CLIH Cross border Issues

www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse 19 Staying agile amid challenges: Top 10 Immigration Boutiques THE COVID-19 pandemic added many more hoops to the already complex world of immigration law, between ever-changing travel restrictions, testing and vaccination requirements and fewer people working in immigration offices. Bringing in skilled workers from overseas is essential to the growth plans of many Canadian companies, so hiring the right experts to navigate the process is critical. In-house counsel rely on the knowledge and dedication of our top 10 immigration law boutiques as they strive to continue hiring talent from foreign lands. Based in Toronto and named among our top 10, Corporate Immigration Law Firm focuses on transferring individuals between foreign countries and Canada, either to immigrate, work on temporary assignments, study or visit. AirBoss of America Corp. has been a client of CILF for five years, relying on their services to handle visa applications. Throughout the pandemic, the firm has also been valuable in helping to navigate the myriad COVID rules for travel between Canada and the US, as the Newmarket, Ont.-based manufacturing company has extensive operations in the US. "They really added value because it's often quite unclear exactly what the requirements are," says Chris Figel, EVP and general counsel at AirBoss. "I would call Joel [Guberman], and he would be able to walk us through it and put together the right paperwork. Something as simple as getting people to and from a different country became very challenging." In Figel's opinion, CILF is very professional and a trusted business partner. Also among our top 10, Vancouver-based Larlee Rosenberg Barristers and Solicitors is one of western Canada's largest immigra- tion-only law firms. "The immigration landscape is constantly changing, and so you can't really dabble in that space," says Suzanne Mercier, a client of Larlee Rosenberg for seven years. "You need to work with someone who is on top of things, and Ryan [Rosenberg] is spectacular because he has his finger on the pulse of immigration developments in Canada." As fractional general counsel at Vancou- ver-based Caravel Law, Mercier takes the GC role for a few different technology companies with immigration needs. She greatly values the proactive nature of the lawyers at Larlee Rosenberg. "They are very proactive and responsive, so I don't have to chase them for follow-ups which is critical when time is of the essence," says Mercier. Larlee Rosenberg also works with technology company NumerixS Quant to help with the immigration of math and physics Ph.D. candidates into Canada. Immigration boutiques juggle travel restrictions to help clients bring skilled workers across borders "I really like the way Ryan [Rosenberg] and the other senior partners create space for the more junior lawyers and paralegals to get experience and build their competence." Cheryl Slusarchuk, NumerixS Quant (a client of Larlee Rosenberg LLP)

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