Our Promise to Clients: We Stand Behind Our Work Until a Decision Is Made

Most people who hire a citizenship and immigration lawyer worry about the same thing: what happens once the application is submitted? Will the firm still answer emails six months from now? Who pays if something goes wrong?

We think you should know the answer before you sign anything. Here is how we approach it at Marin Immigration Law, and why we wrote it into our legal services agreements.

We don't walk away once the application is filed

Submitting an application is not the end of the job. IRCC processing can take months, sometimes longer, and a lot can happen along the way. On citizenship by descent files, for example, IRCC may ask for additional documents after filing. Lately, officers have been asking more often for a birth certificate from Quebec's Directeur de l'état civil, even where the file already contains the act of birth from the parish register. We explain how we handle those requests in our post on Quebec birth certificates for citizenship by descent. Answering them is part of the work we were hired to do.

The same goes for the surrender letters IRCC began sending in June 2026. If any of our clients had received one, we would have helped them respond as part of their file. To date, none of our clients have received a surrender letter.

When you retain us for an application, our agreement provides that we keep helping you with that application, at no additional legal cost, until IRCC makes a final decision on it. That includes:

• responding to IRCC requests for additional documents or information;
• responding to procedural fairness letters, other than those raising criminality, misrepresentation or fraud;
• reviewing and responding to other correspondence IRCC sends about the application; and
• asking IRCC to correct a document it issues with an error it made, such as a citizenship certificate, permit, visa or confirmation of permanent residence.

We make serious efforts to send you a copy of any IRCC correspondence within two business days of receiving it, and to answer your questions about the status of your file within a reasonable time. These are service commitments rather than guarantees, and you are always welcome to email us with a question or concern. If the lawyer handling your file leaves the firm or is unavailable, your file stays with Marin Immigration Law and is reassigned to another member of our team at no extra cost, unless you prefer otherwise.

If we make a mistake, we fix it and pay for it

We are careful. Every application is prepared by two lawyers and reviewed by a third before it is filed, as we describe in what sets Marin Immigration Law apart. But we are human. If IRCC returns your application as incomplete because something that should reasonably have been included was missing, such as a photo, a signature or a required document, we will let you know promptly and make it right.

Under our agreement, that means we resubmit the application at no additional legal cost. If IRCC keeps the government fees and requires them to be paid again, we pay them again for each applicant. We also cover the postage and courier costs of documents we send to IRCC and other government authorities, from the start of the file until a decision is made.

We stand behind our work because we are confident in it. And when we fall short, we would rather absorb the extra time and cost ourselves than pass it on to you.

What this promise does not cover

We don't want to overpromise, so here are the limits. The incomplete-return commitment does not apply where:

• IRCC raises concerns about criminality, misrepresentation or fraud, whether through a procedural fairness letter or otherwise;
• IRCC refuses the application because an applicant does not meet the legal requirements that apply to it (a decision on the merits); or
• the missing information or documents relate to facts you knew or should reasonably have known, and should have disclosed to us, but did not.

Post-submission support also covers the application we were hired for, not other matters. Work on a different application (another permit, a sponsorship, a visitor visa), advice outside immigration and citizenship law (such as tax, property, employment, or wills and estates), correspondence relating to criminality, misrepresentation or fraud, and any Federal Court proceeding, including mandamus or judicial review, fall outside the agreement and may involve additional fees.

A few costs remain the client's responsibility unless the agreement says otherwise, such as new medical exams, new police certificates or biometrics. We also do not cover the cost of sending documents to our office, such as wet-ink signed forms and photos.

This support is provided within reason. If messages go well beyond what the application needs, we may let you know and bill the extra time at our usual hourly rate.

Your agreement is what counts

This post is a general overview, not a contract. The terms of your signed legal services agreement always prevail, and our standard terms may change from time to time, so the version you sign may differ from what is described here. If you have a question about any clause, ask us before you sign. We are happy to walk you through it during your consultation. You can also see our flat fees on our pricing page.

A note on your options

If we make a mistake on your file, our goal is to make it right, with your consent, as quickly as we can. That said, you are not required to let us fix it. You may have other options, including getting independent legal advice or contacting the Law Society of Ontario, and you are free to take your file to another lawyer. We would rather you know that from the start. We simply hope that by standing behind our work, you won't need to.