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Programs and services across Ontario - Getting help in Immigration law
Programs and services across Ontario - Getting help in Immigration law
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LAO helps people with low incomes with some immigration and refugee problems. For example, you might be able to get help:
- if you’re detained for immigration reasons
- to complete a Basis of Claim form
- with your refugee hearing,
- to prepare an appeal or application for judicial review,
- with cessation or vacation hearings,
- to prepare for a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment (PRRA)
To get help from LAO, you can:
- call their free telephone line that lets you talk to a lawyer for up to 20 minutes to get information and general advice
- apply for a legal aid certificate if you have a low income and if your legal issue is one that LAO covers
- contact one of the Refugee Law staff offices in Hamilton, Ottawa, and Toronto
During the COVID-19 situation, many community legal clinics are no longer meeting with people in person, but will provide services over the phone. Call ahead for more information.
Legal Aid Ontario funds community legal clinics across Ontario to give free legal services to people with low incomes. Lawyers, community legal workers, and law students can help people with some legal problems, like social assistance, housing, and workers' rights.
To get help from a clinic:
- your legal issue must be one the clinic deals with
- you must live in the area the clinic serves
- you must have a low income
Most clinics also give brief advice or what’s called "summary advice", without asking about your financial situation. If your local clinic can't help you, they may be able to refer you to someone in your community who can.
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The Law Society of Ontario has on online Law Society Referral Service that gives you the name of a lawyer or licensed paralegal who will give free legal advice for up to 30 minutes in any area of law.
If you can’t wait for a legal representative to call you back, or if you don’t have a call-back number, email lsrs@lso.ca. Or, if you’re in crisis or in custody, call 1-855-947-5255 or 416-947-5255, Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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The Ontario Legal Information Centre offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to anyone in Ontario by telephone or in person at their Ottawa office in any area of law in English or French. You may have to leave a message, and a lawyer will call you back.
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The Centre francophone de Toronto has a legal advice line funded by LAO for people living in the Greater Toronto Area including Toronto, Halton, Durham, Peel, and York. It gives legal information and advice in French over the telephone in the areas of:
- immigration law
- housing law
- income assistance
- employment law
- consumer rights
- human rights
The advice line does not help with family law or criminal law matters.
The directory lists all lawyers and paralegals licensed to give legal services in Ontario. You can search by name, address or postal code, language, and area of law. You can also search for services offered in French and for unbundled services.
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The association has an online tool to help you find a licensed paralegal. You can search by name, area of law, and location.
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JusticeNet helps people find a legal professional if their income is too high to get legal aid but too low to afford legal fees. If your net family income is less than $59,000, they refer you to an online directory of lawyers, paralegals, and mediators who provide help at reduced rates.
JusticeNet is a non-profit organization. You must register and pay a $25 fee to use their website. They may return the fee if you don’t find a professional to work with.