Canada designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization in 2024. But what happens to people who were forced to serve in the IRGC through mandatory military conscription, committed no crimes, and later immigrated to Canada?In this episode of Borderlines, immigration lawyers Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff are joined by Conservative Member of Parliament Garnett Genuis to discuss the growing immigration crisis facing former IRGC conscripts and their families.In 2023, Genuis introduced Bill C-350, which proposed amending Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to distinguish between individuals who voluntarily joined terrorist organizations and those who were forcibly conscripted. The proposed amendment would protect individuals who completed only their mandatory service, did not remain voluntarily, and did not participate in terrorism, espionage, or subversion. Despite the subsequent designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization, this proposed legislative solution was never adopted.The discussion explores why the government has not acted, the consequences of Canada's current inadmissibility framework, the limitations of judicial review and humanitarian relief, and what affected individuals can do to advocate for legislative reform.Topics include:Why Canada designated the IRGC as a terrorist organizationWhat Bill C-350 proposed and why it never became law How IRPA section 34(1)(f) affects former conscriptsWhy mandatory military service can result in immigration inadmissibilityThe impact on spouses, families, and Iranian dissidentsWhether constitutional challenges or the Supreme Court's decision in Mason could change the lawThe role of Parliament, IRCC, and CBSAHow Canadians can advocate for a legislative solutionTimestamps00:00 – Introduction: MP Garnett Genuis and the IRGC conscription issue06:29 – Bill C-350: The proposed legislative solution for forced conscripts10:31 – Why hasn't the government adopted the proposed amendment?15:34 – The legal challenges and limitations of case-by-case discretion29:51 – Public advocacy and the prospects for legislative change38:43 – Humanitarian relief, judicial review, and litigation49:28 – What affected individuals can do to push for reform Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Canadian immigration may be entering another period of major change. Kubeir Kamal joins Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff to discuss what could be coming next for Express Entry, whether immigration levels may begin increasing again, the future of French-language draws, changes to provincial nominee programs, and why predicting Canadian immigration policy has become so difficult. We also discuss possible changes to the Express Entry points system, whether draws could be paused while a new system is implemented, where CRS scores may be headed, Ontario's revamped immigration program, whether Canada should bring back an investor immigration program, and whether closer integration with the European Union could create new immigration opportunities. Finally, we discuss increasingly unpredictable IRCC decisions, the role of automation and AI in immigration processing, and whether pressure to reduce immigration numbers may be affecting decision-making. TIMESTAMPS 03:28 – Will Canada start increasing immigration again? 06:05 – Can we trust Canada's immigration numbers? 10:10 – Major Express Entry changes are coming 15:45 – French-language points and PNP nominations 19:51 – Do the Conservatives or NDP have a coherent immigration plan? 23:25 – Doug Ford, skilled workers and Canada's immigration debate 25:53 – Will French-language draws continue in 2027? 31:10 – Will security screening delays finally improve? 34:22 – Where are CRS scores headed? 39:48 – Should Canada bring back an investor immigration program? 45:12 – Predictions for immigration changes before the end of 2026 48:11 – What's happening with increasingly strange IRCC refusals? 55:50 – What to expect from the final months of 2026 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How should Canada respond to concerns about Chinese espionage and foreign interference without treating every connection to China as a national security threat? Joanna Chiu, journalist, author of China Unbound: A New World Disorder and founder of Nüora Global Advisors, joins the Borderlines Podcast to discuss how the Chinese Communist Party operates at home and abroad, and what that means for Canadian immigration law. We discuss the United Front Work Department, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, Article 7 of China’s National Intelligence Law, foreign interference, overseas “police stations,” Chinese Communist Party membership, and the increasingly difficult security screening faced by Chinese visa and immigration applicants. Joanna also explains why understanding the Chinese-language sources, the structure of Chinese organizations and the realities of how Chinese laws operate in practice is essential when assessing allegations of espionage or foreign interference. We also discuss whether Canadian immigration authorities risk going too far when the possibility that someone could someday be compelled to cooperate with Chinese authorities becomes a basis for finding them inadmissible to Canada. Timestamps 06:02 – What is China’s United Front and what does it actually do? 19:40 – Article 7 of China’s National Intelligence Law: Does every Chinese citizen have to spy? 27:58 – Foreign interference, protests and the risks of profiling Chinese Canadians 32:54 – Is Canada going too far in immigration security screening? 43:10 – Elections, influence campaigns and China’s alleged overseas “police stations” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What happens when a foreign worker loses their authorization to work in Canada? Can an employer put them on unpaid leave? Lay them off? Terminate them? And what happens to severance when a worker’s immigration status makes it difficult, or impossible, to find another job?Employment lawyer Erin Brandt returns to Borderlines to discuss the increasingly important intersection between Canadian immigration and employment law.We discuss:• The difference between termination, temporary layoffs and unpaid leave• What employers should do when a work permit extension is refused• Employees vs. independent and dependent contractors• Employment Standards Act vs. common-law severance• Whether being on a closed work permit can increase severance• Fixed-term employment contracts and immigration-related job offers• Whether employers have to support work permit extensions• Employer questions about immigration processing and security screening• Rescinding job offers when a worker cannot obtain authorization to work in CanadaWe also discuss why immigration lawyers and employment lawyers increasingly need to understand each other’s areas of practice, and why losing immigration status does not necessarily mean that an employee loses their employment-law rights.Erin Brandt is an employment lawyer in British Columbia.Like and subscribe for more discussions about Canadian immigration law and policy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What has actually changed at the Canada–U.S. border under the second Trump administration, and what is just noise?U.S. immigration lawyer Andrew Hayes joins to discuss the state of U.S. immigration law and what it means for Canadians travelling, working and doing business in the United States.In brief, while Canadian tourism to the United States is down, an increased number of Canadian citizens and permanent residents are moving to America. Topics include whether Canadians should be worried about travelling to the United States, detention and expedited removal at the border, the impact of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, the future of CUSMA/USMCA and what its collapse could mean for TN status, E-1 and E-2 visas, U.S. green card quotas and the lengthy waits faced by Indian-born applicants, travel restrictions and the difficulties facing some Iranian-born Canadian citizens, IRGC service and U.S. inadmissibility, the constitutional battle over birthright citizenship and the growing opportunities for Canadian skilled tradespeople in the United States.We also discuss the broader tension at the heart of U.S. immigration policy: restricting immigration and strengthening enforcement while continuing to attract the workers, investors and entrepreneurs that the U.S. economy needs.Andrew Hayes is a U.S. immigration lawyer based in Vancouver whose practice focuses on cross-border immigration, trade and travel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.