January 2014

I recently learned an awesome new phrase, “Bread and Circuses.” According to Wikipedia, it comes from Latin and stands for “a superficial means of appeasement”. Wikipedia says that when it comes to politics, the phrase is used to describe the creation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion; distraction; or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace.

December 2013

The Canadian government has announced three major changes that will affect those interested in immigrating to Canada in 2014.

October 2013

Last month, I represented a client accused of marriage fraud. More specifically, he was accused of “directly or indirectly misrepresenting or withholding material facts.” The letter he received from Citizenship and Immigration Canada alleged that his“…marriage to [his] sponsor… is not genuine and was entered into primarily for the purpose of acquiring entry into Canada as a permanent resident.”

September 2013

The woman sitting across the table from me had brilliantly coloured red hair. I told her that her hair made me think of sunshine. She smiled, but only briefly, and then with tears in her eyes asked me how she could keep her 82 year old father in the country.