SECOND PASSPORT TEAM
Immigration Professionals
Brandon Miller, RCIC
Founder
Brandon is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant with ICCRC and is the founder of Maple Immigration Services. Brandon is passionate about everything immigration and enjoys not only helping people to come to Canada but seeing that they get integrated into the country. Although Brandon’s main focus is to provide immigration legal services, he has worked as a settlement counselor, a volunteer to the regulatory body and a teacher at a local college where he enjoys teaching and mentoring new immigration students. Brandon has firm family roots in Canada, but he has traveled and worked extensively overseas extensively for over a decade, which allows him to identify and service clientele from many different countries. Brandon is married and lives in Toronto with his wife and two young daughters.
John Lironi, RCIC
Founding Professional
John is the founder and Director of Gateway Pacific Immigration and is based in British Columbia, Canada where he is married and the father of two amazing children. He has been involved with migration for decades and brings this experience to all of his clients through his seasoned approach. John got his start in immigration consulting in 1999 while working for a New Zealand based relocation firm, located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. John has a wide range of experience but is most comfortable when representing individuals, families, small businesses and corporations in several aspects of Canadian immigration. John is very passionate about imparting his experience/ expertise on the next generation of Immigration Professionals and he holds the position of Lecturer in the Immigration: Laws, Policies and Procedures program at the University of British Columbia.
John A. Burke, RCIC
Founding Professional
John is a graduate of York University and a Member ICCRC. Prior to starting his own Immigration Consulting practice in 1996, John spent twenty-nine years with the federal public service. Since leaving the Public Service in 1996, John has acted as a Senior Immigration Advisor to several prominent Immigration law firms in Toronto in addition to operating his own practice. Since November, 2017, John has served as a Director on the Board of Directors for the ICCRC and was elected Chair of the Board of Directors in November, 2018. John has more than forty years of experience in the public service and in the private sector. John operates his main practice from Richmond Hill, Ontario where he specializes in employment-based and business immigration matters. Aside from his work life, John is a dog lover and in particular, the Bolognese and Havanese breeds.
Support Team
Denise Cipriano
Head of Support
Denise is a graduate of the Paralegal Diploma program at Seneca College and a member of the Law Society of Ontario as a Licensed Paralegal. Denise enjoys helping others reach their goals & as someone who immigrated to Canada at a young age, she is driven to assist "Second Passporters" reach their immigration goals. She is originally from Portugal and fluently speaks both English and Portuguese.
Johanna Kneissl
Community Manager
Johanna is a world traveler with a deep appreciation for the diverse cultures that make up our planet. Originally from Munich, Germany, Johanna has visited many countries throughout Europe and beyond giving her a unique perspective and a desire to empathetically connect with people from all walks of life. In 2021, she immigrated to Canada after spending extended visits here since 2016. Johanna holds a master’s degree in educational science with a focus on Social Work and is fluent in German and English. She is married to her wonderful husband and truly feels that Canada is her second home.
Associated Professionals
Gary Alison
Second Passport Expert - Real Estate
Actively engaged in the Canadian Real Estate market full time since 1994, Gary has a great deal of experience that has allowed him to rise to the top of the profession. Gary works in a full spectrum of properties from Urban Condos, Thru Urban Residential, Including Luxury as well as Rural and Waterfront Recreational Properties. Gary is fluent in the Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Suburban areas North, West and East of Toronto markets. Gary has lived in both Toronto and Vancouver and has spent a great deal of time in Montreal as his wife is a Montreal Native. When not advising in Real Estate Gary keeps active as a Recreational Coach of Alpine Skiing (Internationally Certified) and pursues a number of other sporting activities when time permits. Gary’s Equestrian pursuits gives him holistic knowledge of Equestrian Properties thru out Southern Ontario, a niche area that Gary is known for. Educated at the University of Toronto, he has a science degree specializing in Psychology.
Tanya Vakil Fernandes
Second Passport Expert – Real Estate Broker
Talk to Tanya, and you will experience her enthusiasm & passion for real estate that she seamlessly integrates with her professional interior design skills, resonating through the homes she sells. Tanya believes that her client experience is the Keystone of her success. Tanya is an active member within the community, strongly aligned with the Milton Chamber of Commerce & believes in supporting local businesses. She endorses the importance of sport that has taught her to set goals, persevere & sharpen her competitive edge, essential skills for a successful deal maker! Giving back to the community she lives in is a priority for Tanya, where she helps raise funds for the 101 Women Who Care supporting over 30 local charities.
Arielle Alipio
Second Passport Expert - Canadian Taxes & Bookkeeping
Arielle immigrated to Canada from the Philippines via Hong Kong. Within six months she launched her own business, Fix My Books, which provides bookkeeping services to start-ups and SME’s across both Canada and the US. Arielle knows that bookkeeping and accounting is not everyone’s cup of tea, but love it or hate it, there are only two certainties in life – death and taxes. She has a broad range of clients across a variety of industries and sectors, including but not limited to Restaurants, Book Publishing, Ecommerce, Fashion & Apparel, IT & Systems and Real Estate. Arielle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Sciences (Honors) from De La Salle University and a Small Business Bookkeeping Certificate (Honors) from Loyalist College. She is also a QuickBooks Online Pro Advisor as well as a Member of the Canadian Institute of Bookkeeping and as a lifelong learner she is currently working towards a Certified Bookkeeper designation.
Michael G. Goldfarb, CPA, CA is a Manager at MNP LLP
Second Passport Expert – Canadian Accountant
Mike works in the Real Estate and Construction practice as well as has extensive work with small businesses, high net worth and exempt market dealers. Mike takes a personal approach to dealing with clients and spends time to understand their business and personal situation to best understand your needs. Mike takes ownership of his clients work and follows through coordinating with all aspects of the work including US and foreign tax, he really understands how small business work and in addition to being an accountant is also a small business advisor. Mike graduated from the Schulich School of Business at York University in 2013 with a BBA in accounting and responsible business, he enjoys sailing in the summer both racing and for pleasure being an active member of both IYC and ABYC in Toronto, skiing in the winter and spending time with family at the cottage.
Aldrin R. Fernandes, CBI, M&AP
Second Passport Expert – Business Broker
Aldrin Fernandes is the president of AR Business Brokers which specializes in the selling Main Street and Mid-Market businesses with revenue from $200K to $10M. Our team of highly experienced professionals have collectively listed and sold hundreds of businesses from a range of industries. With first-hand experience as an immigrant, Aldrin emerged with AR Business Brokers to assist clients in the buying and selling of businesses, just as he has done himself. Aldrin is a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) and Certified Mergers & Acquisitions Professional (CM&AP), which demonstrates his dedication and professionalism to this industry. Every year since 2016, Aldrin and ARBB has received the Chairman’s Circle Award and the Deal Maker Award from the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA).