Mark Holthe

DARK DAYS OF CANADIAN IMMIGRATION In over 20 years of practice, I could count my refusals on both hands. And of those, maybe four or five I couldn't resolve. I genuinely believed I could help people, and most of the time, I could. I loved being an immigration lawyer. That world is gone. When the government announced they'd reduce Canada's temporary resident population by 5% by the end of 2027, they meant it. And it's becoming clear they'll do whatever it takes to hit that number — including, it seems, instructing processing officers that compassion is no longer part of the job description. Our firm has seen more refusals in the past month than I accumulated in the previous two decades. People booking consultations are telling me stories I never thought I'd hear in a democratic country. Legitimate pathways are being ignored. Applications that should be approved are being refused. And families — real families, with Canadian-born children — are being pushed out the door. Ottawa is chasing a number. The problem is, that number is made up of human beings. So I'm done letting them be statistics. Starting now, I'm launching a new video series on the Canadian Immigration Institute channel dedicated entirely to telling the stories of the people being swept up in this purge. Names, faces, stories — on camera, in their own words where they choose to share them. I want every Canadian to see exactly who is being captured by this policy and decide for themselves whether this is the country we want to be. If you or someone you know wants their story told, email me directly: [email protected] This isn't going to stop until 2027. Neither am I. #DarkDaysCA

More Dark Days ahead!

Tim Hortons TFW reversal megaphone.link/CORU605309747… ▶️I appreciated the opportunity to join @simisara730CKNW on @CKNW’s Mornings with Simi to discuss Tim Hortons, local hiring, youth unemployment, and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. (Interview starts at 10:10 mark)

I came across a Toronto Star article a few weeks back about an Express Entry refusal that I could not stop thinking about. The applicant — a bilingual PhD from the Sorbonne, a research associate at McMaster studying respiratory illness, a slam dunk candidate with a CRS score in the high 570s — was refused. Not because she was unqualified. But because the refusal letter assessed her job duties against duties pulled from a completely unrelated robotics role. Wiring control circuits. Programming PLCs. Integrating robotic equipment. Nothing to do with a biology lab. I tracked down the immigration lawyer on the file, Luka Vukelic, out of St. Catharines, and asked him to come on the podcast to walk through what actually happened. He said yes. One thing that came up in our conversation that I don't think gets enough attention — and that is directly relevant to something I've talked about before — is the fact that this applicant was a French-speaking candidate drawn under a Francophone category. And when a minor issue came up with her employer letter earlier in the process, she got a procedural fairness letter and a chance to fix it. An English-speaking applicant in the same situation would likely not have fared as well. We know there's often a softer standard being applied to Francophone files, and even that softer standard couldn't save her from what appears to be an AI-generated hallucination finding its way into a refusal letter. @CitImmCanada says these tools are reviewed routinely and that internal rules are kept confidential to protect program integrity. My view is that if generative AI is influencing the factual findings in a refusal letter, applicants and their counsel have a right to know what was generated, how it was verified, and by whom. Burying that in a black box is not transparency — it's a procedural fairness problem waiting to explode in Federal Court. Luca and I also share some practical takeaways for practitioners — what to do when a refusal contains facts that are simply wrong, how to move quickly given the 15-day leave window, and why structured duty-matching evidence matters more than ever right now. This is a conversation every immigration lawyer and consultant in Canada needs to hear. youtu.be/BAraeaQnWq4?si=vsVo… #ExpressEntry #CanadianImmigration #ImmigrationLaw

I posted this one year ago. Much to my disappointment, my optimism appears to have been misplaced.

33,000 - Not a new program. It's disappointing that it took them so long to say this. l am still struggling to understand why @CitImmCanada handled this the way that they did. @LenaMetlegeDiab did not help matters. I shared my genuine thoughts on this in my Live Stream yesterday: youtube.com/live/Noz1CD3vmtM… Let's now focus on the real changes coming to Economic PR in Canada. I intend to release more information about this in the coming weeks.

As I look back on my life and all the wonderful things that have happened, I cannot help but reflect on the pivotal role my Saviour played in each and every one of them. I truly would not be where I am today if it were not for Him. He has been my anchor through it all. The good. The bad. The happy. The sad. And everything in between. He has softened the painful times and magnified the joyous times. He has comforted me when I felt all was lost and humbled me when my ego started to take over. But of all that He has done for me, the thing I am most grateful for is His saving grace. The fact that, despite my many sins and shortcomings, I can truly repent and be forgiven, have my sins washed away through His atoning blood. And become better each day. Because of Him, I have been able to change. And one day, I will be able to kneel before Him and bathe his feet with my tears. Tears of love, devotion, and gratitude for the life He has given me. I am truly the richest man on this earth. My faith, my health, my family, my profession, my country .... all gifts from Him. churchofjesuschrist.org/welc… #Easter

Canada Immigration LIVE Q&A - Episode 505 teapawt.org/i/broadcasts/1oKMvRgbQ…