PODCAST · news
Borderlines
by Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff
A podcast for the discussion of Canadian immigration law and policy, although we often delve into other topics. Each episode features 2-3 lawyers, academics, politicians, and stakeholders discussing current migration issues. Hosted by Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff, two immigration lawyers in Vancouver, British Columbia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
-
#235 - IRGC Conscripts Face Deportation. A Conservative MP Has a Solution
Canada designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization in 2024. But what happens to people who were forced to serve in the IRGC through mandatory military conscription, committed no crimes, and later immigrated to Canada? In this episode of Borderlines,...
-
#234 - Changes Are Coming to Canadian Immigration, with Kubeir Kamal
Canadian immigration may be entering another period of major change. Kubeir Kamal joins Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff to discuss what could be coming next for Express Entry, whether immigration levels may begin increasing again, the future of French-language draws, changes to provincial...
-
#233 - China, Espionage and Canadian Immigration Law: How Far Is Too Far?, with Joanna Chiu
How should Canada respond to concerns about Chinese espionage and foreign interference without treating every connection to China as a national security threat? Joanna Chiu, journalist, author of China Unbound: A New World Disorder and founder of Nüora Global Advisors, joins the Borderlines…
more -
#232 - Firing Foreign Workers: Immigration Status, Severance & Employment Law
What happens when a foreign worker loses their authorization to work in Canada? Can an employer put them on unpaid leave? Lay them off? Terminate them? And what happens to severance when a worker’s immigration status makes it difficult, or impossible, to find another job? Employment lawyer Erin...
-
#231 - Trump, the Canada–U.S. Border and the Future of U.S. Immigration, with Andrew Hayes
What has actually changed at the Canada–U.S. border under the second Trump administration, and what is just noise? U.S. immigration lawyer Andrew Hayes joins to discuss the state of U.S. immigration law and what it means for Canadians travelling, working and doing business in the United States.…
more -
#230 - Becoming a Francophone, with Alyanna Chua
Canada wants more Francophone immigrants. But what happens when people who have already built their lives in Canada suddenly discover that learning French may be their best, or only, pathway to permanent residence? In this episode of Borderlines, we speak with Maclean’s editorand recent Canadian...
-
#229 - What Counts as Unauthorized Work in Canada? Plus Free Trade Work Permits
What actually counts as “work” under Canadian immigration law? The answer is much broader than simply receiving a paycheque. We discuss a recent Federal Court decision involving unauthorized work and the line between simply owning a Canadian business and actually working for it. We examine how...
-
#228 - How Express Entry Went Off the Rails, with Steven Paolasini
Canada’s Express Entry system was designed to rank skilled immigrants predictably and select those most likely to succeed economically. Has it instead become an unpredictable collection of category-based draws, shifting priorities and short-term policy fixes? Steven Paolasini joins us to discuss...
-
#227 - LMIA Exemption Code C-20, “Papers Please” and IRGC Conscripts
We discuss three recent developments: IRCC’s abrupt addition and removal of new requirements for C20 reciprocal-employment work permits; CBSA officers checking the immigration status of participants at a Calgary protest, with 12 people identified as potentially inadmissible; and The hundreds of...
-
#226 - Can Parliament Block Judicial Review? With Paul Daly and Sujit Choudhry
Can Parliament prevent courts from reviewing the decisions of administrative tribunals? In this episode, we discuss the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision in Democracy Watch v. Canada (Attorney General), 2026 SCC 28. The case arose after Democracy Watch sought judicial review of the…
more -
#225 - How "sustainable" is IRCC's lauded "return to sustainable immigration levels"?
Canada says it is returning immigration to “sustainable levels.” But what does sustainability actually mean? And sustainable for whom? Deanna Okun-Nachoff is joined by immigration lawyer Will Tao, founder of Heron Law Offices, to discuss how artificial intelligence, automated triage and rapidly...
-
#224 - Stealth Rule Changes: PGWPs, Iranian Work Permits & Fairness
What happens when IRCC changes the rules after someone has already made major life decisions? Or even submitted their application? We start with recent Post-Graduation Work Permit refusals involving graduates of non-credit programs. Students enrolled in programs that had previously resulted in...
-
#223 - Climate Refugees and The Welcome Table
Filmmaker Josh Fox joins Borderlines to discuss his new HBO documentary, The Welcome Table, and the growing displacement of people around the world because of climate change. Josh Fox is an Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker best known for Gasland, which helped bring...
-
#222 - LMIA Wage Thresholds Rise
Service Canada has increased the wage thresholds that determine whether an LMIA is classified as high wage or low wage. While the numbers may appear modest, the practical consequences are significant. We explain why many employers in Vancouver and other high-unemployment regions may now be unable...
-
#221 - IRCC Surrendering Citizenship Certificates
Recorded June 24, 2026. IRCC has thrown Canadian citizenship by descent into chaos. After thousands of people received Canadian citizenship certificates under Bill C-3, some were suddenly told to surrender them, only for many to receive follow-up letters days later saying their certificates had...
-
#220 - Inside IRCC: Answers to Representatives’ Emails #2
We break down several IRCC e-mail responses to representatives that answer questions by immigration lawyers and consultants. Questions include: Can foreign remote work performed while living in Canada count toward Express Entry? Does someone who applies for a new work permit before their...
-
#219 - Should I Stay or Should I Go? Temporary Residents Face Tough Choices
Canada's immigration system is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. Refusal rates are rising, processing is slowing, and pathways that seemed viable just a few years ago are disappearing. In this episode, Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff discuss the realities facing temporary...
-
#218 - Supreme Court Recognizes Intimate Partner Violence Tort
In this episode of Borderlines, Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff are joined by immigration lawyer, mediator, and former Canadian Bar Association Chair Kamaljit Lehal to discuss the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision recognizing a new tort of intimate partner violence. We discuss…
more -
#217 - Duress and Criminal Inadmissibility: A Major Federal Court of Appeal Decision
We break down a major new Federal Court of Appeal decision on criminal inadmissibility, duress, and refugee protection in Canadian immigration law. The case is Rodriguez Anzola v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration). The discussion explores whether individuals convicted abroad can still seek...
-
#216 - Inside IRCC: Answers to Representatives’ Emails #1
Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff review several responses from IRCC’s Immigration Representatives’ Mailbox, where immigration representatives ask questions about how Canadian immigration law and various immigration programs are interpreted and applied Topics discussed include: (1) whether...
-
#215 - The 2025 CSIS Report: Security Screening, Impact of Mandamus on CSIS, and Backlogs
We take a look at the newly released 2025 report from Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and what it tells us about immigration security screening in Canada. CSIS reports that it received 438,600 immigration security referrals in 2025, a notable drop from prior years. Yet, at the same...
-
#214 - Auditor General Report Exposes Major Issues in Canada’s International Student Program
Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff break down the explosive findings from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada on Canada’s report on the international student program. Topics discussed include the unexplained drops in study permit approvals, IRCC's lack of funds to address fraud, risk...
-
#213 - Race, Detention, and Transparency in Canada's Immigration System
We explore one of the most complex and under-examined areas of Canadian immigration law: immigration detention—and the role that race and systemic bias may play within it. Topics discussed include the legal grounds for immigration detention, why race-based data is largely unavailable in Canada,...
-
#212 - IRCC's Express Entry Changes and Consultations
In this episode of the Borderlines Podcast, Amandeep Hayer and Steven Meurrens break down the latest Express Entry reforms under consideration by IRCC, and what they could mean for applicants, lawyers, and Canada’s immigration system as a whole. We walk through newly released consultation…
more -
#211 - Security Screening for Transnational Repression, with Retired CSIS Analyst Phil Gurski
Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff are again joined by retired CSIS analyst Phil Gurski, this time to unpack the growing issue of transnational repression in Canada. Drawing on Phil’s recent report for the Montreal Institute for Global Security, the conversation explores how foreign states...
-
#210 - Would You Pass the Citizenship Test?
In this lighter episode of Borderlines, we take a break from the usual deep dives into immigration law to tackle something every new Canadian faces: the citizenship test. We start with a quick overview of how the test works. Format, requirements, and recent procedural updates. We then put…
more -
#209 - Huge Mandamus Decision by the Federal Court of Appeal
A discussion of the Federal Court of Appeal's decision in Benison v. Canada (Royal Canadian Mounted Police External Review Committee), 2026 FCA 53. The decision opens with the following Supreme Court of Canada quote - "The common law system has always abhorred delay. In our system’s development…
more -
#208 - Proving Canadian Ancestry, with Amandeep Hayer and Lisa Middlemiss
We are joined once again by Amandeep Hayer and Lisa Middlemiss, to discuss citizenship by descent post Bill C-3 With thousands of people, particularly Americans, now exploring whether they qualify for Canadian citizenship through a distant ancestor, we discuss how the law works, how to prove...
-
#207 - Mobility Rights Under the Charter
Do Canadians have the right to travel throughout the country? A discussion of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Taylor v. Newfoundland and Labrador, 2026 SCC 5. Topics discussed include the decision, s. 6 of the Charter, whether Canadians and permanent residents have a right to travel…
more -
#206 - The Importance of the Canadian Senate, with Senator Paula Simons
In this impromptu episode, we get a first person account of how one social justice advocate made the leap from journalist to Senator. The conversation is full of insight into the role that Senate plays in protecting the democratic process -- in particular around challenging legislation such as…
more -
#205 - Former CBSA Chief On Immigration Investigations & Removal Priorities
Former CBSA Chief Christian Lane explains how CBSA immigration investigations and deportations work in Canada. Topics discussed include CBSA investigative priorities, removals, organized crime investigations, misrepresentation, Bill C-12, refugee claims, intelligence work, the political pressure...
-
#204 - Stop Bill C-12! With Sharry Aiken
This epsiode offers insight into Professor Aiken's ongoing efforts to raise concern with Bill C-12 (the Stronger Borders legislation currently before Senate) -- both with the Canadian government, and with the UN Human Rights Committee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
-
#203 - New Express Entry Manager Category (2026): Who Actually Qualifies — and Who Doesn’t
This was originally intended to be a YouTube only episode but several podcast listeners asked that we add it to the audio-only feed as well. A break down the new Express Entry categories announced on February 18, 2026, with a particular focus on the senior managers with Canadian work experience...
-
#201 - IRCC’s Security Screening Delays: Causes, Timelines, and Legal Impacts
As of November 2025, internal IRCC projections reveal a stark reality about Canada’s security screening system. Based on recent processing times by partner agencies and current inventory levels, permanent residence applications referred for comprehensive security screening are projected to take...
-
#202 - The Emergencies Act and the Freedom Convoy
Josh Dehaas, Interim Litigation Director at the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), joins to walk through the Federal Court of Appeal’s Emergencies Act decision, often referred to as the “Freedom Convoy” case. Topics discussed include what actually happened in Ottawa in early 2022, why…
more -
#200 - Building a Corporate Immigration Law Practice
Jonathan Leebosh is a recently retired partner and longtime leader of EY Law’s immigration practice in Vancouver. In this episode Jonathan reflects on a career that took him from refugee camps in Hong Kong with the UNHCR to building a corporate immigration practices inside a Big Four firm. Topics...
-
#199 - Is Canada’s Population Decline Good for the Economy?
Canada is deliberately slowing, and possibly reversing, its population growth. But what does that actually mean for the economy? We are joined by economist Mikuel Scutterat for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about Canada’s immigration reset, GDP per capita, shrinking rental markets…
more -
#198 - How Decisions Get Written, with Justice Peter Edelmann
In this audio-only reunion episode, former Borderlines Podcast host Peter Edelman joins to discuss life on the British Columbia Court of Appeal. Topics discussed include how decisions get made and written, the role of counsel in shaping outcomes, pressures facing Canada’s judicial review system,...
-
#197 - New World Order
We discuss possible immigration implications of Mark Carney’s recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Topics discussed include trade agreements, mobility rights, national security screening, CUSMA, and the growing tension between rule-based systems and political reality. Hosted on...
-
#196 - Canada’s Healthcare Crisis & Immigration, with Dr. Brian Day
Canada is increasingly turning to immigration to address a growing healthcare shortage, but is the system actually built to absorb more doctors? Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff are joined by Dr. Brian Day (orthopedic surgeon and past president of the Canadian Medical Association) to…
more -
#195 - 2026 Predictions for Canadian Immigration Law
The first Borderlines episode of 2026 is our annual recap + predictions roundtable with Ottawa immigration lawyer Tamara Mosher-Kuczer. We look back at what actually happened in 2025, what surprised us most, and what 2026 might bring. Timestamps / Chapters 0:52 Looking back: how many predictions...
-
#194 - Are You Now a Canadian
Amandeep Hayer and Lisa Middlemiss, co-authors of the book Canadian Citizenship: What Practitioners Need to Know, discuss citizenship by descent now that Bill C-3 is in force. Topics discussed include what changed under Bill C-3, citizienship by descent, how far citizenship can be traced back,...
-
#193 - Evacuate
We return to Afghanistan, and to the unfinished work Canada left behind. Following our recent conversation with retired Canadian Forces member Cory Moore, we are joined by three guests from Aman Lara, a Canadian registered charity working on refugee extraction, resettlement and protection. Jon...
-
#192 - Preventing Study Permit Refusals
Steven and Deanna break down the rapidly shifting landscape of Canadian study permits amid IRCC’s newly released 2026 international student caps. With approval rates falling sharply in 2024–2025 and IRCC committing to fixed national intake numbers, study permits are now effectively being graded…
more -
#191 - Suing Immigration Representatives
Civil litigator Eoin Logan joins to break down three cases involving lawsuits both by and against immigration representatives. The cases are Sibbal v Nathyal, 2025 ABCJ 198, Roshy Skincare Clinic Inc. v Vrossis Investment Group Inc., 2025 BCSC 1769 and ICGC Immigration Consultants Group Canada…
more -
#190 - Express Entry Refusals
Steven and Deanna dive deep into the most common reasons IRCC refuses Express Entry applications, with a focus on what visa officers determine to be insufficient reference letters. 1:00 – Correction from last episode: OINP Skilled Trades “draw” was actually a mass cancellation. Thoughts on this…
more -
#189 - The 2026–2028 Levels Plan: Behind the Numbers
Canada’s new 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan is here, and it’s a lot more confusing than media headlines suggest. This episode unpacks how the Carney government has quietly layered “one-time initiatives” on top of the official levels plan, including a massive cohort of protected persons and...
-
#188 - Retired CSIS Analyst Phil Gurski on Immigration Security Screening
Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. He previous worked as a senior strategic analyst at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. We discuss CSIS's role in Canadian immigration screening, the increase in comprehensive background checks, how CSIS and...
-
#187 - IRCC is Watching
Deanna, Sadaf Kashfi and Caroline Senini discuss your rights and obligations at the border, the intersection of immigration and criminal law, unreasonable search and seizure, mandatory minimum sentences and the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Quebec (Attorney General) v. Senneville, and more....
-
#186 - Retired IRCC Program Manager, Greg Chubak
Greg Chubak retired from IRCC in 2022. He was posted to South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore and the program manager in Hungary, Malaysia, Seattle, Sri Lanka and Austria. We discuss what programs have worked and haven't over the years, applications for authorization to return to Canada,...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
A podcast for the discussion of Canadian immigration law and policy, although we often delve into other topics. Each episode features 2-3 lawyers, academics, politicians, and stakeholders discussing current migration issues.
Hosted by Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff, two immigration lawyers in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HOSTED BY
Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Borderlines have?
Borderlines currently has 244 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Borderlines about?
A podcast for the discussion of Canadian immigration law and policy, although we often delve into other topics. Each episode features 2-3 lawyers, academics, politicians, and stakeholders discussing current migration issues. Hosted by Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff, two immigration lawyers...
How often does Borderlines release new episodes?
Borderlines publishes regularly with 244 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Borderlines?
You can listen to Borderlines on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Borderlines?
Borderlines is created and hosted by Steven Meurrens and Deanna Okun-Nachoff.
URL copied to clipboard!