last year, may have a chance this year. They’ll need to keep an eye out for their emails for the invites. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/family-sponsorship/sponsor-parents-grandparents/selected.html
SUPPORTING AFGHAN NATIONALS To help address the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the Government of Canada has announced two special immigration programs to help resettle Afghans to Canada. You may be eligible for one of two special programs: Immigration program for Afghan nationals, and their families, who assisted the Government of Canada Humanitarian
What role does a pending refugee claim play in family law proceedings? In the case of M.A.A. v. D.E.M.E 2020 ONCA 486, the appellant mother brought her three minor children from Kuwait to Canada without the respondent father’s consent. On arrival in Canada, she sought refugee status for herself and the children. She claims she
There is a big difference between immigration litigation and completing and filing immigration applications. In the UK, there is a distinction between litigators (or barristers) and solicitors. Both of course are important but require different skills sets. Immigration hearings and appeals (and judicial review matters before the Federal Court) requires counsel that can effectively advocate
At long last, the parent/grandparent sponsorship is re-opening. Additional details can be found on the IRCC website, and here. It’s a relatively large draw and may help to assuage the sentiments of families that have been separated by international borders and of course, the ravages of COVID-19.
It was an honour to contribute to the study by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) on the impact of COVID-19 on the immigration system. The final report can be found here; Download Immigration in the time of COVID-19 Report of the Standing Committee. There has been massive disruption to our immigration system.
Firm founder Raj Sharma was interviewed on CBC last week and asked to share his thoughts on citizenship delay and the backlog. Immigration Officers have had to scramble this past year, and the near 20% increase in citizenship backlog was, to be honest, almost welcome news after a year of incredible frustration and delays in
More good news from IRCC. There is a new pathway for international graduates for those that work in essential occupations. The foreign national must: Have accumulated at least one (1) year of full-time work experience, or the equivalent in part-time experience (1,560 hours), in Canada, in an eligible occupation listed in Annex A or Annex
It was a pleasure appearing before Justice Mosley of the Federal Court this last Monday. We challenged a decision of the Refugee Appeal Division that excluded our client from Refugee protection because of his permanent residence status in Italy. Like all exclusion clauses Article 1E is a complicated analysis and one that lends itself to
Borderlines · #48 – Responding to Procedural Fairness Letters, with Raj Sharma Firm founder Raj Sharma joined Steven Meurrens and Deana Okun-Nachoff on their excellent podcast, Borderlines. The discussion started with the Procedural Fairness Letter and went on to talk about Officer bias/tunnel vision among other interesting topics. Transcript follows: Steven Meurrens: Hello,
