🇨🇦 CILA Conference 2025 - The first national conference of the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Federation.
Date: October 28, 2025
Location: The Quay - 100 Queens Quay E, Toronto, ON
Format: In-person only
🌐 What is CILA?
CILA ( Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association ) is an independent professional organization that brings together leading lawyers, experts, and academics in the fields of immigration and citizenship.
CILA's goal is to protect the fairness, transparency, and efficiency of the Canadian immigration system, while promoting dialogue between lawyers, government agencies, and the immigrant community.
CILA also serves as a platform where immigration lawyers nationwide can learn from each other, stay updated on policy changes, and voice their collective efforts to improve Canada's immigration policies in a more humane and sustainable way.
🎯 The first National Conference - A turning point for CILA
2025 marks a historic event as CILA hosts its first national conference , "From Policy to Port of Entry - Navigating Canada's Immigration System," in Toronto.
The conference brought together over 200 delegates, including lawyers, immigration experts, academics, and government representatives, to discuss:
- The latest immigration policy changes.
- Applying artificial intelligence in IRCC's decision-making process.
- Improvements to the Express Entry program
- Strategies for conducting and litigating in Federal Courts
In addition to in-depth discussions, the event also offers networking opportunities and CPD/CLE certification with 6 hours of specialized training and 1.5 hours of professional practice – helping lawyers both learn and expand their professional network.
👏 The pride of Vietnamese people at CILA
In particular, 2025 marks a proud milestone for the Vietnamese community in Canada :
Attorney Phan Cong Thanh - Founder and Director of Elite Law Corporation (Victoria, British Columbia) - has officially become the first Vietnamese person to hold the position of Director on the CILA Board of Directors, the highest governing body of the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association.
With over 10 years of experience in corporate immigration and investment law, Dr. Phan Thanh advises entrepreneurs, startups, and international corporations on establishing businesses in Canada, particularly in the areas of Start-Up Visas , LMIA , intracompany transfers (ICT) , and international trade agreements .
He is also a visiting lecturer at Queen's University and Victoria University, has taught at Osgoode Hall Law School, and has represented the Vietnamese government in negotiating international trade agreements with the European Union and the Eurasian Customs Union.
In addition to being a legal expert, he regularly provides free legal assistance to the Vietnamese community in Canada, the Vietnamese Consulate General in Vancouver, and the Vietnamese Embassy in Ottawa.
🌟 Expectations after the conference
In his new role on the CILA Board of Directors, Attorney Phan Thanh not only contributes his voice to represent the Vietnamese community in Canadian immigration law, but also opens up opportunities for lawyers, businesspeople, and Vietnamese in Canada to have more up-to-date information and a stronger voice in future immigration policies.
His presence at the CILA Conference 2025 is a testament to the competence, prestige, and ongoing contributions of Vietnamese people in the field of international law.
🗓️ Register to attend CILA Conference 2025
👉 Register to attend the event
