There was welcome news and developments concerning Canada’s troubling use of provincial jails to house foreign nationals including refugee claimants in Canada. Ontario has announced that it will stop allowing the Federal Government to use its jails for immigration detainees. It will take effect in a year, but it’s a development long awaited by stakeholders. From
About a decade ago, stakeholders noticed a marked increase in applications to cessate the status of those granted protection in Canada. The Canadian Council for Refugees discussed this at length in an article published in 2014.[1] CBSA had a quota to reach and thus began a modern era of enforcement against those that had succeeded
Immigration lawyer Raj Sharma is interviewed by RedFM host Rishi Nagar during his Punjabi language morning show discussing the federal government strike impact on immigration processing and issues for international students and temporary residents. Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · 2023 05 01 Redfm Interview
Raj Sharma was interviewed on the CBC at Noon program with Judy Aldous on April 20, 2023 —discussing the immigration issue of the day —the impact of the PSAC strike on immigration, citizenship and refugee processing. Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · April 20 2023 CBC Interview Transcript Judy Aldous: …Raj Sharma is an immigration
Canada has seen a significant increase in the number of people issued permits to temporarily work and study. While intake is high, many will not be able to navigate the various immigration pathways to permanent residence status. A significant number of these individuals may not want to leave at the end of their authorized period
As an immigration lawyer, I frequently come across cases that highlight the importance of due diligence in the immigration process. This morning, I was interviewed by Rishi Nagar of RedFM Calgary about the recent media articles regarding the deportation of hundreds of Indian international students. Raj Sharma Deportations_mixdown Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · Deportation
I joined Kubeir to discuss the plight of Indian International Students facing removal because of the use of false documents in their applications. This follows my interview with Rishi Nagar of RedFM Calgary -this time, the discussion was in English. We also chatted about the huge number of individuals in Canada as temporary residents and
Is IRCC going to waive requirements for visitor visas/TRVs caught up in the backlog? I don’t think so -for a variety of reasons. An excerpt of our discussion on this topic is below (from the AMA Borderlines podcast session from last month): Steven Meurrens: Yeah, for those who don’t know the story, the Globe and
I had a great time talking about a wide number of issues in immigration law with my friends Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff on the excellent Borderlines podcast. Summary: In this episode of the Canadian immigration law podcast “Borderlines,” hosts Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff interview Raj Sharma, a Calgary immigration lawyer. They answer listener
Canada will be welcoming record numbers of immigrants in the coming years. Many will choose to live in the largest cities of Canada including the GTA, Montreal and the Lower Mainland. There are many reasons why immigrants choose to settle in Alberta and in particular Calgary. There are many reasons why someone might choose to
Very briefly, a refugee is a person who has been forced to flee their home country because of persecution, war, or violence, and who is unable to return to their home country safely due to a personalized risk. Under the “classic” s.96 definition, refugees may be fleeing persecution based on their race, religion, nationality, political
Canadian immigration policies are similar to those of the United States in many ways. Both countries have a variety of programs designed to attract immigrants with specific skills and talents, and both countries have family sponsorship programs that allow citizens and permanent residents to sponsor close family members for immigration. Both countries have enforcement regimes
2022 has been a busy year in terms of immigration news and developments. We even got a new Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (although this is nothing new -the Department has been a revolving door since Kenney left). Canada has set out a bold plan to bring in 1.5 million Permanent Residents in the next
Immigration news and developments happen with increasing regularity. I was out of country when the family class/parents and grandparents program was set to re-open. The following is a (mostly) Punjabi language interview/discussion: 2022 10 12 redfm interview family class Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · 2022 10 12 Redfm Interview Family Class
I have written and spoken about the remedy of mandamus before; I will be doing so again at the CBA Alberta-North Immigration Section on October 27, 2022. What is mandamus? In essence, the Federal Court has the power to compel IRCC, or Canada Border Services Agency to do something that they should be doing. More
I wrapped up an immigration appeal earlier this month (sadly, a 845 AM Toronto start time which meant a 645 start time here in Calgary). My client’s sponsorship was refused because of a poison pen letter (details were redacted in the officer’s notes). Suffice it to say the poison pen letter alleged that my client
Special program to sponsor Afghan refugees without refugee status from the UNHCR or a foreign state The Government of Canada has announced that starting October 17, 2022, groups of five and community sponsors in Canada can sponsor Afghan refugees without having to submit a refugee status determination (RSD) document. An RSD document is issued
What do you do when your immigration appeal is refused? The IAD is probably your best shot at retaining status. The IAD remains an important safeguard and safety net for Permanent Residents that are facing a removal order. The IAD can consider both validity and humanitarian and compassionate considerations (the “Ribic and Chieu” factors that
Once you start down the [refugee] path, forever will it dominate your destiny -Yoda [paraphrased] Once an individual makes a refugee claim in Canada two paths emerge. One path is regularization, that is success through the refugee or refugee appeal process (sometimes involving the Federal Court). Remember that a protected person (someone that has been
Amnesty for undocumented workers? A recent Toronto Star article may raise hopes for many such individuals and their family members here in Canada. This may be a godsend to undocumented, hardworking migrants that deserve to come out from the shadows and live full lives free from exploitation as new members of the Canadian family. As
