Quoted in Canadian Lawyer regarding leaked Immigration Department memo contemplating waiving eligibility critera for visitor visas. “Once word of IRCC’s decision spreads, there will be more visa applications, and the decreased screening will lead to more refugee claimants. The leaked IRCC memo said that waiving eligibility requirements could lead to around 8,600 asylum claims. This surge will overburden the Immigration and Refugee Board, says Ravi Jain, founder of Jain Immigration Law, and past national chair of the Canadian Bar Association immigration law section…. Jain notes that IRCC is putting more money into the system and hiring more officers to deal with the backlog but adds that there is a lack of communication with lawyers. We should ‘bring back some mutual respect, where they understand that we’re here to facilitate and assist the process. We’re the ones dissuading people from making fake refugee claims. We’re the ones who strategize and try to ensure that people don’t put in too many applications so that they don’t put in applications that are not very strong or that are disorganized, so officers have to spend more time on them.'” February 3, 2023: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/immigration/waiving-visa-eligibility-requirements-risks-undermining-confidence-in-immigration-system-lawyers/373429.
