Despite Election Outcome, There Are No Plans To Increase Staff To Handle Influx Of Applications
During the U.S. presidential election campaign, many Americans claimed they would move to Canada if Donald Trump was elected president. Now that he has been elected, there are concerns over his immigration plans, specifically with regards to Mexican immigration.
Trump’s immigration platform has taken a clear stance against certain groups and nationalities. Despite this and the rise of certain populist attitudes, Canada’s immigration platform continues to embrace multiculturalism and inclusivity. It certainly helps that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau encourages immigration and a diverse population in Canada.
On December 1, 2016, a visa requirement for Mexican immigrants was lifted, which could also lead to an increase in immigration. The visa requirement was imposed by the previous federal government in 2009 to reduce the number of Mexican asylum seekers. Since the imposition of this visa requirement, Mexican asylum rates have fallen from 25 per cent to below one per cent.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have discussed a possible increase in immigration applications from Mexico with the lifting of the visa requirement, but the official line is that “there are no current plans to modify staffing levels.” The existing immigration levels have an estimated number of admitted immigrants per year, but it does not estimate the number of immigrants per country. As such, there is no available estimate for the number of Mexicans who may come to Canada as of yet. Thus far, Canada’s immigration department is not adding staff to handle this possible influx of immigration applications.
Whatever the outcome of this possible surge in immigration to Canada, navigating the immigration process continues to be a frustrating experience. Thankfully, while Canada might be chilly and far for most, Canadian immigration lawyers are passionate and dedicated to helping their clients navigate the entire process, from application to becoming a permanent resident and, eventually, a citizen.
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Arghavan Gerami
Arghavan Gerami is the Founder and Senior Counsel at Gerami Law Professional Corporation ('PC'), a full-service immigration law firm in Ottawa, Ontario. Since 2011, Ms. Gerami has focused her practice on immigration and refugee litigation. Prior to that, Ms. Gerami worked at the Ministry of Attorney General and the Department of Justice and had the privilege of serving the Honourable Mr. Justice M. Evans at the Federal Court of Appeal on immigration and administrative law appeals. Ms. Gerami contributes to the Immigration Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ms. Gerami has also published numerous journal articles and presented at various immigration and refugee law conferences and events across Canada.