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Alicia Backman-Beharry has practiced as an immigration lawyer for over 20 years. She was called to the Alberta bar in 2003 and was an associate with a medium sized firm, a boutique immigration law firm, a part-time program lawyer at a non-poverty poverty law clinic, and has practiced as a sole practitioner. She has been part of the HIL team since 2020 and works with corporations, individuals and other lawyers to solve difficult immigration legal issues.

She finds it rewarding to help individuals and companies through the complex world of Canadian Immigration law. Having taught courses on temporary and permanent residence, Alicia is able to see how various pieces of the immigration puzzle fit together, and can provide advice so that people understand which application to pursue and why.

During her career as Immigration Lawyer Alicia Backman-Beharry has assisted with a wide range of business immigration matters, including applications for Labour Market Impact Assessments, work permits, Intra-company transfers, and Employer Compliance Reviews. She also has extensive experience with Permanent Residence applications including Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, and family class sponsorships. While working with the poverty law clinic, she routinely helped people with inadmissibility issues, refugee matters, restoration applications, and temporary residence permits. She has appeared before various Courts and Tribunals, including Federal Court, Provincial Court, the Court of Queen’s Bench, the Immigration and Refugee Board, the Immigration Division, and the Immigration Appeal Division.

Volunteering has always been a big part of how Alicia spends her time. Alicia volunteered on the National CBA Immigration Section as Co-Chair for Canada’s Immigration Law Conference in 2023 and is currently Chairing the Subcommittee for Speakers for the 2024 Conference. She has spent years volunteering on the Immigration and Citizenship Law Alberta South Section of the Canadian Bar Association, including serving as Vice-Chair, Chair, and Past-Chair. She enjoyed 9 years on the Board of a large immigrant serving settlement organization, including serving as Secretary, Vice-Chair, Chair and Past-Chair of the Board. She and her family love to hike, camp, and spend time exploring Canada.

Education

• B.A. (Hon.) | University of Calgary

• LL.B. | University of Alberta

Memberships and Professional Credentials

• Member, Law Society of Alberta

• Past Chair, Canadian Bar Association, Immigration Section, Alberta South Region

• Past Executive Member, Canadian Bar Association, Immigration Section, Alberta South Region

• Representative for Southern Alberta, Immigration Appeal Division Joint Consultative Committee for Western Canada

• RYT 200 Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance

Publications and Presentations

• Presenter, “How to Untangle Immigration Issues: An Overview and Analysis of a Case Scenario,” Legal Education Society of Alberta webinar, March 25, 2021

• Presenter, “Immigration in a nutshell: an overview of immigration law issues and analysis of a case scenario,” Canadian Bar Association, Immigration Section, Alberta South Region, October 24, 2018

• Co-Presenter, “Employer Compliance in Business Immigration,” Canadian Bar Association, Immigration Section, Alberta South Region, September 27, 2017

• Presenter, “Refugees then and now: a practitioner’s perspective on how Canadian immigration policies impact people,” Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Calgary, May 28, 2016

• Moderator, “Preparing Persuasive Humanitarian and Compassionate and Temporary Resident Permit Applications,” CBA National Immigration Law Conference, Calgary, AB, May 9-10, 2014

• Speaker, Chair of the Board, Immigrant Services Calgary, Immigrants of Distinction Awards Gala, March 16, 2012

• Moderator, “Mayoral Candidate Town Hall for the immigrant community in Calgary,” September 27, 2010 at the Chinese Cultural Centre