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Police Record Check Levels in Ontario

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October 24, 2026

First Criminal Court Appearance in Ontario

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October 21, 2026

Changing a Refugee Hearing Date at the RPD

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October 18, 2026

When the Record Suspension Waiting Period Starts

.rs-wait-tbl{min-width:0}.rs-wait-tbl td{color:var(--text)}.rs-wait-link{text-decoration:underline}@media (max-width:600px){.rs-wait-tbl{font-size:14px}.rs-wait-tbl th,.rs-wait-tbl td{padding:8px 9px}} The waiting period for a record suspension does not run from the date of the offence or the date ...

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October 16, 2026

Marriage of Convenience and Spousal Sponsorship

Some individuals, seeking an easier path to Canada, may enter into a marriage with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident without having a genuine marital ...

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October 15, 2026

Criminality & Misrepresentation Appeals at the IAD

As counsel, I have appeared before the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) in a number of appeals involving removal orders arising from criminality. What factors are ...

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October 14, 2026

Can a Permanent Resident Be Stripped of Status?

There is no mechanism to simply “strip” a permanent resident of their status in Canada. The loss of permanent resident status must occur through a ...

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October 13, 2026

Refugee Claim at a Port of Entry: First Interview

If you are making a refugee claim when you arrive in Canada, one of your first interactions will be with a Canada Border Services Agency ...

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October 12, 2026

Stay of Removal Motion at the Federal Court

Many people who are subject to a removal order and have a scheduled date for removal believe that they can simply file an “appeal” with ...

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September 28, 2026

Who Can Appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division

A right of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) exists only where section 63 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act creates one, and ...

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September 28, 2026

Parents or Grandparents Sponsorship Refused

If your parents or grandparents’ immigration application has been refused, you may still have options. The appropriate remedy will depend on the reason for the ...

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September 24, 2026

Misrepresentation Under Section 40 of IRPA

Section 40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act makes a permanent resident or a foreign national inadmissible to Canada for misrepresentation in four defined ...

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September 22, 2026

Deemed Rehabilitation vs Criminal Rehabilitation

Both routes do the same work — they stop a criminal record from outside Canada being a ground of inadmissibility — but only one of ...

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September 19, 2026

Criminal Inadmissibility: How Equivalency Works

Equivalency is the comparison a Canadian decision-maker makes when the offence happened somewhere else: the foreign offence is measured against Canadian law to work out ...

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September 16, 2026

What a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment Considers

A Pre-Removal Risk Assessment, almost always shortened to PRRA, is the last risk assessment Canadian law provides before a removal order is carried out. It ...

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September 13, 2026

Departure, Exclusion and Deportation Orders

Canadian immigration law does not have one removal order. It has three — departure, exclusion and deportation — and the difference between them is not ...

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September 10, 2026

What an Admissibility Hearing Decides

An admissibility hearing is a proceeding before the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board that settles one question: whether a permanent resident or ...

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September 7, 2026

Detention Review Hearings: 48 Hours, 7 and 30 Days

An immigration detention review is a hearing at which a member of the Immigration Division decides whether a person held under the Immigration and Refugee ...

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September 4, 2026

What the Refugee Appeal Division Can and Cannot Do

An appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division is not a second hearing of a refugee claim. It is a review of a decision already made, ...

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September 1, 2026

The Basis of Claim Form: What Each Section Asks

The Basis of Claim form is the document a refugee claim is built on. It is completed once, early, and then read by the Refugee ...

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August 31, 2026

What Happens at a Refugee Hearing at the RPD

A refugee hearing at the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) is usually the first time a claimant has to explain, out loud and under oath, why ...

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August 30, 2026

Types of Removal Orders in Canada

To build a proper defence against an immigration removal order, one has to understand that there are several types of removal orders and they are ...

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April 1, 2026

Who Can Enter and Remain in Canada

Canadian citizens have an unconditional right to enter and return to Canada following travel abroad. Permanent residents also have the right to return to Canada, ...

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March 25, 2026

The Canadian Justice and Immigration Systems

Some of my colleagues who exclusively practice immigration law don’t have a clue who the parties are in other legal proceedings and how the system ...

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March 18, 2026

Stays of Removal Orders in Canada

Being issued a removal order is not necessarily the end of the road. In many cases, removal orders can be challenged, stayed, or may never ...

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March 11, 2026

Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation on an immigration application to Canada, such as omitting relevant facts, submitting fraudulent documents, misstating marital status, or failing to disclose the existence of ...

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March 4, 2026

How Legal Counsel Can Save You From Removal From Canada

In my practice, I have seen firsthand how timely legal representation can make the difference between removal from Canada and a second chance to remain. ...

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February 25, 2026

Facing Removal From Canada

Facing removal from Canada can be frightening, especially when it happens without warning. Many people are surprised to learn that removal is not limited to ...

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February 18, 2026

Can a Permanent Resident Lose Their Status?

Permanent resident (“PR”) status in Canada comes with significant rights and privileges, including the right to live and work in Canada indefinitely and the ability ...

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February 11, 2026

Admissibility Hearings

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act does not spell out a strict procedure for determining inadmissibility. In practice, this determination is made through admissibility hearings, ...

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February 4, 2026