Rekha McNutt
2120, 237 - 4th Avenue SW T2P4K3 Calgary, AB, Canada

Indeed! I often hear from clients that English is a hard language. More exception than rules, that's why!

The latest Express Entry draw saw 5000 invitations being issued! This is the largest draw so far! The minimum invitation score is still quite high, at 472. But, there are no class restrictions so those abroad without skilled Canadian work experience can receive an invitation to apply! #Canada #immigration #skilledworker #canadianexperience #trades #expressentry

I feel like October was the month of all things complex! I had a hearing before the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) on a really interesting issue - the sponsorship of orphaned, minor half-siblings. Of course, there were many twists along the way! Jurisdiction before the IAD was at the forefront. I tried a novel argument about the interpretation of de facto family members... No decision yet but I'm really interested to see how the Member deals with the evidence and arguments made. You can read all about this case on our blog: https://bit.ly/sponsorship-orphaned-siblings #Canada #immigration #immigrationlaw #sponsorship #family

Got approval on an Authorization to Return to Canada (ARC) for a client being sponsored by her husband! So happy that this very deserving couple is a little bit closer to being together again. Want to know about ARCs? Or about this case? You can read all about it on our blog: https://bit.ly/AuthorizationToReturn #Canada #sponsorship #family #admissibility #deportation

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5793885

Celebrating success in a very deserving case! A few weeks ago, I appeared before the Federal Court to argue a Judicial Review of a negative Visa Office decision in a Sponsorship/ humanitarian and compassionate case. It was a sponsorship by a Canadian citizen of an adult niece, who herself had two Canadian-born children. One of those children has a significant learning disability that she has gotten NO care for in her home country. The Visa Officer was very dismissive of these children's best interests. The Federal Court agreed with us and overturned the negative decision. More detail on our blog! http://bit.ly/sponsorship-H-C #Canada #sponsorship #family #humanitarian #compassion

I've been dealing with all lot of admissibility issues lately. Mainly in the context of Federal Court Judicial Review Applications. By the time a file gets to me at the Federal Court stage, it is often very difficult to overcome the inadmissibility findings. It is crucial to overcome the allegations either up front or on receiving the procedural fairness letter. My latest post is a summary of various grounds of inadmissibility.If you're facing admissibility issues, contact me for assistance. http://bit.ly/admissibility-overview #Canada #immigration #immigrationlaw #admissibility

COVID-19 Update: How to unite with extended family members who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. http://bit.ly/covid19-update-extended-family #canada #FamilyReunification #COVID-19 #BorderClosures #visit

My good friend and fellow Immigration Lawyer Mark Holthe started recording a podcast series on hearings and appeals at the Immigration Appeal Division. We have covered sponsorship appeals and residency obligation appeals in the past. Now, here's an episode on appeals for permanent residents facing a loss of their permanent residence status for criminal convictions! Obviously a very serious issue for anyone in this situation. It's vital to know what options you have. Find the full episode on our blog http://bit.ly/podcast-PR-criminal-appeals #canada #immigration #ImmigrationAppealDivision #HearingsAppeals #Criminality #removal #deportation

Happy day! My client applied to sponsor her orphaned, minor nephew (her sister's son). We got a request today for the child to submit his passport! It's nice to be able to make another sad situation a little bit happier. Also nice to see this was processing under a year in spite of COVID-19 delays! http://bit.ly/sponsorship-orphan-minor-nephew #Canada #immigration #sponsorship

New Program Delivery Update - Guidelines for assessing and interacting with applicants with a diverse sexual orientation or gender identity or expression (SOGIE) are now available. This is relation to refugee/asylum claims. https://bit.ly/3ljvb7z #Canada #immigration #refugee #asylum #SOGIE #SexualOrientation

A few months back, my good friend and fellow Immigration Lawyer Mark Holthe started recording a podcast series on hearings and appeals at the Immigration Appeal Division. Here's the episode that started it all - Sponsorship Appeals - http://bit.ly/podcast-sponsorship-appeals #canada #immigration #ImmigrationAppealDivision #HearingsAppeals #sponsorship

Just received an email from Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada confirming the reopening of the parent/grandparent sponsorship program for 2020! The system will open to interested sponsors on October 13, 2020 and remain open until November 3, 2020. Any interested sponsors must complete an express of interest online. Of those who are interested, 10,000 will be selected at random. Those selected will then have 60 days to complete the application requirements. Thinking of sponsoring a parent to grandparent? Our office can certainly help to navigate that process! Email me at [email protected] for assistance. https://www.canada.ca//government-of-canada-announces-deta

Better late than never? Latest Express Entry draw (#164) was last week. Minimum score of 471, and 4200 invitations issued. The best part? No Class restrictions! http://bit.ly/ExpressEntry164 #Canada #immigration #skilled #ExpressEntry

Gay man and straight woman can form ‘conjugal relationship,’ Canada’s Federal Court rules https://bit.ly/34d4t9T #Canada #immigration #sponsorship #conjugal

IRCC has announced biometrics exemption for Permanent Residence applicants who have previously completed biometrics in the last 10 years. Details on our blog! https://bit.ly/308mZ1G #canada #immigration #biometrics

IRCC vows to speed up processing for spousal applications - they aim to finalize just under 50,000 by year end! Here's to hoping this is a reality. Many of my clients are waiting for their spouses to be granted PR! https://bit.ly/36378W4

A terrible loss for the legal community

IRCC released a new Program Delivery Update today to defer processing of PNP applicants who applied in employer-driven streams, who may have lost their job due to COVID-19. The Province can now request that IRCC put that application on hold until March 17, 2021 to allow the applicant to find a new job. Prior to this measure, the candidate would be faced with a refusal because they no longer had the job which got them the nomination. https://www.canadaimmigration.ca//provincial-nominee-progr #canada #canadaimmigration #immigration #immigrationlaw #immigrationlawyer #cic #ircc #liveincanada #workincanada #canadianlife