A boutique at the top of the market, Green and Spiegel LLP continues to be the go-to business immigration practitioners in Canada; its vast expertise is sought by clients seeking advice concerning temporary resident visas, business visitor permits and francophone mobility work permits, as well as refugee applications, interview preparation and cross-border issues. The practice is led by both Evan Green and Stephen Green. Qualified in both Canada and the US, Evan has over 26 years’ worth of experience; his specialisms include corporate employee transfers, work permits and investor applications. Ontario Law Society certified immigration specialist, Stephen, has over 30 years’ worth of experience. He has a particular interest in advising clients throughout the life cycle of the federal start-up program. Further note is given to Shoshana Green for her extensive knowledge in sponsorship applications.
Business immigration in Canada
Green and Spiegel LLP
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Shoshana Green; Peter Salerno
Testimonials
‘The team at Green and Spiegel is the most professional, efficient and courteous. I recommend team Green and Spiegel to anyone and everyone.’
‘We have never faced any issue with the team on any front.’
‘They have a niche practice and their service and expertise is next to none.’
Work highlights
- Advised numerous start-ups in the artificial intelligence space to set up operations in Canada.
- Advised several multinational companies to bring IT talent to Canada for large-scale projects with a success rate of 99%.
- Advised businesses operating in the U.S with respect to the U.S. and Canada border and on how to bring talent to Canada as efficiently as possible.
BCF Business Law
Specialist firm BCF Business Law fields a team of Canadian and American immigration lawyers, supporting clients looking to acquire, retain and mobilize talent from across the globe. The practice is led by Julie Lessard, a lawyer with over 20 years of experience in the sector and a track record of representing both SMEs and multinationals, including a number of Fortune 500 companies.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Elsa Agostinho; Sophia Khanzadian
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP fields a vast practice, advising clients on immigration matters from establishing new headquarters and hiring foreign nationals to undertaking audits, investigations and managing associated risks. The team has also launched BLG Beyond Business Immigration which serves clients immigration portfolio needs and provides coast-to-coast support. The practice is led by Toronto based Brian Dingle, a go-to name for citizenship law matters, who represents employers across an array of sectors such as IT, mining, finance, sport and entertainment. Darren McGuire, Brian Portas and Valérie Marcas are noted for their respective expertise in maritime law, employment law and immigration programs.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Work highlights
- Represented US and international film and television studios on business immigration matters, including the acquisition of key foreign talent, audits and inspections under the International Mobility Program.
- Advised restaurant client on the establishment of a new global headquarters in Canada and the immigration consequences flowing from the corporate reorganization.
- Advised beauty client on the hiring of foreign nationals, principally senior executives, managers, professionals and specialists.
Dentons
At Dentons, key fields of expertise include work permits, intra-company cross-border transfers, business visitor entry preparation and applications to address criminal and medical inadmissibility. The practice is led by both Henry Chang and Helen Park. Chang practices in both Canadian and US business immigration law and also has expertise in international business law, whereas Park’s expertise lies within immigration related matters concerning productions in the entertainment and media industry; her extensive experience in work permit applications assists foreign clients seeking to work on Canadian film productions. Jonathan Mor is another key contact.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Jonathan Mor; Denise Alba; Jonathan Mor; Leticia Siu
Key clients
Barnstorm VFX
Stellar Creative Lab Inc.
Cermaq Canada Ltd.
Kickstart Productions Canada Inc.
BRON Studios
ProSlide Technology Inc.
Aldea Services Inc.
Fix Network
Capital Power Corporation
Champion Petfoods LP
Work highlights
- Represented ICICI Bank Canada in all Canadian immigration matters including overseeing the bank’s senior managers in their Canadian work permit applications.
- Represented Champion Petfoods LP in all of their Canadian and U.S. immigration matters such as overseeing Canadian employees in their U.S. work permit applications and U.S. employees in their Canadian work permit applications.
- Advised Stellar Creative on the application of work permits for specialised visual effects and animation artists for film and television productions.
Gowling WLG
Gowling WLG‘s team often oversees corporate employee transfer applications, temporary work permit applications, citizenship applications, immigration compliance and investor and entrepreneur applications. Its expertise also includes tax services as well as creating workforce mobility solutions. Bill MacGregor‘s focus lies within corporate and business immigration matters, and he is also known for assisting employers with international transfers and hires; he leads the practice alongside Andrew Bratt whose expertise includes labour and employment issues concerning corporate transactions. Krista Schofer focuses on leading the western Canadian practice and regularly counsels corporate clients looking to hire foreign nationals.
Practice head(s):
Bill MacGregor; Andrew Bratt
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Bill MacGregor: great knowledge of immigration law and practice.’
‘Collaborative; knowledgeable; responsive.’
‘Knowledgeable; responsive; professional; kind; problem solving; critical thinking.’
‘This team is very organized and work very hard to quickly turn around results.’
‘They are very professional and pay great attention to detail.’
‘This team is great. Always available, very efficient and practical. They really are experts in the matter. They are able to get us what we need very quickly and always at a very reasonable cost.’
Work highlights
McCarthy Tétrault
With multiple offices across Canada, the team at McCarthy Tétrault assists clients on varying immigration issues across many sectors such as banking, automobiles, infrastructure, retail, agriculture and power generation. Stéphane Duval heads the practice and focuses on the handling of visas, work permits, permanent residences and labour market impact assessments. Julie Resetarits has over 20 years’ worth of experience in immigration law, with specific focus on professional mobility, work permits and global immigration. The team has grown with the arrival of Thomas Courvoisier Daoust in August 2021 and Angélique Adam in January 2022.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Julie Resetarits; Amy Dupuis-Sène; Shefali Tanna
Work highlights
Sobirovs Law Firm
Sobirovs Law Firm, a boutique based in Toronto, assists clients corporate and tech immigration matters. Its expertise includes labour market impact assessments, treaty-based immigration and permanent residence applications.
Practice head(s):
Rakhmad Sobirov; Feruza Djamalova
Other key lawyers:
Mariam Jammal