Orlagh O'Kelly

It comes as no surprise that amidst all of the chaos and changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian and US immigration landscapes changed in many ways over the summer, both big and small. Processing of all types of immigration applications and travel has been exceptionally fluid and continues to be subject to unexpected […] Read More

With proclamations and Orders-in-Council slowing down to a trickle, we can now take stock and note some trends in the new era of immigration law. While the Canada -US border will remain closed until at least June 21, 2020, Canada continues to accept most Temporary Foreign Workers and has implemented some expedited processing for the same. South of the […] Read More

In the current state of the world where travel is essentially non-existent, employers who rely on any foreign workers are lost in a sea of unanswered questions.  Field Law’s Immigration lawyers have many of the same queries and in an effort to help their own understanding and that of their clients, have gone right to […] Read More

Less than a month ago, we wrote about business travellers who had their phones arbitrarily searched at the border. Two weeks ago, we wrote about travel insurance for those looking to travel for business or even (gasp) pleasure. Now, travellers themselves (never mind their phones) could be detained at the port of entry, fined, and – where they fail to comply – […] Read More

The advice from Canadian public health officials is trending in one direction: increasing self-isolation. Not less. Calgary and Red Deer announced states of emergency earlier this week. Today, Ontario and Alberta followed suit. All levels of government have powers to impose a full lock down. Canadians were warned yesterday when Prime Minister described self-isolation and staying at […] Read More

Your much awaited vacation to Asia or Europe is fast-approaching and suddenly you’ve started to take notice of the non-stop coronavirus coverage. Should you cancel? What are your options? Does your insurance cover you? Field Law’s Immigration  team has gathered some of the top issues to consider before setting off. Waiving Travel Change Fees There isn’t much good news […] Read More

A few months ago, and despite widespread criticism, the Canadian government passed legislation allowing US border officers to conduct warrant-less searches on Canadian soil. The Pre-Clearance Act implemented a bilateral treaty between Canada and the US, which outlines the circumstances in which either party can examine, inspect and search travelers outside of their jurisdiction (the 2015 Agreement […] Read More

On December 19, 2019, the Supreme Court of Canada released its long-awaited trilogy of decisions that will significantly shift administrative law. Administrative law encompasses legal challenges to regulatory or government action, ranging from cabinet approval of pipelines to the denial of refugee status, from professional regulatory decisions to First Nations band council decisions.  Recognizing the scope of […] Read More