Date: 13 May 2026
Time: noon - 2 pm Pacific time
Cost: $50.00
Type: Live online and Recording
CPD approval:
- LSBC - 2 CPD hours approved. Recording valid until 31 December 2026. Attendance to this course will provide you with 60 minutes of ethics and professional responsibility component for your BC Law Society reporting.
- Law Societies of Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia
For members of these Law Societies, consider including this course as a CPD learning activity in your mandatory annual requirements.
Outline
Summary:
This two-hour session examines the recent developments in Canadian citizenship law, focusing on analysis, case studies, and practical implications for practitioners. Participants will gain strategic insight into what is potentially a new category of “Lost Canadians,” challenges, procedural fairness issues, and advocacy techniques in complex proof of citizenship applications.
Part 1: Introduction
- A history of Canadian Citizenship
- First-Generation limitations
- Legal turning points
Part 2: Changes to Citizenship by Descent
- Legislative changes in paragraph 3 of the Citizenship Law
- Highlighted subsections and their application
- Fictional case studies as examples
Part 3: The “Substantial Connection” Requirement
- The introduction of a “connection to Canada” threshold.
- Practical implications
Part 4: Retroactive Effects
- A new generation of “Lost Canadians”?
- Evidentiary challenges
- Adoption cases
- Surge in applications and processing times.
CICC Essential Competency mapping
RCIC
Foundational Knowledge
1.3 Interprets Canadian immigration and refugee legislation, regulations and policies.
1.1.2 Outlines the historical development of Canadian immigration and citizenship laws.
1.1.5 Applies the meaning of standard and burden of proof related to Canadian immigration law and citizenship.
Legal Research and Informatics
3.4 Constructs a legal argument based on legal research on case facts and relevant immigration, refugee and citizenship laws.
3.4.1 Applies relevant sections of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, Citizenship Act or citizenship regulations to the client case.
Professionalism
6.1 Demonstrates and maintains competence in practice
6.1.2 Stays current and complies with legislations, regulation, professional standards, policies and guidelines.
6.1.8 Keeps current with evolving technology and emerging trends in immigration.
Speakers:
Tiffany Osman-Chi RCIC-IRB
Harbour Rowe Immigration Advisory
Founder
Tiffany started her immigration career as a student Border Services Officer with the Canada Border Services Agency. She is a registered member of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). Tiffany holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, and is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law at Queen's University. She specializes in economic classes, family class, provincial nominee programs and has presented numerous seminars and served on numerous panel discussions within the industry. Tiffany is the Communications Director for Imm Seminars. She lives in Calgary, Alberta.
Catherine Sas KC
Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre – Founding Partner
Catherine has been providing a full range of immigration legal services for over 35 years and is recognized as a leading immigration practitioner by Lexpert and Best Lawyers in Canada. Catherine has been voted Best Immigration Lawyer in the Georgia Straight’s “Best of Vancouver” for ten consecutive years. For 2025 and 2026, Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre has been recognized by Best Lawyers as a Best Law Firm both nationally and regionally.
Catherine is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, American Bar Association, Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association, and International Bar Association. She is the past National Chair of the Immigration Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association as well as the past Chair of the Provincial Immigration Law Section for Canadian Bar Association-British Columbia. Catherine is a past Co-Chair of the Immigration and Nationality Law Committee of the International Bar Association and a founding member of the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association. She is also registered as a Foreign Legal Consultant with the State Bar of California which enables her to better serve her American clientele in the film and television and digital media industries.
Catherine has been part of Team Canada and Team British Columbia trade missions to countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, China, Hong Kong, and the United States. She has participated in Continuing Legal Education seminars, appeared at parliamentary committees on immigration issues, and spoken at international conferences and symposiums. Catherine has worked extensively with clientele from around the world and travels frequently internationally to assist her clients with their Canadian immigration goals.
