Bring identification, every immigration document you already have, and any refusal letter or decision with the full application that produced it. A first immigration consultation is an information exchange in both directions: the lawyer assesses which pathways are realistically open to you, and you assess whether this is the right person to handle your file. The more complete your documents are at that meeting, the more specific the advice can be.
Key Takeaways
- Bring photo identification, passports, all current and past Canadian permits and visas, and any refusal letters with the underlying application.
- Expect to be identified and recorded. Ontario licensees are required to obtain and record client identification information, and a conflicts check is run before advice is given.
- The consultation is confidential. The fact that you consulted a lawyer at all is itself confidential information.
- If a prior application was refused, appeal and judicial review deadlines can be short, so bring the decision letter and its date to the very first meeting.
- After the consultation, you are only represented once a written retainer agreement is signed and any required deposit is paid. Meeting with a lawyer does not by itself retain them.
Before the Meeting: What to Send Ahead
Most firms send an intake questionnaire before the consultation. It usually asks for your full name and any former names or name variations, home and work address, telephone numbers, email, occupation, citizenship or citizenships, IRCC Unique Client Identifier (UCI), and preferred language of communication. It will also ask whether messages can be left at the numbers you provide, and whether the firm may discuss your matter with anyone else who contacts them on your behalf.
Two questions on that form matter more than they look. First, whether the consultation is for you or for someone else, because the person receiving the advice must be correctly identified. Second, whether there are any related or opposing parties, which is what allows a conflicts check to be run before anything substantive is discussed.
Depending on the matter, a more detailed questionnaire may follow. For permanent residence through the economic classes, expect questions about place of birth, current country and immigration status, marital status, passport details, intended province of residence, education history, work history, language test results, family in Canada, any job offer, settlement funds, and the names and ages of children, for both you and your spouse. For business and entrepreneur matters, expect questions about business ownership, net worth, and funds available to invest.
Documents to Bring
The core set applies to almost every matter:
- Passport and identification for everyone the matter involves, including your spouse and children where relevant
- All current and past Canadian permits, visas, and visitor records — not just the current one
- Any refusal letter or tribunal decision relevant to your question, with its date
- The complete prior application that was refused, if you can obtain it. If a previous representative filed it, you may need to ask them for the full file. Without it, an assessment of what went wrong is necessarily incomplete
- Employment documents for a work permit or LMIA question: the job offer, the job description, and the employee’s CV
- Letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution and the provincial attestation letter for a study permit matter
If your question involves criminal inadmissibility, bring arrest records, court documents, and sentencing documents rather than a summary from memory. If it involves citizenship, bring the date you became a permanent resident and your list of absences from Canada for the relevant period.
What the Lawyer Is Actually Doing
A well-run initial consultation covers several things at once:
Gathering facts and exploring alternatives. This is where the value of speaking to an immigration lawyer shows up. A client who arrives asking about one program often leaves having learned that two or three others fit their circumstances better.
Explaining the legal test. Each program has requirements set out in legislation, regulations, ministerial instructions, or IRCC program delivery instructions. You should leave understanding what you would actually have to prove.
Assessing strengths and weaknesses honestly. Including where a case is weak. Advice that only describes the upside is not advice.
Understanding past refusals. What the concern was, whether it can be addressed, and how it will affect future applications.
Screening for inadmissibility. Criminal, medical, misrepresentation, and non-compliance issues change the analysis entirely, and they are better surfaced at the start than after a filing.
Timing and place of application. Whether an application is made inside Canada, at a port of entry, or at a visa office affects both the legal framework and the wait. Expect a discussion of anticipated processing times, with the caveat that IRCC posted times change frequently and should be checked against the current posting.
Confidentiality, Interpreters, and Who Else Is in the Room
What you say in a consultation is confidential, and so is the fact that the consultation happened. That matters in family matters and in cases where a client has not told relatives they are seeking advice.
If family members or friends attend, or if an interpreter is used, raise it in advance. Where more than one person is involved in a matter, for example an employer and an employee, or two spouses, the lawyer has to establish at the outset who the client is, whether the retainer is sole or joint, who is authorised to give instructions, and who is authorised to receive information. Those parties’ interests are usually aligned, but not always, and the answer determines what can be shared with whom.
If you want to record the meeting, ask first. The same applies in reverse: a lawyer should ask for your consent before recording or transcribing.
If You Are Getting a Second Opinion
Second opinion consultations are legitimate and common. A few things to know. If you are still retained by another representative, say so. Bring the decision letter and the full application if you can, because clients are, understandably, not reliable narrators of what was filed on their behalf. And be prepared for a lawyer who declines to draw conclusions about the previous representative’s competence without seeing the file.
Where an application was refused, there are broadly three outcomes: the refusal is sound and the deficiency cannot be fixed; the refusal has some merit but a stronger new application is possible; or the application was already as strong as it could be and the decision contains an error, in which case an appeal or judicial review at the Federal Court may be appropriate.
Deadlines are why the second opinion should not wait. As a general framework, appeals to the Immigration Appeal Division are typically 30 days, with certain appeals allowing longer, and applications for leave and judicial review are generally 15 days where the decision was made in Canada and 60 days where it was made outside Canada. Confirm the applicable deadline for your specific decision, because it is calculated from the decision and the categories differ.
After the Consultation
You should leave knowing what the next steps are and, critically, whether the firm is acting for you. In Ontario, if you retain a lawyer, you must receive a written retainer agreement signed by all relevant parties. Until that is signed and any required deposit is paid, no one is working on your file. Reputable firms will confirm in writing when they are not acting, precisely so there is no ambiguity.
Expect the lawyer to make detailed notes of the meeting the same day, including the advice given and the fees quoted. That record protects both sides.
Some work may need to happen before a full assessment is possible, such as obtaining the officer’s notes through an Access to Information and Personal Information request, which requires your UCI and application number, a signed consent form, and a copy of your representative’s Canadian identification. Traveller history from CBSA is requested separately. These take time, which is another reason to start early.
One further point worth asking about: IRCC’s regulations require applicants to disclose information about persons who advised them in connection with an application. Whether a paid consultation alone triggers that disclosure is not free from doubt. Ask your lawyer how they handle it on your forms. Our fees page and FAQs answer several related practical questions.
FAQ
What should I bring if my application was already refused?
The refusal letter with its date, and the complete application that was refused. If a previous representative filed it, request the full file from them before the meeting.
Is a first consultation confidential even if I do not hire the lawyer?
Yes. The content of the consultation and the fact that you consulted at all are both confidential.
Can my spouse or a friend attend and interpret for me?
Usually, but tell the firm in advance. Where the other person is also involved in the immigration matter, the lawyer needs to sort out who the client is before advice is given.
How do I know whether I have actually hired the lawyer?
You have retained the firm when a written retainer agreement is signed and any required deposit is paid. If you are unsure, ask for that in writing.
What if I am not sure which program I qualify for?
That is a normal reason to book a consultation. Describe your situation in the intake form in plain language, and the assessment of which pathways fit is part of what the meeting is for.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration law and IRCC/ESDC policy change frequently, and every case turns on its own facts. Reading this article does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Obtain advice tailored to your situation before you act.
Talk to a Canadian immigration lawyer. BridgePoint Law advises individuals and businesses across Canada — and on Canada–US–China cross-border matters — on immigration consultations, case assessments, and second opinions. Book a consultation with our team in Toronto and Kingston. We work in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.