A course on how to craft persuasive, well-structured cover letters that support immigration and visa applications.
Included with our Passes – Learn more
Adrienne Smith and Andrew Carvajal
March 10, 2026 at 12:00pm EST
$90
3 hours
Attend Live Online and On-Demand Recording
Master the art of writing effective and persuasive immigration submission cover letters in this hands-on workshop. Designed for immigration practitioners, this session explores how a well-drafted cover letter can clarify key facts, highlight complex issues, and strengthen an application before IRCC or a tribunal. Participants will learn to link facts to legal tests, cite relevant legislation, policy, and jurisprudence, and maintain ethical standards in their advocacy. Through practical exercises and real examples, this workshop provides step-by-step guidance on structuring submissions, avoiding common errors, and developing clear, professional, and persuasive writing that protects the client’s record for possible review or appeal.
• Understand the legal test of your client’s application and requirements
o Identify the strongest and weakest facts
o Tie the facts to the legal test
• Know the relevant legislation and policy instruments
• How/when to properly research case law and third-party information
• Identify strongest and weakest facts
• Consider how much detail is necessary for this type of application
o What evidence must be presented
o What case law, legislative provisions, or policies, must be presented
• Start with your sections/subheadings
• Planning rules-based vs. persuasive submissions
• Introduction and conclusion
• Addressing prior refusals
• Make submissions readable
• Avoid procrastination and last-minute work
• Proofreading
• Proper use of precedents
• Think of your client’s case critically
• Fact vs. opinion
• Using AI in preparing submissions
• Errors in writing/style
• Errors in handling evidence
• Honesty and candour regarding the weaknesses of a client’s case and chances of success
• Counseling or abetting misrepresentation
• Review of sample precedents
• Brainstorming a sample cover letter
o Key facts
o Legal argument
o Sample document checklist
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Managing Partner
Carvajal Law
Andrew is a Toronto immigration lawyer and the Managing Lawyer of Carvajal Law. He received a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law from McGill University. He was called to the Bar of Ontario in 2011.
Andrew’s immigration practice focuses on all types of business immigration, including the relocation of foreign workers through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program. This involves the representation of employers and employees on all types of Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications and Canadian work permit applications. He also assists professionals and entrepreneurs around the world with permanent residence applications under federal and provincial economic programs.
Having been involved in the international student industry for over 10 years, Andrew also assists clients with study permits and visitor visas. He is the CEO of the education consulting firm mobility.study.
For over 10 years, Andrew has taught at the university and college levels, as well as professional development courses to immigration lawyers, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants and paralegals. He is the Curriculum Developer for LPEN and an instructor of multiple online courses and workshops dealing with labour mobility programs, permanent residence and study permits. He is also a frequent contributor to several publications dealing with immigration law and has been invited to speak about immigration changes on local and national news segments, as well as to testify before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.
Prior to practising law, Andrew was a sociology professor at McGill University and a university researcher in projects dealing with criminal justice, equality laws, family transformation and social research methods. He is also the host of the biweekly wine and immigration podcast “Vivir Afuera”.
B.A., M.A., J.D.
Principal Lawyer, Smith Immigration Law
Adrienne has a full-service legal practice with expertise in litigation and administrative appeals. Adrienne’s firm website can be found here. Her legal experience is concentrated in matters before Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Federal Court and the Immigration and Refugee Board.
She regularly represents clients with all types of permanent and temporary applications to Canada, including medical and criminal inadmissibility issues, sponsorship applications and appeals, refugee claims and appeals, Federal Court applications, humanitarian and compassionate applications, study and visitor visas, and detention reviews.
Adrienne has been invited as an expert to speak on medical inadmissibility before Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, which monitor’s federal immigration policies.
She is an Instructor with Ryerson’s Faculty of Law and the University of British Columbia’s Continuing Education Program. Adrienne has been invited to speak as a guest lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law and York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies.
Have questions? We’re here to help. Check out our FAQs to learn more about this Course.
Absolutely. Every LPEN course is recorded, and the recording is added to your account within a few business days. You can log in anytime to watch it on demand and still receive your digital certificate of completion.
LPEN seeks accreditation for each course from the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC) and the Law Society of Ontario (LSO),the Law Society of BC (LSBC) when applicable. Accreditation details and approved CPD hours are listed in the CPD Credits section on each course page, so you can easily confirm how the course qualifies toward your professional development requirements.
A digital certificate of completion will be available once the course recording has been uploaded. After that, you can follow the steps at the top of your My Courses page—where you’ll also find a short video explaining how to download your certificate. Be sure to save it as part of your documentation for your CPD hours.
This course may be included in one or several LPEN Passes. Passes offer discounted rates and access to multiple courses, making CPD compliance simpler. Check out our Passes page to see where it is included.
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