The Origins
Our Team
Heron Law Offices was founded in February 2021 by Will Tao and Edris Arib. Will and Edris spent nearly three years working together at Edelmann and Co. Law Offices, a leading and award-winning progressive Canadian immigration and refugee law firm in Vancouver, B.C. Their collaboration led to Will winning the Canadian Bar Association’s Founder’s Award in 2020 and Vancouver Immigration Blog being named Best Law Blog in Canada in 2019.
Prior to this, Will spent three years as a lawyer with Larlee Rosenberg, Barristers and Solicitors, a Top 10 Canadian Immigration Boutique Law Firm. During this time, Edris worked for leading international organizations such as International Development Law Organization (IDLO); Transparency International and Norwegian Refugee Council with a focus on the rule of law and human rights subject matters.
On a fateful (cold, but sunny) December day, Will and Edris met at a quaint coffee shop on Commercial Drive. Edris told Will, who was at the time already expecting his first daughter and made a major move to Burnaby, B.C., that it was now or never to build their own, encumbered, story – their own Law Firm.
Edris has since chosen to pursue a full-time career as an academic (part time as our consultant!), but with the strong foundation he helped set – Will has been able to expand the Firm, now comprising of three exceptional Canadian immigration lawyers: Katie Lay, Jessye Kilburn, and Laura Schemitsch. We are supported by an amazing case manager/admin support team: Tobie Lin, Xiaoyi Zhu, Azza Omer Alyas, Candy Hui, and numerous contractors who we collaborate with.
Meeting Angela
Early in our practice, we met Angela Lee Harris, a lawyer who is passionate about social justice and assisting people on their journeys to building a better future. Angela articled at a small full-service law firm in downtown Vancouver, BC, where she developed a keen interest in immigration and refugee law. She is also eager to explore the intersections between Canadian immigration law and Indigenous law and communities.
Adding Candy
Shortly after, a former star student from Will’s teaching days at University of British Columbia (UBC), Candy Hui, a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), joined the team as a case manager. Candy brings a high-energy, research-intensive approach in working on our immigration matters and with our clients. As a Pharmacist by training, she is always looking for the right solution for our clients.
Our Team, Together
Together, as a team, we want to build a firm around the core principles of compassion, empathy, and justice. We believe that our lived experiences and evidence and research-based knowledge can help guide you in your times of greatest need.
Read about our vision in our open letter below:
Canadian Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship law firm based in the Greater Vancouver area serving clients in Canada and around the World.
Our core areas of specialization:
1. International Students
2. Judicial Reviews
3. Family and Spousal Sponsorships
4. Immigration Appeals
We chose to launch our headquarters in Burnaby, B.C. (with mobility throughout the Greater Vancouver region) because we believe this city represents our ideal future Canada in terms of diversity, resilience, and often hidden beauty. We look forward to welcoming you at our offices.
As set out in our value propositions, we believe there is a way to lawyer differently. We aim to provide process-oriented, cost effective services that are aided (not hindered) by technology and project management. We want to lawyer compassionately and confidently and continue the excellent work we have done to inspire future immigration lawyers and law students.
We want to be Lawyers for Migrant Communities and do this for our next generation. We thank you for being part of our story.
Going Beyond the Law
At Heron Law, we go beyond the limitations that the law often provides. Our clients’ experiences are transformed into advocacy and action. We take lessons learned and apply them to our community work, our strategic litigation, and our participation on policy panels. We advocate for larger systemic changes to benefit our clients and the system as a whole.
Our Visions for Expansion
We hope for Heron Law Offices to provide other legal services beyond immigration law and are actively looking to partner with human rights, family, criminal, small business, non-profit, employment, and social services-related lawyers to transform our Firm into a more comprehensive source for migrant communities.
We invite lawyers, law students, immigration professionals, and support staff interested in our work and our direction to email us at info@heronlaw.ca
Team
Will Tao
Co-founder/Canadian Immigration and Refugee Lawyer
Will Tao (he/him)
Will Tao* (pronouns: he/him) is a Canadian Immigration and Refugee Lawyer and the founder of Heron Law Offices who lives and works on the traditional, unceded territories of the Coast Salish – sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations.
Will provides legal services in all areas of Canadian immigration and refugee law with a focus on complex applications, overcoming refusals, inadmissibility matters, appeals, and judicial reviews. Will regularly appeals before the Immigration and Refugee Board and the Federal Court of Canada. His focus is on international students, families, and temporary foreign workers.
Will also provides strategic advice and consultation to government, media, educational institutions, and businesses on immigration/refugee, decolonization, and race equity related issues. He is the founder and creator of the award-winning Vancouver Immigration Blog, where he hopes to make immigration and refugee law more accessible to the general public. He also has significant past teaching experience as an instructor for University of British Columbia’s Certificate in Immigration Laws, Policies, and Procedures (CILPP) program.
Outside of the law, Will is a blogger, podcaster, poet, writer, and often can be found in the back aisles of local ethnic grocery stores and sweating profusely in hole-in-the-wall restaurants/eateries asking for the ‘extra spicy.’ His most important job now is father to a young diasporic daughter, Esmeranda, and cheerleader for his incredible spouse, Olivia,.
Awards and Recognitions
Will was awarded the Canadian Bar Association’s 2020 Founder’s Award for accomplishments in his first five years of practice, and has won two Clawbies Awards, including having the Best Immigration Law Blog in 2019. He is listed as a Best Lawyer™ in the practice area of Immigration since 2017.
Representative Cases
- S v. Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2020 FC 718 (CanLII)
- Canadian Council for Refugees v. Canada (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship), 2019 FC 418 (CanLII)
- Z v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), 2018 FC 502 (CanLII)
- Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness) v. M, 2018 FC 729 (CanLII)
- C v Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2018 CanLII 89016 (CA IRB)
- W v Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness), 2016 CanLII 90976 (CA IRB)
Community Involvement
Will currently sits as a Board member of the Roundtable Society. He is current Co-Chair and a founding member of the Canadian Bar Association’s National Immigration Section Anti-Racism Committee. He is also an Honourary Member of the Immigration Advocacy Committee of the Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE).
He previously chaired the Cultural Communities Advisory Committee of the City of Vancouver and was on the Board of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, British Columbia (“FACLBC”)
Canadian Immigration and Refugee Lawyer
Jessye Kilburn (she/her)
Jessye practices immigration and refugee law from Vancouver B.C., on the traditional, unceded territories of the Coast Salish – sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations.
Jessye worked on many immigration and refugee cases at the Federal Court, where she was a clerk for Justice Avvy Yao-Yao Go. She was also previously legal counsel at an administrative tribunal in Ottawa.
Jessye studied law at McGill University in Montreal, where she was a case worker at two legal clinics, a board member of a migrant workers’ organization, and a coordinator of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers’ McGill student chapter.
Outside of work, you can find Jessye looking for new places to hike and swim. She also enjoys boxing, visual art, and gardening.
Jessye speaks English and French, and she is happy to serve clients in either language. Si vous êtes francophone, n’hésitez pas à contacter Jessye en français.
Awards and Achievements
- The Honourable Justice Grant Burnyeat Award in Law, University of British Columbia (2016)
- University of Victoria Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s List (2016)
- University of Victoria Excellence Scholarship (2011-2015)
Professional Affiliations
Angela is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society.
Harmit Sarai
Canadian Immigration and Refugee Lawyer
Katie Lay (she/her)
Katie joined Heron Law Offices in September 2022 as a Canadian immigration lawyer, and lives and works on the unceded territories of the sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Katie received her law degree from the University of Victoria in 2021, and prior to joining Heron, she completed her articles at a non-profit migrant labour law organization in Vancouver. Katie is passionate about advocating for the rights of migrants and migrant workers, and her practice focuses primarily on migrant worker issues. During her time in law school, Katie completed a clinical term at the Law Centre, the University of Victoria’s free legal clinic. She was also actively involved in the UVic chapter of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada, Rise Women’s Legal Services, and the BC Society for Transition Houses. Katie is currently on the advocacy committee for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (BC Chapter). In her free time, Katie enjoys reading, skiing, and baking for her friends and family.
Community Involvement
Board Member and Volunteer Lawyer
South Asian Legal Clinic of British Columbia (SALCBC)
Volunteer Lawyer
Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR)
Canadian Immigration and Refugee Lawyer
Laura Schemitsch (she/her)
Laura Schemitsch was called to the bar in Ontario in June 2020. She was called to the bar in British Columbia in November 2021. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa in 2019 with specializations in Public Law and Law and Social Justice. Prior to studying law, she earned her Bachelor of Arts with Honours from McMaster University majoring in History, and a Master of Arts from Queen’s University in Art History. Laura’s academic work has been published in peer reviewed journals and books and most recently her legal op-eds were published in the Huffington Post and Canadian Bar Association National Magazine. In November 2022, Laura was invited to speak before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in Canada’s House of Commons.
Laura found her passion for immigration and refugee law in 2017 when she joined Capital Rainbow Refuge, a private sponsorship group that brings LGBTQIA2S+ refugees to Ottawa. Laura completed her articling placement at Gerami Law PC, a boutique immigration and refugee law firm in Ottawa between August 2019 and June 2020 and was hired back as an immigration and refugee lawyer. Laura moved to British Columbia in June 2020 and worked remotely for Gerami Law PC until November 2021. From November 2021 until June 2023, Laura practiced immigration and refugee law with Race and Company LLP in Whistler, BC.
Laura is thrilled to join Heron Law Offices as a Canadian Immigration and Refugee Lawyer. She will continue to serve clients in the Squamish/Whistler/Sea-to-Sky corridor where she is a proud resident.
When Laura is not working she enjoys exploring the outdoors, dancing, crafting and her community work.
Awards and Achievements
- The Honourable Justice Grant Burnyeat Award in Law, University of British Columbia (2016)
- University of Victoria Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s List (2016)
- University of Victoria Excellence Scholarship (2011-2015)
Professional Affiliations
Angela is a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, and the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society.
Administrative Assistant/Case Manager – Contractor
Azza Omer Alyas (she/her)
Azza (she/her/hers) is a current international student at the University of Victoria who lives, works, and studies on the unceded and ancestral territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen), Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ (Saanich) peoples.
Azza is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Economics. As an immigrant herself in two countries, Azza is passionate about immigration law after her own experiences with immigration as an international student. This has inspired her to pursue a law degree focused on immigration, after completing her undergraduate degree.
At Heron, Azza hopes to gain valuable experience and knowledge in immigration law to be a part of the human element of immigration, which from her personal experience is one of the most important and meaningful aspects of immigration.
Outside of school and work, you can find Azza reading, playing the violin, and exploring beautiful British Columbia with her friends.
Professional Affiliations
Candy is a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC), Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP) and Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan (PAS).
*Candy provides case management services as an independent contractor through her consulting company, CJ Immigrations Ltd.
Case Manager/RCIC - Contractor
Candy Ngo Fai Hui (she/her)
Candy Ngo Fai Hui is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant who lives and works on the Treaty four land which are the territories of the nêhiyawak (nay-hi-yuh-wuk), Anihšināpēk (uh-nish-i-naa-payk), Dakota, Lakota, and Nakoda, and the homeland of the Métis/Michif Nation.
Candy received her immigration education from the University of British Columbia’s Certificate in Immigration Laws, Policies, and Procedures (CILPP) program.
Candy is an immigration professional but also a healthcare professional located in Regina, Saskatchewan. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BSP) from the University of Saskatchewan.
Candy is eager to explore the world of immigration with the aid of her healthcare skills such as critically appraising resources, finding and communicating recommendations and actively listen, address and educate clients on multiple topics and concerns.
Candy is an active member of the Chinese community in Regina, Saskatchewan. She is proud member of the Regina Chinese Musical Association. She is a volunteer with the Regina Chinese Benevolent Association performing duties such as being the master of ceremony for Chinese New Years Celebrations.
Awards and Achievements
- The Honourable Justice Grant Burnyeat Award in Law, University of British Columbia (2016)
- University of Victoria Faculty of Social Sciences Dean’s List (2016)
- University of Victoria Excellence Scholarship (2011-2015)
Professional Affiliations
Candy is a member of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC), Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP) and Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan (PAS).
*Candy provides case management services as an independent contractor through her consulting company, CJ Immigrations Ltd.
Case Manager
Tobie Lin (she/her)
Tobie joined Heron in October 2022 as a Case Manager. She brings with her 10 years of work experience in Canadian Immigration, with a solid understanding of immigration application and litigation processes.
Tobie has previously supported senior legal counsels and senior founding partners in her previous positions. To stay competitive in this field and continue to master her knowledge, she completed her Immigration Consultant Diploma in 2016. She also has recent experience assisting on complex civil litigation matters.
Tobie will be assisting Will as his primary case manager, resuming a partnership that begin when Tobie served as Will’s primary legal assistant at Larlee Rosenberg.
Tobie is trilingual (English, Mandarin and Cantonese) and is able to assist in communication, appeal hearing preparation, and other immigration-related litigation in all three languages.
Outside of work, Tobie enjoy spending time with her young son and family.
Professional Affiliations
Candy is a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC), Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP) and Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan (PAS).
Operations Coordinator/Case Manager/RCIC
Xiaoyi Zhu (she/her)
Xiaoyi is an immigrant, former international student, and proud community builder. Her own migration journey and community work inspired her to pursue a career in Immigration. Right now, she is working towards her RCIC designation after graduating from the Immigration: Laws, Policies, and Procedures certificate program at University of British Columbia. She is also among the inaugural cohort of the Migrant Systems Change Leadership Program of the Refugee Livelihood Lab under the Radius Social Innovation Hub at Simon Fraser University.
Before joining Heron Law, Xiaoyi was working as a legal assistant in a leading and progressive immigration and refugee law office assisting lawyers with complicated immigration matters. At Heron Law, Xiaoyi wants to continue her learning and growing by designing and operating equitable systems, engaging communities to facilitate their own learning, along with building her knowledge in immigration law. In her dream world, she wants to be someone who helps her community to make sense of the often-overwhelming immigration system, understand the inaccessible legal jargons, and break down the gatekeeping nature of the industry; she wants to advocate for an empathy-driven practice where a deeper level of trust and relationship can be built and human-centred practices are the norms; she also wants to build a community of racialized immigration practitioners who advocate on policy changes.
Having lived in North America for almost a decade now, Xiaoyi is still trying to make sense of her place in the world and that constant feeling of neither here nor there. She believes in the power of storytelling, vulnerability, and human connections. She also believes that the best self-care is through caring for her communities who are experiencing marginalization in one way or another.
Xiaoyi is also a workshop facilitator and Mandarin teacher who dedicates herself to creating inclusive and informative learning spaces. When she is not working, you will find her reading, creating passion projects, and connecting with people.
Co-founder/Consultant
Edris Arib
At – On Leave – Completing PhD (he/him)
Edris Arib is a Director of Operations/Case Manager at Heron Law Offices who lives and works on the traditional, unceded territories of the Coast Salish – sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations.
Edris Arib is a law and public policy professional with experience in international and civil society organisations. He worked as Legal Counselor for Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and International Development Law Organization (IDLO), and as Policy and Advocacy Consultant for Transparency International.
He holds a Masters degree in Public Policy from the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at the University of Erfurt in Germany.
Outside the Law Firm, Edris is immersed in his PhD on Grand Corruption and explores BC Parks and Restaurants with his family.
Professional Affiliations
Candy is a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC), Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC), Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP) and Pharmacy Association of Saskatchewan (PAS).
