Canadian Refugee + Immigration Law Attorney

Legal Aid Ontario Refugee General and Refugee Appellate Rosters since 2023 —
New certificates welcome!

  • Vigorous, experienced, timely advocacy for individuals seeking refugee protection in Canada
  • Experienced representation for refugees and immigration applicants at the Refugee Protection Division & Refugee Appeal Division
  • Outstanding Federal Court litigation representation for refugees and immigration applicants
  • Comprehensive representation in spousal and parental/grandparental sponsorship applications
  • Seasoned counsel for Express Entry permanent residence applications
  • Experienced representative in LMIA applications and corporate work permit applications
  • Reliable, expedient visitor visa and study permit applications
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New Contact Info!

Tel: +1 (647) 856-7991
Email: qckeenanlaw@gmail.com
Alliston, Ontario

Areas of Practice

When making a claim for refugee protection in Canada, it is important to present a clear and compelling picture of the persecution you face in your country of origin with detailed, thorough Basis of Claim documentation. Ms. Keenan has over half a decade of experience working with refugee applicants from all over the world, hearing their stories and assisting them in presenting exceptionally strong refugee claims with a high rate of success. Even if your claim appears simple, it is integral to work with an experienced legal representative to help you navigate the complex process, consider all angles of your story before it must withstand the scrutiny of the RPD, and gather all available, relevant evidence for your disclosure before a hearing is scheduled. Quinn has extensive experience assisting refugee claimants with Canada’s refugee process and can ensure your unique refugee claim has its best possible chance of being referred to the RPD and approved on its merits.


Coming soon…

Refugee Protection Division (“RPD”)

Refugee Appeal Division (“RAD”)

If your immigration application to enter or remain in Canada has been denied, you may have an opportunity to argue your case before the Immigration Division or the Immigration Appeal Division of the I.R.B. In order to ensure that an unreasonable decision does not stand between you and the status you deserve, book a free consultation with Ms. Keenan to discuss your options.

Coming soon…

There are three Express Entry application streams: the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker and Federal Skilled Trades Programs. These are the fastest routes to becoming a Canadian Permanent Resident. Applicants are scored at the initial “interest to apply” stage on the basis of their unique skills, work experience, language ability, education and other factors that can offer support for the application, including strong French language skills, having a sibling in Canada, or a valid job offer in Canada, which contribute to success for new immigrants in Canada.

If you are a Permanent Resident or a Citizen of Canada, you can apply to sponsor your spouse, common law spouse or conjugal partner to obtain Canadian Permanent Residence. Canadian citizens and permanent residents are also able to sponsor (i.e., for permanent residence) dependent children under age 22. Book a free consultation with Ms. Keenan to discuss which sponsorship plan best suits your family’s needs.

Citizens and permanent residents of Canada may also apply to sponsor their natural or legally adoptive parents and/or grandparents for permanent residence in Canada, in a measure enabling cherished elder family members — who might not otherwise qualify for permanent residence based on employable skill, education, age, marital status, etc. — to be reunited with their adult children, grandchildren, siblings, and other direct relatives already established here in Canada.

Express Entry Programs

Each of Canada’s ten provinces have their own Provincial Nomination Program (“PNP”). These programs are for exceptional individuals who wish to apply for a nomination from a specific Canadian province, based on a very high level of professional, academic, technical, artistic, or trade skill, talent, or some other unique promise to infuse the given region with investment or new commercial enterprise. A provincial nomination wins the applicant an additional 600 Express Entry points, which they may then use to apply for permanent residence with near-guaranteed success.

While many of the programs’ requirements for provincial nomination are similar across the board, each program has its own slightly different set of criteria, which determine how an applicant’s nomination points will be scored, what characteristics each province considers most valuable, and how much documentary evidence will be required.

Federal Court - Judicial Review

Visitor Visas

Spousal + Family Class Sponsorship

Parental/Grandparental Sponsorship

Visitor visas, also sometimes called visitor records, are fast and relatively simple applications which are typically decided quickly. However, you should still retain experienced counsel to assist you in the preparation and submission of these filings to ensure your visitor visa has the highest possible chance of approval based on your individual needs and profile.

Temporary residence permits are a separate type of shorter-term visa application that is available in certain unique situations, typically with an eye toward bringing the client to Canada under circumstances that warrant special relief from regular processing requirements for visitor visas; they can also be used from within Canada to transition the client from precarious or no status to a more permanent status, or otherwise regularize their immigration matters, in situations that do not fit the standard moulds available in more traditional applications for landed status in Canada.

Provincial Nomination Programs

In exceptional circumstances, this application provides a potential path for out-of-status and inadmissible individuals who have resided in Canada for an extended time to regularize their status based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. These are specific factors designed to assess the applicant’s level of establishment, community and family support and engagement, stable employment, social ties in Canada, the best interests of any children involved in the matter (i.e., as applicants themselves or as direct relatives of the applicant), chronic or worsening health problems — including mental health issues — and the specific nature and severity of hardships they would face if returned from Canada to their country of origin.

Humanitarian + Compassionate Grounds Application

If your refugee claim is denied and you are inside Canada, and you have been notified about an inadmissibility order or report made against you, you need to retain experienced counsel immediately where you have reasonable grounds to fear potentially dire or life-threatening consequences upon deportation to your country of origin. If you have been found inadmissible to Canada, you can challenge this and related determinations. Before removal, you will be offered an opportunity to apply for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (“PRRA”), designed to assess whether you face a serious, individualized risk of harm in your country of origin if you are ultimately removed from Canada. Ms. Keenan can assist you in preparing and submitting your application, including gathering new evidence to support your case and intervening with CBSA officers on your behalf in appropriate circumstances, and/or filing a Motion to Stay Removal in Federal Court pending a final decision on ongoing administrative proceedings or litigation regarding your status.

Immigration Division

Immigration Appeal Division

Pre-Removal Risk Assessment

If your application or appeal for protection or status (permanent or temporary) is refused and you have no further avenue of appeal before the IRB, and the decision appears unreasonable and/or wrong, you must apply for judicial review of this negative decision before the Federal Court. Following a positive IRB decision, you may also be called upon to respond to an application by the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration or Minister of Safety and Emergency Preparedness, in the event that they apply for judicial review of your positive decision.

Federal Court timelines are very tight—15 days to submit a Notice of Application for decisions arising within Canada, 60 days for decisions arising outside of Canada, and 30 days to submit a complete Application Record after notice is filed. So, it is imperative to retain experienced counsel right away, upon receiving your negative IRB decision or Minister’s application, so we can immediately begin preparing an Application Record.

Inadmissibility Proceedings + Detention Reviews

Coming soon…