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Whether you are new to Canada, new to the immigration industry, currently work in immigration, or a current paralegal, an Immigration Legal Assistant Certificate can advance your career.
The field of immigration is vast and complex. Every country has different policies, regulations, and immigration rates. Many countries keep immigration centralized, with the national government having all the control and say in who can potentially be a new citizen, think of the United States and the United Kingdom. While countries like New Zealand, Australia, and Canada have decentralized immigration, leaving it in the hands of provincial governments. With Canada pushing it even further by having municipalities, community groups, and private employees having a hand in selecting economic migrants.
A key thing that many Canadian employers look for from immigrants is what they call “Canadian experience”, making it difficult for foreign-trained professionals to succeed in the Canadian market. A Canadian-specific legal assistant training course can help you gain that “Canadian experience” that employers are looking for. Ashton College’s Immigration Legal Assistant Certificate program will help you develop your knowledge and understanding of the Canadian Immigration system, policies, and procedures. This knowledge will allow you to help and support immigration consultants by performing administrative tasks including:
Immigration legal assistants also need communication skills to effectively communicate with clients, immigration officials, and government officials. Ashton College’s Immigration Legal Assistant Certificate program will help you gain these skills. If you are not feeling confident in your Canadian workplace communication skills, you can improve them by taking additional online communication courses.
Individuals who are foreign-trained lawyers or who have legal experience outside of Canada can use this program to gain employment in the Canadian Immigration Law sector. Current Legal Assistants and Paralegals can also use this program to advance their careers with a specialization in Immigration.
The pandemic has caused the Canadian federal government to increase its immigrant targets for the coming years. Originally, the set targets were 351,000 in 2021 and 361,000 in 2022; those targets have increased to 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. What do those increased targets mean for you? There is a steady stream of people who need immigration consulting services and qualified expertise. Lawyers who may not typically assist on immigration cases may also see an increase in demand, which translates to more job opportunities for legal assistants who have the background knowledge and foundation to assist them. While the targets have increased, the programs and application processes are still complex and can take a lot of time and money. Having the skills and knowledge to help Immigration Practitioners execute their duties and expedite cases will help the overwhelming amount of immigration cases and help make dreams come true.
The information contained in this post is considered to be true and accurate as of the date of publication. However, the accuracy of this information may be impacted by changes in circumstances that occur after the time of publication. Ashton College assumes no liability for any error or omissions in the information contained in this post or any other post in our blog.
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