"Migration and immigration have surrounded me my whole life," says Elliott Cheung, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant (RCIC) working in Vancouver. Cheung, a graduate of the Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law (GDipICL), is now working at a law firm specializing in immigration issues. He came to immigration consulting via an education in the arts, and a journey that took him from his home in British Columbia to Taiwan, and back again.

"I graduated with a degree in Asian Studies, then earned a Master’s in Taiwanese Literature in Taiwan," he explains, "so I've lived the migration process in that way. Then, in 2023, my life partner of five years and I were considering a move to Canada." Prior to their return to Canada, Cheung hadn't thought about a career in immigration. The transition exposed him to the complexities of immigration and the potential of the field. "Our experience, looking into how to get my partner here, and sponsoring him — that's what clued me into the fact that there's an entire profession in immigration consulting."  

Cheung handles immigration files with senior consultant Ken Wong at Lim & Company, a law firm in Vancouver. "It's a smaller, more community-based firm," he says. "When they found out I was interested in immigration they brought me on as a case assistant, and when I got my license, they brought me on full-time." Cheung principally works on family immigration, helping reunite families and loved ones in Canada.  

Cheung credits the GDipICL with helping prepare him for this work. "I was really happy to have the chance to study under lawyers and consultants who are very active in the field. This week I saw the academic director, Sharry Aiken, is in Geneva speaking about refugee rights. It's stunning to have people engaged at that level of history, of policy-making, working with us."  

Pertinent to Cheung's current role, he also cites the GDipICL's enforcement course and instructor Arian Sultafa as helping prepare him for some of the most challenging files at the law firm. "Enforcement is an area that touches on all the others," Cheung explains. "Understanding inadmissibility issues, the drivers for deportation and removals — he helped me draw those connections and learn those principles."  

His own journey as an RCIC is also leading him to explore the intersection of arts and immigration — Cheung himself has pre-professional dance training and speaks five languages. “I benefited from early immersion in the arts,” he says. “Now, in the immigration field, I hope to provide advice regarding visas and work permits to arts organizations collaborating with Canadian artists or showing their work to Canadian audiences.”