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
Francophone Immigration Targets
One of the most misunderstood parts of Canada's Immigration Levels Plan is the government's francophone immigration targets. Every year there are headlines announcing that Canada is increasing or decreasing its commitment to francophone immigration outside Quebec. Those headlines are often followed by commentary suggesting that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ("IRCC") is either succeeding or failing in meeting its obligations under the Official Languages Act. The reality is considerably more complicated. What Are the Francophone Targets? Canada's francophone immigration targets apply only to French-speaking permanent residents settling outside Quebec. Quebec selects the vast majority of its own economic immigrants and has its own immigration objectives. The federal government's francophone targets are therefore aimed at increasing the proportion of French-speaking newcomers elsewhere in Canada. The targets have increased rapidly over the past several years: 4.4% in 2023 6% in 2024 8.5% in 2025 9.5% in 2026 10% in 2027 12% in 2029 On paper, this appears to represent an ambitious expansion of French-speaking immigration outside Quebec. The Important Distinction: Percentage Versus Absolute Numbers What often gets overlooked is that these targets are expressed as a percentage of overall permanent resident admissions, not as a fixed number of people. This matters because ...
Arguing Incompetence of Counsel in an Appeal
Many lawyers when they meet with clients often review rejected applications and/or appeals where it is obvious that the individual's previous representative was incompetent. The examples of incompetence range from missed deadlines to ignorance of the law. Some specific examples include: former counsel being told by an Immigration Appeal Division member to "sit down" because they were incompetent; an immigration consultant not knowing the difference between a "conviction" and a "dismissal"; an immigration consultant stating that the "prevailing wage = the wage paid to Canadians at the employer's company"; and a lawyer filing late because "deadlines are policy, not statute." While the previous representative's incompetence may serve as a ground for relief in a judicial review, cases based on incompetence and/or negligence of previous counsel are exceptionally difficult. The Federal Court's March 7, 2014, Procedural Protocol on arguing incompetence of counsel only make these cases more challenging. The Law on Incompetence of Counsel As the Supreme Court of Canada stated in R v. GDB for incompetence/negligence of previous counsel/representative to count as a ground for judicial review, it must be established that (1) previous counsel’s acts or omissions constituted incompetence and (2) that a miscarriage of justice resulted from the incompetence. The Federal ...
C-11 Work Permits
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's ("IRCC") International Mobility Program contains Labour Market Impact Assessment ("LMIA") exemption code C-11, titled Canadian interests – Significant benefit – Entrepreneurs/self-employed candidates seeking to operate a business. The exemption falls under Regulation 205(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. According to the IRCC website, the eligibility requirement can be divided into those who seek permanent residence and those who don't. For those who seek permanent residence, an applicant must: be an actual or potential provincial nominee undertaking business activities or be a Quebec-destined entrepreneur or self-employed person issued a Quebec Selection Certificate (a "CSQ"); and have a letter of support from the province or territory (this letter of support should count towards evidence that their admission to Canada to operate a business may create significant economic, social or cultural benefit to Canada) or a request from the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Diversité et de l'Inclusion (MIDI) requesting early entry. For those who do not seek permanent residence, an applicant must: demonstrate that their admission to Canada to operate their business would generate significant economic, social or cultural benefits or opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Benefits to Canadian clients of a self-employed worker may ...
