Stewart Sharma Harsanyi Immigration Law Firm Blog

Navigating the Storm: Federal Caps on International Students and the Ensuing Turmoil

In a recent development that has stirred controversy across Canada's educational and political landscapes, Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced caps on international student permits. This development will disproportionately impact provinces such as British Columbia and Ontario more than others. This perhaps overdue decision has sparked a vehement debate, highlighting a complex interplay of federal oversight, provincial autonomy, and operations of academic institutions that had grown reliant on the (excessive) fees charge to international students to buttress budgets that were impacted by provincial governments freezing funding. Minister Miller's assertion that claims of Ontario being caught off guard by these changes are "complete garbage" adds a layer of acrimony to the discourse, especially in light of Ontario education minister Jill Dunlop's assertion that the cap was imposed "without consultation and without warning." This assertion however is belied by the fact that the writing was on the wall for many months before the announcement of the caps in January of this year. This also comes on the heels of vicious backbiting and a war of words between some institutions in Ontario and here I'm thinking of the comments made by the current president of Conestoga college. This imbroglio underscores a broader dialogue... Read more →

Technology and the Changing Face of Justice

20 years or so ago I started my career in immigration law -as a refugee protection officer. Even then the IRB/RPD was faced with increasing demand and limited resources. Our little Calgary office had to take on files from Toronto, Montreal and other offices. At that time we were able to do so with expensive polycom videoconferencing equipment. Even then there were concerns on the part of counsel and claimants; technology at that time was not as smooth shall we say as present. Fast forward to the pandemic and the cancellation of hearings for months. I remember those days coming to the office with zero traffic and looking at the see-through office towers of downtown Calgary trying to figure out how the practice of immigration law will adapt. Hearings re-started and the IRB and Fed Crt adopted and adapted to video conferencing. After conducting 100+ hearings in the last couple of years in this manner it's sometimes difficult remembering how we used to walk over to the depressing brutalist inspired architecture (and apparently asbestos filled) of Harry Hays to run hearings there. I assume remote hearings are here to stay and they have added not detracted from our ability to... Read more →