Year in Review – Teamwork

BMLG is known for providing experienced legal services to our clients. Just as important as this, however, is the work that we do outside of our legal practice – work with community organizations, board memberships, and staff gatherings. This is the work that feeds the soul of the business and serves as a reminder of the importance of providing holistic services to our clients.

There was a lot to celebrate with our team this year! Here are some highlights:

Senior Immigration Consultant/Paralegal, Monica Diaz launches her practice

Monica has been on the BMLG team since 2019. In 2025, we were thrilled to have her launch her own practice in our office! Monica has a wealth of experience in all things economic immigration, Labour Market Impact Assessments, citizenship, family class applications, and permanent and temporary residence.

She is a cherished member of our team, both to us and her clients!

BMLG Nominated for an Inspire Award

We were proud to be among some incredible businesses nominated for Positive Business of the Year at the Inspire Awards! Mathew and Kate got to be with community to celebrate so many of the amazing people, organizations, and businesses that are run by and for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Toronto and across Canada.

Ridhi Chogal is called to the Bar

Jr. Associate, Ridhi started off on our team as an Articling Student, and it quickly became clear that she is a star. Clients have praised her for her patience, compassion, and legal prowess. We were thrilled when she was officially called to the Bar in June!

Mathew Wilton starts a new position as a Sessional Instructor at Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Partner, Mathew Wilton, joined Justice Michael Battista to teach Migration Policy at the University of Toronto – Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. Our Partner’s are always excited to teach future legal and policy changemakers about the ever-changing landscape immigration and refugee law!

Collaborations with Community Partners

We are fortunate to have several community partners who we work with in a variety of capacities. Whether we are leading public legal education seminars, strategizing on how to better support our clients, or celebrating the incredible work of these organizations, we are grateful to get to do this work in community. Here are a few snapshots of what we were up to with our community partners this year:

• Catching up with Community Partners, Ower (PWA) and Viviana (Vivi’r LBGTQ+).

• Offering free consultations at HQ’s Immigration Law Clinic every month.

• Celebrating Vivi’r LGBTQ+’s inaugural office opening.

• Speaking at both Access Alliance and The 519’s Among Friends programs for LGBTQ+ refugee claimants.

• Attending Rainbow Railroad’s annual Freedom Party (and catching up with an old friend!).

• Learning about The 519’s newly launched Anti-Oppressive Practice Toolkit for Service Providers Working with Black LBGTQ+ Newcomers

Among our peers – engagement with the legal community

Another community that we are grateful to be a part of in the legal community!

Engaging with other legal professionals means that we stay sharp, engaged, and on top of any changes that happen to the law. Attending conferences, participating in panels, and supporting law students are a few things that we did this year. Here is a non-exhaustive list of some of our engagement in the legal community this year:

• Partner, Joycna Kang, joined the Canadian Immigration Lawyer’s Association as a Board Member!

• Partner, Mathew Wilton, attended the Canadian Bar Association in Victoria, BC

• Partner, Pablo Irribarra, attended the Hispanic Bar Association’s annual gala

• Our team attended the Law Society of Ontario’s Immigration Law Summit

• Joycna supported an eager team of law students at the Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Moot at the Federal Court

• Mathew spoke on a panel about HIV and medical inadmissibility with the University of Victoria’s Outlaws for World AIDS Day

Team socials and lunch & learns

We may be biased, but we think our team is pretty special. We work incredibly hard because each member of the BMLG staff is deeply committed to the firm’s Mission Statement. With this hard work, though, comes many opportunities to celebrate this work and to learn how to do it better!

This year, we learned from Registered Social Worker and Psychotherapist, Caro Castro about how to effectively refer our refugee clients to IFHP covered mental health services. The refugee process can be draining and, in many cases, traumatizing. Being equipped to refer our clients to trauma-informed and LGBTQ+ affirming mental health professionals is a skill that is essential to the work that we do.

We also had some fun this year, bonding as a team! We sang our hearts out at karaoke, quizzed each other on our pride knowledge at our annual pride social, and enjoyed delicious food with our loved ones at our holiday party.

2025 has been a busy year for our team, but we are glad to have been together through it all.

To our clients, community partners, and colleagues: thank you for everything that you do. We would not be the firm that we are without your support. We can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store!

Warmly,

Battista Migration Law Group