Happy 2022!
The beginning of a new year is a special time. It is a time to reflect on growth, possibilities and challenges. At CIL, we are constantly innovating and implementing new strategies to stay on top. In my view, we have been successful with applications and appeals because we are not satisfied with mediocrity. We strive for the best in ourselves and we expect the best results for our clients. If you read this space, you have read about our past successes and awards. We are both thankful and humbled to be recognized as one of the best immigration law firms. We know that we need to continually strive for perfection to stay on top.
2021 was a year with many successes and also challenges. We are all dealing with this ongoing pandemic which has added stress & uncertainly to the Canadian immigration system. 2021 was also an election year in Canada that resulted in minor changes. The PM remained the same. The Minister of IRCC changed. The previous Minister moved to CBSA. We continue to work with MPs in Manitoba and we will continue to advocate at Parliamentary sessions for change.
At the end of 2020, I called on IRCC to implement many changes. 2021 saw some of the changes actually enacted into policy and we have seen positive steps. We now actually get calls from IRCC Officers. We are building our relationships with Officers at Service Canada, IRCC and CBSA. We are working towards a more collaborative approach.
In addition, IRCC has been working to further digitize the system. We saw many improvements in 2021 and we hope this work will continue in 2022. It is now possible, for example, to submit an SCLPC Class application online; however, it is still not possible to submit the OWP (Spousal) online with that application. Considering that we can easily submit other Work Permit applications online, it does not make much sense why that particular scenario is not possible.
For those who missed our “Lessons from 2021” post, we may still publish a post soon. Our Lessons from 2020 post was very popular. Many of those lessons remain relevant. At the same time, our staff has grown and that comes with additional challenges. December 2021 was possibly our busiest month ever. We broke records in terms of productivity and getting applications done. Clients want their applications submitted before the end of the year. In general, most of our time is spent editing documents from clients and waiting on IRCC. We are very quick and efficient with our work.
We want to wish you and your family a wonderful 2022. We mailed out 500 cards to our friends and partners. You will continue to receive donations for Harvest Manitoba, although we are currently not allowing any in-person appointments. To date, everyone at CIL is healthy and we have taken measures to keep everyone safe.
