Immigration consultants are needed to help those from other countries navigate immigration laws and regulations. As an immigration consultant, you will be responsible for advising and representing individuals and groups during their immigration to Canada, and ensuring that the process is as quick and efficient as possible.
Having decided to become a Regulated Immigration Consultant, your first step is to apply to our Immigration Consultant Diploma (IMCD) program. Offered in a variety of formats to suit every lifestyle, the IMCD has gained national renown as the leading program in the field of immigration consulting.
At Ashton, we also offer assistance to those wishing to write the ICCRC Full Skills exam with our LIVE online ICCRC Prep Course, and provide Regulated Immigration Consultants and Lawyers with a number of seminars and webinars to help them achieve the required number of CPD hours.
ICCRC Full Skills Examination
The accredited Immigration Consultant Diploma program prepares students to write the Full Skills Examination administered by Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) to obtain their Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) designation.
Career Opportunities
The IMCD program is designed to prepare students for a wide range of opportunities within the immigration field. Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCIC) are eligible to work anywhere in Canada as well as in several other countries. Although the most common form of employment for RCICs is as a sole practitioner, IMCD graduates may also find employment with law firms, immigration consulting firms and government agencies.
Nicky Wei is a regulated immigration consultant specializing in family sponsorship, provincial nominee programs, express entry class, appeals of removal orders and refusal, pre-removal risk assessment, refugee application and appeals, and self-employed class. She is also knowledgeable in filing stay motion and judicial review. She exercises the high standard of care and diligence in her professional career and enjoys a good reputation among her clients. She has accumulated valuable experience in communicating with immigration authorities regarding various applications.
As an immigrant from Shanghai, China, Nicky’s empathy for immigration clients and landed immigrants flows through every case at her hand. With deep passion and love for Canada, she strives to advocate multiculturalism and to protect the best interests of immigrants. That has led Nicky to her pursuit for the voice of immigrants by serving as an executive member on NDP Vancouver center constituency.
Nicky Wei holds a Master’s degree in Literature from East China Normal University, Immigration Consultant diploma from Ashton College and Real Estate certificate from UBC. She had been a university instructor in Shanghai for many years before she immigrated to Canada.
Nicky speaks fluent Mandarin, English and has learned Russian and French. She enjoys daily busy work on weekdays and having fun with her family on holidays.
Hjalmar received a Bachelor of Laws Degree from University of Los Andes in South America, his Master of Business Administration in Global Management from the University of Phoenix, his Professional Specialization in Public Sector Management from the University of Victoria.
Hjalmar’s immigration consulting practice focuses on temporary residence applications and family sponsorship programs. In addition to his immigration practice, Hjalmar also represented individuals and corporations in administrative matters.
Hjalmar is fully fluent in Spanish. He is also a collaborator and an active board member of several non-for-profit organizations in the province of British Columbia.
Gisela began her career in immigration services in 2008. She graduated from the University of Calgary in 2005 with a B.A. in International Relations, and then pursued immigration law studies at Bow Valley College. In 2010, Gisela founded iGlobal Canada Immigration Services. She is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) and a member in good standing with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). She is also a Commissioner for Oaths for the Province of Alberta.
Rita is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with several years of experience working in different countries with people from all over the world. Her personal diverse cultural heritage provides her with a unique world view that led her to her current career – helping people from all over the world immigrate to Canada.
Rita’s Canadian identity was shaped through living in Quebec, Toronto and Vancouver. She dedicates her business, volunteer hours, and personal life to serving immigrants who wish to contribute to the development of the Canadian economy and culture. Not surprisingly, Rita studied a Bachelors in Global Political science at York University in Toronto, a Masters of International Relations at the University Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, and a Canadian Immigration diploma at Ashton College in Vancouver. She is fluent in Spanish, Arabic, French and English and has plans to keep learning more languages in the future. She is dedicated to creating peace, understanding and cooperation between different cultures.
As a graduate of Ashton College, Elina has been building her career as a Licensed Canadian Immigration Consultant since 2008. She has prior work experience with various federal government departments, including Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), Environment Canada, Transport Canada and Pacific Council. Her area of expertise encompasses law, social work and public administration. Currently, Elina is leading a successful practice providing immigration advice and services to individuals and companies in Canada and overseas.
Elina studied Criminology and Sociology in Vancouver and partnered with Vancouver Police to work on her key project at Simon Fraser University.
Makan Mashhour (“Maken”) is a US Immigration attorney and a Canadian Immigration Consultant at Mashhour and Associates. He provides services in most areas of the Canadian and the U.S. immigration laws, with a focus on the business immigration side of the law. Maken understands the complexities of processing bureaucracy of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), which allows him to protect his clients’ legal rights while their immigration status is being processed through the immigration system.
When he finds time, Maken works on his charity “GoodKarma” where he reaches out to the less fortunate residents of Vancouver. He also enjoys volunteering at the immigration clinics where he helps different applicants with their CIC applications.
Maken completed his Bachelor Degree at University of British Columbia. Then he proceeded with completing his Immigration Consulting Diploma degree at Ashton College. From there, to expand his immigration practice, he moved to the USA where he completed his Juris Doctor degree. While attending law school, Maken moved to the UK and attended Oxford University as a law student to complete part of his law degree there. Maken is now a member of the Washington State Bar Association, and the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.
Immigration Consulting (IMCD-08 - Business Communication)
Mujib Meherzad (JD, MBA) brings a diverse academic and teaching background to Ashton College. As a scholar, Mujib holds degrees across multiple disciplines including a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (Penn State University at York, ’06), a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Penn State University Capitol College, ’08), a Juris Doctor degree (Rutgers School of Law, ’13) and a Master of Science in Education – TESOL (University of Pennsylvania, ‘19).
Mujib’s teaching and research experience also spans many disciplines including standardized test preparation (Kaplan), pre-law (Rutgers School of Law) and business communications (Ashton College). Mujib also holds a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate from the University of Toronto and is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association.
Mr. Therrien has been a lawyer since 2002 and he has a long and diversified international experience as he lived in the United States, France and Mainland China where he worked for a few years to assist clients from China to immigrate to Canada. He represents many Canadian and international companies, including financial institutions, with respect to their business clients’ immigration needs as well as in regard to labor mobility. During his legal career he assisted hundreds of families to immigrate to Canada.
In addition to obtaining a Quebec law degree and a Certificate of Qualification in common law, he pursued undergraduate studies in political science at the University of Montréal, and graduate studies in international politics at the prestigious Université de la Sorbonne (Paris, France). Mr. Therrien was called to the Law Society of Quebec (2002) and to the Law Society of British Columbia (2010).
Mr. Therrien practices law in Canada’s both official languages, French and English.
Divino holds a degree in Business. Before coming to Canada, he worked as a Regional Sales Director at DOLE International, and as an International Business Analyst at The Emirates Group. He also published and taught his research on Human Resources at the University of Saint Louis.
Divino is also a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with over five years of industry experience. He worked at JBS as an Employment Manager in Alberta, where he oversaw the Recruitment Department and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. He also lived in Ontario where he pursued his degree in International Relations, while working as a Human Resources Manager and Senior Immigration Advisor at DVN.
Currently, aside from being a Managing Partner at DVN, Divino works as a Career Coach, an International Recruiter, and a Global Immigration Advisor for various companies in North America and Southeast Asia. He also volunteers for the Canadian Red Cross and the United Nations, where he usually partakes in the resettlement and youth programs.
Certified in immigration consulting, Avery Wanjing Liao counsels on various cases and is particularly enthusiastic about Express Entry, Provincial Nomination Programs and IRB appeals. She has also been actively conducting international immigration workshops.
Avery holds a Master’s degree in biology from Rutgers University; for several years she worked in prestigious science laboratories and top-notch high schools. A full decade of multinational teaching and research experience gave Avery recognition as an up-to-date, resourceful and exceptionally detail-oriented consultant.
In her spare time, Avery loves to travel. She is half-way through her plans to travel all 13 provinces in Canada and 50 states in USA.
Accredited CELPIP Preparation Program; Immigration Consulting (IMCD-08 - Business Communication)
Meredith Stewart has extensive experience in the immigration settlement field in BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia; helping newcomers to Canada find careers and develop communication skills for the workplace. From her professional and volunteer experience in diverse environments, she is an expert in multicultural communication strategies and resolving workplace conflict.
She obtained CELTA certification and TESL Ontario after her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies from the University of McGill. She draws upon the Adult Learning Principles and the Strengths-based Approach in her teaching methodology and favours task-based learning. Her years of experience learning and teaching in online formats contribute to her ability to engage students in online courses.
Adeela has absolute passion for the legal profession, which she exhibits by regularly contributing to this field. Her approach to the practice is client-centered. She recognizes that any successful legal representative’s client must be confident that all required work is performed in a professional manner and completed in an efficient way.
Adeela believes that in order to serve a client well she must resolve the case to their satisfaction. It is for this reason that Adeela’s clients keep coming back to her and continue referring their friends and relatives.
Adeela’s method of practice encompasses developmental procedures and logistical operations in order to maintain a successful practice, where her detail-oriented nature, as well as her keen understanding of the legal practice, has made her an accomplished Paralegal within the industry. Throughout her experience, Adeela has developed a style that can take the most complex dispositions and simplify them, resulting in successful communication with people of different views.
Swati Sethi is a Licensed Paralegal from Ontario who has a teaching experience with different educational institutions. In the past, she has taught at reputed CEGEPs and various school boards in Canada. Swati is experienced in immigration matters and taught various courses in law.
A strong believer in Canada’s diverse and inclusive society, Trang Nguyen served as a federal Citizenship judge at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada from 2013 to 2016. Trang enjoyed swearing in new Canadians at Citizenship ceremonies, conducting Citizenship hearings to approve applicants and promoting Citizenship by teaching seminars at different communities and organizations. She also worked as an accredited court interpreter in the BC court system for more than 20 years, following two decades as a small business owner.
In 2012, Trang was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her achievements as an anchor, host, and field reporter for Channel M TV, Omni TV, and Fairchild Radio.
Trang graduated from Simon Fraser University with a degree in criminology and psychology, and received certificates of court and medical interpreting from Langara College and Vancouver Community College.
An accomplished public servant, entrepreneur, and journalist, Trang Nguyen is excited to offer her energy and experience as an instructor at Ashton College.
Helen Han is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) at a boutique consultancy firm in Burnaby, BC. She provides a wide range of immigration advice and services to clients on various immigration issues. Her practice mainly involves helping international students with their study permit affairs, as well as advising clients with a work permit, permanent residence & citizenship matters.
Prior to starting her practice in the field of the immigration law, Helen was an instructor within the Faculty of Logistics at a prominent school in China.
Helen obtained a Master’s degree in Global Business from the University of Victoria, and a Bachelor degree in Commerce from the University of British Columbia.
Since 2004, Ana has been working with Immigration, Refugees and Settlement Services in Canada. As an Executive director of the New Canadian Centre in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Ana had the opportunity to work, design and implement policies, programs and services for newcomers in one of the most isolated areas in the country.
She opened her own immigration firm in Calgary in 2014 and since then she has helped many families to find their new home in Canada.
Rod Megill is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). Rod specializes in processing immigration applications of international skilled workers, professionals, temporary foreign workers, NAFTA exempt professionals and business persons wishing to work or live permanently in Canada via federal or provincial nominee programs.
Rod holds degrees from Carleton University, Concordia University and the University of Oregon.
Bart Zych is a top-rated business instructor with over 8 years of teaching, training, facilitation and coaching experience. He has over 8 years of corporate sales success and 8+ years brand building, marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership experience.
Bart is passionate about helping international students, new graduates, and people new to Canadian and US workplaces develop their business English skills, careers, and personalities using in person and online training methods. Currently, Bart sits on the Board of Directors of Fored BC as Treasurer. He also teaches courses in business communication, sales, marketing, and strategy at the post-secondary level, and has been formally recognized for training excellence.
An example of Bart’s success includes facilitating the planning, strategic, and decision-making sessions for the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce, particularly during its acquisition by the Vancouver Board of Trade.
Bart earned an MBA specializing in MIS and Strategy, and he is a Certified Training Practitioner (CTP) with the Institute for Performance and Learning. Bart is excited to teach IMCD module 8, Business Communication, at Ashton College.
Neera Agnihotri is the founder of Agnihotri Immigration Consulting, an organization led by Neera and her professionally qualified team members. It is one of the leading consulting firms in the lower mainland that currently has two offices, one in Burnaby and another in Surrey, BC. Agnihotri Immigration recognizes that every individual has a specific need, which is why every individual is treated with the utmost care and respect.
Neera has extensive qualifications in immigration. She is a results-oriented immigration consultant with more than ten years of experience in assisting individuals with their citizenship applications. Her personal experience is the driving force behind her passion to help others complete their venture into a new land with as much ease as possible.
Prior to attaining her Immigration Practitioner Licence in 2006, Neera was immersed in the Travel and Tourism industry. Being an ambitious female entrepreneur and a driven young mother, Neera decided to take her career to the next level. She then attained her CSIC Licence and started her own firm. Since then she has been providing her clients with honest, efficient and transparent immigration services. Neera has also succeeded in being appointed to the CAPIC Board of BC Chapter Committee Chair.
Neera specializes in the following immigration areas: appeals, express entry, labour market impact assessments, provincial nominee programs, family class sponsorships, permanent residency, citizenship, passport applications, work permits, study permits, and visitor visas. She makes sure to bring a deep understanding of the immigration process and seeks solutions to any matters that may arise.
Will Tao is a Canadian Immigration Lawyer at Larlee Rosenberg. He provides legal services in all areas of Canadian immigration law with a focus on complex refusals, appeals, and judicial reviews. Will believes in a client-focused approach, one that allows the companies and individuals he works with to present their case to Canadian immigration authorities with the needed balance of honesty, simplicity, and creativity. Will has assisted on several challenging, high-profile cases involving employers and individuals alike.
Will is the Chair of the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Communities Advisory Committee and a member of the Mayor’s Working Group on Immigration and the City of Vancouver’s Historical Discrimination Against People of Chinese Descent Committee. Will also serves as a committee member of the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia’s Equality and Diversity Committee.
In his spare time, Will runs and operates his law blog, Vancouver Immigration Blog. Will can often be found commenting in local media and writing opinion pieces on immigration policy, equality, and diversity topics.
Will is a graduate of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (J.D.), the University of British Columbia (BA in History and International Relations). He has also attended the National University of Singapore (Singapore) and the Southwest University of Political Science and Law (Chongqing, China) during his previous academic studies.
Born in Iran, Shervin grew up in Tehran till the age of 11. He moved to Germany and lived there before moving to Canada in 1993. After finishing college, he worked in the private sector before moving to the government. He started his government career at the Canada Revenue Agency.
In 2007, Shervin was selected to attend the Border Services Officer training program in Riguad, Quebec. After successfully finishing this program, he was stationed at the Pacific border crossing as a Border Services Officer. In this role, Shervin enforced Canadian Immigration and Customs law. As part of his duties he assessed work permit, visitor visa, study permit, and refugee applications that were presented at the Port of Entry.
In 2012, after finishing the Ashton College Immigration Consultant Diploma program, Shervin pursued a career as a self-employed immigration consultant. Shervin also started teaching at Ashton in 2016.
Steven Le (BSc, RCIC, NP) obtained his Bachelor degree from Simon Fraser University in 1996. In 2005, Steven was admitted into the Notary Public program run by the University of British Columbia and the Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia. Since 2007, Steven has been commissioned as a Notary Public for the province of British Columbia. He was a Chair for Notary Public Vancouver East Chapter from 2014–2016.
With his professional work as a Notary Public, Steven has had an opportunity to meet and interact with clients from many different backgrounds and cultures. Steven recognized the need for a well-trained, qualified and honest immigration consultant to assist people in bringing their loved ones to Canada. In May 2011, Steven obtained his designation as a Regulated Immigration Consultant. He enjoys his work as an instructor and has assisted many clients in various immigration matters.
Born on Sakhalin Island of Russia, Denis travelled to the United States of America in 1996 as a student. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Accounting from an American university. He also spent over nine years working as an accountant and financial analyst in large American corporations.
In 2010 Denis, along with his wife and his daughter, immigrated to Canada and became permanent residents under the Skilled Worker category. They were amazed at how incredibly welcomed Canada made them feel. For the first time in their lives, they did not feel like outsiders or immigrants, but rather as full members of Canadian society. Inspired by the openness and acceptance of Canada, Denis decided to become a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) in order to help the Canadian government in reaching the objectives of the Immigration Program and to assist other prospective immigrants in achieving their dream of finding a better life in the great country of Canada.
Denis has been practising immigration consulting since 2012. In 2017, he joined a wonderful team of the Immigration Consultant Diploma program instructors at Ashton College.
Ron McKay in a Senior Immigration Consultant with CANGO Immigration Consulting Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Public Administration and is a graduate of the UBC-Seneca Immigration Practitioner program.
Ron has experience working in a law firm, and he was previously employed as a locally engaged immigration officer at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. Ron was the First National President for the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) in 1999–2000. He subsequently served as a National Director for the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) in 2011–2012, and as a National Chair of ICCRC in 2015–2016.
Ron has over 20 years of experience in the education sector, including his experiences teaching abroad in Tokyo, Japan. He has previously served on the Ashton College Advisory Committee in 2010–2011.
Recreation-wise, Ron is a curler and a curling instructor, and he has a brown belt in Karate. He also performs music for charitable events on drums and percussion.
Larry Kozyrev has assisted and represented clients in various immigration matters for over a decade. He has extensive knowledge and experience in difficult immigration proceedings concerning business investors and immigration appeals. Mr. Kozyrev’s practice was established in Winnipeg and later expanded to the Toronto area. He is currently pursuing his Masters degree in Canadian Common Law at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Manal Abonada has been an Immigration Consultant for six years. She founded her own immigration practice, Immigration Consultants Canada, and works in collaboration with many colleges and universities in Ontario as an authorized educational representative. She has also been a teacher for 17 years overseas. She is passionate about continuous learning and teaching. Manal has obtained a degree and three diplomas. Her latest – the Border Services Diploma – was in 2015. She is currently working on her French language, as well as a face reading and body language certification.
Al (Alireza) Parsai is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). He runs his successful business in downtown Toronto, Ontario with many employees. Al is a former member of CSIC (Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants), and a current member of ICCRC (Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council) and CAPIC (Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants).
Al, who holds a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology, has extensive experience as an author, trainer, and public speaker. He has written ten books and hundreds of articles in the past 20 years. Al has also delivered many courses, workshops, and speeches in four different countries.
Immigration to Canada is Al Parsai’s passion. He deals with the immigration process on a daily basis. He represents hundreds of applicants to the federal and provincial immigration authorities at the same time. Al is proud of his profession and recommends it to anyone who wants to help others build a better life.
When it comes to training, Al truly believes in interactive education. He thinks a variety of training activities based on real-life events could help students explore issues from different angles and understand them thoroughly.
Born in Kenya, Rasik Shah grew up in a multicultural society speaking several languages, studying law at Lincoln’s Inn, London, where he was called to the bar as a Barrister at Law in 1963. Returning to Kenya, he practised as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, specializing as a criminal lawyer. In 1974, he migrated to Canada, took the common law exam set by Osgoode Hall, and qualified as a barrister and solicitor, becoming a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Rasik practised law for 15 years, then took a break from law by leading trekking trips to the Himalayas in India for the next 12 years, travelling widely among Buddhist communities in the north, including an overland trip from Nepal to Lhasa in Tibet. He has also done some travel writing and published some short fiction. He returned to practise as refugee counsel by qualifying as an immigration consultant in 2002, apart from doing a stint with CBSA as a hearing officer.
In 2006, Rasik joined Ashton College and set up the refugee module program, and also started teaching the IMCD 04 refugee module. In 2008, he was appointed a member of the IRB by the Governor General in Council and functioned as a refugee claims adjudicator for a year at the Refugee Protection Division, Vancouver, resuming instruction at Ashton College thereafter and taking up his practice as refugee counsel again. His hobbies are creative writing, chess, and a passionate interest in literature; he is also committed to human rights causes. He is pleased to see indications of a new refugee-friendly environment in Canada.
Cristie Lane Tayde attained her Bachelors degree and Certificate in Immigration from the University of British Columbia. She has been a Regulated Canada Immigration Consultant with BC Happy Homes Immigration Services since 2009. Though their company caters for clients from across the globe, they have several offices set up in the Philippines, where Cristie often goes to conduct seminars and provide consultation services.
Aside from her work as a consultant, Cristie is very involved in volunteer works within the local Filipino–Canadian community.
She was a former Board Member and Secretary for the Philippines Canada Trade Council, and has also had a regular stint on a local radio station discussing immigration matters, and has provided her services by writing immigration columns in local newspapers. Cristie is a second-generation immigration consultant, which instilled in her a passion to help people as she was growing up.
Raj Napal was called to the English Bar in 1981 and practised as a trial lawyer in criminal and civil litigation for 15 years prior to emigrating to Canada in the mid-90s. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996 when he established NLC lawyers in Peel, Ontario.
Raj is highly skilled in judicial review proceedings and advocacy in all the divisions of the IRB. He is also an experienced criminal and civil litigation lawyer, having won a substantial number of trials in both England and Canada. He has a number of cases published in the law reports, some of which highlighted important principles of law in his areas of practice.
In 2016, he decided to focus more on teaching and reduced his workload by restricting his practice to criminal and immigration law. He believes that his deep knowledge of the law and his three decades of litigation experience will assist students in the learning process. Raj feels privileged that he can contribute towards the mandate of Ashton College, their instructors and staff. That mandate is that our collaborative teaching environment is of a high standard so that our future licensed legal professionals are ready and fully equipped to meet the challenges of practice and excel in the work they do.
A proud Canadian, Rosanna was born and raised on the Canadian Prairies, where she attended post-secondary education at the University of Winnipeg, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics. In 2001, soon after graduation and while pursuing her political career, she worked as an Immigration Assistant to a former Member of Parliament of the House of Commons for 5 years.
In 2005, Rosanna was transferred to Ottawa, Ontario and held the position of Special Assistant to the Western Region for the former Minister of Citizenship & Immigration. Rosanna’s work in this position related strictly to immigration pertaining to Western Canada. Rosanna was also a part of the Fort Gary Community Network, an immigration network in Winnipeg, Manitoba dealing with settlement programs and assistance within the community.
She graduated from Humber College, obtaining her Canadian Immigration Practitioner Certificate, in 2007. Rosanna is also an active and proud member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, a regulatory body that oversees and regulates the conduct and ethics of immigration consultants. Rosanna owns her own immigration practice, Prairie Sky Immigration.
Vitoria Correia earned her Bachelor of Law from Lusiada University, Lisbon, Portugal in 1998 and was called to the Portuguese Bar Association in 2001. Her ensuing ten-year legal practice focused primarily on immigration, family and public law. As a Regulated Immigration Consultant, Vitoria enjoys conveying her knowledge in a classroom setting, as well as representing and advising her clients on various immigration matters.
Lisa Ramkissoon, a Regulated Immigration Consultant, has been an immigration practitioner and an avid advocate on immigration issues since 1994. She founded her own immigration practice and works in collaboration with various non-profit organizations in Ontario, advising on the economic and humanitarian areas of immigration.
In addition to her immigration consulting practice, Lisa has experience in developing and executing immigration training sessions, seminars and speaking on immigration issues. She has also been an instructor for immigration consulting programs for three years and is a prolific writer on immigration issues.
Gerry Power has extensive expertise in immigration and citizenship matters with over 35 years of experience in both public and private sectors. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Gerry started his career at the Citizenship Branch of the federal government in Ottawa. He then joined the Quebec Immigration Department, where he worked for 30 years as an Immigration Officer and Program Manager and Director, in charge of various Quebec Immigration Offices abroad.
Gerry has lived in many countries and travelled extensively. He is familiar with numerous cross-cultural environments. Based in Hong Kong, from where he manages his Canadian Immigration Consulting Firm, Gerry is a Regulated Immigration Consultant and is registered as a Quebec Immigration Consultant.
Jane Desmond has been an immigration consultant and instructor for ten years. Jane has built a solid reputation amongst her peers. Her experience, coupled with her work in the community, have afforded her extensive legal exposure and understanding. Furthermore, her in-depth knowledge and insight have been sought by television networks – OMNI News, Globo (the largest television network in Brazil) and various local ethnic media outlets – to explain the implications of the changes in government policies and regulations in immigration.
Jane has successfully managed a Toronto-based consulting company, which represents clients before Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board throughout Canada, and in many of the Canadian visa posts abroad.
With a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations, the transition into immigration was a natural one for Shawn Bowden. For the past five years, Shawn has been working in the field of immigration, advising the provincial government on immigration policy, writing columns on immigration-related issues and conducting international immigration seminars.
Shawn spent several years working in Japan, and is excited about sharing his global experiences with Ashton students.
Francis Ng has over 30 years of global commercial and institutional experience in strategic business development, project management, investments and financing in several countries including Germany, UK, Austria, Sweden, Hong Kong, China, USA, and Canada. Francis is a Regulated Immigration Consultant and has several academic qualifications including a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Business Administration from the University of Hong Kong and a Diploma in Management Development from the Graduate School of Business, Harvard University.
Francis teaches on the Immigration Consultant Diploma program and the ICCRC Examination Preparation course.
Nevena Djuricic earned her Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Sarajevo. Before immigrating to Canada, she practised law in her home country and was appointed a municipal court judge for Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1987.
Nevena is a Regulated Immigration Consultant and has had many years of experience in the field of immigration.
Nicky Wei is a regulated immigration consultant specializing in family sponsorship, provincial nominee programs, express entry class, appeals of removal orders and refusal, pre-removal risk assessment, refugee application and appeals, and self-employed class. She is also knowledgeable in filing stay motion and judicial review. She exercises the high standard of care and diligence in her professional career and enjoys a good reputation among her clients. She has accumulated valuable experience in communicating with immigration authorities regarding various applications.
As an immigrant from Shanghai, China, Nicky’s empathy for immigration clients and landed immigrants flows through every case at her hand. With deep passion and love for Canada, she strives to advocate multiculturalism and to protect the best interests of immigrants. That has led Nicky to her pursuit for the voice of immigrants by serving as an executive member on NDP Vancouver center constituency.
Nicky Wei holds a Master’s degree in Literature from East China Normal University, Immigration Consultant diploma from Ashton College and Real Estate certificate from UBC. She had been a university instructor in Shanghai for many years before she immigrated to Canada.
Nicky speaks fluent Mandarin, English and has learned Russian and French. She enjoys daily busy work on weekdays and having fun with her family on holidays.
Hjalmar received a Bachelor of Laws Degree from University of Los Andes in South America, his Master of Business Administration in Global Management from the University of Phoenix, his Professional Specialization in Public Sector Management from the University of Victoria.
Hjalmar’s immigration consulting practice focuses on temporary residence applications and family sponsorship programs. In addition to his immigration practice, Hjalmar also represented individuals and corporations in administrative matters.
Hjalmar is fully fluent in Spanish. He is also a collaborator and an active board member of several non-for-profit organizations in the province of British Columbia.
Gisela began her career in immigration services in 2008. She graduated from the University of Calgary in 2005 with a B.A. in International Relations, and then pursued immigration law studies at Bow Valley College. In 2010, Gisela founded iGlobal Canada Immigration Services. She is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) and a member in good standing with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). She is also a Commissioner for Oaths for the Province of Alberta.
Rita is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with several years of experience working in different countries with people from all over the world. Her personal diverse cultural heritage provides her with a unique world view that led her to her current career – helping people from all over the world immigrate to Canada.
Rita’s Canadian identity was shaped through living in Quebec, Toronto and Vancouver. She dedicates her business, volunteer hours, and personal life to serving immigrants who wish to contribute to the development of the Canadian economy and culture. Not surprisingly, Rita studied a Bachelors in Global Political science at York University in Toronto, a Masters of International Relations at the University Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid, and a Canadian Immigration diploma at Ashton College in Vancouver. She is fluent in Spanish, Arabic, French and English and has plans to keep learning more languages in the future. She is dedicated to creating peace, understanding and cooperation between different cultures.
As a graduate of Ashton College, Elina has been building her career as a Licensed Canadian Immigration Consultant since 2008. She has prior work experience with various federal government departments, including Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), Environment Canada, Transport Canada and Pacific Council. Her area of expertise encompasses law, social work and public administration. Currently, Elina is leading a successful practice providing immigration advice and services to individuals and companies in Canada and overseas.
Elina studied Criminology and Sociology in Vancouver and partnered with Vancouver Police to work on her key project at Simon Fraser University.
Makan Mashhour (“Maken”) is a US Immigration attorney and a Canadian Immigration Consultant at Mashhour and Associates. He provides services in most areas of the Canadian and the U.S. immigration laws, with a focus on the business immigration side of the law. Maken understands the complexities of processing bureaucracy of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), which allows him to protect his clients’ legal rights while their immigration status is being processed through the immigration system.
When he finds time, Maken works on his charity “GoodKarma” where he reaches out to the less fortunate residents of Vancouver. He also enjoys volunteering at the immigration clinics where he helps different applicants with their CIC applications.
Maken completed his Bachelor Degree at University of British Columbia. Then he proceeded with completing his Immigration Consulting Diploma degree at Ashton College. From there, to expand his immigration practice, he moved to the USA where he completed his Juris Doctor degree. While attending law school, Maken moved to the UK and attended Oxford University as a law student to complete part of his law degree there. Maken is now a member of the Washington State Bar Association, and the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.
Immigration Consulting (IMCD-08 - Business Communication)
Mujib Meherzad (JD, MBA) brings a diverse academic and teaching background to Ashton College. As a scholar, Mujib holds degrees across multiple disciplines including a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (Penn State University at York, ’06), a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Penn State University Capitol College, ’08), a Juris Doctor degree (Rutgers School of Law, ’13) and a Master of Science in Education – TESOL (University of Pennsylvania, ‘19).
Mujib’s teaching and research experience also spans many disciplines including standardized test preparation (Kaplan), pre-law (Rutgers School of Law) and business communications (Ashton College). Mujib also holds a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate from the University of Toronto and is a member of the New Jersey Bar Association.
Mr. Therrien has been a lawyer since 2002 and he has a long and diversified international experience as he lived in the United States, France and Mainland China where he worked for a few years to assist clients from China to immigrate to Canada. He represents many Canadian and international companies, including financial institutions, with respect to their business clients’ immigration needs as well as in regard to labor mobility. During his legal career he assisted hundreds of families to immigrate to Canada.
In addition to obtaining a Quebec law degree and a Certificate of Qualification in common law, he pursued undergraduate studies in political science at the University of Montréal, and graduate studies in international politics at the prestigious Université de la Sorbonne (Paris, France). Mr. Therrien was called to the Law Society of Quebec (2002) and to the Law Society of British Columbia (2010).
Mr. Therrien practices law in Canada’s both official languages, French and English.
Divino holds a degree in Business. Before coming to Canada, he worked as a Regional Sales Director at DOLE International, and as an International Business Analyst at The Emirates Group. He also published and taught his research on Human Resources at the University of Saint Louis.
Divino is also a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with over five years of industry experience. He worked at JBS as an Employment Manager in Alberta, where he oversaw the Recruitment Department and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. He also lived in Ontario where he pursued his degree in International Relations, while working as a Human Resources Manager and Senior Immigration Advisor at DVN.
Currently, aside from being a Managing Partner at DVN, Divino works as a Career Coach, an International Recruiter, and a Global Immigration Advisor for various companies in North America and Southeast Asia. He also volunteers for the Canadian Red Cross and the United Nations, where he usually partakes in the resettlement and youth programs.
Certified in immigration consulting, Avery Wanjing Liao counsels on various cases and is particularly enthusiastic about Express Entry, Provincial Nomination Programs and IRB appeals. She has also been actively conducting international immigration workshops.
Avery holds a Master’s degree in biology from Rutgers University; for several years she worked in prestigious science laboratories and top-notch high schools. A full decade of multinational teaching and research experience gave Avery recognition as an up-to-date, resourceful and exceptionally detail-oriented consultant.
In her spare time, Avery loves to travel. She is half-way through her plans to travel all 13 provinces in Canada and 50 states in USA.
Accredited CELPIP Preparation Program; Immigration Consulting (IMCD-08 - Business Communication)
Meredith Stewart has extensive experience in the immigration settlement field in BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia; helping newcomers to Canada find careers and develop communication skills for the workplace. From her professional and volunteer experience in diverse environments, she is an expert in multicultural communication strategies and resolving workplace conflict.
She obtained CELTA certification and TESL Ontario after her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Latin American Studies from the University of McGill. She draws upon the Adult Learning Principles and the Strengths-based Approach in her teaching methodology and favours task-based learning. Her years of experience learning and teaching in online formats contribute to her ability to engage students in online courses.
Adeela has absolute passion for the legal profession, which she exhibits by regularly contributing to this field. Her approach to the practice is client-centered. She recognizes that any successful legal representative’s client must be confident that all required work is performed in a professional manner and completed in an efficient way.
Adeela believes that in order to serve a client well she must resolve the case to their satisfaction. It is for this reason that Adeela’s clients keep coming back to her and continue referring their friends and relatives.
Adeela’s method of practice encompasses developmental procedures and logistical operations in order to maintain a successful practice, where her detail-oriented nature, as well as her keen understanding of the legal practice, has made her an accomplished Paralegal within the industry. Throughout her experience, Adeela has developed a style that can take the most complex dispositions and simplify them, resulting in successful communication with people of different views.
Swati Sethi is a Licensed Paralegal from Ontario who has a teaching experience with different educational institutions. In the past, she has taught at reputed CEGEPs and various school boards in Canada. Swati is experienced in immigration matters and taught various courses in law.
A strong believer in Canada’s diverse and inclusive society, Trang Nguyen served as a federal Citizenship judge at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada from 2013 to 2016. Trang enjoyed swearing in new Canadians at Citizenship ceremonies, conducting Citizenship hearings to approve applicants and promoting Citizenship by teaching seminars at different communities and organizations. She also worked as an accredited court interpreter in the BC court system for more than 20 years, following two decades as a small business owner.
In 2012, Trang was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her achievements as an anchor, host, and field reporter for Channel M TV, Omni TV, and Fairchild Radio.
Trang graduated from Simon Fraser University with a degree in criminology and psychology, and received certificates of court and medical interpreting from Langara College and Vancouver Community College.
An accomplished public servant, entrepreneur, and journalist, Trang Nguyen is excited to offer her energy and experience as an instructor at Ashton College.
Helen Han is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) at a boutique consultancy firm in Burnaby, BC. She provides a wide range of immigration advice and services to clients on various immigration issues. Her practice mainly involves helping international students with their study permit affairs, as well as advising clients with a work permit, permanent residence & citizenship matters.
Prior to starting her practice in the field of the immigration law, Helen was an instructor within the Faculty of Logistics at a prominent school in China.
Helen obtained a Master’s degree in Global Business from the University of Victoria, and a Bachelor degree in Commerce from the University of British Columbia.
Since 2004, Ana has been working with Immigration, Refugees and Settlement Services in Canada. As an Executive director of the New Canadian Centre in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Ana had the opportunity to work, design and implement policies, programs and services for newcomers in one of the most isolated areas in the country.
She opened her own immigration firm in Calgary in 2014 and since then she has helped many families to find their new home in Canada.
Rod Megill is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). Rod specializes in processing immigration applications of international skilled workers, professionals, temporary foreign workers, NAFTA exempt professionals and business persons wishing to work or live permanently in Canada via federal or provincial nominee programs.
Rod holds degrees from Carleton University, Concordia University and the University of Oregon.
Bart Zych is a top-rated business instructor with over 8 years of teaching, training, facilitation and coaching experience. He has over 8 years of corporate sales success and 8+ years brand building, marketing, entrepreneurship, and leadership experience.
Bart is passionate about helping international students, new graduates, and people new to Canadian and US workplaces develop their business English skills, careers, and personalities using in person and online training methods. Currently, Bart sits on the Board of Directors of Fored BC as Treasurer. He also teaches courses in business communication, sales, marketing, and strategy at the post-secondary level, and has been formally recognized for training excellence.
An example of Bart’s success includes facilitating the planning, strategic, and decision-making sessions for the Kitsilano Chamber of Commerce, particularly during its acquisition by the Vancouver Board of Trade.
Bart earned an MBA specializing in MIS and Strategy, and he is a Certified Training Practitioner (CTP) with the Institute for Performance and Learning. Bart is excited to teach IMCD module 8, Business Communication, at Ashton College.
Neera Agnihotri is the founder of Agnihotri Immigration Consulting, an organization led by Neera and her professionally qualified team members. It is one of the leading consulting firms in the lower mainland that currently has two offices, one in Burnaby and another in Surrey, BC. Agnihotri Immigration recognizes that every individual has a specific need, which is why every individual is treated with the utmost care and respect.
Neera has extensive qualifications in immigration. She is a results-oriented immigration consultant with more than ten years of experience in assisting individuals with their citizenship applications. Her personal experience is the driving force behind her passion to help others complete their venture into a new land with as much ease as possible.
Prior to attaining her Immigration Practitioner Licence in 2006, Neera was immersed in the Travel and Tourism industry. Being an ambitious female entrepreneur and a driven young mother, Neera decided to take her career to the next level. She then attained her CSIC Licence and started her own firm. Since then she has been providing her clients with honest, efficient and transparent immigration services. Neera has also succeeded in being appointed to the CAPIC Board of BC Chapter Committee Chair.
Neera specializes in the following immigration areas: appeals, express entry, labour market impact assessments, provincial nominee programs, family class sponsorships, permanent residency, citizenship, passport applications, work permits, study permits, and visitor visas. She makes sure to bring a deep understanding of the immigration process and seeks solutions to any matters that may arise.
Will Tao is a Canadian Immigration Lawyer at Larlee Rosenberg. He provides legal services in all areas of Canadian immigration law with a focus on complex refusals, appeals, and judicial reviews. Will believes in a client-focused approach, one that allows the companies and individuals he works with to present their case to Canadian immigration authorities with the needed balance of honesty, simplicity, and creativity. Will has assisted on several challenging, high-profile cases involving employers and individuals alike.
Will is the Chair of the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Communities Advisory Committee and a member of the Mayor’s Working Group on Immigration and the City of Vancouver’s Historical Discrimination Against People of Chinese Descent Committee. Will also serves as a committee member of the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia’s Equality and Diversity Committee.
In his spare time, Will runs and operates his law blog, Vancouver Immigration Blog. Will can often be found commenting in local media and writing opinion pieces on immigration policy, equality, and diversity topics.
Will is a graduate of the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law (J.D.), the University of British Columbia (BA in History and International Relations). He has also attended the National University of Singapore (Singapore) and the Southwest University of Political Science and Law (Chongqing, China) during his previous academic studies.
Born in Iran, Shervin grew up in Tehran till the age of 11. He moved to Germany and lived there before moving to Canada in 1993. After finishing college, he worked in the private sector before moving to the government. He started his government career at the Canada Revenue Agency.
In 2007, Shervin was selected to attend the Border Services Officer training program in Riguad, Quebec. After successfully finishing this program, he was stationed at the Pacific border crossing as a Border Services Officer. In this role, Shervin enforced Canadian Immigration and Customs law. As part of his duties he assessed work permit, visitor visa, study permit, and refugee applications that were presented at the Port of Entry.
In 2012, after finishing the Ashton College Immigration Consultant Diploma program, Shervin pursued a career as a self-employed immigration consultant. Shervin also started teaching at Ashton in 2016.
Steven Le (BSc, RCIC, NP) obtained his Bachelor degree from Simon Fraser University in 1996. In 2005, Steven was admitted into the Notary Public program run by the University of British Columbia and the Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia. Since 2007, Steven has been commissioned as a Notary Public for the province of British Columbia. He was a Chair for Notary Public Vancouver East Chapter from 2014–2016.
With his professional work as a Notary Public, Steven has had an opportunity to meet and interact with clients from many different backgrounds and cultures. Steven recognized the need for a well-trained, qualified and honest immigration consultant to assist people in bringing their loved ones to Canada. In May 2011, Steven obtained his designation as a Regulated Immigration Consultant. He enjoys his work as an instructor and has assisted many clients in various immigration matters.
Born on Sakhalin Island of Russia, Denis travelled to the United States of America in 1996 as a student. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Accounting from an American university. He also spent over nine years working as an accountant and financial analyst in large American corporations.
In 2010 Denis, along with his wife and his daughter, immigrated to Canada and became permanent residents under the Skilled Worker category. They were amazed at how incredibly welcomed Canada made them feel. For the first time in their lives, they did not feel like outsiders or immigrants, but rather as full members of Canadian society. Inspired by the openness and acceptance of Canada, Denis decided to become a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) in order to help the Canadian government in reaching the objectives of the Immigration Program and to assist other prospective immigrants in achieving their dream of finding a better life in the great country of Canada.
Denis has been practising immigration consulting since 2012. In 2017, he joined a wonderful team of the Immigration Consultant Diploma program instructors at Ashton College.
Ron McKay in a Senior Immigration Consultant with CANGO Immigration Consulting Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Public Administration and is a graduate of the UBC-Seneca Immigration Practitioner program.
Ron has experience working in a law firm, and he was previously employed as a locally engaged immigration officer at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. Ron was the First National President for the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC) in 1999–2000. He subsequently served as a National Director for the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) in 2011–2012, and as a National Chair of ICCRC in 2015–2016.
Ron has over 20 years of experience in the education sector, including his experiences teaching abroad in Tokyo, Japan. He has previously served on the Ashton College Advisory Committee in 2010–2011.
Recreation-wise, Ron is a curler and a curling instructor, and he has a brown belt in Karate. He also performs music for charitable events on drums and percussion.
Larry Kozyrev has assisted and represented clients in various immigration matters for over a decade. He has extensive knowledge and experience in difficult immigration proceedings concerning business investors and immigration appeals. Mr. Kozyrev’s practice was established in Winnipeg and later expanded to the Toronto area. He is currently pursuing his Masters degree in Canadian Common Law at Osgoode Hall Law School.
Manal Abonada has been an Immigration Consultant for six years. She founded her own immigration practice, Immigration Consultants Canada, and works in collaboration with many colleges and universities in Ontario as an authorized educational representative. She has also been a teacher for 17 years overseas. She is passionate about continuous learning and teaching. Manal has obtained a degree and three diplomas. Her latest – the Border Services Diploma – was in 2015. She is currently working on her French language, as well as a face reading and body language certification.
Al (Alireza) Parsai is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). He runs his successful business in downtown Toronto, Ontario with many employees. Al is a former member of CSIC (Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants), and a current member of ICCRC (Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council) and CAPIC (Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants).
Al, who holds a Masters degree in Counselling Psychology, has extensive experience as an author, trainer, and public speaker. He has written ten books and hundreds of articles in the past 20 years. Al has also delivered many courses, workshops, and speeches in four different countries.
Immigration to Canada is Al Parsai’s passion. He deals with the immigration process on a daily basis. He represents hundreds of applicants to the federal and provincial immigration authorities at the same time. Al is proud of his profession and recommends it to anyone who wants to help others build a better life.
When it comes to training, Al truly believes in interactive education. He thinks a variety of training activities based on real-life events could help students explore issues from different angles and understand them thoroughly.
Born in Kenya, Rasik Shah grew up in a multicultural society speaking several languages, studying law at Lincoln’s Inn, London, where he was called to the bar as a Barrister at Law in 1963. Returning to Kenya, he practised as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, specializing as a criminal lawyer. In 1974, he migrated to Canada, took the common law exam set by Osgoode Hall, and qualified as a barrister and solicitor, becoming a member of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Rasik practised law for 15 years, then took a break from law by leading trekking trips to the Himalayas in India for the next 12 years, travelling widely among Buddhist communities in the north, including an overland trip from Nepal to Lhasa in Tibet. He has also done some travel writing and published some short fiction. He returned to practise as refugee counsel by qualifying as an immigration consultant in 2002, apart from doing a stint with CBSA as a hearing officer.
In 2006, Rasik joined Ashton College and set up the refugee module program, and also started teaching the IMCD 04 refugee module. In 2008, he was appointed a member of the IRB by the Governor General in Council and functioned as a refugee claims adjudicator for a year at the Refugee Protection Division, Vancouver, resuming instruction at Ashton College thereafter and taking up his practice as refugee counsel again. His hobbies are creative writing, chess, and a passionate interest in literature; he is also committed to human rights causes. He is pleased to see indications of a new refugee-friendly environment in Canada.
Cristie Lane Tayde attained her Bachelors degree and Certificate in Immigration from the University of British Columbia. She has been a Regulated Canada Immigration Consultant with BC Happy Homes Immigration Services since 2009. Though their company caters for clients from across the globe, they have several offices set up in the Philippines, where Cristie often goes to conduct seminars and provide consultation services.
Aside from her work as a consultant, Cristie is very involved in volunteer works within the local Filipino–Canadian community.
She was a former Board Member and Secretary for the Philippines Canada Trade Council, and has also had a regular stint on a local radio station discussing immigration matters, and has provided her services by writing immigration columns in local newspapers. Cristie is a second-generation immigration consultant, which instilled in her a passion to help people as she was growing up.
Raj Napal was called to the English Bar in 1981 and practised as a trial lawyer in criminal and civil litigation for 15 years prior to emigrating to Canada in the mid-90s. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1996 when he established NLC lawyers in Peel, Ontario.
Raj is highly skilled in judicial review proceedings and advocacy in all the divisions of the IRB. He is also an experienced criminal and civil litigation lawyer, having won a substantial number of trials in both England and Canada. He has a number of cases published in the law reports, some of which highlighted important principles of law in his areas of practice.
In 2016, he decided to focus more on teaching and reduced his workload by restricting his practice to criminal and immigration law. He believes that his deep knowledge of the law and his three decades of litigation experience will assist students in the learning process. Raj feels privileged that he can contribute towards the mandate of Ashton College, their instructors and staff. That mandate is that our collaborative teaching environment is of a high standard so that our future licensed legal professionals are ready and fully equipped to meet the challenges of practice and excel in the work they do.
A proud Canadian, Rosanna was born and raised on the Canadian Prairies, where she attended post-secondary education at the University of Winnipeg, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics. In 2001, soon after graduation and while pursuing her political career, she worked as an Immigration Assistant to a former Member of Parliament of the House of Commons for 5 years.
In 2005, Rosanna was transferred to Ottawa, Ontario and held the position of Special Assistant to the Western Region for the former Minister of Citizenship & Immigration. Rosanna’s work in this position related strictly to immigration pertaining to Western Canada. Rosanna was also a part of the Fort Gary Community Network, an immigration network in Winnipeg, Manitoba dealing with settlement programs and assistance within the community.
She graduated from Humber College, obtaining her Canadian Immigration Practitioner Certificate, in 2007. Rosanna is also an active and proud member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, a regulatory body that oversees and regulates the conduct and ethics of immigration consultants. Rosanna owns her own immigration practice, Prairie Sky Immigration.
Vitoria Correia earned her Bachelor of Law from Lusiada University, Lisbon, Portugal in 1998 and was called to the Portuguese Bar Association in 2001. Her ensuing ten-year legal practice focused primarily on immigration, family and public law. As a Regulated Immigration Consultant, Vitoria enjoys conveying her knowledge in a classroom setting, as well as representing and advising her clients on various immigration matters.
Lisa Ramkissoon, a Regulated Immigration Consultant, has been an immigration practitioner and an avid advocate on immigration issues since 1994. She founded her own immigration practice and works in collaboration with various non-profit organizations in Ontario, advising on the economic and humanitarian areas of immigration.
In addition to her immigration consulting practice, Lisa has experience in developing and executing immigration training sessions, seminars and speaking on immigration issues. She has also been an instructor for immigration consulting programs for three years and is a prolific writer on immigration issues.
Gerry Power has extensive expertise in immigration and citizenship matters with over 35 years of experience in both public and private sectors. After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, Gerry started his career at the Citizenship Branch of the federal government in Ottawa. He then joined the Quebec Immigration Department, where he worked for 30 years as an Immigration Officer and Program Manager and Director, in charge of various Quebec Immigration Offices abroad.
Gerry has lived in many countries and travelled extensively. He is familiar with numerous cross-cultural environments. Based in Hong Kong, from where he manages his Canadian Immigration Consulting Firm, Gerry is a Regulated Immigration Consultant and is registered as a Quebec Immigration Consultant.
Jane Desmond has been an immigration consultant and instructor for ten years. Jane has built a solid reputation amongst her peers. Her experience, coupled with her work in the community, have afforded her extensive legal exposure and understanding. Furthermore, her in-depth knowledge and insight have been sought by television networks – OMNI News, Globo (the largest television network in Brazil) and various local ethnic media outlets – to explain the implications of the changes in government policies and regulations in immigration.
Jane has successfully managed a Toronto-based consulting company, which represents clients before Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board throughout Canada, and in many of the Canadian visa posts abroad.
With a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations, the transition into immigration was a natural one for Shawn Bowden. For the past five years, Shawn has been working in the field of immigration, advising the provincial government on immigration policy, writing columns on immigration-related issues and conducting international immigration seminars.
Shawn spent several years working in Japan, and is excited about sharing his global experiences with Ashton students.
Francis Ng has over 30 years of global commercial and institutional experience in strategic business development, project management, investments and financing in several countries including Germany, UK, Austria, Sweden, Hong Kong, China, USA, and Canada. Francis is a Regulated Immigration Consultant and has several academic qualifications including a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Marketing and Business Administration from the University of Hong Kong and a Diploma in Management Development from the Graduate School of Business, Harvard University.
Francis teaches on the Immigration Consultant Diploma program and the ICCRC Examination Preparation course.
Nevena Djuricic earned her Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Sarajevo. Before immigrating to Canada, she practised law in her home country and was appointed a municipal court judge for Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1987.
Nevena is a Regulated Immigration Consultant and has had many years of experience in the field of immigration.
