Find Lawyers in Canada for Immigration Law
Practice Area Overview
Immigration lawyers work with corporations and other employers to help clients understand the legal steps that must first be followed before bringing key employees to work in Canada. They can assist with the immigration documents required and they can identify how immigration law might affect their business dealings.
Immigration lawyers identify the reasons why a foreign national may not be permitted entry to Canada and advise on eligibility, and where applicable, options to overcome these challenges (e.g. criminal inadmissibility issues). Immigration lawyers assist their clients who require skilled employees to address labour shortages in Canada with the requisite government filings and advise on strategies to assist clients’ employees in maintaining legal status in Canada.
Immigration lawyers also work with individuals to help them understand the steps required to sponsor a loved one, whether they are eligible for permanent residence status in Canada (an area of law that changes frequently), which tests immigration officers use to assess whether an individual may be granted entry to Canada, as well as a variety of other immigration and cross-border related matters. An immigration lawyer can also advise clients on the process of obtaining permanent residence, work permits, study permits, and reuniting family once eligibility has been assessed.
Experienced immigration lawyers have built relationships with applicable government departments in the immigration or cross-border process, including with Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada, Service Canada, Provincial Departments, and the Canada Border Services Agency.
Select a location from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Province
Elsa Agostinho is a member of our Business Immigration group and specializes in Canadian immigration. She is recognized for her professionalism, broad expertise and ability to respond to the changing and growing needs of enterprises operating internationally. Since 1997, Elsa has practiced exclusively in the field of professional mobility, work permits and global immigration. Elsa’s clients primarily include SMEs and multinational companies based in Canada and internationally. She advis...
Chantal Arsenault has been practising in immigration and professional mobility since 1995. She provides advice on immigration issues to small and medium-sized companies as well as international corporations. Clients span a range of industries, including technology, entertainment, sports, food service and manufacturing. Ms. Arsenault also represents individuals who wish to become permanent residents in Canada in order to live, work and/or join a family member.
Melissa is recognized as a Certified Specialist in the area of Citizenship and Immigration Law by the Law Society of Ontario. She practices Canadian and U.S. Immigration Law, with a focus on corporate and family immigration. Over the span of her career, Melissa has acquired a unique combination of experience that spans all areas of Canadian Immigration law. As a trusted advisor to Canadian employers and multinational companies, Melissa has provided strategic immigration planning advice for al...
Michael Battista LL.B. (Queen’s) B.A. (Toronto) was called to the Ontario bar in 1992 and has been practicing immigration and refugee law exclusively since that time. He is certified as a specialist in Citizenship and Immigration law (Immigration and Refugee Protection) by the Law Society of Ontario. His legal practice involves representation of clients in all areas of immigration and refugee law with a particular focus on immigration issues for the LGBTQ community, academics, and inadm...
Mario D. Bellissimo is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and a founding associate of Bellissimo Law Group. Mr. Bellissimo is a Certified Specialist in Citizenship and Immigration Law and Refugee Protection. His practice is focused primarily on litigation with an emphasis on immigration inadmissibility. Mr. Bellissimo has appeared before all levels of immigration tribunals and courts including the Supreme Court of Canada. Mr. Bellissimo acts on a pro bono basis as National Immigration Law ...
Jean-Philippe Brunet is one of the few Quebec lawyers to have devoted his entire career exclusively in advising businesses and business people on immigration matters. He has been practicing for more than 25 years in Montreal, first in a leading boutique firm, then as a partner and head of the national business immigration team at an international firm and finally as a founding and managing partner of Galileo Partners since 2016. For nearly 15 years now, he has been on the most recognized lega...
Henry J. Chang is a partner in the firm’s Employment and Labor Group. He currently practices in the areas of Canadian and United States business immigration law, international business law, and cannabis law. Henry obtained his JD from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1990. He was admitted to the practice of law in the State of California and the Province of Ontario in 1992. A recognized authority in the field of United States and Canadian business immigration law, Henry writes and speaks exte...
Audrey Anne is one of the most promising young immigration lawyers in the country. Audrey Anne completed her articling at a top-tier international law firm, Norton Rose Fullbright, where she gained experience in business immigration and international mobility. Once called to the Quebec Bar, Audrey Anne began a dual practice in immigration and labour and employment before ultimately specializing solely in business immigration and international mobility. She has since authored several Yvon Blai...
Veronica Choy acts for a broad range of companies and individuals on Canadian and American business immigration matters. Licensed in Alberta and Washington, Veronica offers her clients the unique advantage of sourcing their American and Canadian immigration needs in one place. This allows clients to consider a wider range of practical options, processes, and consequences in the hiring and movement of personnel to work in Canada and/or the United States. She can clarify the wide range of work ...
Kenneth Ing is the principal of Kenneth Ing Law Corporation. Fluent in both English and Cantonese, Mr. Ing deals exclusively with business immigration and real estate matters involving international and domestic interests in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as Hong Kong and throughout the Asia Pacific Region. He has been a guest lecturer for the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia on many occasions and has also lectured for the International Bar Ass...
Roxanne has 20 years of experience as a business immigration lawyer supporting clients with all aspects of Canadian, U.S. and global immigration. In addition to overseeing immigration compliance programs, Roxanne provides advisory services related to global immigration program management, policy development, vendor compliance and risk-management related to cross-border travel. Roxanne joined EY as an Associate lawyer in 2007 and became a Partner in 2013. Roxanne leads our firm’s Calgary...
Matthew Jeffery, Barrister & Solicitor, is an expert in all areas of Canadian immigration law, including applications for permanent residence such as Spouse and Partner Sponsorships, Express Entry applications, and Humanitarian cases; applications for temporary residence including Work Permits, Study Permits, and Visitor Visas, as well as Permanent Resident Card renewals and Citizenship applications. Mr. Jeffery’s office also represents clients in the full range of Canadian immigrat...
Betsy Kane has practised Canadian citizenship and immigration law exclusively since 1994. Betsy's practice focuses on corporate immigration legal services. In 2009, Betsy Kane was certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a specialist in citizenship and immigration law. Betsy is a co-founding member of the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA), an organization dedicated to promoting the rule of law, access to justice and the development of Canadian immigration law and policy throug...
A Saskatchewan girl, Meika charms us regularly with expressions like "have at 'er!" And believe us, when Meika "has at 'er" there's no stopping her from fighting on behalf of her clients. Her personable but no-nonsense approach, her work ethic and her reputation as a strategic thinker have led her to build a loyal following among Canada's leading companies. It’s no surprise that Meika has been recognized by Lexpert as one of Canada’s leading practitioners in Immigration Law. Meika...
Vance Langford is a Calgary-based business lawyer and Managing Partner of Langford Law. Vance has over 20 years' experience working with clients to structure businesses, complete financings and transactions and resolve disputes with support from counsel for securities, tax and litigation matters. Vance’s practice includes negotiating and documenting acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations and other complex business transactions, particularly involving multiple jurisdictions and comp...
Partner and Head of the Business Immigration team, Julie Lessard heads one of the largest teams of business immigration professionals in Canada. She has over 20 years of experience in this complex field. She advises both multinationals and small- and medium-sized businesses on how to attract top global talent be it to innovate, to benefit from a global knowledge or to meet specialized workforce needs. Julie develops immigration and/or global mobility strategies for several Fortune 500 compani...
Stephanie leads our Quebec immigration practice. She is focused on US and Canadian corporate immigration matters while taking into account any Quebec-specific matter that arises. Stephanie has a multidisciplinary background. Her complimentary experience, skill-set and qualifications in both US and Canadian immigration law combine to effectively support multinational corporations in achieving their critical objectives. She brings diverse perspectives to find innovative and practical solutions ...
When Silvia decides to take on a challenge, she really goes for it. After launching a successful career as a civil and employment lawyer in her native Brazil, Silvia decided to immigrate to Canada without having set foot here before. Undaunted by the Canadian licensing process, she worked her way through another law degree, a second career as an immigration paralegal and a third career as a mother to two boys. She’s now returned to where she started, this time tackling the practice of C...
Bill MacGregor is a partner in the firm’s Waterloo Region office and the leader of the firm’s Immigration National Practice Group. His practice emphasizes corporate immigration and the cross-border movement of personnel. Bill also provides advice in relation to hiring and employing foreign nationals in Canada. Bill brings years of experience advising clients on all aspects of corporate immigration. He regularly assists employers with international transfers; obtaining work permits...
Tamara Mosher-Kuczer is the founder of Lighthouse Immigration Law Professional Corporation, a boutique law firm specializing in Canadian Immigration Law. Previously with Capelle Kane Immigration Lawyers from 2014-2022, Tamara has extensive experience offering strategic legal advice and assistance to large multinationals, small businesses, start-ups and individuals to facilitate both short and long-term employment in a wide range of sectors, and the transition to permanent residence and citize...
The same qualities that allowed Ryan to excel in his previous career as a fly fishing guide have come in handy as an immigration lawyer: focus, persistence, knowledge and a natural ability to guide his clients with clarity. Ryan joined the partnership at McCrea in 2020 after more than 15 years leading the immigration practice group of a leading regional firm. In addition to his practice in Vancouver, he maintains strong connections to the Kelowna area and advises a number of Okanagan-based co...
Deanna is one of the most respected immigration lawyers in Canada, but as far as we're concerned she's just the nicest person we could ever hope to work with. She joined the firm in 2010 after working for many years as the executive director and staff lawyer of a non-profit serving the needs of foreign live-in caregivers. Deanna is a crack immigration litigator, winning all the cases she should and a few she probably shouldn't, and frankly we're glad we never have to face off against her in c...
Catherine Sas, K.C. is a Partner in the Immigration group. With over 20 years of experience, she provides a full range of immigration services and has been recognized as a leading immigration practitioner by Lexpert, Who's Who Legal, and Best Lawyers in Canada. An active member of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Catherine is a past chair of both the B.C. Immigration Law Section and the National Immigration Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association. She has participated in continuing leg...
Heather has been practising for over twenty years in North American immigration law. She is practices in the corporate arena, handling individuals and small businesses as well as multinational corporations alike. She was a director on the American Immigration Lawyers Association for 10 years. Heather speaks regularly to bar associations, international conferences and to companies in Canada and throughout the world. She is a strategist and problem solver who expeditiously finds creative soluti...
Zool Suleman, QC, the founder of Suleman & Co., is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School (1989) and served as a Law Clerk at the Federal Court of Canada (Appeal Division) in 1990-91. He articled with a national law firm before establishing his own firm (1992). Mr. Suleman is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Canadian Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He has extensive experience in Canadian immigration law matters and restricts his practice to this area of ...
Originally from Sept-Îles, Me Joël Beaudoin quickly turned to immigration law. A member of the Quebec Bar since 2016, he holds a Bachelor of law degree as well as an MBA from the Université de Sherbrooke. To further his education and broaden his horizons, Me Beaudoin also studied international law at Vilnius University in Lithuania. Before joining Cain Lamarre, Me Beaudoin worked for Montreal International, where he honed his knowledge of international labor and immigration ...
Clara Berké exclusively practises immigration law, more specifically in connection with the international mobility of workers and business professionals. Clara is attentive to businesses and their needs. Accordingly, she assists clients undergoing a restructuring or seeking to offset labour shortages by coming up with creative, strategic solutions that target the international mobility of senior executives and skilled workers. She also advises clients on compliance issues related to in...
Mabel practices Canadian immigration law, with a focus on corporate and family immigration matters. She is a trusted advisor to employers and multinational companies, providing strategic planning advice related to relocation strategies and the cross-border movement of personnel, to meet both short-term and long-term client needs. Mabel also assists clients in understanding their obligations with immigration programs and provides support in relation to employer compliance reviews, audits and i...
A member of the Quebec Bar since 2017, Me Mélissa Potvin specializes in immigration and citizenship law. A member of the Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association and the Canadian Bar Association, Me Potvin works on all types of cases covering the entire immigration process in Canada: from temporary residency to permanent residency to citizenship, in addition to compliance audits of employers hiring temporary foreign workers. Prior to joining Cain Lamarre, Me Potvin acquired extensive exp...
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