Sekhar Law Office
1 lawyer · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 425 handling Immigration Law.
Accepts Legal Aid
Accepts Legal AidAbout Sekhar Law Office
Sekhar Law Office, formally Swathi Sekhar Professional Corporation, is a solo immigration and refugee law practice in midtown Toronto, on Eglinton Avenue West. The firm was founded by Swathi Sekhar, who was called to the Ontario bar in 2013 after a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and a B.A. Honours in International Development Studies from McGill University. The practice covers family sponsorship, refugee claims and appeals, humanitarian and compassionate applications, immigration detention matters, and work, study, and visitor permits, and it accepts Legal Aid Ontario certificates for clients who qualify.
Before opening the firm, Sekhar spent time abroad during law school, running a prisoner justice project in Malawi and working at the University of Cape Town's Refugee Rights Project legal clinic in South Africa. That international grounding carries into a Toronto practice built around detention and refugee law, including constitutional challenges to Canada's immigration detention system, such as habeas corpus rights and time limits on detention. The firm also states it aims to offer a safe space for LGBTQ+ clients navigating the immigration system.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founder Swathi Sekhar was called to the Law Society of Ontario in 2013.
- Sekhar holds a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and a B.A. Honours in International Development Studies from McGill University, with a law school term at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
- Sekhar has appeared before the Immigration and Refugee Board at all levels, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, the Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada.
- Sekhar teaches two courses in Queen's Law's Graduate Diploma in Immigration and Citizenship Law: Refugee Protection and Trauma Informed Client Service, and Enforcement, covering inadmissibility, detention, and removal.
In the community
- Counsel for the End Immigration Detention Network, which advocates for the rights of migrants detained in Canada.
- Member of the Refugee Lawyers Association.
- Participant in the Immigration Legal Committee, a working group of No One Is Illegal and the Law Union of Ontario.
- Member of the Prisoner's Correspondence Project.
- Before founding the firm, facilitated theatre based workshops for newcomer youth through the Ontario Justice Education Network.
Good to know
Woman-owned
LGBTQ+ friendlyFees & payment
Legal aidWho handles what
The neighbourhood
The firm's office sits on Eglinton Avenue West in the Humewood-Cedarvale part of midtown Toronto, a mixed residential and commercial stretch a short distance from Bathurst Street. Wikipedia describes Humewood-Cedarvale as ethnically diverse, with a significant Jewish community, and Eglinton Avenue West as one of the area's main commercial strips.
Frequently asked questions
- Can Sekhar Law Office help sponsor a spouse or family member to immigrate to Canada?
- Yes. Family sponsorship, including sponsoring a spouse, partner, or other family member, is one of the firm's core practice areas.
- My refugee claim was refused. Can the firm help with an appeal?
- The firm handles refugee appeals and judicial reviews, and its founder has appeared before the Immigration and Refugee Board at all levels as well as the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal on these matters.
- I'm being held in immigration detention. Does the firm handle detention matters?
- Yes. Detention is a core focus of the practice, including constitutional challenges related to habeas corpus rights and limits on how long someone can be detained.
- What if I don't qualify for a regular immigration category but have a compelling personal situation?
- The firm prepares humanitarian and compassionate applications, a discretionary route for people who don't fit standard immigration criteria but have strong personal or family reasons to stay in Canada.
- Does the firm handle work permits, study permits, or visitor visas?
- Yes, alongside its refugee and detention work, the firm assists with work permit, study permit, and temporary resident visa applications.
- Can the firm take Legal Aid certificates?
- The firm accepts Legal Aid Ontario certificates for clients who qualify.
Where to find them
1040 Eglinton Avenue West, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M6C 2C5 · 416-885-8534
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