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42 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 w w w . c a n a d i a n l a w y e r m a g . c o m Immigration boutiques have evolved to serve their clients as legislative and political priorities shift By Aidan Macnab T O P B O U T I Q U E S ADAPTING TO CHANGE C anada's immigration boutiques have spent the last decade adapt- ing to a toughening of the rules governing business immigration with stiffer penalties but they have benefited from new initia- tives meant to make coming to Canada easier and faster. At the same time, anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. is attracting more immigrants to Canada and stimulating business. Barbara Jo Caruso was a partner at Gowling WLG for 13 years before leaving to start Corporate Immigration Law Firm, an experience, she says, that provided her a "wonderful foundation." But the smaller setting allows more agility in addressing client needs. "I don't let anybody cross the border without me speaking to them first. That's my policy," she says. "That service and outreach and availability after hours, because the borders are open 24/7, is I think what dis- tinguishes my firm and the difference that you can provide when you are a boutique as opposed to being in a larger setting with more structure and you're not as nimble." Caruso has also had more intimate access to the frontlines of Canada's immigration system than her downtown Toronto office can provide. While a student, she worked as a customs offi- cer for the Canadian government. A lot has changed in the 30 years since Caruso says the chief priority of a customs officer was to facilitate the quick and efficient flow of people across the border. That has been superseded, in the post-9/11 world, by enforce- ment and prevention and keeping unsavoury characters and products out. It is not just the Donald Trump presidency, walls and politically partisan jousting over "irregular border crossings" that signify a more rigid immigration philosophy. The Conservative government halted the federal investor program, where prospective immigrants would give the government a large