Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · 2024 05 27 Interview On RedFM Discussing Amnesty During my recent interview with Rishi Nagar, news director of RedFM, on May 27, 2024, conducted in Punjabi, we discussed the Trudeau government’s movement towards an amnesty to undocumented individuals in Canada. Their are arguments for and against the amnesty or regularization of those without status. This is a controversial proposal and there are of course both positives and negatives to such a a policy. On the positive side: $$ … Regularization could result in significant positive economic impac ..read more

Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · 2024 05 15 Good Morning Calgary **Interview with Rishi Nagar: Insights on Immigration Trends and Challenges** I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by Rishi Nagar, News Director of RedFM Calgary. We discussed several pressing topics that were highlighted at the recent Canadian Bar Association (CBA) National Immigration Conference in Montreal (the rise of automation in administrative decision making being the theme of the conference). Our conversation covered trends in temporary resident numbers, issues within the international student c ..read more

A number of Federal Court decisions have upheld visa refusals based on concerns that foreign nationals working and living in Saudi Arabia (even for decades) may not be able to establish ties there due to the policy of Saudization. Saudization, officially termed “Nitaqat,” implemented by Saudi Arabia and aims to increase the employment of Saudi nationals in the private sector, heretofore and generally speaking, dominated by expatriates. This policy mandates quotas for employing Saudis, affecting various economic/labour sectors differently. However, the impact of Saudization extends beyond the b ..read more

Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · 2024 04 22 RedFM Interview On Reduction Of Temporary Residents I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Rishi Nagar, the esteemed News Director at RedFM Calgary, for what I believe is an insightful interview conducted in Punjabi. We delved into the recent announcements by Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, concerning temporary residents. In an effort that might remind some of closing the barn doors after the horses have bolted, these changes, part of a broader shift since January of this year (and messaging since at least the fall ..read more

The more things change, the more they stay the same. In 2009, then Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, imposed a visitor visa requirement on Mexican nationals after a significant surge in asylum claims from that country -notwithstanding the serious human rights and other issues plaguing that nation. The Liberal government now somewhat long in the tooth rescinded that requirement in 2016. Claims have shot up from a hundred or so from 2015 to about 25K last year. The Quebec government cried foul given the burden fell disproportionately on belle province; the Americans did as w ..read more

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Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Lawyers · January 22 2024 Radio Interview Discussing cap on international students with Ben O’Hara-Byrne On Monday, January 22, 2024 I joined host Ben O’Hara-Byrne on his program, A Little More Conversation, to discuss the newly announced caps imposed on international students (and by extension to the Designated Learning Institutions that have become addicted to that source of funding). 2024 01 22 Ben OHaraByrne interview on intl caps Transcript Ben O-Hara-Byrn…:         We’ll start too with the whole idea of immigrat ..read more

I had the opportunity to engage in an insightful conversation with Ritesh Lakhi on RedFM Vancouver, where we delved into the pressing issue of onward migration amongst new immigrants in Canada. Our discussion shed light on the growing trend of immigrants leaving Canada due to various factors, including the challenges of housing affordability, rising inflation, and other socio-economic hurdles. We also explored the crucial aspect of not only immigrant intake but the significance of their integration and retention in Canada. The conversation highlighted the upcoming challenges and the need for s ..read more

Another year comes to a close. We’ve seen over the past 365 days a plethora of immigration news, announcements and developments (we even got through a federal government strike, thankfully one that seemed to have minimum impact on processing). One constant in this field has been the revolving door at the very top; 2023 saw yet another Minister take charge (I’m losing count of the number of Ministers I’ve seen come and go since I started practice). What has stood out for me this year was the following: The end to immigration detention –at least in the form that many of us were familiar with. F ..read more

In Canadian immigration law, a permanent resident (PR) who is convicted and sentenced to six months or more in prison loses their right to appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD). A strategy often employed in these situations is to persuade the immigration officer or the Minister’s Delegate not to issue a report. If no report is written, there are no grounds for enforcement action. This approach was notably attempted in the case of Jaskirat Sidhu, the driver in an accident that took the lives of 16 and resulted in life altering injuries to 13 others. I’ve discussed his case on several ..read more