Once a decision has been rendered in relation to an application for a humanitarian and compassionate exemption, is the ability of the decision-maker to reopen or reconsider the application on the basis of further evidence provided by an applicant limited by the doctrine of functus officio?
Procedural Fairness Where Credibility is an Issue
In an application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC“) the burden is on the applicant to put forward a complete, convincing and unambiguous application which provides sufficient evidence to establish that the requirements of Canadian immigration legislation are met. Visa officers are not under an obligation to ask for additional information where the submitted material is insufficient. As well, as demonstrated by the decision in Omitogun v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2024 FC 719, visa officers are under no obligation to review an applicant’s previously submitted applications. However, where there is a concern regarding the credibility or the genuineness of the evidence submitted, as opposed to the sufficiency of, or weight to be given, to that information, then the duty of fairness generally requires that the applicant be given the opportunity to address the concern. The Federal Court succintently set out the test in Fard v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2024 FC 1403, writing: Where an officer suggests that the applicant’s supporting documents serve a “demonstrative purpose” amounting to a “deceptive façade” (Taeb v Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) 2023 FC 576 at para 6) or where, as here, the officer states that the applicant’s financial data has been “inflated” … Read More
Restoration of Status
If a visitor, worker, or student loses their legal status in Canada, they may be eligible to apply for status restoration. This process, known as a restoration application, allows individuals to regain their temporary resident status under specific conditions. According to section 182 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (“IRPR”), applicants must meet certain eligibility criteria to restore their status in Canada.: 182. On application made by a visitor, worker or student within 90 days after losing temporary resident status as a result of failing to comply with a condition imposed under paragraph 185(a), any of subparagraphs 185(b)(i) to (iii) or paragraph 185(c), an officer shall restore that status if, following an examination, it is established that the visitor, worker or student meets the initial requirements for their stay, has not failed to comply with any other conditions imposed and is not the subject of a declaration made under subsection 22.1(1) of the Act. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC“) Guidelines, if an individual applies to extend their temporary resident status and IRCC refuses the application after their status has expired, the Case Processing Centre – Edmonton will notify them that they can submit a restoration of … Read More
Actively Pursuing Studies
Regulation 220.1(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations provides that the holder of a study permit in Canada (a) shall enroll at a designated learning institution and remain enrolled at a designated learning institution until they complete their studies and (b) shall actively pursue their course or program of study. Non-compliance with this requirement can, subject to certain exceptions that are beyond the scope of this post, result in a person being barred from Canada for one year. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC“) website contains guidelines (the “Guidelines”) on interpreting these requirements. The guidelines are divided into the following sections: Full-time and part-time studies Progress toward completion of courses Changing institutions or changing programs of study at the same institution D. Leave from studies E. Deferred enrollment F. School closures G. Change of status H. Spouses or common-law partners of full-time students (C42) I. Children of full-time students J. Working on or off campus not authorized during any leave from studies K. Co-op and internship placements not authorized during any leave from studies I have reproduced or paraphrased much of the Guidelines below. At the end of this post I have summarized Federal Court of Canada jurisprudence on the matter. … Read More
Ability to Perform the Work Sought
Regulation 200(3)(a) provides that an officer shall not issue a work permit to a foreign national if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the foreign national is unable to perform the work sought. Procedural Fairness In jurisprudence on applications for skilled worker class permits it has also been held that if the officer has concerns about the veracity of documents, procedural fairness demands that the officer make further inquires. However, an officer is generally not under a duty to inform a skilled worker class permit applicant about his concerns when they arise directly from the requirements of the legislation or regulations. As the Federal Court of Canada noted in Li v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2012 FC 484, the same applies in work permit applications. As the court held in Kumar v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2020 FC 935, because of the legislative requirement that officers not issue work permits to foreign nationals if they believe that the foreign national is unable to perform the work sought, then even if Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s online checklist does not specifically require documents such as diplomas, academic transcripts, or certificates of English proficiency, an officer can refuse an application if … Read More
Work Permits and Permanent Residence Options for Hong Kong Nationals
In 2021 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada introduced facilitative measures to provide open work permits to residents of Hong Kong and facilitative measures creating two pathways to permanent residence to facilitate the immigration of certain Hong Kong residents. Work Permits The public policy allows for the issuance of open work permits to eligible residents of Hong Kong, whether they are in Canada or abroad, for a period of up to three years. Eligible family members may also be issued an open work permit. To be eligible, the foreign national must: hold a valid passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or the United Kingdom to a British National Overseas; have graduated no more than 10 years before theyapply for this open work permit, with one of the following: a degree (for example, associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral) from a designated post-secondary learning institution in Canada or an institution abroad; a diploma for a minimum 2-year program from a designated post-secondary learning institution in Canada or an institution abroad; or a graduate or post-graduate credential from a program of at least 1 year that required the completion of a post-secondary degree or diploma, as a prerequisite for acceptance into … Read More
Responding to Procedural Fairness Letters
Where an applicant submits a complete application, but an immigration officer nonetheless has concerns regarding the merits of it, the immigration officer will often provide a fairness letter to the applicant. This requirement has arisen from Federal Court of Canada jurisprudence which provides that the duty of procedural fairness can require that an applicant be given an opportunity to respond to a decision maker’s concerns when those concerns go beyond simply whether the legislation or related requirements are met on the face of the application. When, for example, the applicant may be unaware of the existence or the basis of the concern, procedural fairness may require prior notice of the concern before a decision is made so that the applicant has an opportunity to try to disabuse the officer of the concern. As the Court noted in Kaur v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2020 FC 809, this is the case for both temporary and permanent residency applications. In Asanova v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2020 FC 1173, the Court stated: Even so, at a minimum procedural fairness requires that an applicant for a visa have an opportunity to participate meaningfully in the application process. Consequently, the duty of procedural fairness can require … Read More
Article 1E of the 1951 Refugee Convention
Article 1E of the 1951 Refugee Convention states: This Convention shall not apply to a person who is recognized by the competent authorities of the country in which he has taken residence as having the rights and obligations which are attached to the possession of the nationality of that country. The leading case for interpreting Article 1E is Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v. Zeng, 2010 FCA 118. There, the Federal Court of Appeal stated: Considering all relevant factors to the date of the hearing, does the claimant have status, substantially similar to that of its nationals, in the third country? If the answer is yes, the claimant is excluded. If the answer is no, the next question is whether the claimant previously had such status and lost it, or had access to such status and failed to acquire it. If the answer is no, the claimant is not excluded under Article 1E. If the answer is yes, the RPD must consider and balance various factors. These include, but are not limited to, the reason for the loss of status (voluntary or involuntary), whether the claimant could return to the third country, the risk the claimant would face in the home country, … Read More
Work Permits Under The North American Free Trade Agreement / CUSMA
(the following is largely paraphrased from the IRCC website) The North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA“) is a free trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico. It facilities the temporary entry of individuals, including providing certain Americans and Mexicans with the ability to work in Canada without first requiring Labour Market Impact Assessments (“LMIAs“). NAFTA does not assist permanent admission, does not apply to permanent residents of the United States and Mexico and does not remove the need for Americans and Mexicans to undergo security screening before entering Canada. The categories are: Business Visitors; After – Sales Services; Investors; Intra-Corporate Transferees; and Professionals. Business Visitors To qualify as a business visitor, an American or Mexican citizen must be entering Canada to conduct activities that are international in scope, have no intention to enter the Canadian labour market, have their primary source of remuneration be outside of Canada and their principal place of business remain outside of Canada. For example, business visitors engage in international business activities related to research and design; growth, manufacture and production; marketing; sales; distribution; after-sales service; and general service. Typical examples of business activities include, but are not limited to, consultation, negotiation, discussion, research, … Read More
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 … Read More