Jamie Chai Yun Liew joined the Faculty of Law (Common Law Section) in 2011. She is an expert in immigration, refugee and citizenship law, as well as administrative law and public law.
Jamie’s current research examines the meaning of citizenship, legal barriers for stateless persons to obtain citizenship/nationality, gendered implications of Canadian law on migrants, and how Canada’s immigration and refugee system marginalizes those navigating the process. She is currently completing a book manuscript on statelessness and the law.
Jamie is the co-author (with Donald Galloway) of Immigration Law published by Irwin Law.
Jamie holds degrees in law, international affairs (NPSIA), commerce, and political science. She was called to the Law Society of Ontario in 2006. After articling at a national full-service law firm in Toronto, Jamie clerked for Justice Douglas Campbell at the Federal Court, was a member of the Issa Sesay defence team at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and was Commission Counsel at the Cornwall Public Inquiry. In 2007, Jamie opened a feminist legal practice with a colleague and practiced in a variety of areas including administrative law. She continues to practice immigration and refugee law today as a sole practitioner.
Jamie has appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada as co-counsel representing an intervener in the following cases:
-
Canadian Counsel for Refugees in Kanthasamy v Canada, 2015 SCC 61;
-
Amnesty International in Canada v Chhina, 2019 SCC 29; and
-
Canadian Council for Refugees in Canada v Vavilov, 2019 SCC 65.
The Supreme Court of Canada has cited her work in Kanthasamy v Canada, 2015 SCC 61.
She has also appeared before the Federal Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Immigration and Refugee Board, among others. Jamie is a member of the litigation committee for the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR).
Jamie teaches or has taught Immigration Law, Advanced Refugee Law, Public Law and Legislation, Administrative Law, Torts and a special seminar course titled, “Providing Legal and Medical Services to Refugees”. In the 2020-2021 academic year, Jamie will be teaching a new seminar, "Statelessness and the Law".
Jamie tweets about current affairs @thechaiyun.
A frequent commenter in media, Jamie won the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section 2018-19 Public Engagement Award: Media Relations.
Jamie also is the winner of the 2018 Asian Canadian Writers Workshop (ACWW) Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writer Award for her manuscript titled, Dandelion Roots..