Ai Li Lim

SENIOR COUNSEL

Ai Li Lim (Li) is a Senior Counsel at Dhillon Immigration Law. She was originally called to the Ontario bar in 2004, but transferred to British Columbia in 2011. Li provides client-centred legal strategies for a wide range of immigration needs, with a particular focus on litigation, citizenship, inadmissibility issues, overcoming complex refusals, family sponsorship, study permits, permanent residence, and temporary resident applications. In addition to her client experience, Li worked for 13 years providing expertise to international non-governmental organizations on refugee protection and human rights research and advocacy. She has worked in humanitarian, conflict, and displacement contexts in countries such as India, Thailand, South Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Turkey, and Yemen. Furthermore, she has appeared before the Federal Court of Canada and the British Columbia Supreme Court.

As an immigrant herself, having moved from Malaysia to Canada with her family at a young age, Li brings a personal touch and understanding to each case she encounters. She is always inspired by her clients' stories, as they remind her of her own family's journey. Her favourite part of practicing law is helping fellow immigrants chart their course by advocating for even the most complex cases, and overcoming barriers that seem insurmountable. Li likes to bring humour to her interactions with clients and hopes she can offer perspective and a sense of calm to what can be an emotional and challenging process.

In addition to individual client strategy, Li enjoys taking on cases that offer opportunities to push the limits of the law. Leveraging her background with refugee and human rights organizations, she hopes to not only achieve client outcomes but also to test immigration systems and work with policy stakeholders to push for fairer processes for everyone.