- By DLG Staff
Applicants who Hire Immigration Lawyers Experience Lower Refusal Rates than those Self-Represented o
As reported recently by the Toronto Star, applicants who hire immigration lawyers to represent them on a visa application face significantly lower refusal rates than those who choose to represent themselves or hire immigration consultants. To read the full Toronto Star article, click here.
Data obtained under an Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) request revealed that of 342,154 temporary resident applications submitted in 2017, 18.9% were denied. Refusal rates were almost equal between those who hired and paid immigration consultants versus those who applied on their own. Those who were self-represented saw a refusal rate of 19.3% while those working with an immigration consultant only saw a slight improvement at 18%. By contrast, applications submitted by lawyers on behalf of their clients received a much lower refusal rate at 10.4% (or 89.6% approval rate).
The Star reports that the Chair of the immigration section of the Canadian Bar Association was not surprised that lawyers had the highest success rate. This is due to their “rigorous education, legal analysis skills and high ethical standards enforced by an effective regulator”.
The article further discusses that the approval rate for lawyers would likely be higher if not for lawyers often taking on difficult or complex cases, including those from applicants who faced a refusal after being self-represented or poorly represented in the past.
For further information on the different programs available to immigrate to Canada contact us at acarvajal@desloges.ca
Desloges Law Group is a Toronto law firm specializing in all types of Canadian immigration law, administrative law and civil litigation. www.desloges.ca
