The case for immigration

Last August, Toronto immigration lawyer Paul Vander Vennen was honoured with the Bikila Award for Professional Excellence for decades-long service with the Ethiopian community. The award is named after marathoner Abebe Bikila, the first African to win an Olympic gold medal. Paul is the son of Mary, a splendid concert pianist and therapist, and the late Robert, long-time staffer at The Institute for Christian Studies. In late October James Dekker and Paul had a conversation via Zoom. The following interview covered many interesting topics omitted for brevity’s sake – such as Paul’s year-round bicycle commute in Toronto.

CC: You recently received the Bikila Award for service to Canada’s Ethiopian immigrants. What drew you to immigration law?

Vander Vennen: My parents were part of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) community long engaged in social justice. I wanted to help people who needed help. Always interested in the world, in history, different cultures and people, I studied poverty law and while in law school did volunteer legal work with refugees. In my job I learn much from my clients every day about the human condition. I was never interested in corporate, trial, family or real estate law.
After a fellow law graduate and I set up our practice, soon we were flooded with refugee claimants – then mainly Salvador and Guatemalans. In the late ‘80s many other claimants came, mainly Somalis who fled before the dictator was overthrown in civil war and ensuing chaos.

CC: What drew you to working particularly with Ethiopians?

Vander Vennen: I liked them, they liked me and kept returning. The last 10 to 15 years most clients have been Ethiopians and Eritreans, nowadays almost exclusively Ethiopian. There are so many, I have to turn many away. But I’m fascinated by the country, the people and enjoy the work.

CC: Are there many Canadian immigration law specialists?

Vander Vennen: The immigration specialist program began in the ‘90s. There are now 30 or 40 immigration lawyers in Ontario.

CC: Have you travelled to Ethiopia?

Vander Vennen: I travelled there with my wife and four children only once, Christmas ‘07 to January ’08 – purely vacation, no business. We visited many parts of the country, greatly aided by clients. I used to travel elsewhere to work with hopeful immigrants. My partner and I had offices and agents in different countries, working mainly with skilled workers. Many skilled worker immigrants have the same motivations as refugees: they’re fearful, if not [facing] direct persecution. Chinese immigrants in Malaysia, Pakistan and Bangladesh – people doing very well – were afraid of another Great Leap Forward or another huge crackdown. Sure, they qualify as skilled workers, but they’re mainly looking for safety and freedom.

CC: You’ve assisted many Pakistani Christians. The South Asian Bible Church (SABC) honoured you for that. Please tell us about that award.

Vander Vennen: Yes, that’s another project led by the CRC’s late Rev. Arie Van Eek. SABC planted that ministry 25 years ago. Pastor Salim Arthur came here as a refugee, sponsored by Van Eek’s church. He started that ministry when SABC was in Burlington, now in Brampton. I met Salim at a hearing where he was interpreting for Immigration Canada. My connection with SABC is to represent Pakistani refugee claimants in their determination hearings.

SABC invited me for its 25th anniversary. Arie Van Eek attended not long before he died [in 2023]. After I was introduced, I said a few words and recognized many former clients. It was nice to see them and to be honoured.

CC: Have you encountered any opposition to your work?

Vander Vennen: Only from immigration departments.

CC: Please describe your most difficult and/or exciting cases.

Vander Vennen: The situation of Tigrayans in Ethiopia comes to mind immediately. They’d been very successful, but when civil war broke out in November 2020, many suddenly lost everything and were in great danger. Tigrayans not in Tigray lost many relatives. People who’ve had much and suddenly lost everything have a different mentality that’s hard to deal with. Fortunately, from my work perspective these cases are easy to win, as they should be. But it’s a real challenge and can be heartbreaking to deal with such deep needs.

As well, some people face admissibility issues. If Canada declares people inadmissible, they’re unable to access the refugee determination system: too much government overreach. Obviously, some people should be ineligible. But criteria are drawn so broadly that Nelson Mandela might have been inadmissible, because he once belonged to the African National Congress (ANC), then considered a terrorist group. But that makes inadmissible everybody who ever belonged to ANC, no matter how noble their work.

One case has been going on for seven years; we finally won it in the Federal Court of Appeals. That Tigrayan claimant will finally have his refugee hearing. But the minister is still fighting tooth and nail, though there’s no real basis for it. Such things can be tough; you have to have patience, endurance, never give up; eventually, we’ll win this one too, but it’s frustrating.

CC: What do you think about the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed?

Vander Vennen: When he became prime minister in 2018, everybody was optimistic. He promised so much and looked great. He got the Nobel Prize because of resolving issues with Eritrea. But he was cozying up with Eritrea’s dictator. Then he got the Nobel Prize, and soon after invades Tigray. The Nobel Prize award was a huge mistake.

CC: Please tell us something about the Bikila Award you received recently.

Vander Vennen: That was for assisting Ethiopian immigrants, especially during the ‘90s and aughts, when no Ethiopian lawyers worked in Ontario. The Toronto Ethiopian community wasn’t large then. Now five or six Ethiopian lawyers do immigration work. I’ve cooperated with one who first was my client and later worked for me. Now he’s on the Immigration Refugee Board deciding cases.

Two others I’ve worked with and are very good lawyers; their clients are in very good hands.

CC: The Prime Minister recently announced that Canada would cut immigration quotas. Many in the business community spoke very strongly against that. What are your thoughts about our immigration policy?

Vander Vennen: It’s so complex. I’ve always thought that Canada’s ideas of having different categories and announcing how many immigrants would be accepted in the next year or two was fair. Classifying immigrants within different categories, such as economic class, family class, refugees and humanitarian need, was a great tool. You can discuss it, decide appropriate levels. It’s a discussion that will probably never end. The business community has always been in favour of immigration.

One big concern is the serious level of nativism, racism, white supremacy coming from the U.S. Along with fear of immigrants, nativism seems to be the number one issue in the presidential campaign. As in the States, irrational fear of immigrants doesn’t really have anything to do with reality. There’s always a concern that will creep in here. I don’t think we’re there yet; maybe we never will be.

I can understand the government, because there’s been a lot of controversy. Our aging society doesn’t have many kids. So immigrants just maintain the population level. We need to keep accepting what it is. I’d like to see the immigration community and Canada grow together.

CC: I thought the immigration cuts were a fairly cynical political move.

Vander Vennen: You could call it cynical, or you could say they’re listening. There’ve been a lot of calls to lower the immigration categories, especially for students. There’s always the back and forth – different ways to look at these things coming from all over. Another huge concern: What will the Conservatives do, if they win? But I’ve learned in almost 40 years of doing this is that while details always change, basically they stay the same. Things go up and down, always people some win, others lose. You’ve got to roll with the changes, but when people talk about things changing all the time, it’s a bit oversimplified.

CC: What would you suggest for future Canadian immigration policy?

Vander Vennen: I’m not one to say we have a huge problem. So I’m not going to say we have to fix this, we have to fix that. But we definitely have to keep a big element of compassion in the mix. And also listen to the experts about demographics.

CC: Thank you very much, Paul. May God bless you and your clients with justice and hope.