The notion of who does and doesn’t qualify for refugee status is one many countries grapple with. The formal, internationally recognized, definition of a refugee is set out in the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, which established the rights of people seeking asylum in a country other than their own and […]

The heads of several of Canada’s leading health-care organizations have written a strongly worded letter to the federal immigration minister, urging him to rescind plans to cut health services to refugees and refugee claimants. “We are extremely concerned over the health impacts that this will have on the most vulnerable members of our society, many […]

Given the shocking amount of legislative change, both enacted and proposed by the Harper government over the past number of years I remain both puzzled and amazed that the government has not sought to bring some legislative clarity to the area of Citizenship law in Canada.  Some background is necessary in order to understand how […]

The costs associated with processing various applications have changed over time so it is always best to check CIC’s he most current fee schedule. Presently a typical PR application would generally cost $550  for the principal applicant.  If the applicant was including a spouse there would be an additional cost of $475.00.  Any unmarried children […]

Immigration lawyer Shelley Levine of Levine Associates has succeeded in a Judicial Review application before the Federal Court, to overturn an Immigration and Refugee Board decision which found that there was no evidence of recent persecution of Christians in Guangdong Province.  The case is only the most recent instance of the Board’s failure to properly assess […]

Facts: The applicant is a Christian from Guangdong province and fears returning to China for reasons of religious persecution.  The panel accepted the applicant was a genuine Christian.  The only issue was whether she would face persecution upon return to China.  The RPD determined that if the applicant was to return to her home province […]

Immigration and Refugee lawyers at Levine Associates have won another Federal Court case which follows in the footsteps of Wang v. M.C.I. which found that questioning claimants by “way of trivia” is not a fair way to assess religious identity.  Shelley Levine argued the case of Wang v. M.C.I. which was prominently reported in the […]

  Ottawa, May 9, 2012 — Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney today announced that the Government is proposing amendments to Bill C-31, the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act.  “Over the past few weeks, I’ve listened to parliamentarians and witnesses,” said Minister Kenney. “We have always said that we were open to amendments that […]

  Ottawa, May 10, 2012 — The Government of Canada is expanding its internship program for newcomers to include private sector companies, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. CGI Group Inc., a leading provider of information technology and business process services, and CIBC, a leading Canadian-based financial institution, will partner with CIC […]

OTTAWA—The Conservative government proposed amendments to a controversial newrefugee bill on Wednesday, but critics say they still have major concerns with the legislation. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney admitted he was prompted to introduce some changes toBill C-31 by months of outrage from refugee advocacy groups and Opposition critics. “I believe it’s not right for the government to […]