Home/Practice areas
Practice areas
Six areas of practice, organised by the decision-maker who will read the file and the test they must apply. Each page sets out the governing provision, what has to be proven, what evidence carries weight, and what usually goes wrong.
Refugee protection and asylum
In-land refugee claims before the Refugee Protection Division, Basis of Claim narratives, country condition evidence, refugee sponsorship including the Group of Five, and pre-removal risk assessment. The centre of this firm's practice.
Read the guide → IRPR ss. 116–125 · IRPA s. 25(1)Permanent residence
Family class sponsorship, permanent residency for protected persons, humanitarian and compassionate grounds, Express Entry and provincial nomination, permanent resident cards and travel documents.
Read the guide → IRPR ss. 179–222 · ss. 98.01–98.13Temporary residence
Visitor visas and Super Visas, study permits, LMIA-based and exempt work permits, the Start-up Visa, extensions of status, and restoration where status has lapsed.
Read the guide → IRPA ss. 63, 72, 110Appeals, refusals and enforcement
Responses to refusals and procedural fairness letters, immigration interviews, appeals before the Immigration Appeal Division and Refugee Appeal Division, residency obligation appeals, removal, and detention review.
Read the guide → IRPA ss. 33–42 · s. 24Inadmissibility
Findings based on criminality, misrepresentation, medical or financial grounds, or non-compliance, and the routes back: criminal rehabilitation, record suspensions, temporary resident permits, and authorisation to return to Canada.
Read the guide → Citizenship Act s. 5Citizenship and notarization
Grant applications, physical presence calculation and proof, prohibitions, language and knowledge requirements, proof of citizenship, resumption, and the commissioning and notarization of documents.
Read the guide →Everything we take on
- Family class sponsorship
- Refugee sponsorship
- Permanent residency for protected persons
- Express Entry and Provincial Nominee programs
- Humanitarian and compassionate grounds
- PR cards, renewals, and travel documents
- Visitor visa and Super Visa
- Study permits
- Work permits, including LMIA-based
- Start-up Visa
- Extensions and visitor records
- Restoration of status
- In-land refugee claims
- Refugee sponsorship, including Group of Five
- Pre-removal risk assessment
- Basis of Claim preparation and hearing representation
- Refusal responses and reconsideration requests
- Procedural fairness letter responses
- Immigration interviews
- Appeals before the IAD and RAD
- Inadmissibility
- Citizenship applications
- Notarization and commissioning
What we do not take on
A defined scope is part of doing this competently. Where a matter falls outside it, we say so at the consultation and refer you on.
- Proceedings in the Federal Court and above. An application for leave and judicial review is conducted by a lawyer. We identify when judicial review is the remaining route, preserve the deadline, and refer.
- Criminal defence. Where a charge or conviction affects admissibility, the criminal matter belongs with criminal counsel. We advise on the immigration consequences and coordinate.
- Quebec-selected immigration. Applications requiring a Quebec Selection Certificate are handled by representatives authorised in that stream.
- Corporate mobility programs at volume. Employer compliance regimes and large-scale mobility programs are better served by a firm structured for them.
- Applications we assess as unfounded. If the criteria cannot be met on the facts, we will not file to collect a fee.
Not sure which area applies?
The screening tool on the home page maps a described situation to the governing provision in two questions. If your situation does not fit any of them, that itself is worth a conversation.
647-546-0134 · admin@hf-imm.ca