Edmonton Immigration LawyersEdmonton immigration lawyers are the men and women lawyers of Edmonton’s legal community who handle the immigration requirements of people who live in the greater Edmonton area, or anywhere in Alberta for that matter. Contacting an immigration lawyer can be one of the most important decisions you ever make. Sometimes immigration "lawyers" are referred to as immigration "attorneys" although this is generally considered more of an American term.Canadian immigration is governed by the federal law known as the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) which came into force in 2002. Whether you are coming as a Refugee, in the Family Class or as an Economic Immigrant (including the “skilled worker” category) it is the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) which governs. This legislation can be viewed at Canada's Department of Justice website. In 2007 Statistics Canada prepared a detailed report called "The Demographic Situation In Canada”. It found that there were 236,759 immigrants admitted to Canada in that year - 27,955 refugees, 66,229 who were family class and a hefty 131,250 who were in the economic class. The economic class includes business immigrants, company owners, investors, provincially nominated individuals and the self employed. It is interesting to note that in 1913 over 400,000 immigrants were admitted to Canada – primarily to settle in western Canada. Many residents of the Edmonton, Alberta area can trace their roots back to those early settlement days of a century ago. Today immigration to Canada is at about half that number and includes a great many skilled workers, temporary workers, live-in caregivers, and students. The top 10 countries of origin in 2007 were reported as being:
Alberta’s share of the incoming immigrant population has been increasing slowly but steadily since 1996. Over 25% of all immigrants to Canada are now destined for western Canada. Until 1947 there was no such thing as Canadian citizenship. People were known as “British subjects”. However in that year the Canadian Citizenship Act came into force and Canadian citizenship became a reality. The law was substantially amended in 1977 with the passage of the Citizenship Act and that legislation governs to this day. There are further requirements but speaking generally an incoming immigrant becomes eligible for Canadian citizenship once they have been resident in Canada for 3 years. The Citizenship Act can also be viewed at the Department of Justice website. Advice from an immigration lawyer should be obtained to learn about all immigration requirements. Edmonton immigration lawyers – like all lawyers in Alberta – must be members of the Alberta Bar Association and they are regulated by the Law Society of Alberta. Many Edmonton environmental lawyers also belong to the Immigration and Citizenship Law subsection of the Alberta branch of the Canadian Bar Association. Immigrating, trying to become a Canadian citizen or trying to get permanent residency in Canada are huge decisions. The legal requirements are complicated. Having a careful, knowledgeable immigration lawyer on your side provides the best chance of achieving success. The best immigration lawyer is the one that will help you and explain things to you and keep it simple. It is important, in considering who your Edmonton immigration lawyer is going to be, that you select one that is practical, experienced and knowledgeable of exactly how things work in Edmonton. They should have an office in Edmonton which is staffed full time and have been there for some years. We are that counsel. We are that law firm. We are your Edmonton Immigration Lawyers. |
