About Us
Learn more about Matt and Miho
Canada Immigration Partners (CIP) is an immigration consulting agency with offices both in Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia. We are a family business run by Miho and Matt, who are regulated immigration consultants. You can check out our credentials here.
With more than 35 years of combined immigration experience, we have seen a lot of cases, helping hundreds of people navigate the twists and turns of immigrating to Canada. And as immigrants to Canada ourselves, we know what the journey you are about to embark on is like.
When you work with Miho and Matt, you get more than an incredibly dedicated team. You get a partner from start to finish during the immigration process. Each client is important to us, which is why we measure our success by the number of “lives changed,” not profits made.
How Canada Immigration Partners Started
In 2006 Miho and Matt married and worked on their Family Sponsorship application together.
Each brought complementary skills, fleshing out the relationship narrative on the kitchen table. They both discovered that immigration to Canada is a bureaucratic process with lots of steps and rules, and that it took considerable time and organization to document one’s life to meet Immigration Canada requirements. What documents to include in your application? How to interpret ambiguous instructions? What information the visa officer was really looking for?
In 2007 Miho completed the Immigration Practitioner course at Ashton College. She then worked for Joe Kenney Consulting for one year.
Meanwhile Matt abandoned his plans to train as a lawyer, partly due to Canada’s onerous credentials recognition process, which is still a problem for many today, and followed in Miho’s footsteps at Ashton College.
On August 8, 2008, Canada Immigration Partners was registered and Miho and Matt started a career in helping others navigate Canada’s Immigration process.
Completing a journey that began with a love of the country, a love of each other and a love to help people achieve a new life for themselves in Canada.
Miho and Matt’s values of honesty, fairness and kindness were carried through in their immigration work and contrasted with some of the things we learned that unscrupulous immigration practitioners were doing, for example the consultant who had been fabricating telephone records for Spousal Sponsorship cases, or the unlicensed immigration consultant who approached us for representation on work permit applications they had sold!
For us, representing on immigration applications is about human relationships, trust, transparency and communication.
We want there to be a feeling of chemistry and shared values in order to partner together to achieve a common goal. We recognize that we may not be a fit for everyone.
We only take cases that we feel are genuine and where we feel eligibility requirements are met. We are candid with our clients and expect the same from them.
We fell in love with Canada, then fell in love in Canada. You can read more about our separate paths below…
Matthew's Story
Matt’s passion for travel (and later immigration), was ignited by his Dad who encouraged him to travel on his own to India at 18 years old.
After six months or so of immersing himself in Hindu culture, Masala Dosas and overnight trains, and with funds running low, he bought himself a one-way ticket to Hong Kong where he spent several years teaching English and sailing other people’s yachts to the Philippines.
During this period Matt developed a taste for adventure travel, visiting tribes in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, hiking in the Himalayas, downhill mountain biking in Bolivia, and Scuba diving WWII wrecks.
All of the travel experiences Matt had in his childhood and youth have shaped his thoughts on immigration and what it means to join Canada in its security, prosperity and diversity.
Later after experiencing something of the world Matt studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University where he was privileged to learn alongside a host of International students, many of whom were out to better themselves to immigrate to a different country.
A stint with an Investment Bank gave him a front-row seat to the cosmopolitan nature of talent, where specialist and knowledge workers at the top of their fields came from all corners of the globe. Something that has informed his work with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and Health Care category Express Entry applications and tech worker work permits.
Matt was drawn to Canada for a love of the mountains that provide year-round outdoor activities: downhill mountain biking, snowboarding, swimming in lakes and ice fishing are some examples of the allure of Canada.
His attraction to the pioneer spirit and Canada’s open spaces made Canada the end destination after more than 15 years of work and travel in Oxford, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India, where he developed a rich understanding of Asian culture and a sensitivity to the issues and concerns of Asian business immigrants.
Matt came to Canada in 2004 on the International Experience Class visa. Where he met Miho, now his wife and business partner. Miho, at that time was working as the regional manager for the Student Work Abroad Programme (SWAP) through which visas and travel had been arranged.
In time Matt and Miho fell in love and decided to build a life together and start a family. Canada offered them the opportunity to do that. This was the beginning of their journey to becoming Vancouver Immigration Consultants.
More than 16 years after they started their own business they are still helping others navigate immigration borders. Helping people realize their dreams of a better future is the “why?” behind Canada Immigration Partners.
Matt’s passion is complex cases, whether it is an intra-company transfer for a specialist knowledge worker or a criminal admissibility for a DUI, he enjoys learning the case, applying case law and applying his knowledge and experience to problem solve and find solutions.
Matt assists Canadian employers in their applications for Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA), Global Talent Stream and Intra-Company Transferee (ICT) work permits.
Matt is also an expert in Express Entry, BC Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and Business programs.
He is a full member of CICC (College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants) and the Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC).
Matt loves downhill mountain biking, skiing and travel. You will find him regularly enjoying his outdoor lifestyle riding bikes or fishing with his three sons.
Miho's Story
It all started with a Pen Pal.
Miho was curious about North America from an early age and signed up for a Pen Pal Program. She quickly became frustrated with translation fees so she began to learn English.
It wasn’t long after she began asking her parents if she could study overseas. In the end she submitted her Student Exchange Application herself without her parents’ permission.
At age 16, Miho went to Cleveland, Ohio, on a one-year High School Exchange. Later she studied at Douglas College, in Vancouver. Arriving on 1st of April, she had her first dealings with Canadian Immigration.Realizing she had forgotten to bring her Study Permit Letter she had to enter as a visitor.
Miho didn’t bring a rain coat for the Vancouver winter and didn’t know Canada had two official languages. But this didn’t stop her from exploring her new home.
She couldn’t help but notice how Canada was different from the US, the quality of air and water, the feeling of safety, even in cities, and how friendly Canadians were. One of her first impressions of Canada was the smell of wet cedar.
After graduating, Miho married and then carried out the Family Sponsorship Class application herself, but she forgot a signature and it was returned for being incomplete, thus slowing down the immigration process. It’s personal experiences such as this which inform our attention to detail as immigration consultants!
After receiving her Permanent Residence Card Miho went on to work for the Student Work Abroad Program (Swap)as the Western Regional Manager for six years.
She soon discovered she liked helping people to settle and find jobs, and to navigate Canada’s bureaucracy. She helped newcomers with everything from resumes, health insurance, SIN cards, and banking, to phone plans and how to find an apartment. This knowledge benefits our clients to this day.
Moreover, Miho also liaised with Immigration officials to correct permit issuances which provided insights into the inner workings of Canadian Immigration.
After co-founding Canada Immigration Partners more than 15 years ago Miho’s passion is for Family Class cases where she helps couples navigate the same journey she made herself many years ago. To this day we have never received a refusal for a Family Class application.
Miho speaks English and Japanese and is an expert in Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs. Miho also helps Japanese businesses with Work Permit applications.
She is a full member of CICC (College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants) and the Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC).
Outside of work, Miho enjoys hot yoga, being a Mother and living on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, BC.
About Stephanie
Canada Immigration Partners’ Administrative Genius
Stephanie was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada along with her parents when she was little. She returned to Hong Kong after a few years and completed secondary school there. In 2010, she came back to Canada on her own for University and graduated from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, majoring in International Development Studies in 2014.
She volunteered in English tutoring programs at the Halifax Public Libraries after graduation. Working with temporary residents and newcomers, listening to their stories, sparked her interest in the field of Immigration.
Stephanie is fluent in English and Cantonese and has good Mandarin skills. Stephanie is a talented administrator with a passion for organizing and curating information and an eye for detail. We are lucky to work with her.
Stephanie has been working with CIP as a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) since 2017 and helping clients with their immigration applications. She specializes in Express Entry, Family Sponsorship and Temporary Resident Visa and Permit applications.
She is a full member of CICC (College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants) and the Canadian Association of Professional Immigrant Consultants (CAPIC).
Stephanie enjoys living in Nova Scotia and appreciates the natural beauty of the province.
Crystal Clear Pricing
While other firms obscure the true cost of their services, CIP keeps things crystal clear. Consulting services cost as little as $199 CAD, and partnership prices are always negotiated in advance, making budgeting a painless process.
The Personal Touch
You’ll never get lost in the shuffle at CIP. We treat every customer with the same level of attentiveness and care. While larger firms may offer immigration services as a mere aside, we are fully dedicated to you and your journey.
Fully Regulated
You can rest assured knowing that your application is in the hands of experienced professionals. Canada Immigration Partners’ consultants are regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants and are members of the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants.
Get in Touch
Have some questions? Need to get in touch? Below you can find our local numbers and the address and hours for our Vancouver office.
