Our Immigration Legal Team
From our headquarters in Halifax, Nova Scotia, our team of experienced Canadian immigration lawyers help with the immigration process, whether you have a straightforward case or a one-of-a-kind immigration problem. We assist clients with all sorts of legal help for immigration concerns; from temporary or permanent residence, to businesses and entrepreneurs, to those seeking Canadian citizenship. Please see the list below for the Canadian immigration option that applies to you, or contact us to find out how legal team can help.
Elizabeth Wozniak
Elizabeth is from Alberta. She has a LL.B from Dalhousie (2001) and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta (1994). She is the founder of North Star Immigration Law Inc. She has taught immigration and refugee law at Schulich School of Law (Dalhousie University) and often presents at conferences on the immigration and refugee policy and process. Elizabeth is a member of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society and is a licensed foreign worker recruiter (NS and BC). Elizabeth lived and worked in Asia (China and South Korea) from 1994-1998 before attending law school.
Contact Elizabeth: ewozniak@nsimmigration.ca
Lori Hill
Lori is from Nova Scotia. She holds a LL.B from Dalhousie Law School, LL.B. (2003) and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from Dalhousie University (1999). Lori articled at McInnes Cooper and was called to the bar in Nova Scotia in 2004. Lori has been practicing immigration law exclusively since 2004. After articling, she chose to begin her law career as in-house counsel at the Halifax Refugee Clinic and moved into private practice in 2007 when she joined Elizabeth. Lori’s practice focuses mainly on the family class, advocacy before all divisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board, and immigration inadmissibility matters, such as temporary residence permits and rehabilitation applications. Lori taught the immigration and refugee law course at the Schulich School of Law in 2018 and is a member of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society. Lori leads our Family Class practice area.
Contact Lori: lhill@nsimmigration.ca
Cameron MacLean
Cameron is from Ontario. He has a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School (2012) and a B.A. (Hons) from University of Toronto (1996). He articled in Ontario and was called to the bar in Nova Scotia in 2014. Cameron first began working with Elizabeth as a paralegal in 2006. After moving to Toronto and graduating from law school, he returned to Halifax in 2013 and joined the firm. Cameron’s practice is focused on economic-class applications such as Labour Market Impact Assessments, work permits, and permanent residence applications under the federal and provincial economic streams. Cameron is a member of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society and is a licensed foreign worker recruiter (BC). Cam leads our Economic Class practice area.
Contact Cam: cmaclean@nsimmigration.ca
Sophie Chiasson
Sophie is from Ontario. She holds a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School (2017), a MSc (Distinction) from the London School of Economics (2012) and a BA (Hons) from the University of King’s College (2010). After law school, Sophie served as a law clerk to two Justices of the Federal Court of Canada. She was called to the bar in Nova Scotia on October 22, 2018. Sophie has lived and worked in New Zealand, England, Egypt and Uganda. She is a member of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society.
Contact Sophie: schiasson@nsimmigration.ca
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Elise Mercier
​Elise is from Ontario (well, she’s mostly from Ontario – she’s moved around a lot). She holds a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School (2017) and a BA (Hons) from Carleton University (2012). Elise articled in Ontario and subsequently worked at a boutique immigration law firm and at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies before moving to Nova Scotia to join North Star in 2020. She is a member of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society. Elise has worked remotely from Montreal since 2024. In Québec, she is a “Conseiller Juridique Canadien” (c.j.c.) – this means that she is also a member of the Barreau du Québec holding a “Special Canadian Legal Advisor” permit.
Contact Elise: emercier@nsimmigration.ca
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Jayme Hagen
Jayme is from Edmonton, Alberta, but he has spent time teaching English, studying and traveling in over 40 countries. He has a J.D. from the University of Alberta (2023), a BA from MacEwan University (2020) and a Journalism Diploma from MacEwan University (2011). During law school he worked as a legal assistant at a boutique Criminal Law firm and helped translate documents from Spanish and Portuguese into English for people using the services of the EISA (Edmonton Immigration Services Association). After law school, he moved to Halifax to article with North Star. He is a member of the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society.
Contact Jayme: jhagen@nsimmigration.ca
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