Refugee Protection Division and Refugee Appeal Division - Refugee Determination in Canada

Sonia Sekhon is a licensed Canadian Barrister and Solicitor in the Province of Ontario and the founding principal of The Legal Café, a boutique law firm based in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Sonia completed her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) with Honours at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia. During her time abroad, she gained invaluable international legal experience working with private law firms in Brisbane as well as with the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General.

Sonia’s dedication to immigration advocacy led her to earn an Immigration Consultant Diploma with Honours in 2019 and subsequently obtaining a secondary licence in 2022 through the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), reflecting her commitment to comprehensive immigration representation.

Throughout her legal career, Sonia has worked in several practice areas, including Immigration Law, Family Law, Criminal Law, Civil Litigation, Personal Injury, and Administrative Law. Sonia’s passion for helping individuals and families build better futures led her to focus her practice primarily on Canadian Immigration Law.

In addition to her legal work, Sonia serves as a co-founder and chairwoman of a Niagara Falls based not-for-profit organization dedicated to cultural engagement and community development. 

Bill C-2 The Strong Borders Act - Impact on Immigration and Asylum Seekers  

Mario D. Bellissimo is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and a Certified Specialist in Citizenship and Immigration Law and Refugee Protection. He is the founder of BELLISSIMO LAW GROUP PC and the principal lawyer with a practice focus on citizenship, immigration and protected person litigation and inadmissibility law.

Mr. Bellissimo has appeared before all levels of immigration tribunals and courts including the Supreme Court of Canada. He is the past Chair of the Canadian Bar Association National Immigration Law Section, serves as an appointed member of the Federal Court Rules Committee and participates on multiple stakeholder committees involving the Federal Courts, the Immigration and Refugee Board, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Canada Border Services Agency, Employment and Social Development Canada, and the Department of Justice.

Mr. Bellissimo acts on a pro bono basis for Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital and Pro Bono Law Ontario and as the National Immigration Law and Policy Adviser for COSTI Immigration Resettlement Services. He and his team represent clients from all over the world. 

Bill C-3 An Act to Amend the Canadian Citizenship Act 

Fred Li is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) and Managing Director & Partner at an immigration practice firm in Richmond, BC. Fred obtained a Certificate from the UBC Immigration Practitioner Program in 2011 and became a practicing member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC).

Fred Li has extensive experience specializing in Hearings & Appeals before the Immigration & Refugee Board of Canada, Immigration Investigations that are before the Canada Border Services Agency, Humanitarian & Compassionate applications, Family Class applications, various Skilled Worker applications that are applied through Express Entry or Provincial Nominee programs, Work & Study permit applications, Criminal Rehabilitation, Medical Inadmissibility, Citizenship applications, various Business Immigration applications and preparing Judicial Review applications before the Federal Court of Canada.

Fred is an avid volunteer and volunteers for non-profit organizations such as the Immigrant Services Society of BC and Access Pro Bono.