Work and study permits, Express Entry and permanent residence, family sponsorship, refugee claims and citizenship. Immigration is federal, so the rules are the same in every province — and each province also runs its own nominee program.
The rules depend on your province, so the points below are set out province by province.
Lawyers whose own published profile focuses on immigration work. Each lawyer was checked on their provincial law society's public directory before being listed — check again before you hire, as people move firms.
Kenneth Zaifman · Founding & Managing Partner · Winnipeg
191 Lombard Avenue, Suite 500, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0X1
Founder of the firm, which practises only immigration law. He took his first immigration case in 1979 and started his own firm in 1986. The firm's work includes spouse, partner and other family class sponsorships, permanent residence and citizenship.
Warren L. Creates · Head of Immigration Law Group · Ottawa
340 Albert Street, Suite 1400, Ottawa, ON K1R 0A5
Heads the firm's Immigration Law Group, acting for individuals, families and employers on work permits, permanent residence, citizenship applications and refugee claims. A former Government of Canada immigration lawyer; his firm lists him as a Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist in Citizenship and Immigration Law.
Stephen W. Green · Canadian Managing Partner · Toronto
150 York Street, 5th Floor, Toronto, ON M5H 3S5
Managing partner of a firm that practises only immigration law. His work covers work permits, Express Entry, family sponsorship, provincial nominee applications, employer compliance and investor and entrepreneur matters. His firm lists him as a Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist in Citizenship and Immigration Law.
Paul A. Ramacieri · Partner, Immigration · Hamilton
1 Hunter Street East, Suite 200, Hamilton, ON L8N 3W1
Partner who practises only Canadian and United States immigration law, advising individuals and companies on work permits, visas, permanent residence and citizenship. He is also admitted to practise in New York. The firm also covers employment law, real estate, and wills, trusts and estate planning.
Jennifer Roggemann · Immigration Lawyer · Kitchener-Waterloo
1135 King Street East, Kitchener, ON N2G 2N3
Principal of a Kitchener firm that practises only immigration law, including family sponsorship, economic immigration programs and permanent residence applications.
Ryan N. Rosenberg · Managing Partner · Vancouver
595 Howe Street, Suite 1400, Vancouver, BC V6C 2T5
Managing partner and co-founder of a Vancouver firm that practises only Canadian immigration law. His work covers corporate and business immigration, provincial nominee programs and work permits, for companies and individuals.
Nathan A. Po · Partner, Head of Immigration Law Practice Group · Edmonton
10088 102 Avenue, Suite 1801, Edmonton, AB T5J 2Z1
Leads the firm's Immigration Law Practice Group, which helps individuals and their families obtain permanent residence, work and study permits. He also practises wills and estates. The firm also covers family law, employment law for employees and employers, residential real estate, and personal injury.
Meghan Felt · Partner · St. John's
10 Fort William Place, 5th Floor, Baine Johnston Centre, St. John's, NL A1C 1K4
Immigration lawyer in the St. John's office whose clients range from individuals seeking visas, study permits, work permits and permanent residence to large companies hiring foreign workers. The firm's immigration work includes family sponsorship and refugee matters, and it also has an estates and trusts practice.
Chera-Lee Gomez · Lawyer · Charlottetown
141 Kent Street, Suite 300, Charlottetown, PE C1A 1N3
Litigation lawyer in the Charlottetown office who specialises in immigration litigation, representing people affected by immigration decisions before the Federal Court, the Immigration Appeal Division and the Immigration Division. The firm's immigration work includes family sponsorship and refugee matters, and it also has an estates and trusts practice.
Elena Ashford · Lawyer, Immigration Law · London
275 Dundas Street, Unit 1, London, ON N6B 3L1
Leads the firm's immigration law group and practises only immigration law, including permanent residence, work permits, study permits and visitor visas for families and individuals. The firm also covers family law, personal injury, real estate purchases and sales, and wills and estates.
Ronald Jalmanzar · Partner · Regina
2002 Victoria Avenue, Suite 1000, Regina, SK S4P 0R7
Partner practising civil and immigration law. The firm's immigration work includes family sponsorship, and it also covers family law, home purchases and sales, and wills and estates.
Veena C. Gupta · Senior Immigration Lawyer · Mississauga
5770 Hurontario Street, Suite 901, Mississauga, ON L5R 3G5
Senior immigration lawyer who joined the firm in 2018. She acts for individuals and companies on permanent residence, work and study permits, immigration appeals, Federal Court reviews and refugee protection matters. The firm's head office is in Mississauga and it also covers family law, real estate, wills and estates, and personal injury.
Elizabeth Wozniak · Founder and Senior Immigration Lawyer · Halifax
5475 Spring Garden Road, Suite 701, Halifax, NS B3J 3T2
Founder of the firm, which practises only immigration law. Her firm says she has more than 20 years' experience in Canadian immigration and refugee law, and she has taught immigration and refugee law at Dalhousie University's Schulich School of Law. The firm's work includes family class, Express Entry and provincial nominee applications, and refugee and humanitarian applications.
Omer Khayyam · Barrister and Solicitor · Saskatoon
3521 8th Street East, Suite 207, Saskatoon, SK S7H 0W5
Immigration lawyer who founded Omni Law, a Saskatoon immigration law firm. The firm's work includes family class sponsorship, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, work permits, and refugee and protected person matters.
Raj Sharma, K.C. · Founder and Managing Partner · Calgary
550 6th Avenue SW, Suite 950, Calgary, AB T2P 0S2
Founder and managing partner, practising immigration law. He has appeared before all levels of court in Alberta and the Federal Court, and was appointed King's Counsel in April 2022. The firm also practises family law.
No. You can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) yourself. A lawyer is most useful when something has gone wrong — a refusal, a finding of misrepresentation or inadmissibility, a removal order — or for a refugee claim or an appeal. If you pay someone for advice, they must be a lawyer licensed by a Canadian law society, a Quebec notary, or a consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants.
You must have been physically in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) in the five years before you apply, and be a permanent resident. Applicants aged 18 to 54 also need to show English or French skills and pass the citizenship test.
It depends on the type of decision. Some refusals can be appealed to the Immigration and Refugee Board. Others can only be challenged by asking the Federal Court for leave to seek judicial review, and the deadline is short: 15 days for a matter arising in Canada, 60 days for a matter arising outside Canada. Speak to a lawyer quickly.
The OINP is Ontario's economic immigration program. It nominates people with the skills and experience the province needs for permanent residence. A nomination is not a visa — the Government of Canada makes the final decision.
To practise law in Ontario a lawyer must be licensed by the Law Society of Ontario, which also licenses paralegals. You can look up anyone in the Law Society's public Lawyer and Paralegal Directory, which shows their status and any discipline history. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in that directory before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Law Society.
The BC PNP is British Columbia's immigration program for workers, entrepreneurs and businesses seeking permanent residence in the province. See the BC government's WelcomeBC website for the current streams and requirements.
To practise law in British Columbia a lawyer must be a member of the Law Society of British Columbia. You can look up any lawyer in the Law Society's public Lawyer Directory, which shows their practising status and any discipline history. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in that directory before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Law Society.
The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) is an economic immigration program that nominates people for permanent residence in Alberta. See the Government of Alberta's website for the current streams and requirements.
To practise law in Alberta a lawyer must be a member of the Law Society of Alberta. You can look up any lawyer in the Law Society's public Lawyer Directory, which shows whether they are currently practising and any discipline history back to 1 January 2015. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in that directory before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Law Society.
Through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), the province nominates successful applicants to the federal government for permanent residence in Canada. Approved applicants must still apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, within six months of being nominated. See the Government of Saskatchewan's website for the current categories and requirements.
To practise law in Saskatchewan a lawyer must be a member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan. You can look up any lawyer in the Law Society's public directory, which shows where they practise and has a discipline column; the Law Society also publishes its discipline decisions. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in that directory before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Concerns about a lawyer go to the Law Society.
The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) is an economic immigration program designed to attract people with the skills, education and work experience needed to contribute to Manitoba's economy. See the province's immigration website for the current streams and requirements.
To practise law in Manitoba a lawyer must be a member of the Law Society of Manitoba. You can look up any lawyer in the Law Society's public Lawyer Lookup, which shows their practising status and, under their practice history, any discipline history or restriction. Each lawyer on these pages was checked there before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Law Society.
Through the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), prospective immigrants who have the skills and experience needed by Nova Scotia employers may be nominated to immigrate. See the province's immigration website for the current streams and requirements.
To practise law in Nova Scotia a lawyer must be a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society. You can look up any lawyer in the Society's public lawyer search to check their status and to see whether they have been formally disciplined. Each lawyer on these pages was checked there before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Society.
The New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) offers pathways to permanent residence for foreign nationals who wish to live and work, or run a business, in New Brunswick. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada makes the final decision on applications for permanent residence.
To practise law in New Brunswick a lawyer must be a member of the Law Society of New Brunswick. You can look up any practising lawyer in the Law Society's public Lawyer Search, and it publishes a list of complaints referred to its Discipline Committee. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in the Lawyer Search before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Law Society.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) helps employers with labour market challenges, and skilled workers, international graduates and entrepreneurs who want to settle in the province. See the provincial government's website for the current categories and requirements.
To practise law in Newfoundland and Labrador a lawyer must be a member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. Its online Lawyer Directory lists the lawyers practising in the province with their contact details, and the Law Society publishes its disciplinary decisions. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in the directory before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Law Society, in writing.
If you are seeking permanent residence in Prince Edward Island, one pathway is to be nominated to the federal government through the PEI Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). See the provincial Office of Immigration's website for the current streams and requirements.
To practise law in Prince Edward Island a lawyer must be a member of the Law Society of Prince Edward Island. You can look up practising lawyers in the Law Society's online lawyer directory to verify their status, and it publishes discipline case summaries. Each lawyer on these pages was checked in the directory before being listed, but people move firms, so check again before you hire. Complaints about a lawyer go to the Law Society, in writing.