Looking back and ahead

The Loudspeaker for the issues that matter to you and your clients

The Section is hard at work advocating for important issues. This is thanks to the generous involvement of our dozens of volunteers who deserve our thanks and appreciation.

I would like to take this opportunity to update you regarding progress made since I wrote to you in September outlining five priorities for your Executive Committee.

What follows is a snapshot of the hard work recently behind us, initiatives that are in process at this time, and a glimpse of the exciting road ahead.

Update on committed priorities:

Planning for a fully in-person National Immigration Law Conference

• We are planning for Canada’s premier Immigration Law Conference which will take place from June 1 – 3 fittingly this year in the National Capital. Our Conference Planning Committee led by our Conference Co-Chairs, Agenda Subcommittee Chair and Speakers Subcommittee Chair have been working day and night to prepare for this pivotal event.
• The theme is “Reunite” and we can hardly wait to connect anew together in person in Ottawa. Get set for networking opportunities with Government representatives and colleagues from the Bar to exchange best practices and updates. Participate in round table Hot Topic practice exchanges from experts from coast to coast to coast. Catch up on cutting edge jurisprudence. Be prepared to celebrate all of the hard work of our volunteers – Coordinators and Committees and lawyers from CBA Pro Bono initiatives – at our Friday Night Gala event.

Ground-breaking advocacy work

• We are advocating for the issues that matter most to you and your clients: Resolving processing delays, streamlining procedures and improving communication for immigration and citizenship application processing.
• Recently, we have made submissions to Minister Fraser regarding post-graduation work permit eligibility, the IRCC pilot project to lift the 20-hour-per-week cap on off-campus work for international students, proposed solutions for eCOPR and PR card processing, and clarifying temporary resident status. We take every opportunity in our meetings with IRCC to advocate for the right to counsel in immigration and citizenship proceedings.
• The Section’s Officers conducted Fall Government meetings on November 1^st, 2022 in Ottawa with the Associate Deputy Minister of IRCC and departmental officials with IRCC, ESDC and Service Canada. We are planning for Spring Government meetings in Ottawa in May 2023. In the meantime, we have connected with Director Generals at IRCC to collaborate on innovative solutions for immigration processing.
• We contribute to Portal demonstrations and discussions with IRCC to modernize and improve existing portals, together with our Portal Coordinators.
• Our Anti-Racism Committee is working with the Anti-Racism Group at IRCC to address systemic bias and move beyond.

Membership Renewal, Outreach, and Professional Development

• There are so many benefits to being a CBA member and we are working on new approaches to showcase them to younger members, members from diverse backgrounds, solo practitioners and others.
• We are planning for outreach events to Law Students in Montreal and Young Lawyers in Toronto this Spring 2023. Our Young Lawyers Coordinators have also been instrumental in planning Social Media Livestreams and events for our National Immigration Law Conference.
• We hosted multiple Law Series Webinars and offered the first complimentary CPD on LMIA Online Portal in January 2023 – Stay tuned for more PD programs to come.

Awards and Accolades

We will soon announce the winner of our Section’s Founders’ Award which will be decided by the Founders’ Award Committee. There is still time (until April 28^th, 2023) to nominate a distinguished leader of our Section for the Award of Excellence. The Founders’ Awards, the Award of Excellence and the Volunteer Recognition Award winners will all be announced in Ottawa at our National Immigration Law Conference.

Getting Involved

Most of all, we would encourage you to get involved with our Section. We are only as strong as the sum of our collective actions and advocacy. Whether it is accepting a Call-Out from our Submissions Coordinators on the listserv, raising issues of importance with our Litigation Coordinators, posting on your social media to support CBA platforms and our Social Media Coordinators, or getting involved with the CBA Pro Bono initiatives – such as crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine by engaging with our Pro Bono Coordinators, the opportunities are as diverse as they are rewarding.

I would like to express my personal admiration for all of the leaders of our Section as we work together this year.

Sincerely,

Lisa Middlemiss
Chair, CBA Immigration Law Section