Toronto Immigration Law, Toronto Refugee Law, Levine Associates

In the recent case of Zhen Xiang, 2013, FC 256, lawyers from Levine Associates argued that the Board member had erred by failing to put the claimant on notice, prior to the hearing, that it had concerns about the accuracy of the photograph in the claimant’s Resident Identity Card. The Court noted that the Screening […]

Refugee Reform – One Month Later January 15, 2013 marked the one month anniversary since the government embarked on a radical reform of refugee law in Canada.  A common misconception amongst critics of Canada’s refugee system is that the old refugee system was beyond repair and in desperate need of overhaul.  They argue wait times […]

Q.  I made a refugee claim in 2005 and then was deported and have now returned and wish to make a refugee claim.  Am I eligible?   A.  No.  IRPA indicates at s. 101 that a person who has been rejected by the Board previously is not eligible.  The section is not limited by time […]

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 […]

     Article by Lev Abramovich The benefits of a Domestic Contract Levine Associates specializes in Immigration and Family law.   In this article we examine domestic contracts and some of the reasons why you should consider having one. Modern life is complex, fast paced and often filled with pressures and stress leaving less time for […]

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 […]

Levine Associates is pleased to announce that we are now offering clients Divorce Opinions. As more and more of our family law clientele are immigrants many have to contend with foreign divorce recognition when they wish to get married in Canada. Our family lawyers now offer Divorce Opinions to facilitate second marriages for people who […]

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 […]