Giovanni Mata takes oath as lawyer in Canada

The ReyFort Media Group congratulates Giovanni Mata, who took his oath as a lawyer on December 9, 2016.

Mata signed the barristers and solicitors roll in ceremonies held at the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.

Mata, who arrived in Canada in 2012 from the Philippines, where he practised law for 10 years, is currently an associate lawyer with the Equity Law Group in Vancouver.

Mata articled with the Equity Law Group before he was called to the Bar.

According to the law firm, prior to joining the firm as an articling student, Mata headed his immigration consulting office as a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), with specialization in immigration litigation and appeals, inadmissibility proceedings, business immigration, LMIA (labour market impact assessment) applications, work permit for NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) professionals, temporary and permanent residency applications.

Mata remains in good standing as member of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

In the Philippines, Mata specialized in litigation, appeals, immigration and business law. Here in Canada, Mata’s practice covers immigration law, ICBC personal injury, family law and litigation.

Shortly after Mata arrived in 2012, he took Immigration Consultancy program at Ashton College and later obtained his license as an Immigration Consultant. He became an active member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) and Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC). In November 2012, Mata started his own immigration consultancy practice.

In 2013, Mata had his law credentials assessed by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) – Federation of the Law Societies of Canada, wherein he was required to write eight law exams to get his Certificate of Qualification. Mata wrote his first exam in August 2013.

In 2014, Mata enrolled in Ashton College’s International Trade program as a recipient of that year’s Lilian To bursary. After obtaining his diploma in international trade, he worked as Customs Broker with UPS and later certified as an International Trade Professional (CITP®|FIBP®). The CITP®|FIBP® designation is the world’s leading professional designation for global business practitioners in Canada, USA, and Europe, and endorsed by the World Trade Centers Association and the Canadian government.

In October 2015, he completed all his NCA exams and got his Certificate of Qualification, a confirmation that his legal education and training is comparable to the one approved by a faculty of law in Canada.

Next was to article as a law student for nine months, and then, write the barristers and solicitor’s exams.

In a write-up by Ashton College in Vancouver, where he was previously a scholar in its international trade program, Mata recalled that when he arrived in Canada, he realized that getting qualified as a lawyer would be “quite tough”.

“So I set a short-term goal of completing the Immigration Consultant program,” said Mata, who completed the immigration consultant diploma program at Ashton.

When asked if he has any advice for newcomers, Mata said in the Ashton College write-up: “Pursue your dreams. Don’t lose hope. Decide what you want to be. Set a goal, set a plan and take a step.”

“If I didn’t have a positive attitude, I would have given up a long time ago. But you know, my kids and my wife are my motivation. I want to be an inspiration, not only for them, but for all of the Filipinos here. Because really, we know that being an immigrant is so hard. You cannot get the job you really want unless you upgrade.”

Outside his work, Mata is active in his church and civic organizations. He is an active member of the Couples for Christ (CFC). He heads the Family Ministries of CFC – North Vancouver Chapter and is the Migrant Ministry coordinator for Holy Trinity Church in North Vancouver. He is involved in various Filipino organizations here in British Columbia and is also advocating for the protection of temporary foreign workers in Canada. He is a member of a fraternal organization called Freemasons and will be installed as the Worshipful Master of Keystone-Lions’ Gate Lodge 115 of the Grand Lodge of BC & Yukon this January 2017.