Borderlines

Canada's immigration system is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. Refusal rates are rising, processing is slowing, and pathways that seemed viable just a few years ago are disappearing.In this episode, Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff discuss the realities facing temporary residents who are running out of options. They explore what happens when work permit applications are refused, why international students are being caught in technical traps, and how applicants should think about the difficult decision of whether to continue fighting to stay in Canada or prepare to leave.The discussion covers:• Canada's immigration slowdown and shrinking pathways to permanent residence• Post-Graduation Work Permit refusals and language test issues• Judicial reviews, reconsideration requests, and restoration applications• The human and financial costs of challenging immigration refusals• How lawyers assess whether a case is worth pursuing• The controversy surrounding so-called "dummy applications" and maintained statusAudience questions answered include: • Can a procedural fairness issue affect an ongoing security screening?• Are interim measure applications finally moving out of the Program Support Unit?• Are words like "support" and "assist" hurting Express Entry work experience claims?• Will IRCC tighten French-language immigration pathways as more applicants learn French for category-based draws?

In this episode of Borderlines, Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff are joined by immigration lawyer, mediator, and former Canadian Bar Association Chair Kamaljit Lehal to discuss the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision recognizing a new tort of intimate partner violence.We discuss how the Court addressed coercive control, financial abuse, isolation, surveillance, intimidation, and psychological manipulation within intimate relationships, and why the majority concluded that existing legal remedies were insufficient to fully capture the realities of family violence.Topics discussed include the Supreme Court of Canada’s recognition of a new tort of intimate partner violence, coercion and control, the differing views between the majority and dissenting judges, how courts assess damages in family violence cases, trauma-informed approaches in legal proceedings.The decision is Ahluwalia v. Ahluwalia.

We break down a major new Federal Court of Appeal decision on criminal inadmissibility, duress, and refugee protection in Canadian immigration law. The case is Rodriguez Anzola v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration).The discussion explores whether individuals convicted abroad can still seek protection in Canada when the underlying criminal conduct occurred under coercion, threats, or fear for their lives. Topics discussed include:how criminal equivalency works in Canadian immigration law;the role of duress in inadmissibility proceedings;the Federal Court of Appeal’s comments on fairness, humanitarian principles, and public safety; growing judicial pushback against overly broad interpretations of inadmissibility law;organized crime, IRGC-related arguments, and security inadmissibility;unusual foreign convictions that have triggered inadmissibility findings in Canada; andbroader concerns about proportionality, plea bargains, and moral culpability in immigration law.The episode also includes audience questions on citizenship by descent, study permits, and the future direction of Canadian immigration policy.

Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff review several responses from IRCC’s Immigration Representatives’ Mailbox, where immigration representatives ask questions about how Canadian immigration law and various immigration programs are interpreted and appliedTopics discussed include:(1) whether rental assistance counts as social assistance for sponsorships;(2) study permit requirements for children of protected persons;(3) maintained status and “rolling” extension applications;(4) whether marriages count for immigration purposes if the commissionaire is joining remotely;(5) criminal rehabilitation applications and concurrent filings;(6) adding newborn children after COPRs are issued;(7) travelling to Canada by land with an expired PR Card;(8) whether C11 entrepreneur work permits count toward Express Entry;(9) foreign work experience performed remotely from inside Canada;(10) Express Entry NOC code refusals and category-based selection issues;(11) non-accompanying spouses and CRS score maximization;(12) proof of settlement funds in foreign currencies; and(13) PR portal travel complications and eCOPRs. We also answer a live listener question about ATIPs and CBSA. Whether you are an immigration lawyer, consultant, student, or applicant trying to understand how IRCC actually applies the rules in practice, this episode provides a detailed look into the operational side of Canada’s immigration system.

We take a look at the newly released 2025 report from Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and what it tells us about immigration security screening in Canada.CSIS reports that it received 438,600 immigration security referrals in 2025, a notable drop from prior years. Yet, at the same time, overall inventories remain at historic highs. Topics discussed include the CSIS report, including what CSIS says are the impact of mandamus and NSIRA complaints on security screening. The CSIS Report can be found here - https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service/corporate/publications/csis-public-report-2025.html

Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff break down the explosive findings from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada on Canada’s report on the international student program.Topics discussed include the unexplained drops in study permit approvals, IRCC's lack of funds to address fraud, risk profiling practices, the disconnect between government targets and real-world outcomes, and what stricter enforcement and new leadership at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada could mean going forward.

We explore one of the most complex and under-examined areas of Canadian immigration law: immigration detention—and the role that race and systemic bias may play within it.Topics discussed include the legal grounds for immigration detention, why race-based data is largely unavailable in Canada, evidence suggesting disproportionate detention of Black men, the interplay between immigration, policing, and the criminal justice system, how discretion and lack of oversight may allow systemic issues to persist, the reality that Canada has no time limits on immigration detention, and practical recommendations for reform, including independent oversight and better data collection.Efrat Arbel is an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia Allard School of Law. Her work focuses on the law and policy of immigration detention, refugee protection, and border governance. Prasanna Balasundaram is the Director of Downtown Legal Services at the University of Toronto. Nana Yanful is a lawyer based in Tkaronto/Toronto who is deeply committed to advocating for racial justice, state accountability, and human rights in her legal and community work.We discuss their paper Race and Racism in Canada's Immigration Detention System.https://commons.allard.ubc.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3835&context=fac_pubs

In this episode of the Borderlines Podcast, Amandeep Hayer and Steven Meurrens break down the latest Express Entry reforms under consideration by IRCC, and what they could mean for applicants, lawyers, and Canada’s immigration system as a whole.We walk through newly released consultation materials (shared with permission from the Canadian Bar Association), including:a complete overhaul of Express Entry, including merging the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Class into a single program;a shift toward high-wage occupations as a key selection factor;the potential removal or reduction of points for spouses, French language ability, Canadian study, and siblings in Canada; andchanges to language thresholds, work experience requirements, and ranking criteria.We also explore the broader policy implications, including whether these reforms will actually improve outcomes. As it turns out, when it comes to predicting earnings in Canada the points do matter.IRCC's powerpoint can be found here:https://meurrensonimmigration.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/CBA-Consult.pdf

Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff are again joined by retired CSIS analyst Phil Gurski, this time to unpack the growing issue of transnational repression in Canada.Drawing on Phil’s recent report for the Montreal Institute for Global Security, the conversation explores how foreign states monitor, intimidate, and coerce individuals on Canadian soil, often targeting diaspora communities through surveillance, threats, and pressure on family members abroad.The discussion focuses on how these activities intersect with Canadian immigration law, including:Whether transnational repression fits within existing inadmissibility categories like espionage and subversionThe challenge of defining “national security” in immigration decisionsThe tension between protecting victims and finding them inadmissibleThe role of proxies, including organized crime, in carrying out foreign state objectivesWhy police responses often fall short when conduct doesn’t clearly meet national security thresholdsKey Topics & Timestamps:01:30 – What is transnational repression?10:00 – Immigration law and inadmissibility challenges26:00 – What is “national security” in law?30:30 – When repression becomes a national security issueFurther Reading: https://migsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Transnational-repression-in-Canada_MIGS.pdf