Who we can help

The Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic (“IRLC”) provides free legal advice and representation to low-income residents of British Columbia with immigration and refugee legal matters. If you are facing a legal issue that has to do with your immigration status in Canada, we may be able to give you advice and, in some limited situations, legal representation.

Getting advice

We offer legal advice to people who are in Canada with temporary or no immigration status and who would face serious harm if they are forced to leave Canada. We can usually offer legal advice in the following types of situations:

  • You are afraid of returning to your country of origin and want to know if you can make a refugee claim in Canada.
  • You are in Canada without status or don’t know your immigration status (or you are “undocumented”) and you want to know if there is any way you can apply for permanent residency or another kind of immigration status.
  • You have faced family violence in Canada and you are worried about your immigration status.
  • You have received a letter from immigration requesting submissions or documents related to misrepresentation or inadmissibility. (a “procedural fairness letter”)
  • You have received documents from the Canada Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) alleging that you are inadmissible to Canada for non-compliance, misrepresentation, criminality, security reasons, etc. or otherwise instructing you to appear before them.

We may be able to give you legal advice about issues outside of what is listed above. We encourage you to contact us to learn more about our services.

Legal representation from IRLC

The IRLC aims to help people whose cases do not qualify, or are difficult to address, within the Legal Aid system. We have limited resources, so we prioritize cases of clients who cannot access other resources and who are facing imminent removal from Canada. We may be able to help represent you in the following types of situations:

  • You lost your refugee claim and you need to appeal to the Refugee Appeal Division (“RAD”) or apply for judicial review in Federal Court.
  • You lost your refugee appeal at the RAD and you need to apply for judicial review in Federal Court.
  • You lost an admissibility hearing and you need to apply for judicial review in Federal Court.
  • Your Humanitarian and Compassionate (“H&C”) application was refused and you need to apply for judicial review in Federal Court.
  • Your Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (“PRRA”) was refused and you need to apply for judicial review in Federal Court.
  • You have experienced family violence in Canada and are applying for a Temporary Resident Permit (“TRP”) for Family Violence, or your application for a TRP for Family Violence was refused.

Because we are a small clinic with limited staff, we may not be able to represent you even if you have one of these kinds of issues. If we cannot represent you, we will do our best to connect you with the right resource for your situation.

What we can’t help with

Unfortunately, we are unable to assist you if you are:

  • Living outside of BC
  • Applying for a study permit
  • Applying for a work permit or PR under most economic categories (Express Entry, International Experience Class, Canadian Experience Class, etc.)
  • Looking for representation with an application for spousal or common-law sponsorship.
  • A Canadian citizen or resident who is looking to help bring someone to Canada from another country.

How to Get Help

If you need legal help, please fill out our intake form. You can also call our office and leave a voicemail at 778-372-6583, message us on WhatsApp at 778-222-7568 or send us an email at info@irlc.ca. An intake worker will contact you as soon as possible during our intake hours (Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Pacific Time).  In order to book an appointment, we will usually need the following from you:
  • A copy of your passport or other identification.
  • A copy of your most recent immigration document (work permit, study permit, visitor record, etc.)
  • A copy of previous immigration documents, if you have them
  • Any letters or decisions you have received from Immigration, Refugees Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”), Canada Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) or the Immigration and Refugee Board (“IRB”)
  • Any other documents you have about the issue you’re facing
IRLC or its staff will never share your information without your consent. We will never share your information with government institutions including CBSA, IRCC, or the police without your consent.
Complete Intake Form