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Borderlines
#125 - Chinese Interference, the United Front, and Visa Delays, with Sam Cooper
Sam Cooper is an award-winning investigative journalist and best-selling author. The is the founder of The Bureau. His book, Wilful Blindness - How a Criminal network of narcos, tycoons and Chinese Communist Party agents infiltrated the West, debuted as a #1-seller on Amazon, in Canada.
We discuss the United Front, foreign interference in Canada, Canadian enforcement issues, IRCC casting a wide security screening net that seems to encompass all Chinese with STEM backgrounds, Parliamentarians allegedly involved in collusion with foreign governments, international students voting in nomination ridings, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, 3/PLA and whether things are improving.
Published cases involving inadmissibility to Canada due to membership in either the United Front or the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office include Meng v Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), Zhang v Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness) and Gao v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration).
Li v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2023 FC 1753 is the decision in which the Chief Justice of the Federal Court expanded the definition of espionage to include those who may be coerced by China into providing information.
The past Borderlines episode where we mentioned Lai Changxing can be found here.
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#124 - Flagpoling, with Arshdeep Kahlon
49:05|Arshdeep Kahlon is an immigration lawyer in Brampton. He was counsel in Singh v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2024 FC 1369, where the Court had to determine whether it is misrepresentation for an applicant in a visa application to not disclose that they were previously not granted entry to the United States while flagpoling.Topics include what flagpoling is, when one should flagpole vs. applying for a visa online, misrepresentation, how judicial reviews work and advocacy strategies and tips.#123 - Spousal Sponsorship Interviews and Appeals, with Raj Sharma
50:34|Raj Sharma is an immigration lawyer in Calgary. We discuss spousal sponsorship applications and appeals, showing that a relationship is genuine, arranged marriage, the primary purpose of a marriage, interview preparation, how Immigration Appeal Division appeals work, interpretation issues, in person hearings vs. remote, res judicata and inconsistencies in a relationship history.#122 - US Visa Refusals, Administrative Processing, ESTA Cancellations and Flagpoling, with Andrew Hayes
49:15|Andrew Hayes is an American immigration lawyer who practices out of Vancouver, British Columbia. He previously appeared on episodes #32 - Keep Out the Poor - How Canada and the US Address Immigrants on Welfare, with Andrew Hayes, #37 - The Closure of the Canada - US Border and the Supreme Court's DACA Decision, and #41 - Judges Virtue Signalling Inside and Outside of Court. We discuss various types of US visa refusals, including administrative processing and ESTA cancellations, and the uncertainty in Canadian immigration law of whether these constitute refusals that need to be disclosed in applications. Also covered are denials of entry to the United States, with a particular focus on what actually happens at US Customs and Border Patrol when someone flagpoles.#121 - Top Federal Court Immigration Cases
55:15|Deanna and Steven discuss what we consider to be some top Federal Court immigration decisions to this point in 2024.Cases include Toor v. Canada, 2024 FC 1146 (restoration), Chung v. Canada, 2024 FC 1218 (misrepresentation when a degree is obtained through plagerism), Abdool v. Canada, 2024 FC 1172 (misrepresentation and involuntary cancellations of US entry attempts), and Alohan v. Canada, 2024 FC 1122 (reconsideration requests).#120 - Is Canadian Immigration Policy Broken, with Siavash Shekarian
01:01:37|Siavash Shekarian is an immigration lawyer in Toronto, and the Executive Member & Public Affairs Liaison of the Ontario Bar Association, Citizenship and Immigration Law Section.#119 - Canada's Caregiver Programs
41:30|Deanna and Steven discuss Canada's caregiver programs, including the Live-in Caregiver Program (1992 to 2014), the Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs pilots (2014 to 2019), the Interim Pathway for Caregivers (4 March 4 to 8 July 2019), the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots (starting 18 June 2019 - 18 June 2024), and the new proposed program.Topics include whether Canada needs caregiver programs, open work permits, permanent residence right away, caregivers leaving the occupation after getting permanent residence, processing delays and more.#118 - Suing Immigration Consultants and Lawyers, with Eoin Logan
01:07:22|Eoin Logan is a lawyer at Meridian Law Group. Fifty percent of his practice is suing immigration consultants and lawyers for professional negligence.#117 - Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers and Access to Justice issues
01:24:22|A discussion of the Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers program, a program which provides ppen work permit for vulnerable foreign workers who are victims of abuse. We also discuss access to justice issues. Jonathan Braun and Amanda Aziz are lawyers who work at the Migrant Workers Centre, an organization in Vancouver that promotes and advances access to justice for migrant workers by providing legal services, advocacy, research, public education and engaging in law and policy reform initiatives.Juliana Dalley is a lawyer at the Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic, the only legal clinic in British Columbia specializing in immigration and refugee maters.