Upcoming N4 Webinar: Understanding the Intersection of Health and Immigration Law

This webinar focuses on the intersection of immigration law, health, and mental health. We will provide a broad overview of various immigration pathways such as refugee claims and humanitarian applications, the relevance of applicants’ health and mental healthcare conditions and needs, and eligibility for federal and provincial healthcare programs based on legal status.

Learning objectives

Understanding of various immigration pathways
The impact of the applicant’s health on the application process
Criteria for eligibility for federal and provincial healthcare program

Audience

Newcomer-serving professionals in Health and Settlement sectors

About the speakers

Nicholas Hersh is an immigration and refugee lawyer at Community Legal Services of Ottawa and professor of the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program course at the University of Ottawa: Faculty of Law. He has worked extensively in refugee private sponsorship since 2010 with Capital Rainbow Refugee, a community group committed to providing a safe haven for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) refugees. He previously worked in the Protection Division of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Rabat, Morocco. Nicholas has published in peer-reviewed journals on credibility and evidentiary challenges facing LGBTQ claimants in refugee law, as well as a chapter on improving UNHCR protection services for LGBTQ refugees. In 2017 and 2018, he delivered professional development trainings to the Immigration and Refugee Board's (IRB) adjudicators, registrar staff, and research directorate on Guideline 9: Proceedings before the IRB Involving Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression.

Laïla Demirdache is a member of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers’ Budget Implementation Act Working Group and was one of the co-chairs of CARL’s detention Working Group. As well, she is a member of several committees including: the Canadian Council for Refugees’ Legal Affairs Advisory Committee and Inland Protection Steering Committee; the Ottawa Legal Aid Area Committee; the Immigration Law Legal Aid Area Committee; and the Ottawa Immigration Conference Organizing Committee. Ms. Demirdache was a member of a legal team representing Amnesty International Canada (English) on several occasions before the Supreme Court of Canada and most recently before the Ontario Court of Appeal. She also appeared before the SCC on behalf of the Centre for Victims of Torture and the Barbra Schliffer Clinic and on behalf of CARL before the Federal Court of Appeal.