There are a number of best law schools for immigration law in Canada where you can learn immigration law at the graduate level. Some provide you with a formal degree, while others just provide you with credits or certificates that can be applied towards a formal degree.
If the welfare of immigrants is deeply important to you, then you should consider pursuing a career in immigration law. It will provide you with an efficient agency to handle human rights issues and advocacy on your behalf.
There are many schools in Canada where you can study immigration law, some of which have been listed in this article. Now that you are aware of what gets your blood pumping faster, the next significant step will be to select the top immigration law schools for you to attend.
If a person is able to complete all of the requirements, completing a program that deals with immigration law should not be too difficult.
An education in immigration law typically requires at least three years of full-time study at an accredited law school. During these three years, students attend courses, participate in legal internships, and sometimes appear in court.
For many people, working as a lawyer has been a longtime desire, but the path to get there is something that they are not aware of. Following graduation from high school, a potential immigration lawyer must complete seven years of full-time study to get a Juris Doctor degree or simply become a lawyer. This includes four years of college and three years of law school.
He will need a few more months to pass the bar exam and satisfy the standards of the local bar association. Only then will he be called to the bar. If being an immigration lawyer is your ambition, then you should be able to figure out a way to make it work, even if some people think these seven years are too lengthy.
Because of the profound impact that this choice can have on the rest of your life, you should not make it on a whim. This is of utmost significance in the discipline of law. Despite this, you have to pick a superior school. This will have a significant impact on your legal practice.
It is imperative that you attend a law school that specializes in immigration law in order to improve your chances of getting a good internship and decent starting pay. But with So many law schools in Canada, how can you choose which one to attend when they all promise good results?
There is no need to break ahead because we have done justice by narrowing down the list to just the eight best schools for immigration law in Canada.
Why Should You Attend Some of the Best Law Schools if You Want to Focus on Immigration Law?
Attending the most prestigious law school inherently entails receiving the most superior training and education available, which, in turn, provides an immigration lawyer with a very high level of expertise.
Because the most reputable schools have the most stringent requirements and the most significant percentage of students who graduate, candidates must do their very best. One may be confident that they have received the very finest education available.
Queen’s University, along with Western University, is one of the two elite havens in Ontario that are located to the east and west of Toronto, respectively. Both have highly regarded and highly competitive law schools. Still, at Queen’s, it’s not all Bay Street aspirants: Kingston’s school by the lake is home to many immigration and refugee law, professionals, and its graduates include many immigration lawyers who practice in Eastern Ontario.
In the city of Kingston, in the province of Ontario, Canada, the Queen’s University Faculty of Law is a professional faculty that is part of the Queen’s University. According to the Law School Rankings published by Maclean’s Magazine in 2013, Queen’s University is ranked third among law schools in Canada.
Although Queen’s University has a history of providing legal education dating back almost 150 years to 1861, the law school in its present form was not officially formed until 1957. However, the practice of providing legal education dates back nearly 150 years.
It is common practice to mention former and current professors at Queen’s University, including William Lederman, Toni Pickard, Gary Trotter, Allan Manson, Nick Bala, and Don Stuart, in decisions made by the Supreme Court of Canada and other appellate bodies.
Professors at Queen’s Law have made significant contributions to a variety of provincial and national law commissions, as well as national and international organizations, in the capacities of consultants, advisors, and project directors.
The Queen’s University Faculty of Law is located at the Law Building (formerly known as Sir John A. MacDonald Hall). The structure was first opened for business in 1960 by then-Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker, and it underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2003.
It is home to the William R. Lederman Law Library, which was named after an esteemed academic who served as dean of the institution for many years and holds more than 150,000 legal volumes.
Total tuition for all terms: $14,592.
Average GPA: 3.7
Total Enrollment: 31,785 (2020)
Total Number of Undergraduates: 26,052
Total Number of Postgraduate: 5,733
2. Osgoode Hall at York University – Toronto, Ontario
Osgoode Hall was established in the 1820s and counted Sir John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, among its alums. So Osgoode Hall can trace its history back to those years.
In the year 1889, it underwent a major reorganization, and the following year, the Law Society of Upper Canada formally established the Law School in the location that is now known as Osgoode Hall.
Osgoode Hall was the only law school in Ontario at the time. It remained the only institution of its kind in the province until 1949 when the University of Toronto Faculty of Law opened its doors.
Both the Law Commission of Ontario and the Osgoode Hall Law Journal call the Osgoode Hall Law School their home. As a result, many different types of LL.M. and Ph.D. degrees can be obtained in the field of law.
Among its former students are two Prime Ministers of Canada, eight Premiers of Ontario, and 10 Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, four of whom served as Chief Justices.
Additionally, the school has produced eight Chief Justices. Mary Condon is the person who is in charge of the Law School at the moment.
Osgoode Hall has been churning out graduates of the highest caliber for more than a century, making it one of the country’s most well-regarded and prestigious law schools. It is also the only university in Canada that has a designated speciality in Immigration Law.
The Immigration Law Intensive concentration requires a six-week internship with one of the nation’s leading immigration law firms, federal courts, or government agencies. Students in this concentration specialize on immigration and refugee law.
The admissions process is quite tough; nonetheless, there is no better place to study the legal conditions of immigration than in the heart of the downtown area of the most diverse city in the country.
Total tuition for all terms: $25,885.28 (Domestic students), $37,643.64 (International students)
Average GPA: 3.94
Total Enrollment: 905
Total Number of Undergraduates: 900
Total Number of Postgraduates: 30 (LLM professional)
3. McGill University – Montreal, Quebec
An English-speaking public research institution, McGill University, may be found in the city of Montreal, in the province of Quebec, in Canada.
The Scottish merchant James McGill, whose bailment in 1813 formed the university’s precursor, the University of McGill College (or simply, McGill College), the university bears the name of James McGill; the name was officially changed to McGill University in 1885. McGill University was founded in 1821 by a royal charter granted by King George IV.
A second campus is located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of the main campus on Montreal Island. A third francophone medical campus is located in Gatineau, Quebec. Finally, the main campus of McGill University is located on the slope of Mount Royal in the borough of Ville-Marie, which is located in the center of Montreal.
The university, along with the University of Toronto, is one of only two members of the Association of American Universities that are located outside of the United States, and it is the only Canadian member of the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF) that is affiliated with the World Economic Forum.
Another prominent school in the center of a varied city, McGill University, is the best English-language university in the province of Quebec. It is also the only institution in all of Canada where anglophones have the opportunity to study civil law, as opposed to common law.
In addition, McGill is home to the highly regarded Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, an institution that places a significant emphasis on immigration and refugee concerns.
The two former Prime Ministers of Canada, 15 justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, two Governors General of Canada, the current Prime Minister of Canada, at least eight foreign leaders, and more than 100 members of national legislatures are among the alums and faculty of McGill University.
McGill has the most Nobel laureates (12) and Rhodes Scholars (147) of any university in Canada. In addition, McGill has the most billionaires (16), the most Rhodes Scholars (147), and the most Rhodes laureates (12).
Total tuition for all terms: $31,000 to $63,000 per year
Average GPA: 3.85
Total Enrollment: 39,267
Total Number of Undergraduates: 26,765
Total Number of Postgraduate: 10,411
4. University of Victoria – British Columbia
The University of Victoria, sometimes known as UVic or simply Victoria, is a public research institution that may be found in the communities of Oak Bay and Saanich in the province of British Columbia, Canada.
The origins of the university may be traced back to Victoria College, which was the first institution of higher learning to be formed in the British Columbia province in the year 1903. In 1963, the institution was given its current name, the University of Victoria.
The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, the Canadian Center for Climate Modelling and Analysis, and the Water and Climate Impacts Research Centre are all located on the campus of the University of Victoria (UVic), which is also home to Ocean Networks Canada’s VENUS and NEPTUNE deep-water seafloor research observatories. UVic is also the location of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions.
Ocean and climate research is the exclusive focus of the Queenswood building that bears its name and is officially known as the Ocean Climate Building.
Research on sustainable energy solutions and alternative energy sources is conducted extensively at the Institute of Integrated Energy Systems, a prominent hub for such research.
Additionally, the University of Victoria is home to Canada’s first and only degree program in Indigenous Law and dedicated research centers for Indigenous and Environmental law.
By establishing the first class of the Akitsiraq Law School in Iqualit, Nunavat, the Faculty of Law played a crucial role in creating the Akitsiraq Law School.
The University of Victoria, along with the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, is a co-founder and co-operator of TRIUMF, which is Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics and is home to the largest cyclotron in the world.
The law program at the University of Victoria has established a reputation for its forward-thinking approach to important new legal topics such as immigration, intellectual property, and the environment, making it a strong contender for the title of most progressive law school in the country.
The University of Victoria is an excellent choice for students interested in diversity and reform because it emphasizes social justice as one of its stated priorities.
Total tuition for all terms: $2,092.68 per term (per 4 months). International Full Fee —$2,639.50 per term (per 4 months)
Average GPA: 3.3
Total Enrollment:21,593
Total Number of Undergraduates: 18,389
Total Number of Postgraduate: 3,307
5. L’Universite de Montreal – Quebec
The Université de Montréal, also known simply as the University of Montreal, is a public research institution that operates in the French language and is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The university’s primary campus may be found in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grace on Mount Royal next to the Outremont Summit (which is also known as Mount Murray), which is located in the borough of Outremont.
The university comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments, and two affiliated schools. These affiliated schools are the Polytechnique Montréal (School of Engineering; formerly known as the École Polytechnique de Montréal), and the HEC Montréal (School of Business).
It provides more than 650 different undergraduate programs, as well as graduate and postgraduate programs, and 71 different Ph.D. programs.
In 1878, the institution was established to operate as a branch campus of the Université Laval. After receiving a papal charter in 1919 and a provincial charter in 1920, it developed into an independent institution throughout that time period.
In 1942, the University of Montreal relocated from its previous home in Montreal’s Quartier Latin to its current location atop Mount Royal. As a result of the adoption of yet another provincial charter in 1967, it was converted into a secular instOutremon
L’Université de Montréal, the most prestigious French-language institution in Canada and the largest French-language university in the world outside of France, provides a civil law degree program that is highly regarded.
This program is available to students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels and features a variety of immigration and refugee studies classes.
Since this is a particularly contentious matter in Quebec at the moment, the Université de Montréal is an ideal location to investigate public policy concerns regarding integration and reasonable accommodation.
Total tuition for all terms: $20,210.99
Average GPA: 3.5
Total Enrollment: 67,632
Total Number of Undergraduates: 34,335
Total Number of Postgraduate: 11,925
6. University of Toronto – Ontario
The Institution of Toronto, sometimes known as U. of T. or just Toronto, is a public research university that may be found in the city of Toronto, in the province of Ontario, Canada. Its grounds surround Queen’s Park. King’s College was the first institution of higher learning to be established in Upper Canada when it was established in 1827 under a royal charter.
After being run by the Church of England for its entire history, the university did not transition to its current status as a secular institution until 1850. At that time, it adopted its current name.
As a collegiate university, it is comprised of eleven colleges, each of which has extensive autonomy in regard to financial and institutional matters as well as major distinctions in personality and history.
The St. George campus is the primary campus within the University of Toronto’s tri-campus system. The other two are satellite campuses located in Scarborough and Mississauga.
Over 700 undergraduate programs and over 200 graduate programs are available at the University of Toronto. The university is consistently ranked among the top 10 public universities in the globe and as the most prestigious institution in the nation, according to all of the major rankings.
It is the Canadian institution that receives the greatest annual financing and endowment for scientific research, and it is one of only two members of the Association of American Universities that are located outside of the United States; the other member is McGill University, which is located in Montreal.
The University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law, which is the most costly law school in the country, not only produces a large number of lawyers who work on Bay Street, but it also educates a large number of lawyers who work for immigration law firms. Immigration, citizenship theory, and multiculturalism are some areas of expertise held by faculty members (alongside corporate and criminal matters, of course).
Total tuition for all terms: $5,122.47 to $35,515.29
Average GPA: 3.15
Total Enrollment: $64,218
Total Number of Undergraduates: $44,763
Total Number of Postgraduate: 11,925
7. University of Manitoba – Winnipeg, Manitoba
The University of Manitoba, often known as Manitoba or UM, is a public research university in the Canadian province of Manitoba. [5] It was established in 1877 and holds the distinction of being the first university in western Canada.
The Institution of Manitoba is the largest university in Manitoba and the 17th largest university in all of Canada when measured by total student enrolment and campus space.
The Fort Garry neighborhood in southern Winnipeg is home to the institution’s primary campus, while the rest of the city of Winnipeg is home to its other campuses.
Bannatyne Campus, the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre[9], and the William Norrie Centre are the three significant locations that the University of Manitoba manages. The Fort Garry campus serves as the institution’s primary administrative and academic center.
In addition, the university is in charge of its French-language affiliate, located in the Saint Boniface neighborhood of Winnipeg, and Université de Saint-Boniface.
The university asserts that it has maintained its status as a leading research-intensive post-secondary educational institution by conducting more research on an annual basis than any other university in the area. Additionally, the university’s rigorous academic and research programs have consistently ranked among the best in the Canadian Prairies.
Therefore, research conducted at the University of Manitoba has resulted in many significant accomplishments recognized worldwide, one of which is the development of canola oil in the 1970s.
In a similar vein, the University of Michigan has produced a number of notable individuals. Some of them have gone on to win prestigious awards, such as the Nobel Prize, the Academy Award, the Order of Merit, and Olympic medals.
The University of Manitoba’s Robson Hall Law School, located in the city of Winnipeg, one of the most popular places in the prairies for immigrants to settle, has a number of professors who specialize in immigration law and social justice. Extra credit for being the law school with the lowest average temperature on this list.
Total tuition for all terms: Domestic tuition 4,400 CAD, International tuition 14,700 CAD
Average GPA: 3.0
Total Enrollment: 31,037
Total Number of Undergraduates: 26,412
Total Number of Postgraduate: 4,625
8. Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University – Halifax, Nova Scotia
Dalhousie University’s school of law is known as the Schulich School of Law, and it is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1883 as the Dalhousie Law Institution, and today it is Canada’s oldest university-based common law school.
After receiving a donation of $20 million from Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Seymour Schulich in October 2009, the organization decided to change its name to the one now in use.
In 1989, the Indigenous Blacks and Mi’kmaq (IB&M) Initiative was formed at the Schulich School of Law to increase the number of individuals in these communities employed in the legal sector.
The program provides qualifying students with financial and other sorts of support, as well as scholarships in the areas of Aboriginal and African Canadian legal perspectives, encourage the hiring and retention of graduates, and develops scholarship opportunities in those areas.
Today, the Schulich School of Law holds the title of Atlantic Canada’s most prestigious legal institution.
The school advertises itself as providing “one of the most distinguished and complete legal educations in North America.” It has an annual enrollment of 500 students, 170 first-year students, and a staff that includes Rhodes, Fulbright, and Trudeau scholars.
Schulich at Dalhousie University, which is widely regarded as the best law school east of Quebec, contributes to the education of immigration lawyers for a region of immigration that is still mostly uncharted.
Schulich is regarded as one of the best educational values on the east coast, as evidenced by the fact that it has produced a significant number of the most successful immigration lawyers on that coast and that it is situated in a wonderful tiny city.
Total tuition for all terms: International students $35,938.50, Domestic students $20,998.50
Average GPA: 3.0
Total Enrollment: 450
Total Number of Undergraduates: 175
A career in immigration law is ideal for those who care deeply about social justice and want to use their talents to benefit individuals of different backgrounds and languages. Gaining practical experience and expanding your knowledge by participating in legal clinics is crucial in the field of immigration law. This has been given a serious thought. Our top choices have outstanding immigration legal clinics. Likewise, you should consider how far away from home your prospective university is.
