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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan 22, 2010
OTTAWA – Lawyers in the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) Citizenship & Immigration Law Section are spearheading an initiative to offer initial legal consultations and to prepare immigration applications – without charge – for Canadians and permanent residents in Canada who wish to sponsor family members affected by the recent earthquake disaster in Haiti.
“Many CBA members have shared with me their desire to reach out and help in the wake of last week’s massive earthquake in Haiti. As members of a helping profession, we are ready and willing to offer our assistance and support,” says CBA President Kevin Carroll, Q.C., of Barrie, Ontario.
“As lawyers, we make our living assisting people, and now we want to help those people in their hour of greatest need,” explains Stephen Green of Toronto, Chair of the CBA’s National Citizenship and Immigration Law Section.
Immigration lawyers from across the country are offering to consult and assist Canadians and permanent residents in Canada to complete documents in the context of the Government of Canada’s special immigration measures program.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has committed to fast-tracking new and existing applications under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act from Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have close family members directly affected by this disaster in Haiti. The CBA initiative will facilitate this process.
For details on the CBA initiative and information on how to contact immigration lawyers or organizations that have volunteered to assist, please visit the CBA website for Haiti.
The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Bernstein
The Canadian Bar Association
Tel: 613-237-2925, ext. 146
E-mail: hannahb@cba.org
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