Kelowna immigration lawyer busy as Canada tightens border

Immigration lawyers busy

A Kelowna-based lawyer says his law firm's phone has been ringing off the hook with people seeking help with immigration issues as Canada tightens its borders.

Upwards of 1.4 million temporary work permits are set to expire in Canada in 2026. At the same time, the country will only accept 380,000 permanent residency applications.

Bryan Fitzpatrick, an immigration lawyer with Pushor Mitchell, says they have been “extremely busy” recently.

“Because the number of options are narrower, people now are less apt to do it themselves or wanting to do it themselves, so they are reaching out to get legal advice," he told Kelowna city councillor Mohini Singh on her podcast Chai and Chat, which appears regularly on Castanet.

Indian immigrants make up the largest portion of temporary workers in Canada, by far. Fitzpatrick said that is because they prioritize learning English in India, which gives them an advantage for entry.

“It was the focus of the federal government to grow our population, in turn help grow the economy,” he said.

But with unaffordable housing prices and a overburdened healthcare system, Fitzpatrick notes that moods have changes in both Ottawa and the public.

“We have an economy that is slowing and an unemployment rate that is high, so there is political pressure to go and follow through and enforce the immigration laws,” he said.

For those who still want to come to or stay in Canada, Fitzpatrick suggests studying or working in an in-demand field like healthcare.

“Find an area that you can contribute.”

But at the end of the day, he said, immigration policy is often fickle and governments often make changes to programs and intake stream.

“You always need to be aware, that things can change and policies change, immigration changes rapidly, changes with a new government.”

“Be proactive. Don’t wait until the last minute to try to understand what options are available to you."

He said they should also be open minded about taking different types of jobs.