The Section is bustling with activity and there are so many great ways to get involved.
Award Nominees Wanted!
- Last Call for Founders’ Award Nominations (Deadline: November 30, 2019)
There are only two days left to nominate an exceptional law student or junior lawyer for the Founders’ Award. The successful candidate will be recognized at our annual conference in April and they must be willing to prepare a paper of 2,500-5,000 words if selected. If you or someone you know should be nominated, please submit your entry no later than November 30.
- Nominate a Distinguished Section Member for the Award of Excellence (Deadline: January 31, 2020)
The Award of Excellence recognizes a senior member of the Section with a lengthy and distinguished history. It is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a Section member. Learn more about eligibility and the nomination procedure, and be sure to submit all supporting documentation by the deadline.
Conference Registration is Open for CBA Members
Join us in Montreal this spring for the CBA Immigration Law Conference. This year’s theme is “20/20: A Vision for Immigration Lawyer Expertise”. Register now! Early bird rates are available until January 24.
CBA Immigration Law Conference
April 2-4, 2020
Montreal, QC
REGISTER NOW →=
Highlights from the First Quarter of 2019-2020
Your Executive Committee has been hard at work pushing forward the priorities we set at the beginning of this fiscal year, which are:
- Reforming the Federal Skilled Trades category
- Protecting solicitor-client privilege and confidentiality
- Defending legal aid
- Improving asylum and refugee initiatives
- Advocating for client service modernization
- Properly regulating immigration consultants and preventing the unauthorized practice of law
We have prepared recent submissions on:
- Regulation of Immigration Consultants (September 11, 2019)
With thanks to the working group: Anna Kuranicheva, Rachel Beaupre, Barbara Jo Caruso, Ravi Jain, Betsy Kane, Jae-Yeon Lim, Robin Seligman and Aleksandar Stojicevic.
- Administrative Deferral of Removal — Spouse/Common-law Partner in Canada Class (September 18, 2019)
With thanks to the working group: Robin Seligman, Herbert Brownstein, David Chalk, Shirish P. Chotalia, Chantal Desloges, Tony Y.H. Kuo, Anna Kuranicheva, Erica Olmstead, Madison Pearlman and Mandeep Singh.
- Landing Process (October 3, 2019)
With thanks to the working group: David Davis, Brett Cavanaugh, Sandra Hakanson, Pantea Jafari, Cosmina Morariu, Robin Seligman and Russell Weninger.
- Draft Practice Guidelines on Immigration and Refugee Proceedings Stay Motions for Removals from Canada (November 6, 2019)
With thanks to the working group: Robert Blanshay, Aris Daghighian, Wennie Lee and Erica Olmstead.
Other updates:
In October, you will also recall that a survey was circulated on the listserv addressing whether non-lawyer immigration consultants should be permitted to participate in the Section’s annual conference. We appreciate that Section members contributed nearly 170 survey responses, the results of which are under consideration by CBA’s governing bodies. We patiently await a decision.
Finally, the Section Officers will be participating in government meetings in December 2019 with the IRCC, ESDC and CBSA.
Get Involved
And a Little Bit of History...
Our Section has a long and proud history, and we’re indebted to Gary Segal and Marshall Drukarsh for sharing their memories of the foundation of our organization. We should all be proud of the contributions of those who came before us and who continue to inspire our work today. Continue reading an account of our history.
Thank you and please contact any of the Section Officers (Ravi Jain, Mark Holthe, Kyle Hyndman and Marina Sedai) if you have questions or ideas about volunteering with the Section.
Ravi Jain
Chair, CBA Immigration Law Section