Barreau du Québec · Canadian Immigration Law

Canadian Immigration Law. Decades of Experience. Strategic Depth.

Leiter Rahme’s attorneys advise clients across the full spectrum of immigration law in Québec and Canada — including permanent residence, temporary residence, family sponsorship, citizenship, work and study permits, inadmissibility, immigration appeals and Federal Court judicial review.

Founded in Montréal in 1991, our firm knows Canadian immigration from the inside out.

Our role is to understand the client’s circumstances, anticipate potential problems, establish the groundwork properly from the outset and determine the legal strategy best suited to the objective.

Headquartered in Montréal · Serving clients throughout Canada and internationally.

Requests for a free call, up to 15 minutes, are not scheduled appointments. The introductory call is not a legal consultation and does not include detailed legal advice or a full assessment of your case.

Professional Standing & Affiliations

Barreau du Québec

Canadian immigration representation through lawyers admitted to the Barreau du Québec.

Canadian Bar Association

Professional membership in Canada’s national association for legal professionals.

AQAADI

Association québécoise des avocats et avocates en droit de l’immigration.

MOCKUP: production website should use the official association artwork supplied/authorized for member use.
35+ YearsImmigration Practice Since 1991.
Immigration-Focused PracticeCanadian · U.S. · Cross-Border Immigration.
Complex Immigration MattersRefusals · Inadmissibility · Appeals · Federal Court.
How We Approach Immigration

Too Important to Leave to Chance.

For many clients, immigration is one of the most consequential projects of their lives. It may determine where their family lives, where they build their career, where they invest, or what opportunities remain open to them for years to come.

That is not something most people want to gamble on.

At Leiter Rahme, our work begins well before an application is filed. We examine the full picture, identify potential weaknesses before they become problems, anticipate issues that may arise during processing, and make sure the legal and documentary groundwork is properly established from the outset.

That preparation gives our clients something equally important: peace of mind. They know the available options have been considered, the risks have been identified and the path forward has been chosen deliberately rather than reactively.

Canadian Immigration Services

A Full-Spectrum Canadian Immigration Practice

The categories below represent some of the matters regularly handled by Leiter Rahme. Canadian immigration contains numerous specialized programs, exemptions, public policies and legal remedies, and no short website list can capture every possible case.

Permanent Residence — Federal

Federal permanent-residence pathways for skilled workers, provincial nominees, regional applicants and other qualifying candidates.

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Permanent Residence — Québec

Québec selection and permanent-residence pathways for skilled workers and other qualifying applicants.

PSTQPEQArrimaCSQValidated Job Offer
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Work Permits

Employer-specific, open and LMIA-exempt work authorization for workers, employers and accompanying family members.

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Study Permits

Study permit, extension, restoration and status strategies for international students and their families.

Study PermitExtensionRestorationDLI
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Family Sponsorship

Permanent-residence sponsorship for spouses, partners, children, parents and other qualifying family members.

SpousePartnerChildrenParentsGrandparentsQuébec Undertaking
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Visitor Visas & Super Visas

Temporary-entry and extended-stay applications for visitors, parents, grandparents and business travellers.

TRVVisitor RecordSuper VisaeTA
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Business, Investor & Entrepreneur Immigration

Business immigration and strategic immigration planning for investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed applicants.

InvestorEntrepreneurSelf-EmployedBusiness
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Visa Refusals & Inadmissibility

Legal strategy following refusals or where criminality, misrepresentation, medical or other admissibility issues arise.

ReconsiderationTRPRehabilitationIADCBSAARC
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Federal Court Judicial Review & Immigration Litigation

Judicial review, stays, mandamus and litigation involving immigration decisions and unreasonable government delay.

Judicial ReviewLeaveStayMandamus
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Canadian Citizenship

Citizenship applications, proof of citizenship, citizenship by descent and complex nationality matters.

CitizenshipProofDescentCertificateBill C-3
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Other Canadian Immigration Matters

Specialized programs, public policies and immigration matters falling outside the principal categories above.

Public PoliciesSpecial ProgramsComplex CasesStrategy
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Start With the Objective

One Objective. Several Legal Paths.

Most clients do not come to us because they want an “Express Entry application” or an “LMIA.” They come because they want to build a life in Canada, keep their family together, hire or retain someone important, establish a business, preserve their status, or solve an immigration problem. The legal pathway comes second.

Our role is to understand where the client needs to go, identify the available routes, anticipate what each route may mean later, and build the strategy around the objective — not around a single immigration program.

Work & Build a Career in Canada

Work Permit · CUSMA · Francophone Mobility · ICT · PGWP · Permanent Residence

Enter or remain in the Canadian labour market while preserving the strongest possible long-term immigration options.

Build a Permanent Future

Federal PR · Québec Selection · PNP · Regional Programs · H&C

Identify the permanent-residence pathway that best fits the client’s circumstances rather than forcing the case into the most obvious program.

Bring or Keep Your Family Together

Spousal Sponsorship · Children · Parents · Grandparents · Temporary Entry

Coordinate temporary and permanent immigration options around the family’s actual circumstances.

Build or Move a Business

Investor · Entrepreneur · Self-Employed · Work Authorization · Permanent Residence

Plan the immigration side of establishing, acquiring, operating or expanding a business in Canada.

Study, Work & Transition

Study Permit · PGWP · SOWP · Work Permit · Permanent Residence

Think beyond the first permit and consider how today’s decision affects the options available after graduation or employment.

Solve an Immigration Problem

Refusal · Inadmissibility · TRP · Rehabilitation · IAD · Federal Court

Determine whether the right response is to reapply, challenge the decision, address admissibility or pursue another legal remedy.

We do not choose the client’s objective to fit an immigration program. We choose the immigration strategy to fit the client’s objective.
Think Beyond the Next Approval

The Application We File Today Should Not Close Tomorrow’s Door.

An immigration application rarely exists in isolation. A work permit can affect a future permanent-residence strategy. A change of employer can affect status. A study decision can affect future work authorization. A temporary application can create evidence that matters years later. A poorly handled refusal can make the next application harder.

Good immigration planning considers the next decision before the current one is made.

Today

Establish the Right Foundation

Status · Eligibility · Documentation · Immigration History

Next

Preserve the Strongest Options

Work · Study · Family · Business · Extensions

Long Term

Build Toward the Objective

Permanent Residence · Family Reunification · Business Growth

Future

Protect What Has Been Achieved

Status Maintenance · Citizenship · Admissibility · Cross-Border Planning

We Look for the Problems Before They Become Problems.

Strong immigration planning means stress-testing the file before it reaches the government — not discovering weaknesses after an officer raises them.

  • Could this application affect a later immigration pathway?
  • Are there inconsistencies in the client’s prior immigration history?
  • Is the documentary record strong enough for the conclusion we are asking the officer to reach?
  • Is there a better legal route available?
  • What happens if the client’s employment, family situation or plans change?
  • Are we preserving future options rather than solving only today’s problem?
The strongest immigration strategy does more than obtain the next approval. It protects the path beyond it.
Canadian Immigration Since 1991

Built in Montréal. Practicing Across Canada.

Leiter Rahme has advised clients on Canadian immigration since the firm’s establishment in Montréal in 1991. Our roots give us deep experience with Québec immigration, while our Canadian practice extends across federal immigration, employment, enforcement, tribunal and Federal Court matters.

Whether a file begins with a work permit, permanent-residence strategy, family sponsorship, citizenship question, inadmissibility issue or refused application, our clients have access to an immigration-focused legal team capable of addressing the matter as it evolves.

MIFI
IRCC
ESDC
CBSA
IRB · IAD
FEDERAL COURT
Why Leiter Rahme

Experience, Judgment and Strategy When the Outcome Matters.

Since 1991

More than three decades devoted to Canadian, Québec and cross-border immigration law.

Licensed Legal Counsel

Canadian immigration matters handled through lawyers admitted to the Barreau du Québec.

Immigration-Focused

Immigration is not one department among unrelated practice areas. It is the focus of our firm.

Complex Case Experience

Refusals, inadmissibility, appeals, enforcement issues and Federal Court litigation.

Preparation & Peace of Mind

Potential problems identified early and the groundwork established before the application reaches the government.

Canadian Immigration FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Express Entry the only way for a skilled worker to obtain Canadian permanent residence?
No. Express Entry is an important federal selection system, but it is only one of several possible permanent-residence pathways. Depending on a person’s circumstances and intended province of residence, options may include Express Entry, provincial nomination, Québec selection, regional programs, family sponsorship, humanitarian considerations or another pathway.
What if I qualify for more than one Canadian immigration program?
Qualifying for a program does not necessarily mean that it is the best path to pursue. We compare the available options in light of eligibility, timing, current status, family circumstances, work authorization, documentary risk and longer-term immigration objectives before recommending a strategy.
What is different about immigrating to Québec?
Québec operates immigration programs and selection requirements that are distinct from many federal pathways. Depending on the case, Québec selection or authorization may form part of the process before the applicable federal immigration stage. Leiter Rahme advises clients on the Québec and federal components of these matters.
Do I always need an LMIA to obtain a Canadian work permit?
No. Some employer-specific work permits require an LMIA, while many other work permits are LMIA-exempt. Canada also issues open work permits in qualifying circumstances. The correct analysis depends on the worker, employer, proposed position and applicable immigration category.
My Canadian visa or immigration application was refused. What can Leiter Rahme do?
The appropriate response depends on the decision and the reason for refusal. Potential options may include a new application, a request for reconsideration, an appeal where a statutory right exists, or an application for leave and judicial review before the Federal Court. Because some remedies are subject to strict deadlines, refused applicants should seek legal advice promptly.
Does Leiter Rahme represent clients before the Federal Court?
Yes. Our Canadian immigration practice includes applications for leave and judicial review involving immigration decisions, as well as other Federal Court remedies in appropriate cases, including urgent stays and mandamus applications involving unreasonable government delay.
Do you handle both Québec and non-Québec family sponsorships?
Yes. We represent Canadian citizens and permanent residents in family sponsorship matters involving spouses, partners, dependent children, parents and grandparents. For Québec cases, we also handle the additional Québec sponsorship and undertaking requirements that may apply.
Can you help me determine whether Express Entry, a PNP or a Québec program is better for me?
Yes. These pathways operate under different eligibility and selection criteria. We assess work experience, profession, language ability, education, Canadian experience, job offers, province of destination and longer-term objectives before identifying the available options.
Can you help with Canadian citizenship by descent?
Yes. Our citizenship practice includes proof-of-citizenship applications, citizenship certificates and citizenship-by-descent matters, including applications affected by Bill C-3.
Do you handle refugee claims?
No. Leiter Rahme does not accept refugee claims or refugee protection matters.
Is Canadian immigration a core part of Leiter Rahme’s practice?
Yes. Canadian immigration has been a core part of Leiter Rahme’s practice since the firm’s establishment in Montréal in 1991. Our practice encompasses temporary residence, permanent residence, Québec immigration, family sponsorship, business immigration, citizenship, inadmissibility, appeals and Federal Court litigation.

Your Canadian Immigration Strategy Starts Here.

Whether your objective involves temporary residence, permanent residence, employment, study, family reunification, business immigration, citizenship or a complex immigration problem, our lawyers can assess the available legal strategy.

Too important to leave to chance.

Free calls are up to 15 minutes, are not scheduled appointments and do not constitute legal advice.