Craig Natsuhara

Craig is a partner at EY Law LLP in Vancouver. Craig has contributed to many different panels and working groups in Canada, and abroad. He’s served as an immigration expert at Global Affairs Canada conferences, was a member of the City of Vancouver’s economic trade team during the London 2012 Olympics and has spoken on industry hot topics at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. Over his career, Craig’s been a voice at the negotiation table around work permit-related categories. That includes working on the Digital Media LMIA variation in 2013, and the Global Skills Strategy in 2017. Craig also sat on the immigration sub-committee of the BC Labour Market Partners & Workforce Development for Technology initiative. 

Craig has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal in their Corporate Immigration and Canadian Lawyers listings since 2011. He was the chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s British Columbia Immigration Section from 2007 to 2009.  Craig is also actively involved in legal education. He taught the temporary foreign workers module for the University of British Columbia’s Certificate in Immigration: Laws, Policies and Procedures program from 2009 to 2019, and has co-chaired the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia’s biennial conference on temporary foreign workers since 2007. 

Divya Bakshi

Divya Bakshi Arya is a highly experienced Immigration Consultant with more than 18 years of expertise in the field of immigration law. With her background as a foreign-trained Lawyer and her extensive experience in Immigration Law since 2004, she has become a trusted adviser in all immigration-related matters. 

Divya specializes in various areas of immigration, including spousal visas, work permits, business immigration, start-up investment visas, provincial nomination entrepreneur visas, and assisting corporates in hiring qualified foreign workers from around the world. Her broad range of specialization demonstrates her in-depth knowledge of the immigration landscape. 

One of Divya’s notable strengths is her representation of clients at Canadian visa offices outside of Canada. This experience equips her with the ability to provide comprehensive assistance and guidance to her clients throughout the different stages of visa applications. It also allows her to help them navigate the complexities of the immigration system with confidence and efficiency. 

Stephen Green

Stephen Green is a Senior Partner at Green and Spiegel, certified as a Specialist in Immigration Law by The Law Society of Ontario with over 30 years of experience. He has a proven track record of success in all areas of Canadian immigration law, particularly in corporate employee transfers, federal skilled worker applications, and investor applications. Stephen also leads the Investment and Entrepreneur Department, guiding experienced businesspeople and high net worth individuals through the investment process for Permanent Residence. 

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. He 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 he is presently employed by the CANGO and GUANGSON Immigration Consulting Firms. For the last three years, he 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”). He 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.