Immigration & refugee – Other help

Help With Immigration and Refugee rights:

Legal Advice

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO)

Legal Aid Ontario may pay for a lawyer to represent you if you are a refugee claimant or an immigrant who qualifies for legal aid services. See their website for more details, including services for refugee claimants and immigration services.

Refugee Law Offices (Legal Aid) (Toronto, Hamilton and Ottawa) help clients prepare claims for refugee status at refugee determination hearings before the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Legal Advice for Ukrainians Arriving in Canada

Pro Bono Ontario is providing free legal advice to people from Ukraine or family members of people from Ukraine inside or outside of Canada. See their website for more details or call 1-877-873-7875. Assistance is available in Ukrainian, English and French.

Legal Clinics

Barbara Schlifer Commemorative Clinic – Provides free legal services in immigration/refugee law to women victims who have experienced violence or abuse. Call 416-323-9149, ext. 234.

Centre for Spanish-Speaking Peoples – Serves low-income members of the Spanish-speaking community across Ontario. Call 416-533-8545.

Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic (CSALC) – Serves low-income, non-English-speaking members of Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian & Laotian communities living anywhere in Ontario. (Their website is in multiple languages.) Call 1-844-971-9674.

South Asian Legal Clinic – Serves Greater Toronto Area. On-site languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi and Kannada and Kashmiri. Call 416-487-6371.

Visit Legal Aid’s website to find your local clinic and see if they practice immigration law.

Legal Information

Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) provides legal information pamphlets as well as more information on their other websites:

No One is Illegal (Toronto) – see their “Know Your Rights” brochure

Government Websites

Immigration and Citizenship (Federal) – answer general questions about citizenship and immigration services and programs or applications in progress.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has an online portal for submitting applications for permanent residence. You can read more about it in CLEO’s June 2023 “On the Radar” newsletter.

Immigrate to Ontario (Provincial) – information about citizenship and immigration in Ontario, including links to resources for newcomers and foreign credential recognition.

Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada – tribunal responsible for hearing refugee claims and appeals. Their website contains guides and forms, including the Claimant’s Guide.

Settlement services:

Law reform groups:

Migrant Rights Network