Navigating Inadmissibility: Practical Insights from Global Consular Officers

Note: This program will not include any U.S. consular Officers. Please submit all questions in advance to sections@aila.org. Only questions received by the submission deadline will be addressed by the speakers. The deadline to submit questions is Monday, January 26, 2026. When submitting, please include "GMS Consular Section Call" in the subject line.

AILA members are invited to a 75-minute conversation with consular officers from around the world on how their consular posts assess, process, and resolve cases involving inadmissibility. This session will move beyond the statutory context to focus on how decisions are made in practice and what effective advocacy looks like in real-world settings. This session aims to address the challenges, risks, and practical considerations that consular officers consider when assessing immigration applications involving criminal records.

Featured Topics

• Frameworks of Inadmissibility
• Overcoming Inadmissibility: Tools & Strategies
• Volume, Trends & Processing Realities
• Procedural Fairness & Consular Practice
• Practical Guidance for Practitioners

Facilitators

• Sadaf Kashfi (Moderator), Vancouver, Canada
• Francisca Corti, Santiago, Chile
• Chetal Patel, GMS Steering Committee Immediate Past Chair, London, U.K.
• U.K. Consular Official: Ciarán Hanley, Head of Visa Outreach North America & the Caribbean Visa, Status and Information Services
• Canadian Consular Official: Matthew Paradis, Consul (Migration Program Manager / Gestionnaire du programme de migration)

The speaker's/author's views do not necessarily represent the views of AILA, nor do they constitute legal advice or representation. Practice tips provided are based on the speaker's/author's experiences and the current state of the law. Please be sure to conduct legal research and analysis for your unique situation as the law changes quickly and experiences may differ from your own.

Global Migration Section

The Global Migration Section (GMS) is a community of AILA members and international associates who are interested in furthering the practice of global migration.