Chair’s Update: Resources, PD and more in times of COVID-19

  • June 04, 2020

Many of us are still adjusting to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on our lives and practices, and our Section is working to support the Immigration bar in these unprecedented times.

Coping with COVID

CBA Mentorship Support

Some are feeling personally and professionally isolated or are struggling with new living and working arrangements; many are experiencing a loss of income; and most of us are straining to keep up with new government measures. To help, our Executive has created a roster of experienced lawyers who are willing to have 15 to 20-minute calls with Section members looking for support. We are not trained financial advisers or counsellors, but we all have experiences and ideas and are happy to share them.

Up-to-Date Information from the Section Listserv

In response to COVID-19, the federal government is making many changes to its immigration policies. The Section officers speak regularly to officials from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and other departments to clarify these changes and share this information through our listserv. Join the listserv to get the most up-to-date information. If you have questions on how to join the listserv, please contact us.

CBA Immigration Law Conference

Although the Section’s planned conference was unable to proceed in-person, you can still join leading experts at the forefront of immigration practice and policymaking live for the June 5 session of a special 3-day online program, 20:20 A Vision for Lawyer Expertise During a Pandemic and Beyond. If you were unable to attend the previous two days, register today for the full 3-day program and you will receive on-demand recordings for all webcasts when they become available.

Awards and Recognition

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019/20 CBA Immigration Law Section awards. Congratulations to the following award winners:

Award of ExcellenceIsabelle Dongier

Founders’ Award: Will Tao

Volunteer Recognition AwardAnna Kuranicheva, Sofia Mirza, Erin Roth

Recent Submissions

Sincere thanks to all working group volunteers who assisted with the submissions.

Resolution on the Practice of Immigration Law

At this year’s Annual General Meeting of the CBA, the membership voted in favour of Resolution 20-06-A, “Protecting the Public from the Practice of Immigration Law by Immigration Consultants.”


Please contact any of the Section Officers (Ravi Jain, Mark Holthe, Kyle Hyndman and Marina Sedai) if you have questions or ideas about volunteering with the Section.

Ravi Jain
Chair, CBA Immigration Law Section