48 www.canadianlawyermag.com
LEGAL REPORT
IMMIGRATION
genuine and legitimate fear for their lives,
which Bonisteel says likely does not stand up
to constitutional muster.
"There's crazy stuff going on down there
right now. It's amazing what's actually been
implemented — some things I never thought
I'd see, they're going through for now."
The fact that the STCA does not address
irregular border crossings has been identi-
fied by some as a loophole. Walking across
the border at an unmonitored location
should be illegal, says Vanessa Routley,
an immigration lawyer in Winnipeg. She
spends her days trying to get people to Can-
ada in official ways.
"It's very hard to persuade clients that's the
right way to do it when all of their anecdotal
evidence is people they know who entered on
"There's crazy stuff going on down
there right now. It's amazing what's
actually been implemented — some things
I never thought I'd see, they're going
through for now."
Jacqueline Bonisteel, Caruso Guberman Appleby Corporate Immigration Law Firm
REFUGEE CLAIMS BY
IRREGULAR BORDER
CROSSERS, 2017-2019
Intake 50,635
Accepted 10,582
Rejected 9,346
Abandoned 782
Withdrawn & other 952
Total finalized 21,662
Pending 28,973
