Arif Virani

Virani's roots are in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India although he was born in Kampala.^[2] Virani is a multilingual Ismaili Muslim who came to Canada as a refugee from Uganda after the expulsion of Indians from that country.^[3] Upon arriving in Canada in 1972, his family was taken in by the YMCA in Montreal.^[4] His family then became more permanently established in Toronto.^[3] Virani spent his childhood growing up in the Flemingdon Park and Willowdale neighbourhoods.^[4]

Virani began his legal career by articling for Fasken Martineau DuMoulin in 1999.^[5] Following this, he worked in London, United Kingdom for a year with the support of the Harold G. Fox scholarship.^[5] This scholarship for recent graduates of the Bar Admission Course allows for a pupilage with leading barristers at the Inns of Court in London.^[8][9]

In 2003, he went on to work as a lawyer for the constitutional law branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.^[5][10] During his time with the Ontario constitutional law branch, he appeared in one case at the Supreme Court of Canada.^[11]

He does not currently practise law, as he serves in his role as a Member of Parliament.^[12] He remains an L1 class licensed lawyer according to the Law Society of Ontario.^[12] This means he is "entitled to practise law in Ontario as a barrister and solicitor".^[13]

Virani lives in Roncesvalles Village in Toronto with his wife Suchita Jain, originally from London, Ontario, and their two sons.^[3][14]