WHEN
Live webinar November 28, 2024 at 12:00pm EST
OR available video recording
INSTRUCTORS
Adrienne Smith
Andrew Carvajal
DURATION
3 hours
SUMMARY
This workshop will address the exercise of writing compelling and effective cover letters for immigration applications. A cover letter can be important to an immigration practitioner to summarize important facts of a client’s application, bring attention to key issues, present the client’s evidence in a persuasive matter, argue helpful legislative sections or jurisprudence, and/or protect the client’s record for a potential court challenge. Practical exercises and examination of well-drafted precedents will provide specific examples to illustrate the points raised by the instructors. Ethical and professional responsibility considerations regarding honest submissions and client service will also be addressed.
COURSE OUTLINE
- Background information and preparation
- Understand the legal test of your client’s application and requirements
- Know the relevant legislation and policy instruments
- How/when to properly research case law and third-party information
- Conceptualizing your submission letter
- Consider how much detail is necessary for this type of application
- Use the introduction to summarize key facts and what you are asking for
- Use the conclusion to articulate the legal test
- Address and mitigate the case’s weaknesses
- Best Practices
- Use of quotations and excerpts of “key” evidence, case law, statutory sections, policy guidelines
- Evidence vs opinion
- Spell it out to the officer, use plain language
- Think critically of your client’s case
- Common Errors and Pitfalls
- Ethics and professional responsibility considerations
- Practical Exercises
- Review of sample precedents
- Brainstorming a sample cover letter
CPD CREDITS
For Lawyers and Paralegals
- Law Society of Ontario
Substantive Hours: This program is eligible for up to 3 hours. - Law Society of British Columbia
Approved for 3 CPD credits. - Law Societies of Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia
For members of these Law Societies, consider including this course as a CPD learning activity in your mandatory annual requirements
For Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants
- College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants
- Approved for 3 CPD hours
- Video recording valid until November 28, 2025
PURCHASING OPTIONS
SINGLE COURSE
$90
Includes:
- Attendance at the live three hour webinar.
- Access to the course materials.
- Ability to watch the webinar until December 31, 2025
EXPLORE OUR PASSES
- Expand your knowledge
- Fulfill your yearly CPD requirements in one purchase
- Discounted course rates
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Adrienne has a full-service legal practice with expertise in litigation and administrative appeals. 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.
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”.