Immigration & refugee law for migrants,
by migrants.

 

Helping you and your family through applications, appeals and litigation.

 We are humans first, lawyers second.

We provide client-focused, community-driven advocacy for migrants. We fight to keep families together and to secure status for all.

WORK WITH MARKU & LEE

At Marku & Lee, our commitment runs deep.

 

Both Hana Marku and Damey Lee immigrated to Canada with their families at the age of six; Hana from Prishtina, Kosovo and Damey from Seoul, South Korea.

The two first met as eager students at Osgoode Hall Law School. They both engaged deeply with immigration and refugee law, through specialty courses in refugee law, as caseworkers in the immigration division of Parkdale Community Legal Services and executive members of the Osgoode chapter of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers. Since then, they have remained good friends and dedicated advocates in immigration and refugee law.

Marku & Lee represents their shared and continued commitment to migrant justice.

  • I speak English and Albanian.

    I am an immigration and refugee lawyer based in Toronto, Canada. I hold a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School and an MA in Communication & Culture from York University. I articled for Mithoowani Waldman Immigration Law Group and worked on immigration files as a law student at Parkdale Community Legal Services and the Barbra Schlifer Clinic. I met my cofounder Damey Lee in law school and we have been friends and comrades since then.

    I have experience in a wide variety of immigration and refugee law matters, including family sponsorships, refugee claims and refugee appeals, humanitarian and compassionate applications, Pre-Removal Risk Assessments, and Federal Court litigation.

    Prior to my legal career, I was a journalist and researcher in the Balkans. The focus of my reporting was gender inequality, wartime sexual violence, and women and security in the Balkan region. For example, I have written about women who contributed to Kosovo’s parallel structures of the 1990s, the legal recognition of wartime rape survivors, and the social welfare schemes meant to assist civilian victims of the Kosovo conflict.

    I was born in Prishtina, Kosovo. I immigrated to Canada in 1993 at the age of six. I live in Toronto with my husband Nate, our two cats, and a growing collection of plants.

    hana@markulee.com

  • I speak English and conversational Korean.

    I practice immigration and refugee law in Toronto. I hold a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School and a BA from the University of Toronto. I articled in immigration and refugee law at Neighbourhood Legal Services, a community legal clinic that has been serving Toronto’s Downtown Eastside community since 1973.

    I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to join advocacy campaigns for the rights of asylum seekers in Bangkok as an intern at Asylum Access Thailand and represent them before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. I also served as a judicial law clerk at the Federal Court of Canada, assisting with the review of applications for judicial review of decisions from the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) and various offices of Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

    Before starting Marku & Lee with my dear friend Hana, I practiced immigration and refugee as a sole practitioner with a focus on complex refugee issues and immigration detention reviews.

    I hold a certificate in trauma-informed care and am committed to practicing with compassion and care for my clients and their loved ones.

    damey@markulee.com

We know your journey to Canada was not easy.

 

Canada’s immigration and refugee system is complicated. Every step, every form, every detail matters. We know that the pathway to securing status for you and your family can feel overwhelming and out of reach. 

We do this work because you and your family have a right to a better future. We understand what is at stake when it comes to your status in Canada - for you, your loved ones and future generations. 

We’re here to help.

We are specialists in immigration and refugee law

This is our sole focus. Immigration and refugee law is complex and constantly changing. We provide the expertise that general practitioners cannot. You deserve lawyers who have dedicated themselves to this area of the law.

We are compassionate listeners

We represent the human behind the legal issue. We believe in building trust and making sure you are guided every step of the way. We provide consistent communication and trauma-informed care.

We are strategic advisors

We know the value of your time and money and will advise you thoughtfully and thoroughly based on your individual circumstances. We believe that no two cases are the same. In an effort to ensure our legal services are accessible, we are able to provide flexible payment plans to clients based on need.

To them, a client is not just a file; they treat each case with a high level of integrity and humanity.

“I have recently contacted Marku & Lee regarding my cessation application and applying to the federal court. During my darkest and most frustrated days, Hana reviewed my case and spoke with Damey. The following day, I received a call from these remarkable individuals, and suddenly, light returned to my life. Words cannot express the depth of my gratitude. They handled my case with utmost care, displaying exceptional organization, consideration, and moral compass. They meticulously reviewed every minor detail in my file and guided me through each step of the process.”

- Mahshid Ahangarani Farahani

Securing your path to status in Canada.

Marku & Lee fights for the rights of refugees, international students, migrant workers, the undocumented, their families and communities.

What You Can Expect From Us

You and your family have lived complex lives. We help you untangle your story, no matter how complicated.

  • Our work with you starts with gathering the facts of your story. We do this by interviewing you and reviewing your immigration documents. Your feelings, your history, and your background matter to us.

  • After we understand where you are coming from, we present you with your legal options and explain the pros and cons of each option. We ensure that you understand your legal problem and why you are being advised to take a specific course of action. We want you to be a part of your own legal strategy.

  • It is our job to represent you, by telling your story faithfully, by making clear and strong legal arguments, by speaking up when you are being treated unfairly, and by responding when you are scared, angry or confused. You deserve no less.

Refugee Services

*Payment plan and legal aid available. Click here to check our FAQs.

  • A claim for refugee protection can be made inland after entering Canada or at a Canadian border or airport. You have to provide details of the persecution you face in your home country through a Basis of Claim form and documentary evidence. A Member of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada will hold a hearing and interview you about your refugee claim. Refugee protection can be granted if you establish a well-founded fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, political opinion, nationality or being a part of a particular social group, such as a woman or member of the LGBTQ+ community. You can also be found a person in need of protection if you face a risk of death, torture or cruel and unusual punishment in your country of persecution.

    Starts at $4000

  • Most refugee decisions can be appealed to the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) of the Immigration and Refugee Board. The Refugee Appeal Division has the power to substitute a negative decision with a positive decision and to order a new refugee hearing. This requires initiating a notice of appeal and preparing a record of written arguments and any new evidence.

    Starts at $4000

  • Your refugee status may be “ceased” if it is found that you no longer need refugee protection or if refugee protection is no longer justified. This process starts with an application by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The most common reason we see for an application for cessation is that you returned to your country of persecution. The consequences of a positive cessation application are severe. Since 2012, cessation of refugee status also results in the revocation of your permanent resident status. You have the opportunity to challenge a cessation application before a Member of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD).

    Starts at $6000

  • Your positive decision for refugee protection may be “vacated” if it is proven that you misrepresented or withheld material facts in your refugee claim. It is up to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to prove the misrepresentation with sufficient evidence. You have an opportunity to challenge the application for vacation before a Member of the Refugee Protection Division (RPD). If the vacation application is granted, then you lose both your refugee and permanent resident status.

    Starts at $6000

  • If you are facing removal, you may be eligible for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA). A Pre-Removal Risk Assessment is a written application and evidentiary record sent to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to demonstrate a risk of persecution, torture, a risk to life or of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

    Starts at $4000

Immigration Services

*Payment plan and legal aid available. Click here to check our FAQs.

  • Certain kinds of family members can be sponsored by Canadian permanent residents and citizens. These are lengthy applications which require a thorough evidentiary record, careful form filling and document collection, interviews to produce fulsome relationship histories, assistance with letters of support and written submissions.

    Starts at $5000

  • Applications for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds (H&C applications) can be submitted to request permanent resident status for those without status or with temporary status in Canada. They are considered exceptional remedies in situations where other avenues to status have been exhausted. These are lengthy applications which require detailed written submissions and supporting evidence of your establishment in Canada, hardship that you will face if you are forced to return to your country of nationality and the best interests of any children who are directly affected.

    Starts at $5000

  • International students must apply for a study permit in order to commence their studies in Canada. This requires careful form filling and document collection, a fulsome statement of purpose and written submissions.

    Starts at $3000

  • International visitors must apply for a temporary resident visa in order to visit Canada. This requires careful form filling and document collection, evidence speaking to the purpose of the visit and the visitor’s intention to leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay, and written submissions.

    Starts at $3000

  • Decisions to revoke permanent residency for certain kinds of criminality, refusals of spousal sponsorships, or for failing to meet the residency requirement can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. This requires initiating a notice of appeal, preparing the evidentiary record, preparation of appellant and witness testimony for examination and cross examination, and appearing in a hearing before the Immigration Appeal Division.

    Starts at $6000

  • If Canada Border Services Agency believes that you do not have the legal right to stay in Canada, they can initiate an admissibility hearing before the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. People can be found inadmissible for criminality, security grounds, or violations of human or international rights committed inside or outside Canada.

    Starts at $4000

  • Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has the power to detain someone at the Immigration Holding Centre or a provincial prison if an officer can prove that you are unlikely to appear for a removal, pose a danger to the public, have not established your identity or there is a reasonable suspicion that you are inadmissible to Canada. You will have a hearing to review your detention before a Member of the Immigration Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada 48 hours after you are detained, 7 days later, and every 30 days afterwards. Legal arguments can be made for your release on your own recognizance or through an alternative to detention plan which can involve reporting conditions, a curfew and/or a bondsperson.

    Starts at $3000

  • Bond funds can be collected by Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in cases of non-compliance with conditions of release imposed on immigration detainees. Written submissions and evidence can be provided to CBSA to argue against the seizure of some or all bond funds.

    Starts at $3000

Federal Court Services

*Payment plan and legal aid available. Click here to check our FAQs.

  • The Federal Court has the power to review and set aside decisions made by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). The Federal Court also has the power to order IRCC to render a decision on a pending file. This requires initiating what is called an application for leave and judicial review, preparing written submissions and evidence, replying to submissions made by the Department of Justice, and potentially appearing in a hearing before the Federal Court.

    Starts at $5000

How to reach us.

We run a virtual practice, which means we do not have a reception desk and we do not accept walk-in appointments. Please book a consultation using the form below so that we can schedule a time for a phone call, videoconference, or in-person meeting.  We try to respond to all inquiries within 48 hours. We look forward to meeting you!

Frequently asked questions.

  • We accept legal aid files on a case by case basis, depending on the complexity of the file and our capacity within the firm. For lower income individuals and families, we can offer 2-month or 4-month payment plans.

  • Our fees are based on industry standards and allow us to work at the level of quality that you deserve. The fees you pay cover our salaries, office expenses, rent, insurance, and support staff; these costs are factored into the rates we charge. We typically do not charge hourly rates, given that they are not the norm in our area of law and are unaffordable for our clients.

  • Depending on the complexity of the file and our availability, you will either work with Hana alone, Damey alone, or Damey and Hana together. If your file includes many family members or involves complex legal issues, Damey and Hana will work jointly on your file. Law students and support staff under our supervision may also provide support on your file.

  • If your consultation is about an existing application or a decision, we will ask you to send the application or decision to us so that we can review it. We will start the consultation by asking questions about your immigration goals and personal history. We will then explain your legal options and give you recommendations on next steps. You can and should ask questions throughout the consultation. Afterwards, you will receive a written summary of the consultation. Consultations can be held in person or through videoconference.

  • The right lawyer for you will:
    i) put you at ease, ii) answer your questions and help you understand your legal situation, iii) openly communicate good news and bad news, iv) set aside time to return your calls and emails, v) explain the work they are doing on your file, vi) help you make good legal decisions, vii) pay attention to detail, viii) treat you with empathy and respect, ix) be transparent about their fees, and x) listen to your story.

  • If you decide to hire us, we will send you a retainer agreement. This is a written agreement that explains what we will do for you and the fees that you will pay. If you have made previous applications, we will ask you or your old representative for a copy of your file. We will develop a timeline for your file so that you have a sense of when the work will be complete. You will also be in ongoing communication with us about developments on your file.

  • While we are working on your file, you will be in regular communication with us. After your application has been submitted or your hearing has come to an end, you will hear from us if there are requests for further information from IRCC or the IRB and when a decision is made on your case. We try to respond to all phone calls and emails within 24-48 hours.

  • Sorry, we are not connected to employers and cannot help you find work in Canada.

  • We are not education agents and cannot help you with applying for admission to a Canadian university or college.

  • You have a right to competent and high quality representation. You have a right to courteous and timely communication. You have a right to copies of all work done on your behalf. You have a right to honesty. You have a right to confidentiality and solicitor-client privilege. You have a right to loyalty. You have a right to transparent and fair fees. You have a right to be treated with dignity and respect.

  • We expect honesty from clients about their personal history and immigration matters. We expect you to be actively involved in your file, by responding to our requests for information or documents and attending meetings with us. We expect courteous and civil communication. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination or hostile behavior in our office. We expect you to speak with us if you cannot pay your retainer.

  • Advocacy for migrant rights have a long history in Canada. We recommend following the advocacy work being done by organizations such as the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, the Migrant Rights Network, the Caregivers Action Centre, the Workers Action Centre, and Justicia for Migrant Workers.