The 2023 National Citizenship and Immigration Conference (June 7,8, and 9, 2023 )

Bogdan Sultana

Jean-Marc Gionet

Annie Bellemare

Anthony Boonstra

Colleen Mullen

Elizabeth Orton

The Honourable Sean Fraser

The Honourable Sean Fraser was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Central Nova in 2015. Minister Fraser previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance from 2019 to 2021, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2018 to 2019. In 2021, he also served concurrently as Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister. Before entering politics, Minister Fraser had a successful legal career with one of Canada’s top-ranked law firms, where he practised commercial litigation and international dispute resolution. He is a long-time volunteer, having served as the Vice-President of a local branch of the United Nations Association in Canada, acted as a Research Fellow with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, and provided pro bono legal services to the local BGC Club and vulnerable community members. Minister Fraser holds a law degree from Dalhousie University, a Master’s degree in Public International Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University. Minister Fraser grew up in Pictou County, and has family throughout the Town and County of Antigonish. He enjoys spending time in Central Nova with his wife, Sarah, and their children, Molly and Jack.

Richard Wex

Mr. Wex was appointed Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada in July, 2018. From 2015-2018, Mr. Wex was the Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Prior to this appointment, he served as Vice-President of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) responsible for policy and program development.  From 2007 to 2013, Mr. Wex served as Assistant Deputy Minister of the Law Enforcement and Policing Branch at Public Safety Canada, where he provided strategic leadership and policy advice to the Minister of Public Safety.  Prior to joining Public Safety Canada, Mr. Wex held a number of executive positions with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Department of Justice. He began his public service career with the Department of Justice, practicing in the areas of Public and Aboriginal law, and providing the full range of advisory, negotiation and litigation services. Mr. Wex has a Bachelor of Laws degree (L.L.B.) from Queen's University, and is a member of the Law Society of Ontario. He is a graduate of the Public Service Advanced Leadership Program, and the Senior Managers in Government Program from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  He is a recipient of both the Public Service Award of Excellence as well as the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canada.

The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Naheed Nenshi, A’paistootsiipsii, was sworn in as Calgary's 36th mayor on October 25, 2010 and was re-elected in 2013 and 2017.

Prior to being elected, Mayor Nenshi was with McKinsey and Company, later forming his own business to help public, private and non-profit organizations grow. He designed policy for the Government of Alberta, helped create a Canadian strategy for The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy, and worked with the United Nations to determine how business can help the poorest people on the planet. He then entered academia, where he was Canada's first tenured professor in the field of nonprofit management, at Mount Royal University's Bissett School of Business.

For his work, Mayor Nenshi was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, was awarded the President’s Award from the Canadian Institute of Planners, and received the Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Psychological Association for his contributions to community mental health. In 2013, after his stewardship of the community during devastating flooding, Maclean’s magazine called him the second-most influential person in Canada, after the Prime Minister. He was also awarded the 2014 World Mayor Prize by the UK-based City Mayor’s Foundation as the best mayor in the world.

In 2014, he was also honoured by Elder Pete Standing Alone with the Blackfoot name A’paistootsiipsii, which means "Clan Leader" or "He who moves camp and the others follow". In 2016, Elder Bruce Starlight of the Tsuu T'ina First Nation honoured him with the name Iitiya: "Always Ready".

Mayor Nenshi holds a Bachelor of Commerce (with distinction) from the University of Calgary, where he was President of the Students' Union, and a Master in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he studied as a Kennedy Fellow.

Jean-Nicolas Beuze

Jean-Nicolas Beuze worked for more than 20 years with the United Nations in the areas of Human Rights (OHCHR), Peacekeeping (DPKO) and UNICEF at Headquarters and in the field (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Afghanistan and the Middle-East and North Africa region) before joining UNHCR in Lebanon as Deputy Representative for Protection and Inter-Agency Coordination. Prior to joining UNHCR, he was the UNICEF Child Protection Advisor for the MENA region (2010-13) working on emergency responses in Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and strengthening public child protection and education systems in the region. He was previously appointed as the Deputy Director of the Human Rights Unit of UN Peace-Keeping/DPKO mission in Afghanistan/UNAMA (2008-10) focusing on women’s rights, elections, poverty and the protection of civilians. He previously worked as a Research Director in a human rights think-tank (International Council on Human Rights Policy) on issues of peace agreements, transitional justice, national human rights institutions and the reform of the UN human rights system. Jean-Nicolas Beuze holds a LL.M in international human rights law from Essex University, UK, and a Master in international relations from the Graduate Institute of International Relations, Geneva/Switzerland.

Janet Dench

2016 AWARD RECIPIENT: JANET DENCH - CANADIAN COUNCIL FOR REFUGEES

The Canadian Council for Refugees is a national non-profit umbrella organization committed to the rights and protection of refugees and other vulnerable migrants in Canada and around the world, and to the settlement of refugees and immigrants in Canada. Its membership is made up of organizations involved in the settlement, sponsorship, and protection of refugees and immigrants. The CCR serves the networking, information-exchange, and advocacy needs of its membership.

Visit the CCR website for more information.

Mario Dion

A Montréal native, Mr. Dion, now a retired lawyer, obtained a law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1979.  Mr. Dion began his legal career in 1980 as a legal advisor at the then-Ministry of the Solicitor General.  In 1988, he became the Assistant Deputy Minister of Communications, Evaluation and Research at Corrections Canada. From Corrections Canada, Mr. Dion moved to the Department of Justice where he became the Assistant Deputy Minister of Corporate Services in 1992.  In 1995 he was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Justice.  From 1996 to 1997 he served as Deputy Clerk and Counsel at the Privy Council Office, responsible for Legislative House Planning and Machinery of Government and then returned to the Department of Justice as Associate Deputy Minister. In 2003, Mr. Dion was appointed Deputy Minister of Indian Residential Schools Resolution of Canada, where he led efforts to bring closure to 16,000 pending litigation files and, ultimately, the historic 2006 agreement with former residential school students. Mr. Dion also served as Chairperson of the National Parole Board from 2006-2009 and most recently as Commissioner of Public Sector Integrity from 2011-2014. In 2015, Mr. Dion was appointed as Chairperson of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.

Jade Calver

Ms. Calver has over a decade of experience in the Canadian immigration field. She has worked for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada as well as one of the country’s leading immigration law firms. She has handled hundreds of Canadian immigration cases, bringing individuals and businesses to Canada to achieve their goals. After completing her degree in Political Science with minors in Canadian Studies and French Literature at McGill University in 2012, Ms. Calver completed a graduate program in Immigration: Law, Policies and Procedures at the University of British Columbia in 2015. Jade Calver is a Regulated Immigration Consultant with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (R513992), and holds the designation of a Commissioner of Oaths for Taking Affidavits with respect to the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

Anthony Lawley

Tiffany Chi

Tiffany graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in Political Science and English.  She is a member in good standing of the CICC and has been working in the immigration field since 2008.   
 
Prior to beginning her work as an Immigration Consultant, she worked for several years as a Border Services Officer with the CBSA.  She currently works with J. Kenney Consulting Ltd., specializing in economic and corporate immigration.  She has been an Instructor in immigration law since 2017, having taught several modules of UBC’s Certificate in Immigration: Laws, Policies and Procedures Program, and held the position of Course Lead in the Practical Skills module with UBC.   
 
In addition to developing course content and assessment materials for that module, she continues to be a frequent speaker and presenter at immigration workshops, seminars, and annual national immigration conferences.   

Peter Veress

Peter Veress has over 23 years of experience in the area of immigration consulting. He began his career as an immigration officer with the Canadian government’s Department of Citizenship and Immigration, where he developed a passion for supporting the integration of temporary foreign workers, internationally trained professionals and immigrants into the fabric of Canadian society. Since then he has built an extensive immigration practice where has handled thousands corporate transfer, foreign worker, permanent residency and compliance review applications.

Peter is the past President of the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants – Prairie Chapter and a registered member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council. He is a frequent presenter on immigration issues, has published numerous immigration-related articles in professional, trade and human resource publications and has appeared before various multi-party parliamentary commissions on immigration. In addition, he teaches the Immigration Consulting Professional Practice Management course at Bow Valley College in Calgary.

Peter has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Calgary and an Applied Public Relations Diploma from Mount Royal College (now Mount Royal University). He has served on the Board of Directors of a number of immigrant serving agencies.

Vermax Group Inc. provides immigration consulting services to individuals and numerous national and international companies, and is currently the International Recruitment and Transition Provider for The City of Calgary. Vermax also consults to foreign governments on ways to internationalize their labour force.

Kim K.C. Ly

Kim K.C Ly is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant based in London, Ontario and the principal of Borders Consultancy Ltd. https://www.bordersimmigration.com/. Fluent in speaking Cantonese and with more than 22 years of experience, Ly and her team work closely with both individuals seeking to immigrate to Canada and businesses and organizations aiming to bring in skilled workers. She graduated with honours from Humber’s Immigration Consultancy Program and is a member of the Governance & Nomination Committee of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC-CRCIC).

Kim is also an accredited member of the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC), serving on its Policy and Lobbying Committee. She’s also a member of the Advisory Panel for the London Middlesex Immigrant Employment Council, a local community organization aimed at connecting local employers to immigrant talent in an effort to strengthen the local economy.

Brandon Miller

Brandon D.K. Miller is a seasoned Immigration Consultant, Educator, and Entrepreneur whose unwavering sense of entrepreneurship, integrity, and professionalism have earned him the reputation as an “Immigration Superhero” and innovative leader across Canada and beyond.

As a world-traveled professional, Brandon has been imparted with a deep understanding of a multitude of different cultures, enabling him to better serve his clientele who is equally as diverse. For several years, he also assisted new immigrants in not only settling in, but taking the action steps necessary to succeed in their new home. This previous experience grants him the ability to take the most holistic possible approach to an individual’s migration.

Currently, Brandon proudly serves as a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant at Maple Immigration Services and an Immigration Program Instructor at Herzing College.

In addition to his Certification in Immigration Consultation (with honours) from Humber College, Brandon D.K. Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Psychology from Carleton University and an Instructor Diploma in TESOL (Teaching English to Speaker of Other Languages) from Global TESOL College.

Each day, Brandon D.K. Miller is deeply inspired by his clients who face untold adversity to create a better life for not only themselves, but their loved ones. As a dedicated Immigration Consultant and Educator who has traveled extensively, he has the golden opportunity to make his valued clients’ dreams a reality, which he finds both rewarding and humbling.

Scott Smith

Tracy Burtt

Catherine Baier

Catharine Baier is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (R515749) and a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants. 

Catharine has 30 years of experience in both the legal and business communities. These areas include immigration, residential real estate, corporate commercial transactions and small claims. 

Her paralegal background and business experience were integral to her move into the position of General Manger of a land development company which focused on land mergers and acquisitions.  Afterwards, she worked  as a venture capital business development manager for an oil and gas firm.

Before starting Warwick Immigration Canada, Catharine was an Immigration Paralegal. With the encouragement and support of the lawyer she worked with,  Catharine received her Immigration Consultant Certificate, with honours, from Humber College.  Catharine is now expanding her knowledge and experience and is working towards her Executive Masters in Business Administration at the University of Fredericton!

Goldy Hyder

Goldy Hyder is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada. Founded in 1976, the Council is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization composed of the chief executives and entrepreneurs of Canada’s leading companies. Members collectively employ 1.7 million Canadians across the country in every major industry. From July 2014 to October 2018, Mr. Hyder was President and Chief Executive Officer of Hill+Knowlton Strategies (Canada), providing strategic communications counsel to the firm’s extensive and diverse client base. Prior to joining Hill+Knowlton in 2001, he served as Director of Policy and Chief of Staff to The Right Honourable Joe Clark, former prime minister and former leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party. In addition to his achievements in business and public policy, Mr. Hyder has a long track record of service on behalf of several charities and non-profit organizations. He is chair of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council, a board member of the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, an executive committee member of the Century Initiative and co-chair of Canada’s World Trade Organization Business Advisory Council. In addition, he sits on the advisory boards of two leading organizations promoting advancement of women leaders: Catalyst Canada and the 30% Club (Canada). Mr. Hyder is also a member of the selection board for A Seat At The Table, an initiative to encourage greater representation of people with disabilities on corporate boards. He is a past co-chair of the United Way of Ottawa’s Campaign Cabinet. Mr. Hyder is a regular commentator in the Canadian media on business, politics and leadership. He is also the host of the “Speaking of Business” podcast, which features interviews with Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders. In 2013, he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canada. He holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Calgary. 

Katie Laughlin

Katie graduated from Simon Fraser University in 2006 with a degree in Communication. She went on to graduate from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) with a Human Resources Management Certificate, and from the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a Certificate in Immigration: Laws, Policies and Procedures.

Before becoming a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in 2015, Katie worked in the areas of immigration and relocation for over 6 years in both educational and corporate environments.  Previous to immigration, Katie forged a career in the world of Events Management. Whether she’s managing a large corporate sales event, or helping a family relocate to Canada, she’s passionate about getting people from A to B as smoothly as possible.

Katie is the owner of CanStart Immigration in Burnaby, British Columbia, and when she’s not elbow-deep in IRCC portals, she’s a busy mom of two who enjoys a great cup of tea!

Katie is also a member in good standing with the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) and is a Mentor in the New-Licensee Mentoring Program with the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).

Manprit Aujla-Grewal

Ingrid (Gerharda L.) Reuvekamp-Been

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant

Member in good standing with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC)

Member of Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC)

Holder of government issued recruiting licenses for the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan

Ingrid has been helping people immigrate to Canada and settle since 1997. She has Dutch roots, is a migrant to Canada herself and now a proud Canadian.

She has a master’s degree in Business Management for Agriculture from the University of Greenwich in London, UK. She grew up on a dairy farm in the Netherlands, has an entrepreneurial mindset and is the owner of Visa2Canada Immigration & Settlement Services located in central Canada.

You can find clients of Ingrid all over Canada: From a microbiology professor in Ontario to a family physician in Manitoba. From an outdoor adventure entrepreneur in Yukon to a seed trading entrepreneur building a new facility in southern Alberta. From a Restaurant owner in Nova Scotia to an events planner in British Columbia. Many farmers immigrated with Ingrid’s professional assistance and continued and grew their farming operations in Canada. Many of those farmers are now coming back to Ingrid for assistance with the temporary foreign worker program. Ingrid also facilitated specialized knowledge workers from Europe to install a one-in-its-kind greenhouse facility now selling their leafy greens through all grocery stores in most off Western Canada.

Ingrid will go that extra mile for her clients to ensure that applications are thoroughly prepared and submitted in time so that individuals and companies would meet their contractual agreements and that their workers could arrive in time. Immigration Officers can make errors and Ingrid will make sure that your application is treated and processed according to the principle of procedural fairness.

Ingrid is well known in the Labour Market Impact Assessment -and its exemptions- processes, Intra-Company transfers, Temporary Foreign Worker Program, International Experience Canada (IEC) programs and permanent residence applications through Express Entry, provincial programs, pilot programs or through a business stream and family sponsorships.

She volunteers her time with a local immigrant settlement organization regarding immigration matters and is the “go-to” person for economic development officers participating in the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.

Ingrid is fluent in English and Dutch and basic in German, French and Afrikaans.

Martine Varekamp-Bos

Adrian Menezes

Justin Foot

Justin Foot created his own firm with the idea of helping people navigate the complex Canadian immigration system. He provides guidance through consulting and application support services. Justin has worked several years within the immigration profession and has experience in working with employer clients to help meet their needs. Justin believes in practical straight forward approach, and he is the ideal person to lead this session! Justin hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba and looks forward to seeing colleagues at the NCIC in June! 

Dory Jade

Dory has been the CEO of CAPIC since 2016. He has practised as Immigration Consultant for over fifteen years and has served on various boards for the last thirteen. As CAPIC CEO, he achieves sound organizational governance through by-laws and policy, working closely with the Board of Directors, senior federal and provincial government officials, and the CAPIC team to strengthen the professional culture and its legal framework.

Having chaired committees at several Boards, Dory applies his knowledge of finance, management, and communications to legal cases, government lobbying, and parliamentary and standing committee procedures. Dory obtained a Bachelor’s in Communications from the University of Notre Dame and the Chartered Director designation from the Directors College at McMaster University’s De Groote School of Business. He was keynote speaker at several events such as the Conference Board and the National Citizenship and Immigration Conference. Dory contributed to written articles in national newspapers and was guest speaker on national radios and TV stations.

Avni Marfatia

Avni has a Bachelor's of Science with a Major in Microbiology from Bombay University, India, and a Post-Baccalaureate in Medical Laboratory Technology. She has also earned a diploma (with Honours) in Information Technology from Devry Institute, as well as an Immigration Practitioner Program diploma from Seneca College. Avni is a Registered Canadian Immigration Consultant, a registered member in good standing of the ICCRC, an active CAPIC member (since its inception), and a Commissioner for Oaths (Quebec). She has served the immigration industry for over 18 years as an immigration consultant.

Areas of Practice:
Avni practises in various areas of immigration. She represents her clients honestly, diligently, and in a timely manner at different CIC missions for applications such as EE, Skilled Workers, CEC, Family Class sponsorships and appeals at IAD, H & C, temporary visa applications such as study permits, visitor visa, TRP, work permits, ARC, and representing employers at ESDC for LMIAs. In addition, she represents clients for case-specific representations to the Case Review Department and Geographic Region Directors.

Avni possesses excellent professional communication and writing skills, as she has represented clients professionally at various CIC missions. Avni also has leadership and team-player skills, volunteer experience serving on the BOD of the ILFO for four years, vast experience in the immigration industry, and knowledge of current industry affairs, changing policies, proposed changes to the IRPA, etc. Over and above all this, Avni is blessed with a pleasant personality.

Work Experience:
Director - Unique Consulting Group
Management Information Systems (MIS) Officer - CitiFinancial
Director - Unitech College of Business Technology & Healthcare
President - Prospect Pharmacy

Voluntary Services at Non-Profit Charitable Institutes:
Unpaid Immigration representative for Sanatan Mandir Cultural Centre for 4 years
Unpaid Immigration representative for Pushtimargiya Vaishnav Samaj of Canada for 8 years
Unpaid Representative for Swaminarayan Vadtal Gadi, Toronto

Volunteer at Non-Profit Organization:

Volunteer at CAPIC Executive Committees - Ontario Chapter

CAPIC - ON Chapter Secretary

CAPIC - National Secretary

CAPIC - Chair of Governance Committee

CAPIC - Member of Audit and Finance Committee

CAPIC - Chair, Board of Directors

BOD - Institute of Leadership for Women of Ontario (ILFO)

Chitra Bhatia

Katina Hunter Sutcliffe

Katina Sutcliffe attended University of Windsor Law School and earned her LLB. She also holds a JD from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.   Her background is wide and varied and includes a clerkship at the Ontario Court of Appeal and a decade working as a global relocation facilitator. During this time, Katina raised her young family and it is only in the last several years, Katina has become more active again in the law profession.  She attended an IPP course and developed a passion for immigration advocacy. She focuses on inadmissibility issues and has worked closely with other practitioners on a variety of immigration cases.  Another passion is Katina's thirst for case law  research and administrative law approach.     Katina has been a presenter at the chapter and national level and is a regular attendee at many CAPIC events!  When not researching Katina can be found at her beloved cottage and sailing around the Great Lakes!

Aileen Farrol

Aileen has been practising Canadian immigration for 24 years. Her services cover a wide spectrum of immigration where she enjoys the challenges of immigrant journeys. Aileen has contributed extensively to the professional immigration community as a presenter, educator, and volunteer and has spoken on national and international podiums representing Canadian immigration consultants. She reaches out to local schools and communities about immigration concerns, and occasionally writes for ImmQuest Magazine. Aileen served as a CAPIC Director at the Ontario and National levels, involved with key committee roles. From 2018 to 2019, Aileen held the position of the first-ever RCIC Ambassador at the ICCRC.

Born and raised in Toronto, Aileen is a first-generation Canadian to hard-working Filipino immigrants. She resides in Kitchener and enjoys outdoor activities with her family, and her motorcycle.

Burcu Akyol

Burcu embarked on her career path as an RCIC in February 2019. She started her immigration consulting business after seventeen years of experience as an educator and educational leader. Although she is relatively new in the industry, setting clear entrepreneurial career goals helped her scale her business from one employee to seven employees in three years. She believes whether it is three years or thirty years in the profession, being an RCIC and a business owner require embracing a dynamic approach, a growth mindset, and positioning yourself strategically in your market.

Lulwa Al Hidiq

Phil Mooney

Phil Mooney is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) with over 22-years’ immigration industry experience, after having spent more than 30 years in the corporate world.  He has worked successfully on all types of business  immigration cases over the years and currently acts as co-counsel to dozens of Authorized Representatives, helping them qualify candidates, select the best Program for their clients and helps them deal with government departments on their clients’ behalf. In his career, he participated in the development of the initial Professional Skills Exam for consultants, attended meetings as a Subject Matter Expert, was a member of the Canadian Border Services Advisory Committee (CBSAC), and regularly met with senior government officials to discuss immigration issues. He was also the first CEO of the regulatory body (ICCRC) after being instrumental in preparing the successful bid to replace CSIC. Phil is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC)— the largest group of consultants dedicated to educating immigration consultants and lobbying Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on issues of concern to both immigrants and consultants. He served as CAPIC president for over three years, speaks regularly to graduating students of immigration practitioner programs, and presents briefs before parliamentary committees on issues of concern. Phil lives in Burlington, Ontario, Canada with his wife, and is the proud father of two sons and grandfather of five. He is the son and husband of immigrants, and as a former corporate executive, has traveled extensively around the world.

Chris Daw

Chris has been working on Immigration legal matters since 2001, specializing in work permits and helping workers and students acquire permanent residence. Chris is a leader in the profession having worked on the Boards of CAPIC and ICCRC and Instructing at the University of British Columbia. Chris is currently serving on the National Advisory Committee for the Graduate Diploma in Immigration Law at Queens University.

John Murray BA, LLB, LLM

Jacques Therrien

Neerja Bhandari

Neera Agnihotri

Born to a hard working immigrant family, Neera Agnihotri knows first-hand the challenges that we can face when entering a new community, let alone a new country to live, work or visit. Her personal experience is the driving force behind her passion to help others complete their venture into new land, with as much ease as possible Prior to attining her Immigration Practitioner Licence in 2006, Neera was immersed in the Travel and Tourism industry. Her hard work ethic and professionalism landed her a job on only her third day of practicum with BTI International, where she worked for many years. Neera was praised for her incredible focus and was considered an asset to their firm. But, being an ambitious female entrepreneur and driven young mother motivated her to take her career to the next level. She then attained her CSIC License and started her own firm

Since then she has been providing her clients with honest, efficient and transparent immigration services

There is a terrible stigma attached to the Immigration Consultant profession due to numerous reports of people engaging themselves in unethical behavior. These unfortunate situations are another source of motivation for Neera and her team to set the standard in her industry with ethical practice at all times

Sharry Aiken

Sharry Aiken is an Associate Professor of Law at Queen’s University and Academic Director of the University’s new Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law. She is an expert on immigration law and has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in a number of precedent-setting immigration cases. Professor Aiken is a past president of the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR), a board member of FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto, co-editor of the PKI Global Justice Journal, and former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Refuge. She is the author and co-editor of Canada’s leading casebook on Immigration and Refugee Law, currently in its third edition. Her research focuses on immigration detention and border policies.

Vilma Filici

Vilma Filici is an entrepreneur, professor, community leader, mother and wife. A multi-tasker, she manages a successful immigration consultancy business; she is a professor of Immigration and Refugee Law in the Paralegal Program at Seneca College; she was the academic coordinator of the Immigration Practitioner Certificate Program of Seneca College, Bow Valley College and UBC; she lead the Canadian Hispanic Congress for 7 years; She was a candidate in the 2010 municipal election; she writes a weekly column on Immigration and Citizenship and has a radio and television segment on the same topics. She is an active member of a political party and manages a household. She holds an Honours B.A. a Bachelor of Education and a post graduate certificate in Immigration Law. Her success is based on a solid set of skills that range from multiple language fluency (English, Spanish, Italian and French) to strategy development and policy drafting, among others. She is a natural and progressive leader, self-motivated and results oriented, and she has used these characteristics not only to advance her professional objectives, but to contribute and build up the immigrant community.

Sunil Sharma

Education and Professional Accreditation: Mechanical Engineer with Masters of Business Administration from UK, RCIC (Licensee of The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, Canada), CAPIC (Canada ) Member in Good Standing Professional Experience: Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, Sales Promotion and Marketing Strategist, Motivational Speaker, Mentor, Social Activist Key Skills and Qualities: - Developed effective sales promotions techniques and strategies for start-up companies in various industries around the world. - Expertise in international student recruitment from over 15 countries - Possesses a growth mindset and positive frame of mind, willing to help with an open heart - Strong background in mechanical engineering and business administration - Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Yasmeen Tyyebi

Qamar Yasmeen Tyyebi (aka Yasmeen) has 25 years of experience working in the immigration field with various high-profile immigration lawyers from 1995 to 2002. In 2002 she started her own incorporated firm: Can-Imm Solutions Inc where she enjoys providing caring and compassionate service to her clients. 

Yasmeen has been a member of CAPIC since its inception in 2004 and is currently the Ontario Chapter Chair, being part of the CAPIC Board. She enjoys working with her peers, mentoring young colleagues, and supporting the immigration consulting community.  She sits on two other professional boards: The Court Interpreters Association of Ontario (CIAO), as a secretary, and the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) as a director for court interpreters.

Yasmeen graduated from an Immigration Practitioner Program in August 2002. She holds bachelor’s degree (hons.) in English, is a licensed paralegal with the Law Society of Ontario, and is a certified Urdu/English court interpreter and translator with the ATIO.