Senior Leadership & Immigration Lawyers

John Matkowsky

Partner & Immigration Consultant

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John is a founding partner of Matkowsky Immigration and he practices in all areas of immigration law, particularly focusing on more complex immigration cases. Earlier in his career he worked in the financial markets as a Chartered Investment Manager and trader for large Canadian Banks and Private Family Trusts. John transitioned from helping individuals and families manage their investments to helping them immigrate to Canada under investor and business immigration programs.  Today, John practices in all areas of immigration law, helping clients make Canada home.

Natalie Domazet

Senior Immigration Lawyer - Senior Team Lead

Natalie practices in all areas of immigration and refugee law, specializing in litigation at the Federal Court and IRB. Her extensive experience includes representation in admissibility hearings, family sponsorship appeals, removal order appeals, detention reviews, residency obligations appeals, refugee hearings and refugee appeals, along with judicial review and stay of removal matters.

Natalie gained invaluable experience working for CBSA for over a decade at Pearson International Airport, the Enforcement Division and acting as a Minister's Counsel representing the government in IRB hearings.

Shameika Hue

Immigration Lawyer

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Shameika obtained her Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from Ryerson University.  She has experience litigating immigration matters at the  Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) and the Federal Court. Shameika helps clients with refugee matters, judicial reviews, applications for temporary residence, permanent residence, humanitarian and compassionate applications, and spousal sponsorships.

Shameika is passionate about assisting her clients regarding their immigration matters. Her diverse legal background has allowed her to appreciate how different areas of law overlap which has strengthened her advocacy and has allowed her to adopt unique solutions for her clients.

Melissa Salvador

Senior U.S. Immigration Lawyer

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Melissa is a Senior U.S. Immigration lawyer and a Team Lead. She has practiced U.S. immigration law for twelve years and worked at one the largest immigration law firms in the United States.

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Melissa has extensive experience with employment-based immigration including non-immigrant, immigrant, and PERM processes as well as family-based petitions. She also assists with waivers and inadmissibility matters.

Melissa obtained a Juris Doctor from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, Texas. Melissa is a member of the Texas bar and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 

Mackenzie Stern

Immigration Lawyer

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Mackenzie obtained her Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and an Honours Bachelor of Sciences degree from the University of Guelph.

Mackenzie has experience in a wide variety of complex immigration matters, including study permits, LMIAs, work permits, spousal sponsorship, citizenship, temporary and permanent residence applications, responses to procedural fairness letters, and judicial review applications.

Mackenzie is passionate about helping clients achieve meaningful changes in their lives. She aims to ensure her clients make well-informed decisions and feel comfortable with the Canadian immigration process.

Yasmin Rahim

Immigration Lawyer

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Yasmin obtained her Juris Doctor from University of Ottawa and practices as an immigration lawyer at our firm.

Yasmin assist clients across a diverse range of immigration cases, including visitor visas, study permits, work permits, LMIAs, spousal sponsorships, express entry, provincial nomination programs, temporary resident permits, humanitarian and compassionate PR applications, responses to procedural fairness letters, and applications for citizenship, criminal rehabilitation and judicial review.

Yasmin is dedicated to helping her clients navigate their immigration journey with the highest level of care and professionalism.

Sonia Akilov

Partner & Immigration Lawyer

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Sonia has extensive experience litigating complex immigration cases at the  Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) and the Federal Court. She also assists corporate clients to obtain work permits for foreign workers.Sonia graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, and gained immigration experience at Green & Spiegel and KPMG law before joining Matkowsky Immigration.

Gina You

Immigration Lawyer - Senior Team Lead

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Gina is the Team Lead at our firm and helps manage the firm's associate lawyers. She represents clients in matters dealing with immigration appeals, CBSA removal orders, criminal, medical and misrepresentation inadmissibility, family sponsorships, economic immigration, study permits, and LMIAs & work permits.

Gina graduated from Windsor Law School and gained indispensable previous immigration law experience prior to joining our firm.

Amanat Sandhu

Immigration Lawyer

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Amanat has extensive experience across a wide variety of immigration matters including study permits, work permits, temporary and permanent residence applications, and judicial review applications.

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Amanat received her Canadian and American Dual Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Prior to law school, Amanat received a Master of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from York University.

​​Amanat is fluent in Punjabi and is currently in the process of obtaining her license to practice law in the US.

Katherine Filewych

Immigration Lawyer

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Katherine earned her Juris Doctor from the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Additionally, Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
 

Katherine practices in all areas of Canadian immigration law. Her experience includes, but is not limited to, Judicial Review at the Federal Court, assisting clients with previous visa refusals, drafting arguments for complex immigration cases, responses to procedural fairness letters, inadmissibility issues, temporary and permanent residence applications, spousal sponsorship, citizenship, and refugee matters.

Ali Abdulreda

Immigration Lawyer

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Ali is an immigration lawyer with experience in various areas of Canadian immigration law, including, but not limited to, temporary and permanent residence applications, sponsorship, procedural fairness letters, humanitarian and compassionate considerations, and Judicial Review at the Federal Court.

Ali obtained his Juris Doctor from the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, and also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Windsor.

Ali adopts a collaborative approach to ensure clients understand all their options and are able to make informed decisions throughout the process.