Immigration

S.SamuelLevine,Immigration Lawyer   Recently I have had two different prospective clients attend at my office asking whether I could guarantee the success of their case. In the first case, the client asked whether I could guarantee a victory before the Immigration and Refugee Board.  When I advised the client that even if I were of […]

Canada’s new Refugee System: The good the bad and the ugly Introduction: After years of legislative amendments and delays, the government has finally announced a concrete implementation date of December 15, 2012 for Canada’s new refugee system. After that date people entering Canada or people already in Canada who make refugee claims will be subject […]

By most estimates marriage fraud is a serious problem in Canada. [1] There are generally two kinds of marriage fraud the government has been focusing on.  The first typically occurs when a Canadian citizen or permanent resident enters into a contractual relationship with a foreign national whereby the person with status agrees to either marry […]

I recently received an inquiry from a friend worried about relatives in Syria and wondering what steps could be taken to bring their relatives to the safety of Canada.  The question is complicated and requires a little background. Most people are unaware of the fact that we have laws which create two distinct refugee systems.  […]

What is a Humanitarian and Compassionate Application? Immigration terminology is often arcane and complicated and no more so than when I was asked whether I was able to do an “agency” application for a client.  After some further questioning I realized that my client had misheard the term “H&C” which when spoken quickly sounds much […]

Question: How long do I have to apply for Permanent Residency after the acceptance of my refugee claim? Answer: Under the current legislation a successful refugee claimant is required to apply for permanent residency status within 180 days of the Board’s positive determination.  Immigration’s own materials indicate that the 180 day clock begins when the […]

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 […]