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Feb 5, 2016

Don’t Shoot the Airline Company- CBSA’s IAPI is the other side of the eTA

There is no doubt that Canada’s electronic Travel Authorization (“eTA”) regime, set to go into full legal effect a little over a month from now, will be disruptive to the process of travelling to Canada.

As I have covered in an earlier blog on the topic, the eTA will create several consequences for those seeking entry by air into Canada. Some of the expected follow out could include permanent residents being trapped outside Canada with expired cards, Canadian dual citizens lacking proper documentation unable to fly home, and foreign nationals being unable to board planes to Canada. It will also have spillovers to those seeking to enter by land via private vehicle. One immigration lawyer suggested jokingly that a local U.S. land border was likely to get very busy due to the number of individuals forced to drive across in private vehicle in order to return to Canada. Individuals who drive by private vehicle are not under a requirement to produce a valid PR card upon entry.

This all begs a question. How will the eTA be enforced from the other side – by airlines companies? To look more closely we need to study Canada Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) Interactive Advanced Passenger Information (“IAPI”) system and the increased role airline companies now play as the front line to screen out individuals flying to Canada with improper/expired documents.

IAPI

Prior to the eTA, individuals with expired permanent resident cards has several options. One of them (for individuals who did hold travel documents), was to present a visa-exempt passport in order to get past airlines and hop the plane. Upon arrival they would then attempt to enter Canada on the basis of the expired PR card and a confirmation of permanent residence. For many passengers this worked. Very little was done to keep the individual off the plane and little was enquired of the passenger’s immigration status.

IAPI changes that by requiring that “pre-departure traveller and flight data to be submitted by commercial air carriers prior to an international flight’s departure for Canada.”

For all international flights for Canada, CBSA will both require the advanced passenger information and ultimately issue a board/no-board message for each passenger. This means that prior to the flight, CBSA will no whether an individual is required to have a valid travel document (eTA or visa), is a permanent resident, or a Citizen. They will also be able to track if the individual is subject to a removal order or an Authority for Negative Discretion (“AND”).

The technical nature of the IAPI system is at first glance very confusing and complex. I expect that the airline companies that already have state of the art IT will likely try and figure out internal systems to facilitate the provision of passenger information to CBSA.

Exit Controls Coming Soon.

The next major development will be the implementation of exit controls, which to my best estimate will occur sometime in early-mid 2017. From my review of CBSA briefing material for airline companies, much of the technical infrastructure is in place for this already. Once exit controls get rolled out, I think we can see integration with both PR and Canadian passports as well allowing the CBSA to better track and record the entries and exits of all air and land border.

For more information about the eTA, IAPI, and how it may affect your travel plans feel free to email me at will.tao@larlee.com

Jan 25, 2016

CIW Post #3 – Not All Trade Agreements Treat Professionals the Same

We’re extending the CIW (Corporate Immigration Week) to the end of the month!

R. 204(a), of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (“IRPR”) provide certain Professionals exemptions from the onerous Labour Market Impact Assessment (“LMIA”) process.

Whether a Professional qualifies depends on the specific Trade Agreement Canada has entered into and the terms of the Trade Agreement. Each Trade Agreement has it’s own unique textual nuance that can have quite dramatic effects in whether the exemption can practically apply.

In this piece, we will look at the North-American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”), Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement (“CCFTA”), Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (“CKFTA”), and the soon-to-be signed/may be ratified Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”).

NAFTA

Under NAFTA, a party shall grant temporary entry to a business person seeking to engage in a business activity at a professional level in a profession set out in Appendix 1603.D.1. Appendix 1603.D.1 contains around 63 different professions/subprofessions that qualify. Among the professions, lawyers are included. The Minimum Education Requirements and Alternative Credentials are listed in the chart – most requiring a Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or a post-secondary diploma/professional license depending on the profession.

It is also important to note that NAFTA does not specifically cover the spouses of Professionals but spouses of NAFTA Professionals, who by nature of their positions are in a Skilled National Occupation Classification (“NOC”) Code under NOC 0,A,B, are eligible for a open-work permits pursuant to R. 205(c)(ii), code C41.

CCFTA

Under the CCFTA, professionals are defined as follows:

professional means a national of a Party who is engaged in a specialty occupation requiring:

(a) theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge and the appropriate certification/license to practice; and

(b) attainment of a post-secondary degree in the specialty requiring four or more years of study, as a minimum for entry into the occupation;

CCFTA includes a list in Appendix 1203.D of the 19 occupations that are not included as professionals under the agreement. Several social sciences professions, in particular judges, lawyers, and notaries are excluded.

What sets the CCFTA apart is a seemingly minor footnote detail. It states under footnote 2 (attached to the definition of professional).

In the case of Canada, these requirements are defined in the NOC.

Unlike NAFTA, the CCFTA does not contain a table list of minimum educational requirements and alternative credentials. A CCFTA professional must meet and is guided by the NOC requirement.

For example, for Civil Engineers (NOC 2131) and Computer Engineers (NOC 2147), the NOC requires the following:

Licensing by a provincial or territorial association of professional engineers is required to approve engineering drawings and reports and to practise as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.).

The contrast between CCFTA and NAFTA is strong in the sense that a Bachelors degree appears all that is needed for NAFTA’s qualifications while a provincial license appears necessary under the CCFTA for several required duties.

It is to be noted that the CCFTA does create an specific exemption (T25) for spouses of successful CCFTA work permit applicants, allowing them to obtain open work permits.

CKFTA

The CKFTA provides yet another different classification of professional. The CKFTA provides one general definition but also two-subcategories.

The general definition is:

professional means a national of a Party who is engaged in a specialty occupation as stated in Appendix 12-A-2 who is not engaged in the field of education; and

Specifically, professionals are split into two categories.

contract service supplier means an employee of an enterprise who is engaged in the supply of a contracted service as an employee of an enterprise. That enterprise has a service contract from an enterprise of the other Party, who is the final consumer of the service which is supplied. The contract and duration of stay shall comply with the domestic law of the other Party;

independent professional means a self-employed professional who seeks to engage, as part of a service contract granted by an enterprise or a service consumer of the other Party, in an activity at a professional level, provided that the person possesses the necessary education, or satisfies accreditation or licensing requirements as stipulated for the profession;

IRCC clarifies how the two different professionals are to be assessed:

Professionals (work permit required / LMIA exemption code T23)

The Canada-Korea FTA differentiates between two types of professional—the contract service supplier and the independent professional. Both must be requesting entry to provide a pre-arranged professional service and possess the necessary education, or satisfy accreditation or licensing requirements, as stipulated for the profession.

The following definitions apply:

contract service supplier means an employee of an enterprise who is engaged in the supply of a contracted service as an employee of an enterprise. That enterprise has a service contract from an enterprise of the other Party, who is the final consumer of the service which is supplied.

example: A Canadian high tech company contracts the services of a Korean firm to provide services in the field of engineering. An experienced software engineer employed by the Korean firm in Seoul seeks entry to Canada to provide the engineering services under the terms of the pre-arranged services contract.

independent professional means a self-employed professional who seeks to engage, as part of a service contract granted by an enterprise or a service consumer of the other Party, in an activity at a professional level.

example: A self-employed Korean management consultant seeks entry to Canada to provide services to a technology company under the terms of a pre-arranged contract.

Similar to the approach used in the NAFTA, the Canada-Korea FTA uses a positive listing of professionals (set out in Appendix 12-A-2), however, it is divided between Contract Service Suppliers and Independent Professionals, as coverage in each category differs.

This provision is quite unique as it suggests that a Korean national cannot be employed (as an employee) by the Canadian entity but rather either has to be an independent contractor OR an employee of the Korean entity that has contracted with a Canadian entity.

In effect, for several Koreans seeking to use this exemption as a temporary bridge to future permanent residency options and who may previously or continue to work for a Canadian employer, they would necessarily need to reformulate their employment contracts.

It is to be noted that CKFTA does create an exemption (T25) for spouses of successful CKFTA work permit applicants, allowing them to obtain open work permits.

TPP

Canada’s commitments under the TPP with respect to Professionals shows a tightening up of the category. The scope of the TPP’s extension of R.204(a) LMIA exempt work permits is enormous. It covers countries including Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, and Peru . While there are several industry restrictions for each of these countries, I expect the effect of TPP on the foreign worker landscape in Canada will still be pronounced.

For example, an Australian national who obtains a Canadian Bachelors degree graduating at the age of 21 arguably could theoretically (assuming no application of the four-year cap) apply for a post-graduate work permit (up to 3 yrs), the working holiday/young professionals plus international co-op (up to 3 years), and the TPP (1 year initially) for a combined 7-years of employment in Canada without the need for a LMIA or an Application for Permanent Residency.

Understandably, the restrictions on the professionals are tighter than they are for NAFTA, CCFTA, and the CKFTA aookucabts. For starters, the initial work permit is to be issued for one rather than two years. Importantly, the definition of professional is also stricter:

professionals means business persons engaged in a specialty occupation requiring:

(a) theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge; and

(b) a post-secondary degree of four or more years of study, unless otherwise provided in this schedule, and any additional requirement defined in the National Occupation Classification, and

(c) two years of paid work experience in the sector of activity of the contract, and

(d) remuneration at a level commensurate with other similarly-qualified professionals within the industry in the region where the work is performed. Such remuneration shall be deemed to not include non-monetary elements such as, inter alia, housing costs and travel expenses.

In addition to the CCFTA’s requirement that the NOC requirements also be met. There is also a requirement for two years of paid work experience in the sector and remuneration at a commensurate level (which I expect would be prevailing wage as per Job Bank). This exemption will be very difficult for a transitioning post-graduate work permit holder to meet so expect it mainly to be used for senior employees/contractors unless the provision changes.

Conclusion

NAFTA, CCFTA, CKFTA, and the pending TPP all provide very interesting insight into the nuances but important differences in each Trade Agreement and how they affect immigration options.

I would be happy to assist any individual from any of the Trade Agreement countries in figuring out how an LMIA exemption can be used for them either in a primary or secondary role to support work/future permanent residency ambitions in Canada.

Jan 3, 2016

The Resignation Letter: An Online Novel (Chapter 4: Maria’s First Day, Mo’s Never-Ending Nightmare)

Mohamed woke up extra early on Boxing Day morning. It was not because he was in a rush to get to the mall to purchase the wool jacket for his wife that he could no longer afford. Boxing Day, a Saturday this year, kicked off the five-day rush prior to the New Year. The Firm’s clients from all over the world were in a rush to replace their 2015 marketing strategies and advertising materials to try and be the proverbial ‘early bird that gets the worm’ in 2016.

Mohamed had called his wife the evening of Christmas. As usual, his wife was busy attending mosque with her younger brother. They had recently moved into a small apartment together, and even had a new household helper. Mohamed had not been back to Sierra Leone in over a year and his wife, who didn’t have a visa to travel to Canada, was awaiting processing on their sponsorship application, currently stuck in the African backlog of a three-year delay. Based on processing, they would expect to hear from Immigration any day now.

The city still pitch black when he woke up, Mohamed took the number 15 bus, as he had every morning for the past ten years. Said his good morning and thank you to the bus driver, who didn’t acknowledge him. Mohamed always sat at the back of the bus, where there were usually less people at this time of the day.

When Mohamed arrived at the office, he noticed he was the first one in. They are probably all hungover again, Mohamed thought to himself. Mohamed had spent his Christmas dinner eating leftovers from his lunch with Shafiq and watching television. It was a boring existence, albeit a quiet one, which Mohamed had become comfortably accustomed to.

As Mohamed was about to turn the corner, a light suddenly turned on in the hallway. It was the cleaning lady “Maria”, an affectionate 45-year old lady that Mohamed absolutely adored for her vivacious laugh and honest approach to cleaning. Maria was more serious this morning however.

“Maria, how was your Christmas? You don’t seem your usual self my dear” Mohammed asked gently.

“Mo, things are not good back home. My husband lost his job and is sick with cancer. It was just diagnosed. My eldest son got arrested for dealing drugs and is in prison. They won’t release him. I can’t afford a plane ticket back to the Philippines right now. I missed Christmas again.” Maria responded, trying to hold herself together.

Mohamed patted Maria on the back reassuringly. He opened his wallet and slipped Maria a twenty dollar bill. “Take this Maria. I know, it has been tough for all of us. We’re both trapped in a city way too beautiful for all of us, but so lonely without our loved ones. It will get better I promise. Go home and get some rest”

“Thanks Mo.” Maria replied, pocketing the twenty dollars. “I would like to go home but your stupid boss left a note for me reminding me that the three new interns are starting today and that I need to set up their work station.. volunteer station.. whatever you guys are calling it this year.”

Mohamed chuckled. He had completely forgot that it was time for the Annual Student Internship Program again. Billed as a program that would give work experience to underemployed/underprivileged recent graduates,

Mohamed knew that the real reason for hiring individuals like this were that they would work for essentially no pay. Mo knew from previous years experience that each year the interns would be brought on for the busy period of New Years, Valentine’s Day, and Easter and then sent home in early May with a generic letter of congratulations and a $500 stipend. During these five months, had they been salaried junior level employees they would have each taken home at least $500 a week and had to have their medical insurance and Canadian Pension Plan covered.

Maria bid adieu and continued with her cleaning duties. Man, this is a whole city of immigration problems, Mohamed thought to himself shaking his head. As Mohamed was about to sit down at his desk, Maria came running down the halls.

“Mo, I forgot to tell you something. You forgot to shut down your computer and you left a document open all weekend.” Maria grabbed the mouse and shook the computer awake. It was the first two lines of your resignation letter. I hope nobody saw it. When I came in yesterday it was brightly displayed. I couldn’t help but notice it.”
“Thanks for mentioning it Maria.” Mo said earnestly. “I hope so too.”

I am an idiot, Mohamed thought to himself. The thought of resigning immediately had since Christmas become a more distant one in his mind. I can resign next summer. I need the money and peak season means overtime hours. Next summer, when my wife joins me in Canada, then I can quit and we can find new jobs together. Mohamed closed the document and prayed that nobody has seen it.

Opening his real-estate marketing final report, Mohamed smiled to himself. This is my life calling. The report was intricately prepared. He knew the things that mattered to clients from Arabic-speaking countries: proximity to the mosque, availability of halal food choices, security, and, most-importantly, privacy. His idea was to market the new complex as a “Little Dubai in the Heart of Downtown Vancouver.” He made some last minute edits to the presentation he would have to give on Monday at the real-estate firm’s offices. Mohamed’s line of thinking was interrupted by an email from his manager.

WELCOME TO OUR 2015-2016 STUDENT INTERNS read the email in unnecessary CAPS usually reserved for emergency situations. Mohamed opened the email to see three student profiles.

The first was a girl named Veronica Chiu. She had quite the impressive profile. She had attended the city’s top private school, the Colburn Academy. She had a business degree from out in Eastern Canada. She seemed like the type who would be working at a Bay Street firm rather than in Vancouver. Mohamed peered at the fine print.

Ah, it all made sense. The profile mentioned that her father, Moses Chiu, was a client of the Firm and that all of them needed to be extra careful in making sure Veronica was happy. Veronica would also be working indirectly through the boss’s guidance.

The second was Dawayne Jamison or “DJ” for short. He went to an inner city high school in California before moving to Vancouver to play college basketball. According to the email, apparently after redshirting he switched colleges three times due to poor grades disqualified him from the basketball team. Eventually, he attended a Christian college, found his calling in God and graduated Valedictorian.

Wow – exactly the kind of guy our firm will use to secure new clients, Mohamed thought to himself.
Mohamed got to the third profile. She is very pretty, very Hollywood gorgeous, Mohamed thought before playing around with his ring finger and realizing he was having thoughts that a married man should not be having. She looked young, maybe half his age. Maria, eh just like our cleaning lady. Mohamed made a mental note she would call Maria Mendes, Ms. Mendes. In Mohamed’s mind there was only one Maria, the nice cleaning lady. Mohamed read Ms. Mendes’ profile. It was very short and stated:

Maria comes to us from Surrey, British Columbia where she recently completed her post-secondary studies. Maria has a particular interest in fashion and international marketing and will be working closely with our International team.

Mohamed had been Deputy Chair of the International team for several years. The current Chair, Elliot Huang, was the Firm’s big rainmaker. In 2015, Elliot had successfully closed 40 new clients for the firm and engaged them in the development of marketing strategies. Many were new immigrants to Vancouver, who established quasi-operational businesses that served as vehicles designed to transfer assets to their young sons and daughters who were studying in the city. However, they made the Firm millions and were given rock star treatment.

Mohamed was secretly quite excited that the team had recruited a new member, and additionally excited that she was quite easy on the eyes.

A follow-up email soon arrived from the boss. STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM MENTORSHIP PAIRS read the email.

The email read:
• Veronica Chiu has been assigned to the International Marketing Group, she will be mentored by Elliot Huang.
• DJ has been assigned to the Sports and Entertainment Marketing group and will be mentored by Don Michaels.
• Maria Mendes has been assigned to the International Marketing Group and will be mentored by…

Mohamed stopped in his tracks.
…. Mohamed Kamara

Mohamed was shocked. It was the first time he had ever been asked to mentor or let alone participate in the program.
Before Mohamed could ponder any further, a third email came into his inbox. It was from the government’s immigration department in Ghana. Mohamed’s heart sunk has he opened it.

Dear Ms. Kamara:

Your Application for Permanent Residence in Canada has been refused. The primary purpose of your marriage has been adjudged to be for immigration purposes. We are also not satisfied that this is a genuine relationship. Thank you for your interest in Canada.

Officer MF.

“Motherfucker!” Mohamed screamed smashing his keyboard on the table. It snapped in half. Mohamed looked around. Thankfully no one was around as an audience to his morning meltdown.

Before Mohamed had a chance to think any further, the recognizable heavy footsteps of his boss and the accompanying rhythm of a set of high heels came towards him. Mo turned around to see his boss’s recognizable bespoke suit and thick-rimmed glasses. Next to him was Maria. She had a serious, “focused” game face on.
“Is this […]

Nov 30, 2015

Six Reflections From My First Six Months of Practice

It is officially six months since I was called to the bar. These six months have gone by quite fast. From both a practice and personal perspective they have been eventful, thrilling, devastating, and all feelings in between.

Perhaps the best way to ‘reflect’ (or over-reflect, as I am prone to doing) on my last six months is to ask myself some inner questions. So here we go.

What have been the successes and challenges so far?

Successes

Purely from an immigration perspective, the biggest successes so far have been gaining positive client results, particularly in a litigation or contested application context.

Immigration law is so fascinating as it is one of the few areas in law where the practice is really a hybrid between barristers and solicitors work. I think my most memorable moment in practice was seeing my client call his wife in Africa and tell her they won their appeal, both of them near tearful in their joy. A close second when Justice O’Reilly of the Federal Court summarized a subsection of my memo of argument in Jewell v. MPSEP 2015 FC 1046 in ruling in our client’s favour on a difficult case.

Overall, I think the success of my blog and article writing has been the most unexpected but surprisingly. I remember that I really caught a break – with the CIC training guide on ‘sham marriages,’ an issue that really affected me personally. I was very lucky that a social media connector and writer, Marco Campana, recommended that I write for New Canadian Media which eventually turned into this piece. I am very grateful that I have been able to become an advocate for several immigrant groups through my writing and I look forward to doing more writing and presenting moving forward.

Challenges

The biggest challenge has been dealing with the business of law. I think all junior lawyers find practice management, billing, and filing to be very tedious parts of their work. I am grateful in that I have amazing support staff at my firm that has been great in assisting me in these regards. However, as a lawyer (as opposed to an articling student I am not the first (and often times only) eye and line of communication with clients. I have come to learn that as much as clients are very concerned about the overall result, they are also very keen on the process. Lawyers must be accountable for this process.

The most unexpected challenge that I have had to deal with is the role of administrative delay and processing times in my work. Clients often want guarantees and success rates and daily updates. This is not always possible and, in fact, providing false guarantees or even predictions can be very negligent

2. Do you regret choosing just one area of the law to focus on? Do you regret joining a small firm?

I do not regret choosing just one area of the law. I think, if anything, I would have ended up in immigration given the way my academic career and personal interests aligned. I am happy I had this happen to me earlier rather than later. I think the fear that it is impossible to transition from one area of law to another or one type of firm to another is largely man-made. I have seen many cases of individuals who have started new practices and transitioned new practices very successfully. I think what is important for me is that I am doing something I am passionate about and that I wake up every morning and genuinely look forward to doing. At this point in time, I have yet to find anything like immigration that quite as inspires me.

As someone who as seen big firm culture and small firm culture I could not be happier to be at a small, boutique firm. I think that having a small physical work environment where it is easier to take two steps and have a face to face discussion with an assistant or lawyer is so valuable. One of the things I love is that when I am in a client consultation on an issue I have not handled before I can within one minute call up a colleague to come join and share his/her expertise. It is really a beautiful set up.

3. How does being an Asian-Canadian lawyer affect your practice?

I take it as a chip on my shoulder. Many times the first thing people think when I tell them I am an immigration lawyer is that I must have a strong Chinese practice. Truth-be-told my clients come from all over the world (and all over a very diverse China) for that matter.

I think also having been a product of immigrant parents myself and having interacted with so many immigrants gives me a window into their lives and their concerns. I think I may have an advantage in relating to my client’s situations and cultural perspectives and use that mutual respect to harness their trust. Without trust, I don’t think any client relationship can be successful and without that relationship applications themselves cannot present the necessary story to convince visa officers, tribunals, and judges.

4. What are your strengths and weaknesses so far? What one area do you most want to improve?

I think my strength has been in analyzing complex client cases to see where the deficiencies lie and how to address them while emphasizing the strengths of the case.

I think where I can be better is in tightening up and strengthening my communication with and on behalf of clients. With the uncertainty, layer of discretion, and constant change that exists in immigration lawyer, it is too easy to step in the shoes of the client and panic and worry. I think immigration lawyers have to be the voice of reason, confidence, and patience at all times. We also have to learn to step away from certain cases emotionally and objectively analyze and criticize – even if it is to challenge our clients on their positions on certain issues.

We also have to be honest, something I take a huge pride in and I think will be the basis of my success moving forward. I would very much tell a client the truth – that it depends on our hard work together and the discretion of an officer then offer an arbitrary percentage success rate. I think clients that are lawyer shopping should be concerned if a firm (lawyer or consultant) starts offering specific percentage of success rates.

5. How do you balance law with other commitments in your life?

It is difficult. Very difficult. Particularly when work becomes one of the more stable things in your life. I am grateful in that I have a very flexible arrangement as a contractor rather than an employee. When family matters arise or when I need to work from home this is absolutely facilitated and often times even encouraged.

I think that maintaining a health body and healthy relationships is absolutely key. Work stress tends to affect a lot of individuals in making them more prone to sleeping less, working out less, eating more, and detaching from family and friends. I think it is absolutely crucial that there needs to be time away from work and work email. I have not quite yet gotten to the point where I can ditch my cellphone on weekends (particularly given the number of overseas clients or working clients that only have time to work on their immigration on weekends), but I recognize the needs to take a step back sometimes.

6. What are three things you recommend law students/articling students to do to facilitate the transfer into practice?

A) Obtain great mentors.

Find mentors in your work place. I have been fortunate in having great partners and Larlee serve as my mentors. Peter teach me everything about immigration litigation and handling difficult clients, Ryan teaches me everything about how to be attentive and diligent, Steve teaches me how to be a well-rounded practitioner and to write and argue effectively. My colleagues, Vivian, Dan, Jeevyn, and Darren always and I mean (ALWAYS) say yes when I have a question or need to share their insight. Importantly, as human beings (not just lawyers) they have been great mentors on how to balance work and life through turbulent waters.

Find mentors outside your work place and outside your profession. I have had the privilege of having great mentors outside of work. Jenn Lau and the FACLBC exec crew and John Kim as Faskens are two names that come to mind. Also, I have been lucky to be mentored by several great, outstanding leaders outside of law. Getting involved in the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Communities Advisory Committee has been a huge blessing, as I meet many individuals who I look up to for their ability to fight and achieve social change. My old university colleagues, Adrian and Carlos Vonarx have been great as a model of success. All my best friends are also great mentors for many of the periphery issues that we as lawyers need to take care of in order to thrive in practice.

B) Find something or someone you love outside of the law.

I find that every lawyer/practitioner that is genuinely loving and thriving at their work has something or someone outside of work that gives an extra raison d’etre and level of support when things go down south.

Law has this reputation for soul-sucking, depriving individuals from pleasures of their previous life. I think a lot of this occurs because we try to fight against old habits rather than integrate law into our existing habits. It is funny how the moniker that “whatever got you into law school, will get you out of law school” goes out the window in private practice.

I find lawyers that are able to find a creative outlet for their legal work are often also able to use that passion for the creative work to draw in clients. Potential immigration clients in Vancouver, these days, be it study permit applicants or intra-company transfers are often directly involved in or one degree separated from the creative industry. Being able to connect […]

Uncategorized

Blog Posts

Don’t Shoot the Airline Company- CBSA’s IAPI is the other side of the eTA

CIW Post #3 – Not All Trade Agreements Treat Professionals the Same

Professionals (work permit required / LMIA exemption code T23)

The Resignation Letter: An Online Novel (Chapter 4: Maria’s First Day, Mo’s Never-Ending Nightmare)

Six Reflections From My First Six Months of Practice

About Us

Recent Posts

Categories

Let’s Get in Touch

About Me

Contact

Uncategorized

Blog Posts

Don’t Shoot the Airline Company- CBSA’s IAPI is the other side of the eTA

CIW Post #3 – Not All Trade Agreements Treat Professionals the Same

Professionals (work permit required / LMIA exemption code T23)

The Resignation Letter: An Online Novel (Chapter 4: Maria’s First Day, Mo’s Never-Ending Nightmare)

Six Reflections From My First Six Months of Practice

About Us

Recent Posts

Categories

Tags

Let’s Get in Touch

About Me

Contact