Business immigration to Canada and compliance with immigration laws require advance planning and quick actions to rectify undesirable consequences. Let us show why in this success story of our client.

The Background:

• The Client is a 49-year-old Turkish businessman with an active garment manufacturing company in Turkey.
• We applied and obtained a work permit for the Client under the Intra-Company Transfer program in 2016 after setting up his new company in Canada.
• His immediate family also joined him in coming to Canada by obtaining their respective immigration statuses.
• He has been successfully selling his patented products in several countries and wanted to offer them to both Canadian and American consumers.

The Challenge:

• We extended his initial 1-year work permit in 2018 successfully, and he then got a 2-year work permit.
• However, due to some business and personal reasons, frequent travelling outside of Canada, and the growing effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, he did not apply for the renewal of his work permit in February 2020.
• Plus, his business was hit by the pandemic, and sales were not as great as expected. The revenue of his companies plummeted, as it did with many businesses, because of the pandemic.

The Course of Action & the Positive Result:

• As his work permit had expired, we first applied for the restoration of his status, which we completed successfully.
• Second, he was requested to provide biometrics , but due to COVID-19, he could not.
• We requested the Canadian authorities to proceed without the biometrics data and explained in a detailed submission letter the practical difficulties of providing such data during the pandemic.
• With great teamwork and coordination, we managed to maintain the Client’s (and his family’s) legal status in Canada and obtained another 2-year work permit allowing the Client to continue growing his business in Canada (see below the photo of the renewed work permit).

The Conclusion:

• It’s very important to work with your immigration lawyer in tandem and keep the lawyer informed of any challenges to your business. Your immigration lawyer is your ally in Canada.
• Be honest and extremely transparent with your immigration lawyer, so that he/she can be armed with the necessary information to overcome possible challenges from the Canadian authorities.
• Take good care of your immigration status and the status of your family members in Canada. Otherwise, you may be left in a limbo position, and your business may suffer.
• Using the opportunity that you are in Canada, prepare yourself for the permanent residence application. Being a permanent resident in Canada creates more flexibility for you and your business.

Talk to Sobirovs Law Firm about your business and immigration goals in Canada and see if we can help you achieve them.