Practicing Exclusively in Canadian Immigration Law
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Who we are
Steven Meurrens is a Partner at Larlee Rosenberg, a highly regarded law firm in Vancouver, British Columbia that practices exclusively in Canadian immigration law.
Practice Areas
Our firm practices almost exclusively in Canadian immigration matters, including work permit applications, provincial nominations, skilled worker applications, and more.
Immigration Blog
Dual Intent
One of the most common questions that immigration lawyers and consultants get asked is whether someone can visit, work or study in Canada if they either have a permanent residence application in process or plan to submit one. The issue is often especially pronounced in Canada's family reunification programs, as families do not want to wait the years that it can take Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ("IRCC" ) to reunite, at least temporarily. It can also, however, arise in economic immigration programs, as foreign workers who arrive in Canada may ultimately want to immigrate. The same is true with students. Section 22(2) of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (the "IRPA") states that: An intention by a foreign national to become a permanent resident does not preclude them from becoming a temporary resident if the officer is satisfied that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay. This is commonly referred to as the dual intent provision. Because of this, IRCC's program manuals specifically state that "having 2 intents (one for temporary residence and 1 for permanent residence) is legitimate." However, "the possibility that an applicant for temporary residence may, at some point in ...
Administrative Deferrals of Removal
Administrative deferrals of removal ("ADR") are temporary measures when the Government of Canada determines that immediate action is needed to temporarily defer removals of foreign nationals to countries experiencing humanitarian crisis. Once the situation in a country stabilizes the ADR is lifted and removals resume. Those who are inadmissible to Canada on grounds of criminality, international or human rights violations, organized crime, or security can still be removed despite the ADR. H&C Applications Pursuant to the Federal Court of Canada decision in Bawazir v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2019 FC 623 ("Bawazir"), the existence of an ADR should not negate the hardship analysis that officers conduct in humanitarian & compassionate applications. As Justice Norris noted: One can certainly understand why Mr. Bawazir would like to secure his status in Canada by obtaining permanent residence here. In my view, a reasonable and fair-minded person would judge the requirement that he leave Canada and go to a war zone where a dire humanitarian crisis prevails so that he could apply for permanent residence as a misfortune potentially deserving of amelioration. The existence of the ADR demonstrates that Canada views the conditions in Yemen as a result of the civil war to “pose ...
Express Entry Imm Rep Q&A
The following PDFs contain several Express Entry Q&As that were obtained through an Access to Information Act request. The topics include what documentation is required in an Express Entry application, enclosing rehabilitation applications with Express Entry, what counts as a 'certificate of qualification', points for skills transferability, and qualifying arranged employment. Here is more functional guidance about concurrent work experience.
