More About Canada Abroad and the team

Canada Abroad offers regulated Canadian immigration consulting services to clients around the world. Our Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs), are members in good standing with The College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).

Canada Abroad offers a variety of services including consultations, reviews and full representation with your Canadian visa/permit application. We are committed to helping you achieve your dream of living in Canada and to provide you with professional, regulated and efficient service. We will make your application as easy and stress-free as possible. When looking to immigrate to Canada, you have a choice to do the application yourself, or to use the assistance of a legally authorized representative. We understand that not everyone needs assistance and we will never pressure you to do so! We are here to help those who need it and we offer a variety of services to meet each client’s individual needs and budget.

With a background in language education, Heather MacIntyre has over a decade of international experience travelling and working abroad in Russia and Turkey.  Having established herself in multiple countries, she is no stranger to the settlement process and the challenges can present. Originally from Victoria, BC she is now based in Toronto as an RCIC with the goal of contributing to Canada’s amazing diversity by helping newcomers navigate the temporary and permanent residence process. Whether you plan to visit, study, work, or stay, you can count on Heather’s attention to detail, patience, and clear communication throughout your application process.  Heather explores all available pathways for her clients and works to develop an individual immigration strategy that will help you achieve your goals in Canada.

Marcia Freese‘s focus has been on the Atlantic provinces, specifically the Atlantic Immigration Program, but is proficient in all types of applications except Quebec. She has a love for immigration, Canada, and helping people. It’s these factors that make her go the extra mile to find any possible way to help people legally immigrate to Canada. An immigrant herself, she can relate to her clients personally and understands the level of stress that goes with the process.

Magda Zaplotny is a seasoned and versatile licensed professional. With years of experience in the immigration industry and real estate, she has the knowledge and experience to help applicants in creating the most logical path leading to successful immigration to Canada. Her areas of specialization are both temporary and permanent programs as well as LMIA applications for Canadian Employers. Magda works in all Canadian Provinces including Ontario and British Columbia where she is licensed as a recruiter. Being an immigrant herself she understands the struggles newcomers to Canada go through and having in-depth knowledge of the included processes and programs in the ever-changing environment, she is the perfect choice of a person to consult with.

John Lironi represents individuals, families, small businesses, and corporations in several aspects of Canadian immigration; including business immigration programs. He is a frequent presenter at industry events on topics surrounding LMIA exemptions and labour mobility provisions under international trade agreements. John is an instructor in immigration law at the University of Queens and held a similar position at the University of British Columbia from 2014 to 2021.

Deanne Acres-Lans was born and raised in British Columbia, a diverse and stunningly beautiful province on Canada’s west coast, home to the city of Vancouver. After working for the government as a Canada Border Services Officer with a focus on immigration, she became a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant and set up Canada Abroad, which for many years operated from an office in South Africa. Eventually, the call of Canada was too strong to ignore, and Canada Abroad is now based in Canada. In particular, Deanne decided to move into private practice after seeing first-hand the amount of immigration scams, which unfortunately continue to affect immigrants and would-be immigrants around the world. As a result, she opened her own company — Canada Abroad — with a focus on honesty and ethical practices.