Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Calgary Immigration Law Firm Blog

The Difference Between an Academic and a Practitioner

The difference between an academic and a practitioner. One gets predictions right more than the other; my thoughts in late summer of last year: That U of C analysis is badly underestimating the likely number of asylum-seekers Canada will handle this year because it doesn’t take into account this summer’s influx of Haitian nationals fearful of being sent back to their homeland by the Trump administration, said immigration lawyer Raj Sharma. “We’ll blow past that 36,000,” said Sharma, whose firm handles numerous asylum cases. Sharma was a refugee protection officer with the federal government in 2001 when the recent peak numbers were reached, partly due to Muslims fleeing a feared immigration crackdown following the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, he said." http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/new-data-casts-doubt-on-asylum-seeker-crisis-but-immigration-lawyer-disagrees Read more →

April 17, 2018 Raj Sharma Interviewed on the Breakdown of Canada's Immigration and Refugee System -AM770

Danielle Smith: You can't say that we don't actually have a handle on our borders at the same time as we respect the rule of law, and are ignoring the safe third country agreement. You can't. They're usually opposed. You've got to make a choice about what you're going to do. Are you going to stand for legal migration and following the rules? Or are you going to continue to allow this free for all? And I'm telling you, it's a free for all. Danielle Smith: Now, by Raj Sharma, who is an immigration lawyer in town who I talked to about a whole range of issues. There's a couple issues I want to talk to him about today. I just wanted to see whether or not anything has improved on the handling of those who are coming across the boarder illegally and he joins us now to talk about it. Danielle Smith: Raj, thanks so much for being with me. Raj Sharma: Thanks for having me on. Danielle Smith: I'm just going to put these numbers out there. Last March we had, coming across illegally, we had it looks like almost 900 people. This March, coming across illegally, it... Read more →