Canadian Immigration Blog 
Canadian Immigration has been a hot topic lately. But just how many people immigrate to Canada each year and where do they come from? Let’s take a closer look at how many immigrants landed in Canada from 2012 to 2016 and their top 5 countries of birth. People choose to become permanent residents of Canada not only for economic reasons but also to be reunited with their families. Others come as refugees seeking for a better future. Many immigrants choose Canada to have access to interesting and rewarding job opportunities….
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Mario Bellissimo joins Mark Holthe in a Canadian Immigration Podcast to discuss the intricate and delicate topic of Medical Inadmissibility. So you’ve applied to come to Canada and the prospect of becoming a Canadian Permanent Resident is closer than ever. That is until you receive a Fairness Letter revealing an uncovered medical condition and deeming you inadmissible to enter Canada. The news of any unknown medical condition alone can be extremely painful, add to this the fact that you may be inadmissible to Canada and it becomes a very emotional…
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At BLG we are privileged to work on behalf of many wonderful people, companies and associations. We represent people from the time they step foot into the country in airport waiting rooms all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Our clients often tell us after their case was concluded it would have helped to know of similar stories that are real and not just what you hear on the street. So every month we post a few stories to celebrate our success and offer some comfort to those who will soon embark…
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At BLG we are privileged to work on behalf of many wonderful people, companies and associations. We represent people from the time they step foot into the country in airport waiting rooms all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Our clients often tell us after their case was concluded it would have helped to know of similar stories that are real and not just what you hear on the street. So every month we post a few stories to celebrate our success and offer some comfort to those who will soon embark…
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In May I wrote about how separation or divorce affects certain sponsored spouses or partners who, after becoming permanent residents, had not lived with their sponsors for at least two years. If they separated or divorced before the two-year mark, they could lose their status. Though a harsh consequence, the process left room for some discretion or compassion. Today I write about a rule with equally harsh consequences but that affords no discretion. Since June 2013, permanent residents sentenced in Canada to prison for six months or more for a…
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Every U.S. election cycle, Canadians read of the looming politically-motivated mass exodus to Canada. A March 2016 survey found that 28% of registered American voters would “likely” move to another country such as Canada if Donald Trump were elected President. This percentage roughly translates to 89 million Americans heading abroad. In reality, the American response is far more subtle and only indirectly tied to election results. Despite the repeated sounding of the tocsin, over the last 60 years, annual American immigration to Canada has been relatively stable, keeping within 4,000…
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Canada’s public policy includes a commitment to family reunification and to facilitate processing in cases of genuine spouses and common-law partners already living together in Canada. This means that regardless of your immigration status in Canada, you may still be eligible to be sponsored under the Spouse or Common-law Partner in Canada Class. Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Public Policy under 25(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (“IRPA”) may be applied to exempt applicants in the Spouse or Common-Law Partner in Canada Class from the requirement to…
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Conditional Permanent Residence: A two-year waiting period The Federal government is proposing changes that would end the two-year waiting period for certain sponsored spouses and partners, and grant them unconditional permanent resident status upon their arrival in Canada. Currently, certain sponsored spouses and partners must live with their sponsor for at least two years after obtaining permanent residence or risk losing status. Critics have argued that the sponsorship condition reinforces the ability of an abuser to exercise control over a sponsored spouse who, facing possible deportation, stays in an abusive…
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If you are currently working in Canada on a work permit which will soon expire and you have submitted an application for permanent residence through the Express Entry system, you may be eligible for a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP). As the name suggests, a BOWP is issued to bridge the gap between the expiry of the work permit and the final decision on the permanent residence application. After an electronic application for permanent residence (e-APR) is submitted through the Express Entry system, an Acknowledgement of Receipt letter is generated…
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Last week, the Federal Court of Appeal clarified how the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) should review Refugee Protection Division (RPD) decisions. The RAD has, since the end of 2012, been considering appeals of RPD decisions on refugee claims. While the RAD was set up as the safety net that catches mistakes made by the RPD, be it on the law or the facts, uncertainty grew over the role of the RAD when it came to reviewing issues of fact or mixed law and fact. At first, the RAD decision-makers operated…
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