Joshua Sohn practiced immigration law for over 25 years. He is a past president of the Canadian Bar Association’s Immigration section. He worked both as a sole practitioner, at a small firm and at a big 4 accounting firm. We discuss Joshua’s career, what made him go to law school, whether he took immigration courses in law school, how he started in refugee law, differences between working as a solo practitioner, small firm and eventually at a big 4 accounting firm, and then back to a small firm, differences working in a downtown core vs suburb, and managing the stress of practicing immigration law and running a business. There are a lot of nuggets in here for aspiring lawyers and current practitioners.

2:00 Quitting social media after retirement.
9:00  Law school
14:00  Articles
17:30 Are there any courses or law schools that are best to help someone start a career in immigration?
19:30 Starting a career in refugee law.
22:30 Is it possible to make a viable practice just doing refugee law?
29:00 The law firm as training ground.
32:00 Practicing as a sole practitioner vs at a large firm.
35:30 Does it make sense for someone to do just immigration law or should people getting into the field specialize in another area as well?
37:00 Practicing immigration law in Vancouver vs. Surrey
41:00 Compassion vs. running a business
42:00 How IRCC’s current processes create new pressures on immigration solicitors.
49:00 The Big 4 accounting firms and immigration.
53:00 Mentorship and volunteerism.
1:01 Tips to tell a co-worker who leaves half-drunk coffee cups around.
1:03 Self-care for lawyers.

Sergio Marchi was Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration from 1993-1995.

Syed Farhan Ali shares his Canadian immigration story. During the time that his spousal sponsorship application was in process he was denied temporary entry to Canada, missed the birth of his first child and missed her first steps. He recently arrived in Canada after a three year application process.

Chantal Dube is a Spokesperson for Spousal Sponsorship Advocates, a group with more than 5,000 members in Canada that argues for reforms to the family reunification process.

3:15 Said tells the story of his spousal sponsorship application. His application took 34 months to process. During the processing of his application Canada denied his visitor visa applications. He missed the birth of his children and their first steps, although he was able to reunite with his wife during brief trips to the United States, which did grant him a visitor visa.

21:00 We discuss the refusal of temporary resident visas for people with spousal sponsorship applications in process, people with frequent travel histories, people with American multiple entry visas, and judicial reviews.

25:00 How long a judicial review takes.

29:50 Assessing genuineness in a spousal sponsorship application, and the distinction between “low risk and high risk” in the checklists.

33:00 The strange quirk in the Family Class where people have to prove that their relationship is genuine but immigrants and foreign workers do not. The same is true for work permits, where the spouses of Canadians cannot apply for work permits from abroad, but the spouses of foreign workers can.

38:00 What are major issues that Sponsorship Advocates seeing?

39:45 What things can trigger genuineness concerns?

45:00 Processing times and approval rates.

55:00 Preventing abuse.

1:03 Is an overzealous hunt for marriage fraud in individual applications the solution to marriage fraud, or are there other measures that can be taken?

The Honourable Chris Alexander served as Canada’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada from July 2013 to November 2015. He represented the riding of Ajax—Pickering in the House of Commons of Canada from 2011 to 2015. Prior to that spent 18 years in the Canadian Foreign Service, serving as Canada’s first resident Ambassador to Afghnistan from 2003 – 2005. Subsequent to being an Member of Parliament he ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.

As Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Mr. Alexander presided over the launch of Express Entry, the termination of the Immigrant Investor Program and the introduction of the Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, which prohibited forced and underaged marriages.

5:09 – If there was one misconception about Canadian immigration law that Minister Alexander would like to change what would it be?

15:00 – Bill C-24 and the revocation of citizenship for dual nationals convicted of high crimes.

16:00 – Whether there was a strong anti-fraud and anti-exploitation mandate during Minister Alexander’s time as Minister.

22:00 – Combatting forced marriages.

23:00 – Preventing foreign worker abuse by sanctioning the employers who abuse them.

26:00 – The Barbaric Cultural Practices Act

36:45 – Ending the Immigrant Investor Program

41:45 – Entrepreneurial immigration and self-employed program.

49:00 – Points inflation in Express Entry and the increased demand for Canadian immigration.

52:30 – The launch of Express Entry

55:30 – Moving towards online applications

57:15 – What it was like following Jason Kenney as immigration minister, and the challenges posed, if any, by Jason Kenney retaining the multiculturism portfolio, as well the immigration minister sharing immigration responsibilities with HRDC and the Minister of Public Safety.

1:02 – The role the Prime Minister’s Office played with immigration.

1:05 – Mr. Alexander’s immigration platform when he ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada in which he called for an increase in immigration, and whether he pushed this view when he was Minister.

1:10 – The importance of Canadian immigration and populism.

1:15 – Open work permits on demand for people from visa exempt countries.

1:18 – The need for immigration to adapt to changing circumstances and system racism.

1:22 – When Minister Alexander would intervene on specific files.

1:25 – If Minister Alexander were giving advice to a future Minister of Immigration what would the advice be?