Immigration
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February 06, 2024
Canada must restore visa requirement for Mexicans | Sergio R. Karas
Canada must restore the visa requirement for Mexico to address escalating problems. When lifting the visa requirement for Mexican travelers in 2016, the Liberal government claimed that it would strengthen economic ties and boost tourism. However, this decision has since led to an overwhelming surge in asylum claims and criminal organizations taking advantage of the exemption to bring Mexicans to Canada and then smuggle them into the United States.
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February 05, 2024
Immigration: Justice delayed | Lorne Waldman
Justice delayed is justice denied. The phrase has been attributed to William Gladstone but has its origins in the Magna Carta — “to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice.” The Canadian legal system has recognized that delay can be an abuse of process which brings the administration of justice into disrepute. Despite this, our immigration system is rife with delays and huge backlogs that cause serious injustice to many. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the immigration procedure known as Ministerial Relief from inadmissibility to Canada.
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February 02, 2024
SCC rules Ontario premier’s mandate letters to ministers shielded from public by Cabinet secrecy
Adopting a broader interpretation of Cabinet secrecy than did Ontario’s courts, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 7-0 that the mandate letters Ontario Premier Doug Ford gave his Cabinet ministers soon after the Conservatives formed government in 2018 are protected by the “Cabinet records” exemption in s. 12(1) of the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), which shields from disclosure to the public the “substance of deliberations” of Cabinet.
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February 02, 2024
Canada, Ukraine launch coalition for return of Ukrainian children, negotiate on security commitments
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly announced her visit to Kyiv, Ukraine on Feb. 2 where she will “reaffirm Canada’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The countries also launched the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children.
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February 02, 2024
Economists call for immigration reforms | Sergio R. Karas
According to several economists, one of the contributing factors to the housing crisis gripping Canada stems from current immigration policies that have emphasized a large number of newcomers, both temporary and permanent. To tackle the housing shortage and combat inflation, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship has announced a 35 per cent cut in international study permits for 2024 compared to the previous year. Despite this reduction intended to steady the growth of the international student population over the next two years, the decision to still approve 364,000 study permits for 2024 fails to make a dent in the pressing housing shortage.
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January 31, 2024
U.S. public ground of inadmissibility: Should it concern you?
Pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act (a)(4), the United States can deny admission to any foreign national on the basis that they are likely to become a public charge. This means the individual is likely to require assistance for basic sustenance including food and shelter. This ground of inadmissibility is rarely used against visitors to the United States, but it requires significant documentary submissions for an immigrant to overcome.
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January 30, 2024
In defence of our Gazan clients | Hana Marku, Damey Lee and Randall Cohn
“A living hell.” This is how international aid agency Oxfam recently described the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. According to Oxfam, the Israeli military kills approximately 250 people per day in the Gaza Strip, an enclave that spans a total area of 141 square miles and is home to two million people. Those of us in the Canadian immigration and refugee bar working with Palestinian clients have heard endless stories of families facing death, starvation and deprivation of all necessities of life in Gaza. As of Jan. 15, 2024, the death toll in Gaza stands at over 26,000 — two-thirds of which are women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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January 25, 2024
Two recent decisions put security over other immigration benefits | Lorne Waldman
Canada has received considerable attention within two vastly different contexts. A recent Federal Court ruling upheld a decision to refuse a student visa on the ground that the applicant, a People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizen, would likely engage in espionage. This decision raises concerns about the propriety of adopting an overly broad definition of “espionage” to address worries that the PRC is using students and researchers to obtain confidential and sensitive information while studying in the West. At the same time, Canada’s decision to offer emergency visas to Gazans has been criticized for over-emphasizing security at the expense of the safety of those fleeing a humanitarian catastrophe.
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January 24, 2024
Blakes welcomes 13 lawyers to partnership
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes) has promoted 13 lawyers to its partnership. According to a statement from the firm, the lawyers come from across Canada and work in a variety of practice areas and industries. The 13 are:
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January 24, 2024
2023 in review: Key changes to Canadian immigration, part two
As we discussed in the first article in this two-part series, in 2023, the Canadian government introduced a series of significant changes and updates that reshaped policies governing entry, temporary residence and pathways to permanent status in the country. This article continues the discission.