March 2019

On its Twitter account, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada recently advised potential applicants that they don’t need to use representatives to apply to immigration programs. Apparently, all the information needed to apply for any program is available on their website. If following directions on a website is all it takes to succeed, then why does our office see so many clients after their self-prepared applications were refused? Also, if the requirements are clear, then why do so many applications get sent back for being incomplete?

February 2019

IRCC loves announcing major changes around the holidays. It is probably because it is easier to roll out changes during quieter times, but I choose to believe it is because IRCC likes to give us presents on holidays. This time it was a change to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, which came as a Valentine’s Day gift.

January 2019

This past November, the Huntsville Forester reported that a criminal court judge had ruled that a canoe was a vessel under the Criminal Code of Canada.  This meant that charges against a man could go ahead for impaired operation of a vessel causing death.  He had been paddling a canoe that capsized, while allegedly impaired by alcohol.  The other occupant of the canoe, an eight-year-old boy, drowned.

December 2018

Last June I did a consultation appointment for a family who wished to apply for study permits for their two children. One was an elementary school student, and the other was a secondary school student. The family was in Canada as visitors.  They had been accepted by the school board they applied to.  The school board advised that they could study in Canada for the month of June, without a study permit.  When they came to see me, the children had already been attending classes for two weeks.