DMF Law is an international immigration and criminal law firm based in downtown Vancouver. We help people who face state power—whether at the border, overseas, or at home.

The firm’s name comes from three core democratic values:

  • R v Oakes, [1986] 1 SCR 103

    The Court must be guided by the values and principles essential to a free and democratic society which I believe embody, to name but a few, respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, commitment to social justice and equality, accommodation of a wide variety of beliefs, respect for cultural and group identity, and faith in social and political institutions which enhance the participation of individuals and groups in society. The underlying values and principles of a free and democratic society are the genesis of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter…

  • Divito v Canada, 2013 SCC 47

    Mobility rights are protected by s. 6 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. These include the right in s. 6(1) of every citizen to enter, remain in, and leave Canada. They are among the most cherished rights of citizenship.

  • R v Grant, 2009 SCC 32

    […] “liberty”, for Charter purposes, is not “restricted to mere freedom from physical restraint”, but encompasses a broader entitlement “to make decisions of fundamental importance free from state interference” (para. 49). Thus, s. 9 guards not only against unjustified state intrusions upon physical liberty, but also against incursions on mental liberty by prohibiting the coercive pressures of detention and imprisonment from being applied to people without adequate justification. The detainee’s interest in being able to make an informed choice whether to walk away or speak to the police is unaffected by the manner in which the detention is brought about.

Sadaf Kashfi*

* Law corporation

Sadaf Kashfi is a lawyer licensed in both the State of New York and the Province of British Columbia. She advises clients on complex issues concerning U.S. and Canadian immigration, criminal law, administrative law, and business compliance, including intracompany transfers, treaty traders, and investors.

She was born in Iran and grew up in Toronto. She graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce, and then went on to complete law degrees through the University of Hawai’i Richardson School of Law and the University of British Columbia Peter A. Allard Law School.

Sadaf has a keen interest in international mobility and human rights. Before law school, she worked in international development. During law school, she clerked at the Pre-Trial Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers for the Courts of Cambodia. Following graduation, she worked with an international criminal law advisory group making submissions to the International Criminal Court.

Sadaf went on to article and practice at an iconic criminal law firm in Vancouver, then developed her expertise as an immigration lawyer at a leading cross-border U.S. and Canadian immigration firm. After that, she practiced for years at an award-winning immigration and criminal law firm in Vancouver. In 2023, she founded DMF Law as a progressive platform for her U.S. and Canadian immigration, criminal, and administrative law practice.

US and Canadian Immigration

Business Immigration

Admissibility Matters

Overcoming Rejection

Refugee Protection

Criminal Matters

National Security

Public Interest Litigation

Our Legal Services

  • Sadaf acts for people who want to apply for an immigration benefit in the U.S. or Canada.

  • Sadaf acts for individuals and companies who require status in the U.S. and Canada, including through intracompany transfers and as investors.

  • Sadaf acts for people who are alleged to be inadmissible and/or removable to Canada or the U.S. She regularly assists clients with U.S. waivers of inadmissibility.

  • Sadaf challenges refused and delayed immigration applications at all levels.

  • Sadaf represents people who are seeking refugee protection in Canada. She also represents people who have been refused refugee status.

  • Sadaf acts for people who are charged or under investigation for criminal and administrative offences.

  • Sadaf acts for people who are seeking security clearances or are under investigation by national security agencies in Canada or the U.S.

  • Sadaf represents people confronting serious constitutional, administrative, or human rights issues.