A Year in Review: Responsive Advocacy

2025 has been a challenging year for prospective newcomers in Canada. They say the only constant is change, and this feels especially true for Canada’s immigration system. There have been many changes—and proposed changes—that have altered how we navigate supporting our client’s goals. Fortunately, we aren’t afraid of a challenge. Our ability to be responsive stems out of years of experience and a deeply rooted commitment to finding creative solutions where possible.

Here are some the ways that we have been responsive the changing immigration landscape in 2025:

Supporting an influx of inquires from the U.S.

With the changing political environment in the United States affecting American citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents alike, we received a tremendous increase in inquiries from our neighbours South of the border. U.S. citizens, green card holders, asylum seekers, and people without status contacted us, looking for opportunities to come to Canada either temporarily or permanently, with the aim of establishing a home where they could feel safe to live expressing their authentic selves.

Whenever there are major world events that are likely to inform Canadian immigration patterns, our team steps into action to ensure that we are ready to respond. We work together to develop strategies to support our clients from the first point of contact. From client intake practices to consultation availability and individualized immigration plans, we have systems in place to provide trauma-informed, experienced legal service to each person who interacts with our office.

CUSMA Work Permits and Intra-Company Transfers

With this shift in our practice to supporting more U.S. citizens than ever before, we leaned-in to immigration pathways available through the Canada United States Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which facilitates employment mobility between the two countries. For some professionals from the U.S. and Mexico, this allows them to obtain work permits without their employer needing to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) - a great way for them to gain some Canadian work experience with the hopes of working towards Permanent Residence.

Refugee Claims for trans Americans

We believe that the law should be responsive, just as we are. As conditions continue to deteriorate for trans people in the U.S., we are ready to work with clients to push the boundaries of what previously seemed implausible—refugee claims for U.S. citizens.

These applications are not going to be easy, but for clients with specific sets of circumstances and a deep understanding on the potential risks involved, we are ready to take on this challenge to fight for the safety and security of our clients.

Supporting employers through a changing LMIA landscape

2025 saw major change to the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) system put in place, leaving employers and employees alike with a lot of questions about how to move forward. Increasing restrictions on LMIAs for the low-wage category meant that many employers could not hire foreign workers through pathways they had previously used. Fortunately, we were able to assist individual and corporate clients in navigating exceptions to these restrictions, when available, supporting employers hiring in in-demand sectors like construction, food manufacturing, and healthcare.

Programs for French Language Speakers

In a year of many restrictions for migration to Canada, options for French-speakers have remained strong. From temporary residence options like the Francophone Mobility Work Permit to permanent options through category-based Express Entry draws, the ability to score well on a French language test has been a major asset for individuals looking to make the move to Canada. We are proud to have supported clients through these immigration pathways, supporting our francophone community.

Increased processing time and family reunification

In early 2025, the processing times for many applications increased as IRCC works through a backlog of immigration applications. Outside of Canada sponsorship applications, previously touting a 9-month average processing time are now at 14 months with a warning from IRCC that these might increase even further. We know that every day that people are separated from their loved ones can feel like forever. For clients looking to bring their spouse or children to Canada, we have worked with them to find solutions for them to travel to Canada on a temporary basis while they await a decision on their sponsorship application.

So you think you’re a Canadian citizen? Bill C-3 and the interim measures for proof of citizenship

Among the increasing restrictions to our system in 2025 was one incredibly bright light: Bill C-3 and the removal of the “first generation” limit to Canadian citizenship. While this rule was technically deemed unconstitutional in late 2023, 2025 was the year that we began to see what this could really mean for entire generations of “lost Canadians.” For most of the year, we worked with clients under the interim measures that were put in place while we waited for the formalized rules to be put in place. In December, the government bill concerning these changes to proof of citizenship rules, Bill C-3, was passed and came into effect.

This changed created new pathways for many families to obtain their Canadian citizenship. In cases where these new Canadians had a spouse, they could often submit subsequent sponsorship applications to bring their whole family to Canada. It has been—and will continue to be—a joy and a privilege to assist so many families in obtaining their newly accessible Canadian citizenship!

TRV Refusals – what’s next?

There was a noticeable increase in clients reaching out to us with TRV refusals in 2025. People applying for work permits, visitor visas, and student visas reached out to us after having their plans to travel to Canada crushed with one letter from IRCC. We met with clients to assess their options—to appeal the decision or submit a fresh application. The path forward for each client was dependent on several factors like the reasons for the refusal and the state of the submitted application. In any case, we were ready to give these clients honest and clear advice on how to try to reignite their dreams of coming to Canada.

Access to Justice – Legal Aid Ontario

We take pride in prioritizing having an extensive Legal Aid practice in our office. Access to justice is at the core of our work and finances can be a key barrier to accessing legal services. In 2025 we are fortunate to have worked with clients from all over the world including, but not limited to, West Africa, Latin America, East Asia, South Asia, and MENA countries to file their refugee claims based on sexual orientation, gender identity, domestic violence, or HIV status.

Outside of our Legal Aid practice, we get to work with clients on a wide variety of refugee claims on different grounds. Helping people land safely in Canada is why we do what we do.

HIV/AIDS Advocacy – Discriminatory provisions on medical inadmissibility

It is hard to believe that, in 2025, someone’s medical condition can present barriers for their entry into Canada. This year, our team worked hard to challenge a provision in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that prevents individuals from bring able to come to Canada based on the costs associated with their health condition.

While the fight is ongoing, we are proud of our firm’s history in HIV/AIDs advocacy and advocacy against the medical inadmissibility provisions at large. We look forward to continuing to work with groups like the HIV Legal Network, HALCO, and PWA to fight for change in our immigration system.

U.S. Immigration Services

In 2024, we began working with Almas Bibi, Of Counsel to provide U.S. immigration services to our clients. In 2025, we worked with individuals, businesses, and families with their U.S. applications. Whether you are looking to bring your business to the U.S., hoping to start the next chapter in your career, or simply hoping to visit, we have you covered for many of your U.S. immigration needs.

To look out for in 2026:

A big bill with big consequences: Bill C-12

We have written about Bill C-12 and our concerns about how it will impact access to Canada’s refugee system. We will continue to watch this closely, providing responsive advice to our clients. As of December 18, 2025, the bill is awaiting the second reading at the Senate, currently slotted to take place on Tuesday, February 3, 2026.

Amendments to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program’s streams

On December 2, 2025, the Ontario Regulatory Registry posted “Proposed amendments to regulations under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 to redesign the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program's (OINP) Streams,” inviting public commentary on the changes until January 1, 2026. Our team will be ready to respond to these changes and support our clients in navigating the updated OINP streams.

While 2025 was not without its challenges we are grateful to have such an incredible team to weather the storm. We were also incredibly fortunate to have so much to celebrate this year. From welcoming new Canadians to getting to cheer for our clients after a positive decision at their refugee claim to sending them their brand new citizenship certificate, the smiles and kind words from our clients make everything worthwhile. We can’t wait to see what 2026 brings, and for our new clients, we can’t wait to meet you!