I am a Registered Social Worker; I provided bilingual community services during 17 years working at Multilingual Orientation Services for Immigrant Communities (MOSAIC). I served 5 years as Immigration and Refugee Board Member for the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) determining and making decisions on refugee claims and have worked for the past 15 years as Paralegal for Legal Services Society (LSS).

From March 2003, until March 2010, I worked as a Law Line Paralegal, an LSS program providing next step short legal advice to low income callers on legal matters related to Poverty Law, Bankruptcy, Debts, Immigration Law, Family Law, Criminal Law, Estate Administration, Housing, Employment Insurance, Contract Law, Tort, to name a few of the legal matters I provided legal advice. In March 2010, the Law Line closed permanently due to budget cuts.

From 1994 until August 2002, I worked as Paralegal with a team of three lawyers at the Immigration and Refugee Law Clinic (IRLC) which was part of LSS.

As a paralegal, I directly assisted refugee claimants in immigration and refugee law matters, including interviewing clients in their own language (Spanish, Italian and Portuguese), preparing clients’ documentation to be filed with the IRB and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), doing country conditions and jurisprudence research, general hearing preparation and representing clients at CIC interviews. I assisted two of our team lawyers as co-counsel during the IRB hearings. In July 2002, the IRLC was closed permanently due to budget cuts.

In 1989, I was appointed to be a Member of the IRB. My appointment was initially for a two year period, however supported unsolicited by the BC Private Bar and by my immediate Supervisor; I was recommended for re-appointment.

In 1991, I was re–appointed for a two years term, after this re-appointment I was re- appointed for one year term, serving the IRB as a decision maker on international refugee claim matters for a total period of five years.

In 1972, I started working for a small local initiative program called Information Services, which in 1976 changed its name to Multilingual Orientation Services for Immigrant Communities (MOSAIC). As one of the founding members of MOSAIC I provided counseling, orientation, and information and interpretation services to the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese communities; assisting new immigrants and refugees in the process of cultural shock and adaptation to the Canadian society.

I provided counseling to youths and their families on solving conflict and assisted seniors in creating a program called New Horizons.

I provided one to one counseling to individuals and I organized and facilitated workshops in topics of relevant interest to the Latin American Community.

I am a dynamic, articulate and well-informed professional with excellent knowledge of social issues, Canadian immigration and international refugee matters, family law and poverty law.