The Registrar’s Conversation with Will Tao
AI’s Role in Immigration and the Need for Human Oversight
Our principal lawyer Will Tao is featured in a recent exclusive interview discussing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on immigration and regulatory decision-making. With extensive experience in leading law firms and a personal background as the child of Chinese immigrants, Tao is deeply concerned about AI’s role in diminishing the personal narratives of immigration applicants.
In a recently published Registrar article, Tao—the creator of the Vancouver Immigration Blog—advocates for a human-centered immigration system. While AI has the potential to streamline processes, he warns against over-reliance on automated systems that prioritize analytics over human judgment. He argues that AI-driven immigration decisions often rely on biased profiling factors such as nationality, gender, and age, disproportionately disadvantaging certain groups. Instead of rubber-stamping automated decisions, he stresses the need for meaningful human intervention in AI-driven processes.
Bias, Transparency, and the Fight for Ethical AI
Tao also calls for AI tools to be designed with inclusivity and fairness at the forefront. He highlights the lack of transparency in Canada’s early AI implementations in immigration, where key decisions were quietly automated without public discourse. Citing his testimony before parliamentary committees, he reveals how AI-driven policies resulted in disproportionately high refusal rates for Francophone students, exposing systemic biases in immigration decision-making.
For regulatory professionals, Tao emphasizes the importance of building trust and engaging with affected communities. He believes that shaping ethical AI standards early on can prevent harm and create a more equitable immigration system. As he continues his research, he remains committed to advocating for transparency, fairness, and meaningful human oversight in AI-driven immigration policies.
“Individuals want to tell their story and differentiate their cases without a system working off advanced analytics that treats them as algorithmic data points… We’re advocating to humanize this discussion and remind decision-makers that there needs to be meaningful human involvement in the process first,” Tao states in the article.
Will Tao’s Vision and Leadership in Immigration Law
A recognized leader in immigration law, Tao combines legal expertise with an empathetic approach to clients. His work has been shaped by his experiences at esteemed law firms such as Larlee Rosenberg and Edelmann & Co., where he became increasingly critical of the corporate model of immigration law — one that often reduces applicants to mere numbers rather than individuals with unique circumstances. These experiences directly tied into his professional philosophy when establishing the award-winning Heron Law Offices, Tao’s law firm that placed first in national and regional Tier 1 rankings from Best Lawyers for immigration law practice areas in 2025.
For the full article, please visit https://issuu.com/theregistrar/docs/registrar_issue13/s/65528675
