What Sets Marin Immigration Law Apart

Choosing a lawyer for your citizenship or immigration file is a big decision. Here is what you can expect when you work with us.

Three Lawyers on Every Application

Your file is handled by citizenship and immigration lawyers from start to finish, not by a consultant, a case manager or a chatbot. You work directly with Cédric Marin and an associate lawyer, who prepare every form, letter and email on your file together.

Before anything is filed, a third lawyer reviews the complete application the way an IRCC officer would, checking photos, signatures, supporting documents and evidence for anything that could lead to a return or a refusal. Cédric Marin then does the final review and signs off.

We submit the application to IRCC ourselves and cover the mailing costs. If IRCC ever returns it as incomplete, we fix it and resubmit it at no additional legal cost, and we keep helping you until IRCC makes a decision. Our promise to clients explains what this covers (terms apply).

Experience and a Focused Practice

Cédric Marin has represented hundreds of clients before the Federal Court of Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). His career includes clerking at the Federal Court, where he advised judges on immigration cases, serving as a member (decision-maker) of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, and working with the United Nations. He has been a member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario since 2018, and is a member of the Canadian Bar Association's Immigration Section and the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association.

He leads a team of associate lawyers, Chanelle Rosenbaum, Harleen Kaur Chadha, Michaël Delagrée and Agnès Chaudron, who practise Canadian citizenship and immigration law exclusively and follow the same preparation and review method. Meet the full team.

We focus on a select range of applications and judicial reviews rather than every corner of immigration law. Since Bill C-3 removed the first-generation limit, citizenship by descent has become the core of our practice, and our team has handled hundreds of citizenship applications.

An In-House Genealogy Team

Citizenship by descent cases are won on records. Our in-house research team, led by our staff genealogist Kendra Gaede, traces your lineage and locates the original records that prove it, from baptismal registers and census returns to civil birth, marriage and death records.

We do not just tell you what to find. We draft the request letters to vital statistics offices, churches, dioceses and archives, order copies on your behalf, follow up until they arrive, and organize the evidence generation by generation so an IRCC officer can verify your chain without guesswork.

Published Flat Fees

Our fees are published on our website, and they are what the vast majority of clients pay. Every file is a flat fee file, so you know the cost of our legal services up front, with no hourly billing and no surprise invoices. If a file is unusually complex, we discuss the fee with you before you sign. Once the agreement is signed, we do not charge more unless information was withheld from us or something truly unexpected comes up.

Citizenship applications are turnkey: the flat fee covers the IRCC filing fee, all vital records, certified copies, printing and postage. For our other services, the fee covers legal work only, and government fees, medical exams, language tests and translations are separate.

Honest Advice and Full Transparency

We give you a frank assessment, even when the news is unwelcome. If your case has risks or limited chances of success, we tell you up front, and we never make promises we cannot keep.

You see everything we prepare. Your documents, forms and draft letters are in a shared folder, and nothing goes to IRCC until you have reviewed and approved it. We usually file through our representative portal, but if you prefer to submit through your own IRCC account, we can guide you by screen share while you do it. We never ask for your passwords.

Consultations That Give Real Advice

A consultation with us is legal advice, not a sales pitch. We aim to understand your situation and lay out your best options, whether or not you hire us afterward. For citizenship by descent, we prepare a preliminary family tree from your intake before the call, and with your permission we can record the call so you can revisit the advice. Here is what to expect.

After a consultation, you can retain us for full representation. We no longer offer hourly reviews or limited scope retainers, because we serve clients best when we take responsibility for the whole file. Here is why we made that change.

Service in English and French

We serve clients in English and French. That matters for citizenship by descent too: many of the baptismal, parish and civil records that prove a Canadian lineage exist only in French, and our team reads them in the original.

Responsive, Personal Service

We aim to reply to client emails within 48 hours, Monday to Friday, and often sooner, and you can ask for a phone or video call when you need one. Because a team of lawyers shares your file, someone who knows your case is always reachable, even when one lawyer is in court or on leave. We keep you updated without you having to chase us, and we limit how many new files each lawyer takes on so every file gets the time it needs.

How we work is set out question by question in our FAQ, including who reviews your file before it is mailed, how long the research and legal work usually takes, and what our flat fee includes.