Brij Mohan & Associates can help with applications,
refusals, appeals, inadmissibility and status concerns.
Our Edmonton office is near Mill Woods.
Local rules and process
AAIP and federal programs
Mill Woods and Capital Region
Call 780-951-2662
Most people do not begin with the name of an immigration program. They begin with a real problem. A work permit is expiring. A spouse is waiting abroad. An application was refused. An officer has raised concerns about past information. The right legal route becomes clearer only after someone understands the full history.
Immigration rules, program priorities and processing practices can change. Therefore, old checklists and advice from another person’s case may create risk. No lawyer can guarantee approval. However, a careful review can help you choose the correct process, present consistent evidence and respond before an important deadline passes.
If you need an immigration lawyer in Edmonton, Brij Mohan & Associates can help with applications, refusals, appeals, inadmissibility and status concerns.
6147 28 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6L 6N5
780-951-2662
1 (800) 871-1196
A useful consultation starts with what you need to accomplish and what stands in the way. The following situations cover many of the calls our Edmonton immigration team receives.
Temporary residence may involve a work permit, visitor record, visitor visa or Super Visa. The correct document depends on what you plan to do, where you will apply, your nationality and your current status. For example, a visa used for travel is not the same as authorization to work in Canada.
If you already live in Edmonton, timing matters. Applying before a permit expires can have different consequences from applying after status has ended. In addition, changing employers, occupations or work locations may require new authorization. A lawyer can review what your current document permits before you make the change.
Permanent residence planning may involve Express Entry, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, family sponsorship or another federal pathway. The strongest route is not always the one with the most familiar name. Work history, language results, education, age, status, job duties, employer information and family circumstances can all affect the analysis.
Alberta currently uses a Worker Expression of Interest system for AAIP worker streams. A person normally needs an invitation before submitting a worker-stream application. Alberta may nominate an applicant, but Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada makes the final permanent residence decision. Because stream rules and selection priorities change, eligibility should be checked against the current Alberta requirements.
Eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents may sponsor a spouse, partner or dependent child. Other family programs have different eligibility and availability rules. A family file should tell one clear story across forms, civil records, relationship evidence, travel history and past applications.
A genuine relationship can still be questioned if the timeline is incomplete or important differences are left unexplained. Likewise, a prior marriage, previous sponsorship, immigration history or inadmissibility issue may require careful attention. If IRCC refuses an eligible family-class application, the sponsor may have an appeal route through the Immigration Appeal Division.
A procedural fairness letter, interview notice, document request or admissibility concern should not receive a rushed answer. First, identify exactly what the decision-maker doubts. Next, compare that concern with every form and document already submitted. Then prepare a truthful, supported response before the deadline.
Guessing, changing dates to make them fit or sending altered records can make the problem worse. If the issue involves possible misrepresentation, criminality, non-compliance or medical inadmissibility, the legal consequences may reach beyond the application currently under review.
Once a decision has been made, the question changes. The best next step may be a new application, reconsideration request, statutory appeal or Federal Court application for leave and judicial review. These are not interchangeable. The decision type, available record, place of decision and deadline determine which route may exist.
Refugee protection and removal matters also follow distinct procedures. The Refugee Protection Division decides eligible protection claims, while the Refugee Appeal Division reviews many negative RPD decisions. Eligibility for an appeal is not automatic in every case. Removal enforcement, detention and admissibility proceedings may involve CBSA and the Immigration Division.
A polished form is not enough. Before anything is submitted, an immigration lawyer in Edmonton should understand these five parts of the file.
Confirm the expiry date, current conditions, response deadlines, hearing dates and any removal activity. A missed date can reduce the options available.
Edmonton attracts workers, students, visitors and families from many countries. A local file may involve an employer in health care, technology, construction, logistics or the skilled trades. The details matter, but federal law controls most permit decisions.
Some work permits require a Labour Market Impact Assessment. Others rely on an exemption, an open-work-permit category or a specific public policy. The employer’s offer, job duties, wage, work location and compliance history must align with the worker’s application. A vague or inconsistent job description can create questions even when the employment is genuine.
Workers should also understand the limits printed on their permit. A change in employer or occupation may require new authorization. Employers should confirm their own steps before the worker applies, because an employer-side error can affect the permit application.
A visitor application should clearly explain the purpose and length of the trip. It should also address finances, family ties, travel history and the plan to leave Canada when required. A Super Visa has additional requirements. For someone already in Edmonton, an extension request should explain why more time is needed and how the person will support themselves.
Some work permits require a Labour Market Impact Assessment. Others rely on an exemption, an open-work-permit category or a specific public policy. The employer’s offer, job duties, wage, work location and compliance history must align with the worker’s application. A vague or inconsistent job description can create questions even when the employment is genuine.
Workers should also understand the limits printed on their permit. A change in employer or occupation may require new authorization. Employers should confirm their own steps before the worker applies, because an employer-side error can affect the permit application.
A permanent residence strategy should survive more than an initial eligibility check. The facts in an Express Entry profile, AAIP expression of interest, nomination application and federal application must remain accurate and consistent. Changes involving employment, family composition, language results or status may need to be reported.
AAIP includes worker and entrepreneur streams. Current worker options include the Alberta Opportunity Stream, Alberta Express Entry Stream, Tourism and Hospitality Stream and Rural Renewal Stream. Each has its own criteria, and some use invitations or community involvement. Edmonton applicants should not assume that a rural pathway applies simply because they live in Alberta.
A nomination is valuable, but it is not the final permanent residence approval. IRCC still reviews the federal application, including admissibility. In addition, nomination spaces, processing priorities and stream availability can change. An AAIP lawyer in Edmonton can compare the current provincial requirements with the worker’s actual job and status.
Express Entry manages applications for several economic programs. Creating a profile does not guarantee an invitation. The profile must accurately describe work history, education, language results and family information. Supporting documents later need to prove those claims. If the facts change, the profile or application may need an update.
Sponsorship is both an immigration application and a legal undertaking by the sponsor. The sponsor and applicant must meet the requirements that apply to their category. The evidence should explain the relationship naturally instead of relying on a large, unorganized collection of screenshots. Quality, context and consistency matter more than repetition.
A refusal or enforcement notice is not simply another form to complete. At that point, counsel must identify the decision-maker’s authority, the legal test, the evidence that was before the officer and the remedy the law allows.
Reapplying may be sensible when new evidence can fix a clear weakness. In other cases, the concern is how the decision was made. A Federal Court judicial review asks the Court to review the legality or reasonableness of the decision-making process. It is not a full new application, and the Court does not simply substitute approval.
Federal Court filing periods can be very short. The Court’s current procedural chart states that an immigration application for leave and judicial review is generally due within 15 days when the matter arose in Canada or 60 days when it arose outside Canada, measured from notification of the decision. Because deadline calculations can be case-specific, get advice immediately.
The Immigration Appeal Division hears certain sponsorship, removal order and residency obligation appeals. Some cases may involve an alternative dispute resolution meeting; others proceed to a hearing. Evidence, witnesses, legal arguments and humanitarian factors may matter, depending on the appeal. Not every refusal or removal order carries an IAD right of appeal.
Inadmissibility may involve criminality, misrepresentation, medical issues, security concerns, financial reasons or non-compliance. The correct response depends on the ground alleged and the person’s status. A person facing removal should not assume that another application automatically stops enforcement.
If CBSA detains a permanent resident or foreign national, the Immigration Division normally holds a detention review within 48 hours or as soon as possible afterward. A release plan may address identity, attendance, public-safety concerns and alternatives to detention. Families should gather reliable documents and seek help quickly.
A refugee claim requires evidence connected to the legal definition of a Convention refugee or person in need of protection. The claimant’s forms, documents and testimony must remain consistent while explaining important events in enough detail. After a refusal, some claimants may appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division, while others may need to consider Federal Court review or another available process.
A criminal accusation can change an immigration plan. A charge and a conviction do not always create the same immigration consequence. However, the offence, possible sentence, immigration status and final outcome may affect admissibility, permanent residence, a removal process or future travel.
Brij Mohan & Associates works in both immigration law and criminal defence. This allows the firm to identify immigration risk before a guilty plea or other major criminal decision. If you are a permanent resident, temporary resident or foreign national facing a charge in Edmonton, seek coordinated advice early.
Our office at 6147 28 Avenue is convenient for Mill Woods, The Meadows, Ellerslie and southeast Edmonton. Clients also contact us from Downtown, Strathcona, north Edmonton, west Edmonton and nearby communities such as Sherwood Park, St. Albert, Beaumont, Leduc and Spruce Grove.
Many applications are submitted online and decided by federal or provincial authorities. Even so, an immigration lawyer in Edmonton can understand local employment documents, Alberta nomination issues and the practical effect of a permit problem on work, school or family life here. The firm can also advise when a matter involves Edmonton International Airport, CBSA, the IRB or Federal Court.
6147 28 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6L 6N5
780-951-2662
1 (800) 871-1196
Request a confidential consultation
No. You may prepare your own application. Legal help can be valuable when the correct pathway is unclear, status is expiring, a prior application was refused or the file involves inadmissibility, an appeal or a hearing.
Read the decision, record when you received it and preserve the complete application. Do not automatically submit the same material again. Ask whether a new application, reconsideration, appeal or judicial review fits the decision and deadline.
AAIP is Alberta’s provincial nominee program. Worker candidates generally begin through the current expression-of-interest and invitation process. Eligibility depends on the selected stream, work, status, employer and provincial criteria. IRCC makes the final permanent residence decision.
You may be able to sponsor a spouse or partner if you and the applicant meet the federal requirements. The application must include accurate forms, civil records and evidence that explains the relationship. Prior refusals, marriages or inadmissibility issues may need extra attention.
A lawyer can review the refusal and explain the available process. Some matters may support a new application, while others may involve an IAD appeal or Federal Court judicial review. No challenge can be guaranteed to succeed.
Yes. The possible effect depends on the charge, conviction, sentence, immigration status and other facts. Obtain criminal and immigration advice before entering a plea or accepting a proposed resolution.
Yes. Counsel can help organize evidence, prepare for an IRB hearing and present legal arguments. Detention matters move quickly, so the detained person or family should seek help as soon as possible.
An immigration decision can affect your work, education, family and ability to remain in Canada. You do not have to choose the next step based on guesswork. Our team can review the history, identify deadlines and explain the available route in plain language.
Call Brij Mohan & Associates at 780-951-2662 or 1 (800) 871-1196 to request a confidential consultation with an immigration lawyer in Edmonton. You can find our office at 6147 28 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6L 6N5.
