Legally Canadian, Immigration Law Firm

Legally Canadian, Immigration Law Firm Providing a full array of legal services related to immigration to Canada.

For thousands of people, Bill C-12 closed one door. Here's the door it didn't close.A PRRA. A Pre-Removal Risk Assessmen...
05/22/2026

For thousands of people, Bill C-12 closed one door. Here's the door it didn't close.

A PRRA. A Pre-Removal Risk Assessment.

It's a separate legal process. It looks at the real risks you would face if Canada removed you. Persecution because of who you are. Torture. A genuine threat to your life. If those risks are established, Canada can grant you protection. Even if you were barred from a refugee hearing.

Two groups under Bill C-12 now rely on PRRAs. People who claimed asylum more than a year after first entering Canada. People who crossed between ports of entry along the Canada-US border. Both can still apply.

But please understand something. A PRRA is not a refugee hearing. The legal test is different. The evidence requirements are different. The timelines are tight, often only 15 to 30 days from notice.

A PRRA done badly can lead to removal.
A PRRA done properly can save your life in Canada.

This is not the application to file alone, or with someone who has never run one before. If you're staring down a PRRA, book a consultation before you write a single word of it.

05/21/2026

A closed work permit sounds straightforward. It rarely is.

In this episode of LC Lookout Cookout, Jenny breaks down the parts people get wrong. Which form actually applies to your situation. What the job offer needs to look like. Which personal documents IRCC is really weighing.
Get one of these wrong and you're looking at a refusal, a lost LMIA, or worse, a misrepresentation finding.

Watch it before you submit anything. If your situation is complicated, book a consultation with Legally Canadian.

If your immigration lawyer hasn't said these three things to you, you might want to ask why.Every first call we take sta...
05/19/2026

If your immigration lawyer hasn't said these three things to you, you might want to ask why.

Every first call we take starts with these. They're not selling points. They're the floor.

One. We won't promise an outcome. No real lawyer can. The decision belongs to IRCC, not your rep. Any ""guaranteed approval"" is either ignorance or a lie.

Two. We'll tell you if you don't have a case. Sometimes the most useful thing a lawyer can do is be honest about what won't work. We'd rather lose a fee than waste your time, your money, and your immigration record on an application we can't win.

Three. We don't charge for job offers. We can't. It's against the law in Canada. If anyone is selling you a ""job offer for LMIA,"" or asking for money in exchange for an offer of employment, you are being scammed. Not might be. Are. Walk away.

That's our standard. We think it should be the standard for any rep you trust with your future in Canada.

If you're not sure whether the person handling your file is meeting it, book a consultation. We'll review what's been done so far and tell you honestly where you stand.

If you've been told you're ineligible for a refugee hearing under Bill C-12, your next step is probably a PRRA. Here are...
05/15/2026

If you've been told you're ineligible for a refugee hearing under Bill C-12, your next step is probably a PRRA. Here are three things people get wrong about them and why each one matters.

Myth one: ""A PRRA is the same as a refugee hearing."" It isn't. A refugee hearing happens in person before the Immigration and Refugee Board, with oral testimony, country evidence, and a member who decides on the spot. A PRRA is a paper application reviewed by an immigration officer. The legal test is different. The evidence rules are different. Strategy that works for one doesn't always translate to the other.

Myth two: ""If I was barred from a refugee hearing, I have no options."" Wrong. Most people barred under C-12 those who claimed more than a year after entering Canada, and those who crossed between ports of entry along the US border can still apply for a PRRA. A successful PRRA grants you protected person status and opens a path to permanent residence. The protection is real.

Myth three: ""I can do this alone."" You can. People also represent themselves at trial. The numbers don't go well. PRRAs have tight timelines often 15 to 30 days from notice and technical evidence requirements. The same facts presented differently can be the difference between approval and removal.

If you're facing a PRRA, book a consultation before you write a single word of it. The earlier we look at your file, the more options we have.

Two months. That's how long Greg and his family had before being removed from Canada.He came to us with a deportation or...
05/13/2026

Two months. That's how long Greg and his family had before being removed from Canada.

He came to us with a deportation order in his hand and an H&C application that had already been filed — but filed by a ghost consultant who had charged him a small fortune. The ""legal submissions"" section, the part where you actually argue why you should be allowed to stay, was just a printout from the IRCC website. No evidence. No letters of support.

Nothing.

We rebuilt the application from the ground up. For half what the ghost consultant charged.

One month of intensive work. Statements from Greg. Letters from his employer, his friends, his community. A detailed analysis of the best interests of his children — a critical piece in any H&C application involving minors.

We also went to court to try to delay the removal until the H&C could be decided. We lost that fight. In 2019, Greg and his family were sent to a country he hadn't lived in for more than 20 years.

Two years later, the H&C was approved.

Greg and his family are now finalizing the paperwork to return to Canada — this time, as landed immigrants.

Two reasons we tell this story.

One. If you've been told your file is finished, get a second opinion before you give up. Sometimes ""finished"" just means it was done badly the first time.

Two. If anyone is ""fixing"" your immigration file with no contract, no firm, and no professional licence — stop. The fix is almost always more expensive than doing it right the first time.

If either of those is you, book a consultation.

05/12/2026

"We've been getting the same call all week.
""Does Bill C-12 affect me? Is my permit at risk? Should I be worried?""
For most of you, no. The coverage has been louder than the law.
Here's what actually changed.

Bill C-12 — officially the Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act — became law on March 26, 2026. It mainly changes the asylum system.

Two new rules apply to claims made on or after June 3, 2025:

Claims filed more than one year after entering Canada are no longer referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Claims from people who crossed the Canada–US border between ports of entry are no longer referred either.

If either rule affects you, you may still apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment, or PRRA. We're explaining those on Friday.

What didn't change: your work permit, your study permit, your PR application, Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program, family sponsorship. None of these are touched by C-12.

One more thing. If anyone tells you Bill C-12 changes Express Entry or your visa status — they're either uninformed or trying to scam you. Real changes only ever come from IRCC.

Most of the supporting regulations come into force January 1, 2027. We'll break each one down as it drops.

If you made an asylum claim on or after June 3, 2025, or you're unsure how C-12 affects your file, book a consultation. The earlier we look, the more options you have.

Here is what you need to know about Bill C-12.If you arrived in Canada after June 24, 2020 and have not filed a refugee ...
05/01/2026

Here is what you need to know about Bill C-12.

If you arrived in Canada after June 24, 2020 and have not filed a refugee claim, you may now be permanently barred from accessing the full refugee system. The one-year deadline applies regardless of whether your situation has changed since you arrived. Regardless of whether your home country has become more dangerous. Regardless of whether you simply did not know you qualified.

The law does not ask why you waited. It just closes the door.

There are still legal avenues worth exploring depending on your specific circumstances, but those options narrow quickly and they narrow further once a removal process has started. The time to get advice is now, before anyone else is making decisions about your future.

Book a consultation: https://tinyurl.com/dxxh4w97

Bill C-12 passed despite more than 300 organizations calling for it to be withdrawn. Refugee lawyers, civil rights group...
04/29/2026

Bill C-12 passed despite more than 300 organizations calling for it to be withdrawn. Refugee lawyers, civil rights groups, legal scholars, and settlement organizations from across Canada all raised serious concerns about what this law would mean for the most vulnerable people in the country.

The Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers has called it the most significant rollback of refugee rights in over a decade. Constitutional challenges are expected. The debate is far from over.

But none of that changes what is happening right now. The law is in effect. The one-year deadline is real. And if you are in Canada and have not filed a refugee claim, waiting to see how the legal challenges play out is not a strategy.

Your situation deserves a proper legal assessment today, not after a removal process has started.

Book a consultation: https://tinyurl.com/dxxh4w97

Under Bill C-12, if you missed the one-year deadline to file a refugee claim, you lose access to the full refugee system...
04/27/2026

Under Bill C-12, if you missed the one-year deadline to file a refugee claim, you lose access to the full refugee system. What you are left with is a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment, or PRRA.

A lot of people assume these two processes are interchangeable. They are not.

A full IRB hearing means you can speak, present evidence, and have your case decided by an independent tribunal. You have the right to appeal if things go wrong. A PRRA is a paper-based review conducted by an immigration officer. There is no hearing, no independent decision-maker, and no right of appeal. For anyone with a complex situation, that difference can determine whether you stay in Canada or are removed.

A lawyer can tell you which process applies to you, whether any exceptions exist in your case, and what your strongest path forward looks like. But that conversation needs to happen before a removal process begins, not after.

Book a consultation: https://tinyurl.com/dxxh4w97

For many 2SLGBTQ+ people, coming to Canada is the first time they have ever felt safe enough to be themselves. Coming ou...
04/25/2026

For many 2SLGBTQ+ people, coming to Canada is the first time they have ever felt safe enough to be themselves. Coming out, understanding your identity, processing years of hiding — that does not happen overnight. It can take years.

Bill C-12 does not account for any of that. Under this law, the one-year deadline to file a refugee claim starts the day you arrived in Canada. Not the day you felt safe. Not the day you understood your rights. Not the day you were finally ready to speak.

If you came to Canada and have since come to understand that returning home would put you at risk because of your identity, you may still have legal options. But those options are narrower now and they depend entirely on your specific situation.

Speak to a refugee lawyer before anyone else tells you what you can and cannot do.

Book a consultation: https://tinyurl.com/dxxh4w97

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