MANITOBA BAR ASSOCIATION
IMMIGRATION LAW SECTION
NOTICE OF TEAMS MEETING

DATE: Thursday, December 11, 2025
TIME: 12:00 Noon - 1:00pm
LOCATION: Zoom Video Conference.
TOPIC: 101 on Automated Decision-Making in Canadian Immigration
SPEAKERS: Will Tao – Heron Law Offices, Burnaby 
Karina Juma – Heron Law Offices, Burnaby 

Join us for a lunch-hour presentation exploring the evolving landscape of automated decision-making in Canadian immigration in 2025. We are pleased to welcome Mr. Will Tao and Ms. Karina Juma from Heron Law Offices, who will provide an overview of how the IRCC, CBSA, IRB, and ESDC are using automated decision systems. They will also share practical insights and takeaways for immigration practitioners navigating this rapidly changing area.

Will Tao – Heron Law Offices, Burnaby 

Will Tao is Founder/Counsel at Heron Law Offices, an Immigration, Refugee, Citizenship, Public and Administrative Law Firm based in Burnaby. He received his JD from the University of Ottawa in 2014. Will is an active member of the Canadian Immigration Bar, an award-winning legal blogger, and frequent policy analyst/media contributor on immigration-related issues. Will recently completed his LLM at the Allard/UBC Faculty of Law where he focused on studying the automated administrative state.  

Most recently he has been involved in consultations including with the Federal Court on their recent Use of AI Directive and with the Treasury Board Secretariat on their Algorithmic Impact Assessment. He is the co-founder of a civil society organization called AIMICI, incorporated in October 2025, that explores the use of artificial intelligence technologies in immigration systems in Canada and Globally. 

Karina Juma – Heron Law Offices, Burnaby 

Karina is a Canadian Immigration & Refugee Lawyer at Heron Law Offices. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa in 2024 and simultaneously completed a Master of Arts in International Affairs at Carleton University, specializing in Health, Displacement and Humanitarian Policy. Karina closely collaborates with Will Tao on various projects, having been his first articled student. 
 
Karina has co-authored a book on newcomer settlement called “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Actions”, published by the University of Ottawa Press in 2022. Her writing has also been featured in the Canadian Yearbook of Human Rights and at immigration law conferences. 

Please provide us with your questions or topics for discussion by EOD on Friday, December 3, 2025.

Please RSVP (PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED) to the Manitoba Bar Association online (link above). A Teams link will be emailed to registered participants on the morning of the meeting.

Attendance at this MBA meeting can be applied toward your Law Society of Manitoba Continuing Professional Development for a maximum of one hour.

Chaobo Jiang
Chair, MBA Immigration Law Section
Zaifman Law
cjiang@zaifmanlaw.com