Newsletter Archive
What happens if you don't move to Canada after becoming a Permanent Resident?
- by Ronalee Carey Law
November 2025
One of the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an interruption in plans to settle in Canada after obtaining permanent residence status. After being approved to settle in Canada, many individuals I’ve met with found they could not make the move. Finding employment, obtaining housing, and disrupting already disrupted schooling created too heavy a burden for many families. These individuals are now nearing the end of their initial five-year period after obtaining permanent residence, raising concerns that they may not have met the residency obligation.
Alarming Updated IRCC Processing Times
- by Ronalee Carey Law
October 2025
IRCC has updated processing times for the various immigration applications and refugee claims. For some applications, the new updated processing times raise alarms for lawyers and applicants.
You Don’t Need a Lawyer To Submit An Application, But You May Want One
- by Ronalee Carey Law
September 2025
IRCC states on their website that you don’t need to hire a representative. You can get all the necessary forms and instructions for an immigration application on the IRCC website. Then, if you follow the instructions, you should be able to fill out the forms and submit them yourself. This is how it should be, but the reality is more complicated, and you should be aware of the pros and cons of self-representation before deciding on whether you would like to have a lawyer’s legal assistance. I have blogged about this issue in the past—Yes, You Really Do Need a Lawyer to Help You and Shocker: Your Canadian Immigration Application is More Likely to be Accepted if Prepared with the Assistance of a Lawyer.
Family Unification or Forced Family Separation? Portal Problems and Processing Times Plague Spousal Sponsorship Applications
- by Ronalee Carey Law
August 2025
One of the main objectives of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) is family unification. The same section of the act also lists objectives such as “consistent standards and prompt processing” and “establishment of fair and efficient procedures.” However, our recent experience reflects the opposite of these objectives; unrepresented clients are facing significant barriers to preparing a successful application. Additionally, in-Canada applicants and those destined to live in Québec are experiencing considerable processing delays.
