1. What are your primary areas of immigration practice? 
I am a solicitor; I assist corporations and their personnel with a broad range of Canadian immigration matters, including advice regarding business travel, work permits, immigration compliance, permanent residency and provincial nominations, inadmissibility issues or Canadian citizenship.
2. What motivated you to join the OBA Citizenship & Immigration Law Section Executive?
The decision to join the OBA Citizenship and Immigration Law Section and the Section Executive was a no brainer. I am a strong believer in lifelong learning, collaboration, and the need to increase representation of Black lawyers both in the membership and the Executive. Being a member of the OBA allows me to collaborate with and learn from so many gifted lawyers who are willing to share their time and knowledge with the aim of bettering our profession and serving our clients. Increasing representation is important to me because the OBA Immigration Section membership and Executive should reflect the changing face of the profession in Ontario.
3. What do you enjoy most about practicing immigration law?
There are two main aspects of the practice that I enjoy most. First, the diversity that comes from my being exposed to different stories and application categories everyday as well as when immigration intersects with other areas of law such as criminal, labour, employment, and family law. Secondly, I enjoy making an impact on the lives of individuals and their families or developing relationships with HR who rely on me day-to-day for support.
For example, a high-skilled tech worker relocating to Canada to support a business line is not only an important resource to the company, but a complex human with their own story and dreams, often tied to their accompanying family members. As counsel, it’s my job to not only help the business with respect to timely and accurate guidance so they can plan accordingly, but also to learn the tech worker’s story and plans – within the bounds of the lawyer-client relationship – to develop sound strategies which take their stories and plans into consideration. My approach often leads to reduced stress and noise with respect to the relationship between the business, the foreign worker, and myself.
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