CPD Seminar: Special Measures and Federal Court Case Recap

Mahsa Mehrvaz

Mahsa immigrated to Canada at the age of 16 from Iran. She holds a BA degree in Psychology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women Studies from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. She also completed her Immigration Consultant Diploma in March 2020 from Ashton College in downtown Vancouver. She started her own immigration business in January 2021 after successfully passing her Entry to Practice Exam. Mahsa established “Mehrvarz Immigration” with the goal of assisting people who want to immigrate to Canada for a better life and career opportunities. Mahsa provides services in many areas of immigration, refugee, and citizenship and she has been representing clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada for the past two years. Mahsa has been a tutor/mentor for the past 10 years and she is excited to curate her passion for teaching and affinity for immigration. 

Steven Meurrens

Steven Meurrens is a Vancouver-based Canadian immigration lawyer who advises clients on all Canadian immigration and citizenship issues. He has significant experience representing corporate and individual clients in obtaining visas and permits for many business-related purposes, including, but not limited to, Labour Market Impact Assessments, intracompany transfers, international trade agreements, specialty business visits, and transitioning from temporary to permanent resident under numerous federal economic streams. His corporate clients include businesses engaged in mining, telecommunications, construction, hospitality, and technology start-ups. 

He also has an active practice assisting people who have been denied entry to Canada and to those who have had visa applications refused as well as had numerous appearances before the Immigration and Refugee Board and the Federal Court of Canada.   

Outside of his practice, Steven is the is a co-host of the Borderlines Podcast, a Canadian immigration law podcast consisting of in-depth interviews with past guests including John McCallum, Chris Alexander, Lorne Sossin, Marshal Rothstein, Robert Tibbo and David Eby. 

Ron McKay

Ron McKay has been involved professionally in the practice of immigration from 1986 to present. Ron previously served as a locally engaged Overseas Immigration Officer and later worked as an Immigration Consultant at the Vancouver based law firm of Clark Wilsons LLP. In the capacity of Immigration Consultant Ron is presently employed by the CANGO and GUANGSON Immigration Consulting Firms. For the last three years, Ron has been employed as the Director of Immigration Programs at Ashton College.

Ron McKay is a Past President of the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (“CAPIC”) and a Past Chair of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (“ICCRC”). Ron has previously served on multiple stakeholder committees involving Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, Service Canada, the Immigration and Refugee Board and Continuing Legal Education.

In regard to this CPD Seminar – Ron McKay will serve as the emcee/moderator.