Course Chairs
Silvia Macedo — McCrea Immigration Law LLP, Vancouver
Craig Natsuhara — EY Law LLP, Vancouver
Helen Park — Dentons Canada LLP, Vancouver
About the Course Chairs
After launching a successful career as a civil and employment lawyer in her native Brazil, Silvia Macedo decided to immigrate to Canada without having set foot here before. Undaunted by the Canadian licensing process, she worked her way through another law degree, a second career as an immigration paralegal and a third career as a mother to two boys. Silvia is now returned to where she started, this time tackling the practice of Canadian immigration law.
Silvia takes on all kinds of immigration and citizenship cases, and loves diving into a juicy legal research project. As a trained Brazilian and Canadian lawyer, she's happy to work with clients in English and in Portuguese.
Craig Natsuhara practices at EY Law LLP in Vancouver, where he co-leads the Canadian Immigration practice. He has practiced business immigration law since 2000.
Craig enjoys advocacy work, having initiated the project that led to the prior recruitment-exempt LMIA category for digital media and having provided input on formulating what became the Global Talent Stream LMIA. He has had the privilege of guiding many international companies with their expansion to BC. He is passionate about supporting BC's economy and assisting foreign nationals to immigrate to this amazing province.
Craig has been recognized by the international Who's Who Legal in its Corporate Immigration and Canada listings since 2011. He was the chair of the CBABC's Immigration Section from 2007 to 2009. He has been a member of the Immigrant Employment Council of BC ("IEC-BC") Employer Advisory Group since 2018.
Craig has been a director of the SPARK Computer Graphics Society since 2011 and a director (and past president) of the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre since 1998.
Helen Park (she/her/hers) is the co-lead of Dentons National Immigration group and a member of the Dentons Canada Region Board. Helen practices immigration law with a focus on business immigration for corporate clients and businesses in Canada, the US and worldwide. She has extensive experience in all categories of work permit applications and she works closely with clients to provide strategic advice to fulfill their specialized work force and labor shortage needs. She also advises business clients on the various options for permanent residence in Canada, including Provincial Nomination programs, the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker program, and Family Class sponsorship applications. In addition, Helen is a leading expert on immigration matters in relation to productions in the entertainment and media industry, and often advises clients on various issues for foreign workers who must urgently work on film productions in Canada.
Helen started practicing law in 2003 and was called to the bar in both BC and Alberta. Prior to joining Dentons, she practiced in the areas of immigration law and corporate/commercial law at a boutique immigration law firm, a leading national law firm in Vancouver as well as a full service regional law firm in Edmonton.
Faculty
Adrienne Denham — LeBeau Law, Coquitlam
Pavan Dhillon — Dhillon Immigration Law, Seattle
Katie Lay — Heron Law Offices, Vancouver
Saba Naqvi — BDO Law LLP, Vancouver
Jenny Ng — EY Law LLP, Vancouver
Richard Panton — Claims Counsel, Lawyers Indemnity Fund, Law Society of BC, Vancouver
Sarah E. Sharp — Practice Advisor, Law Society of BC, Vancouver
Meera Thakrar — Larlee Rosenberg, Vancouver
Katie Van Nostrand — Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark LLP, Vancouver
Julie Wesman — Supervising Senior Law Clerk, EY Law LLP, Vancouver
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