What to Expect Before, During, and After a Consultation

Scheduling a consultation with an immigration lawyer shouldn’t feel like a leap of faith. Whether you are claiming Canadian citizenship by descent, applying for permanent residence, or challenging a refusal, here is exactly what happens before, during, and after a consultation with Marin Immigration Law.

Before the Consultation

Before your scheduled meeting, we take a few steps to ensure your consultation is productive:

• Intake Form: We will send you an intake form with questions about your background and immigration needs. Filling out this form helps us gather key information in advance.
• Citizenship by Descent Preparation: If your consultation is about Canadian citizenship by descent, we review your intake and prepare a preliminary family tree before the call. That way, the lawyer can walk through your lineage with you on screen, confirm which ancestor your claim runs through, and flag which generations will need supporting records.
• Follow-Up (If Needed): If anything isn’t clear or we need additional details, we may reach out via email with follow-up questions or requests for documents. In most cases, the intake form provides enough information on its own.
• Confirming We Can Help: We review your information to make sure your case falls within our expertise. If we determine that we cannot assist with your particular matter, we will let you know before the consultation and refund your fee. We only proceed with paid consultations when we are confident we can provide real value to you.

During the Consultation

During the consultation itself, our focus is entirely on providing you with clarity, guidance, and honest legal advice:

• Who You’ll Meet: Your consultation is with one of our licensed immigration lawyers. Cédric Marin leads the team, and every lawyer at the firm works in Canadian citizenship and immigration law daily, using the same preparation method: your intake reviewed in advance, your family tree already mapped for citizenship consults, and advice grounded in the hundreds of applications our team has prepared.
• Your Goals Come First: We begin by listening to you. Our only goal in the meeting is to understand your situation, answer your questions, and provide legal advice.
• Help you understand: Instead of just telling you what to do, we often share our screen to walk you through relevant resources – for example, specific immigration laws, the IRCC website, application checklists, or other important documents. We want you to see the information firsthand, and understand our advice. As we review these materials together, we’ll explain your options and any associated risks. (For instance, we might compare two strategies: Strategy A might have a lower chance of success, whereas Strategy B could have a higher chance if you achieve certain language test scores.)
• Citizenship by Descent Assessments: For citizenship consultations, we walk through your family tree generation by generation, explain whether your chain qualifies under the current law (including Bill C-3, which removed the first-generation limit), identify the records that will prove each link, and discuss whether you may qualify for urgent processing of your citizenship certificate. You leave the call knowing whether you have a claim and what it will take to prove it.
• No Pressure or Sales Pitch: Our consultation is a no-pressure environment. We are not here to upsell you or make you feel that you must hire us. You will not hear any sales pitch, or drastic pleas that if you do not hire us, you will be refused. Instead, our aim is to empower you with knowledge. By the end of the meeting, you should feel more informed about your options and more confident about the next steps – whether you choose to proceed on your own or with our assistance.
• Follow-Up Consultations: We understand that immigration matters can be complex. It’s okay to have more than one consultation. Some clients return for additional sessions to discuss new immigration programs, get a second opinion on a decision, or have us review their documents at a high level. We welcome these follow-up consultations. For example, you might use one session to explore program eligibility and a later session to review your application documents for any red flags before submission. We’re here to help at whatever stage you need.
• Optional Meeting Recording: If you’d like, we can record the consultation (with your permission) via Google Meet. This means you’ll receive a video recording of our meeting and a transcript afterward. You can re-watch or read through the advice at your own pace, ensuring you don’t miss any details discussed.

After the Consultation

If you decide to move forward with our legal services after the consultation, here’s what will typically happen next:

• Legal Services Agreement: We will send you a Legal Services Agreement that clearly outlines the scope of work you are hiring us for (for example, full representation for a citizenship by descent application, an Express Entry application, or a review of your visa application), the fixed or hourly fees for those services (almost always fixed), and the responsibilities of both parties (such as your obligation to provide truthful information and our obligations as your legal representative). This agreement ensures everyone is on the same page regarding expectations.
• Deposit and Trust Account: We require an upfront payment (a deposit) before we begin work on your case. This payment will be held in a mixed trust account, per the Rules and By-Laws of the Law Society of Ontario. In practical terms, this means the funds are set aside for your case and still belong to you until we complete the work. We only transfer money from the trust account to our operating account once a portion of work or all the work is completed and invoiced. You will receive a receipt for any payments and invoices, keeping everything transparent.
• Document Sharing Setup: We will create a secure shared drive folder for your case. You will be able to upload all your necessary documents to this folder. Likewise, we will upload any documents we prepare on your behalf (such as draft forms, cover letters, or legal submissions) so you can easily review them. For citizenship by descent files, we organize the folder generation by generation, so you can see exactly which links in your chain are proven and which still need records.
• Onboarding Call: Next, we will schedule an onboarding call (about one hour) to kick off the application. During this meeting, we’ll confirm the scope of your application, walk you through a detailed plan, review the list of documents and information we’ll need from you, discuss whether you qualify for urgent processing (for citizenship certificate applications), confirm whether your application will be filed on paper or online, set target dates, and schedule our next check-in or update call. Essentially, this is where we establish the roadmap and timeline for completing and submitting your application.
• Your Legal Team: You are not handed off to a case manager. You’ll work closely with Cédric Marin and an associate lawyer who knows your file in detail, with our in-house genealogy research team working alongside them on citizenship matters. Having two lawyers actively on your file means questions get answered quickly and nothing waits on one person’s calendar.
• Genealogy and Records Support: For citizenship by descent files, our in-house genealogist begins tracing your lineage and locating the records that prove it, from baptismal registers and census returns to civil birth, marriage, and death records. We also help you obtain your own documents, such as birth certificates, and we draft the request letters to vital statistics offices, churches, and archives on your behalf, following up until the records arrive.
• Layered Legal Review: Before we file, a third lawyer on the team reviews the complete application the way an immigration officer would, checking photos, signatures, and supporting documents. We then submit it directly to IRCC and cover all mailing costs, and if IRCC ever returns the application as incomplete, we resubmit it for free.
• Working at Your Pace: Every client’s situation is different. We will work at your pace. If you’re in a rush, we can act quickly. For example, we have prepared a spousal sponsorship application in as little as three days when circumstances required a fast turnaround. If you need more time, that’s perfectly fine too. Some cases unfold over several months to ensure everything is done right. We are here to support you regardless of how fast or slow you want to proceed. (As a general practice, we do ask for a day or two of notice to schedule meetings or calls, since our calendar can fill up. We’ll provide you with a convenient online booking link to make scheduling easy.)
• To-Do Lists for Complex Cases: For more complex applications or matters with many moving parts, we will create a to-do list or action plan for both you and us. This way, you’ll know exactly what tasks we are handling and what items you might need to work on or provide. We share this list with you in advance and update it as things progress, so nothing falls through the cracks.
• Ongoing Communication: Finally, throughout the process of working together, we will stay in regular contact. Expect us to be available via email for any questions or clarifications you might have. We can also set additional calls or meetings as needed to discuss developments or review documents together. Our collaboration continues until your application is complete and ready to submit. Even after submission, if you have follow-up questions or need further assistance, we remain available to help.

In summary, our firm’s approach to consultations and follow-up services is all about transparency, value, and support. We want you to know exactly what to expect at each stage so you can feel confident and in control of your immigration journey. From the moment you fill out the intake form to the day we submit a well-prepared application to IRCC on your behalf, our team at Marin Immigration Law is here to guide you every step of the way.

Thank you for considering us for your immigration or citizenship needs. We look forward to helping you achieve your goals!