The Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA) has had an incredibly exciting and jam-packed last few months of 2025. From hosting our first ever conference, to our insightful continuing legal education (CLE) sessions, advocacy, and many media spotlights, we\u2019re so proud to get to end off this year looking back at some truly meaningful work. And we cannot wait to let you know what we have in store for 2026!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We\u2019re thrilled to announce that CILA\u2019s membership has now surpassed 550 lawyers and law students<\/strong> across Canada. Our continued growth reflects the strength of our community and the rising importance of independent, member-driven voices in shaping Canadian immigration policy and practice.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Reminder:<\/strong> CILA membership is completely free for law students<\/strong> and remains highly affordable for practicing lawyers. If you know someone who might benefit, encourage them to join here<\/a>.<\/p>\n On October 28th, we welcomed 250+ attendees and speakers to our first ever conference. Hosted at The Quay in beautiful downtown Toronto, we\u00a0saw a full day of CLE-accredited programming, engaging panel discussions, keynotes from high-level officials, and unmatched networking opportunities – including breakfast, lunch, and a closing cocktail reception.<\/p>\n A huge thank you to all of our incredible sponsors for their support, and to all attendees who made the day such a success.<\/p>\n CILA continued to offer thought-provoking and practical CLEs this fall and winter. Thank you to all our speakers and participants<\/strong> for making these recent sessions such a success:<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfa5 Missed one? Recordings are available for purchase here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mark your calendars for our upcoming exciting events:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Full details and registration: CILA Events<\/a><\/p>\n CILA\u2019s committees have been actively reviewing legislation, preparing submissions, and engaging with government processes. In addition, CILA has launched legal action to strengthen protections for access to legal counsel.<\/p>\n Access to Legal Counsel<\/strong><\/p>\n CILA has commenced legal proceedings against the Ministers of IRCC, ESDC, and Public Safety (the \u201cRespondents\u201d) to strengthen legal protections for access to legal counsel. Click here<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n CILA has sent a follow-up letter<\/a> to IRCC on ongoing challenges with arbitrary refusals for temporary residence applications.\u00a0The letter also contains a series of recommendations.<\/p>\n Overall, CILA is pushing for greater procedural fairness<\/strong>, more consistent decision-making<\/strong>, and a smoother client experience<\/strong>, while reducing unnecessary strain on IRCC, DOJ, and Federal Court resources through more efficient, accurate processing.<\/p>\n The Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA) warns that Bill C-12, presented as a border-security modernization effort, fundamentally undermines Canada\u2019s immigration system, the rule of law, and protections for vulnerable people<\/strong>. While CILA agrees immigration legislation must evolve, the organization stresses that reforms must balance<\/em> security with fairness, transparency, and Canada\u2019s international obligations. In CILA\u2019s view, Bill C-12 fails this test. Read our full statement here.<\/a><\/p>\n Moreover, the CILA Refugees Committee has shared recommendations<\/a> in tandem with CARL on how the federal government can alleviate backlogs at the IRB.<\/p>\n CILA Ethics Committee<\/strong><\/p>\n In March 2025, CILA’s Ethics Committee released The State of Immigration Fraud<\/a>, a report containing recommendations on how Canada can strengthen protections for newcomers. Stay tuned for the 2026 version of the report.<\/p>\n In addition, CILA has been active in outlining the limitations of IRCC’s proposal to introduce<\/a> administrative monetary penalties on lawyers.<\/p>\n On November 17, 2025, CILA’s Citizenship Committee appeared before Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology to express its support for Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act.<\/em><\/p>\n Bill C-3 has since received royal assent. You can see our work on this at timestamp 18:40 here: https:\/\/senparlvu.parl.gc.ca\/harmony\/en\/powerbrowser\/powerbrowserv2?fk=677435&globalstreamid=3<\/a><\/p>\n Launched in March 2025, Catalyst Canada<\/strong><\/a> is an initiative by CILA\u2019s Canadian Business Immigration Committee (CBIC)<\/strong> aimed at improving entrepreneur, investor, and self-employed programs to better support Canada\u2019s economic goals.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd0a Their multi-part podcast series<\/strong> features insights from leading lawyers, economists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. You can see updates on Catalyst’s advocacy work and catch podcast clips on the Catalyst Linkedin Page!<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa Subscribe to the Catalyst Canada YouTube Channel<\/a> so you don\u2019t miss any updates.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udca1 Want to volunteer with CILA? Sign up here<\/a><\/p>\n CILA has been featured in Bloomberg<\/strong>, the Globe and Mail<\/strong>, the Toronto Star<\/strong>, and more. Check out our press coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2026\u20132028 aims to balance Canada\u2019s economic needs with its humanitarian commitments. However, with limited processing capacity and a shrinking overall \u201cimmigration pie,\u201d the government is forced to shift allocations between programs, prioritizing economic immigration while reducing spaces for family reunification and refugee protection.<\/p>\n CILA underscores a key concern<\/a>: the immigration system lacks a coherent national strategy. CILA proposes a series of recommendations to get the system back on track.<\/p>\n CILA is proud to publish original articles written by our members, covering everything from legal commentary to practice tips.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcda Read the latest: CILA News<\/a> October 5, 2026 \u2013 Downtown Toronto<\/strong> \ud83d\udc49 Conference details and registration: In February of 2026, CILA is launching its inaugural mentorship course: Practical Training on Preparing Judicial Reviews, in which we are preparing lawyers to overcome their fear of filing JR’s and gain confidence to handle Federal Court applications with expert guidance. Learn more about how we are providing members with life-long practical skills and connection opportunities here: https:\/\/shorturl.at\/LErLP<\/a><\/p>\n Thank you to our incredible members, volunteers, and supporters for keeping CILA thriving. Whether you\u2019re attending events, writing articles, volunteering, or engaging in committee work\u2014you\u2019re helping shape a stronger immigration system for Canada.<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association (CILA) has had an incredibly exciting and jam-packed last few months of 2025. From hosting our first ever conference, to our insightful continuing legal education (CLE) sessions, advocacy, and many media spotlights, we\u2019re so proud to get to end off this year looking back at some truly meaningful work. And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":14214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,180,9],"tags":[423,559,703,721,671,715,568,645],"class_list":["post-14169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cila-in-the-news","category-cila-membership-benefits","category-public-relations","tag-access-to-counsel","tag-advocacy","tag-c-12","tag-c-2","tag-catalyst-canada","tag-cila-conference","tag-cles","tag-quarter-in-review"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\ud83c\udf07Fall & Winter Highlights \u2013 Events & CLEs<\/h3>\n
CILA Conference 2025<\/h4>\n
CLEs<\/h4>\n
\n
\ud83d\udcc6 Upcoming CLEs and CILA Conference 2026<\/h4>\n
\n
\u2696\ufe0f Advocacy<\/h3>\n
Improving Visa Processing<\/h4>\n
CILA’s Submission to CIMM on Bills C-2 and C-12<\/h4>\n
Citizenship Committee<\/h4>\n
\ud83d\udcbc Catalyst Canada \u2013 Business Immigration in Focus<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udcf0 Media Relations<\/h3>\n
CILA Comments on Canada’s New Immigration plan<\/h4>\n
\u270d\ufe0f Member Articles<\/h3>\n
\n\ud83d\udcdd Want to contribute? Submit here<\/a><\/p>\n\ud83c\udf89 What\u2019s Next?<\/h3>\n
\ud83d\udccdCILA Conference 2026: Delving Deeper Into Canada\u2019s Immigration System<\/h4>\n
\nJoin us for a full day of networking, expert panels, and engaging dialogue on the future of Canadian immigration law.<\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/cila.co\/events\/cila-conference-2026\/<\/a><\/p>\n\ud83e\udd1dCILA’s Mentorship program<\/h4>\n