Steps when you hire us

During the consultation, we will ask you specific questions and discuss the details of your immigration matter. You should bring with you a government issued photo identification as well as all documentation you have received from immigration, the Immigration and Refugee Board, the Federal Court or Canada Border Services Agency.

Based on your case, we will provide you with our legal recommendation as well as different options. Once we have finalized the retainer agreement and legal fees, we will open your file and start working on your application.

We will submit to you by email a list of documentation needed for your application, as well as forms to complete. The list of documents and the forms will be accompanied by specific instructions to guide you in collecting the documentation.

It is normal for you to have questions with respect to the list of documentation and the forms. Our office will be available to you by phone and email to answer all your questions and ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible for you. We have dealt with thousands of applications and will be ready to answer any questions you have or any clarification that you need.

Once you have collected the documentation and completed the forms – you will submit them to us. We prefer that you provide us the documentation as you collect them in order for us to review them immediately and ensure that you are on the right track.

With respect to the forms, we will always advise you to complete them as best as you can. It is quite normal not to be able to complete every question – once we receive your forms, we will finalize them with you.

Once we have received all your documentation, we will proceed to finalizing your application. We carefully review your entire application and ensure that the application is strong and complete.

During this process, should we determine that certain aspects of your application need improvements, we might ask you for further information or documentation. This is common practice as we want to ensure that your application is perfect.

With your application, we submit what is called a legal submission letter. A legal  submission letter is a cover letter preceding your application which outlines your story and the legal framework behind your case. A legal submission letter is often the most important part of an application as it contains the complete details of your case.

The more complex your matter, the more important a powerful submission will be. We work carefully on our legal submission letters – we will work together with you to ensure we have all the required information.

See why having a lawyer prepare a legal submission letter is crucial for your application.

Once the documents, forms and submission letter are finalized, we might ask you to complete some final steps such as obtaining a medical examination (if required), making payment of the government application fee, etc.

Finally, we will also meet with you (or correspond with you if you are outside Canada), to review the entire application, obtain your original signatures and ensure that all your questions are answered.

Once we have finalized your application, we will submit it to the appropriate immigration office. Most applications are submitted by courier – meaning that we will have a tracking number to ensure that your application is properly delivered. We will also keep an entire copy of your application in our file for our records and yours.

We will also provide you with approximate processing times based on the IRCC website but mostly based on our office experience.

Courrier or regular mail? Discover why submitting your application by courier is the best choice for your immigration application.

Once your application is in process, we will regularly follow up with immigration to ensure that your application is being handled properly. Should the processing time exceed the usual times, we will submit requests for updates and contact immigration supervisors on your behalf.

The meaning of "Decision Made" on the IRCC Online Tool

Once your application has been approved, we will advise you and provide you with our final recommendations.

Once we have finalized your case, we will proceed to closing your file. This means that your case will no longer be in our active file list – however we have a legal obligation to maintain an entire copy of your file for at least 10 years. We will return any original documentation we have on file as these belong to you.

Should any other immigration matter come up once we have closed your file, you can communicate with our office for our legal recommendation as we will be familiar with your file.