CASA helps people who came to Canada as a child or youth with their immigration law issues. CASA offers legal advice, representation, information, and referrals to those who:  

• are under the age of 25
• live in Ontario 
• arrived in Canada as a child or youth
• do not have immigration status or have temporary immigration status in Canada
• have no income or a low income   

Email CASA to schedule an appointment at: info@casacentre.ca.  

Legal Aid Ontario funds legal clinics across Ontario to provide free legal services to people with low incomes.

Community legal clinics serve people who live in their area. Some community legal clinics help with immigration and refugee problems. Search online for the clinic in your area using your postal code.

Speciality legal clinics provide services to specific groups of people. The following specialty clinics offer immigration help to the groups they serve:

• Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples
• South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario
• Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
• Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto
• HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario
• Justice for Children and Youth

These law school clinics help people in Toronto with some refugee and immigration issues:

• Downtown Legal Services
• Community and Legal Aid Services Program

The Centre for Refugee Children provides free services to refugee and newcomer children who:

• are unaccompanied or separated from their parents, or
• have families with complex needs.

The Centre’s services include:

• settlement support, such as help accessing housing, education, and healthcare
• case management
• legal information and referrals

To refer a child for services, fill out the referral form.

This website lists some settlement organizations that help refugees across Ontario. For example, you might be able to get help with accessing housing, medical care, education, social assistance, and legal services.

The Muslim Legal Support Centre (MLSC) is a legal clinic for Muslims who have low to modest incomes. MLSC offers free legal advice and other services in these areas:

• immigration
• family
• employment
• human rights
• housing
• criminal

To ask for legal help, you can complete MLSC’s intake form. Or you can call 416-350-2914 and leave a message for someone to call you back. MLSC also has free legal information sessions.

The Crossroads Refugee Health Clinic in Toronto provides medical services to refugee claimants during their first 2 years in Canada. The clinic’s services include: 

• diagnosing and treating acute medical issues  
• arranging appointments with specialists when necessary 
• managing chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension 
• full primary care for children including immunizations 
• pregnancy care and family planning advice  
• annual health exams 
• help with issues like sleep disorders, depression, and anxiety 

CAMH offers psychiatric consultation and possible brief culturally sensitive interventions. These services are for to refugee claimants and approved refugees during their first 3 years in Toronto. A doctor’s referral is required. 

This directory helps people find a doctor in their city who is approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to perform their immigration medical exam.

Anyone in Ontario can call Health811 or use their online chat to get free and confidential:

• health advice from a registered nurse, and
• information about other health services.

Health811 also offers the Refugee HealthLine to give information specific to refugee claimants. For example:

• where to find a service provider to help with the initial medical assessments
• referrals to other health services

You do not need to have OHIP or any immigration status to use these services. You do not need to give any personal information. Health811 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Translation is available in multiple languages. This line is not for emergencies or crises.

In Toronto, The 519 provides legal help, health and wellness programs, education, housing support, and other programming to 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

The 519 Legal Advice Clinic offers 30 minutes of free legal advice from a lawyer by phone or video conference about:

• criminal, employment, family, housing, human rights, health, income security, wills and estates, and civil law
• legal issues surrounding gender affirming care
• immigration and refugee law with a focus on sexual orientation and gender identity

The 519 also has other law-related programs like the:

• Trans ID clinic
• Mock Hearing Program for LGBTQ+ refugee claimants
• A2J Case Support Program for 2SLGBTQ+ Black, Indigenous, and racialized people who have a low income and are navigating the criminal or family law systems

For legal help, fill out the intake form, email LegalClinic@The519.org, or book a call.

The Ontario Legal Information Centre offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to anyone in Ontario, online or by phone in English or French. The centre provides legal information on any legal topic, and referrals to services. Book a meeting online or call 1-844-343-7462 if you need help.

ServiceOntario  provides access to Ontario government services. For example, with ServiceOntario, you can:

• apply for or renew a health card
• register your child’s birth
• change your name
• apply for a marriage certificate or birth certificate
• apply for a driver’s licence and renew a license or plate sticker

If you were adopted in Ontario or your child was placed for adoption, you might be able to get information from your birth and adoption records through ServiceOntario.

Use their Service Finder to see if the service you need is offered online or if you need to go to a ServiceOntario office.

This website provides newcomers who want to settle in Ontario with information and resources about:

• immigration and citizenship
• health
• employment
• education
• daily life

There is also a directory that can help you find a settlement agency near you.

LAO offers 2 hours of free advice with a lawyer to people who have experienced domestic violence and need immediate legal help. You can get legal advice about family law, refugee and immigration law, or both. Ask your local shelter or community legal clinic if they offer this service or call LAO to find out more.

LAO might also pay for a lawyer to help you if you’ve been charged with assault while trying to defend yourself against your abusive partner.

The FCJ Refugee Centre has free services for refugees and newcomers who do not have a secure or permanent right to stay. The centre can: 

• help with paperwork, translation, and interpretation
• make referrals to immigration and refugee lawyers 
• provide immigration case management for youth 
• give information about social services, skills development, and counselling 

They also provide temporary shelter for women and children, free food distribution, a primary health clinic for people without insurance, women’s programs, a youth group, and English classes. 

The centre has free information sessions about refugee hearings and appeals.

The Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic in Toronto offers free legal services to women and gender diverse people who have experienced gender-based violence. Their services include:

• family law help if you’re in an abusive relationship or have left one
• immigration and refugee law help if you’re fleeing gender-based violence, your spousal sponsorship broke down, or to separate your claim from your abusive partner
• independent legal advice and representation for survivors of sexual assault or intimate partner violence
• some criminal law supports and referrals

The Clinic also offers free:

• interpreter services 7 days a week, 24 hours a day help from family court support workers
• counselling and housing support services

For help, fill out the intake form or call the Clinic.

The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) is a community organization that helps refugees, newcomers, and victims of torture, war, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The Centre provides free:

• mental health counselling and support
• settlement services and English language and skills training
• child and youth programs

The CCVT can also arrange for professional mental health assessments and reports for use in immigration and refugee proceedings.

Service Canada is a central place to access a wide range of government services and benefits, including Employment Insurance, Old Age Security, Canada Pension Plan, Social Insurance Numbers, and passports. There are Service Canada offices across Ontario. 

JFCY is a legal clinic that provides services to people in Ontario who are younger than 18 years. JFCY can give 30 minutes of free legal advice by phone in many areas of law including criminal, education, immigration, and human rights.

They can also help people in Ontario younger than 25 years who are homeless.

If you live in the Ottawa or Champlain region and have a disability, ABLE2’s Reach Legal Referral Services may be able to help. They can refer you to a lawyer or paralegal for up to 3 hours of free legal advice in any area of law. But they cannot help with urgent legal issues.

If ABLE2 cannot help, they may refer you to community resources.

Book a meeting online, or call 613-761-9522 extension 452 or 453. You can also email reachlegalreferral@able2.org.

The Canadian Red Cross First Contact Program provides information to refugees about: 

• emergency shelter and the shelter system  
• legal services, legal aid, work permits, and an overview of the refugee process 
• social services and English classes
• health services and Interim Federal Health Program coverage 

First Contact Ontario also provides 24/7 referrals and information by phone. 

The Law Society of Ontario has an 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 cannot wait for a lawyer or paralegal to call you back, or if you do not have a call-back number, email lsrs@lso.ca. 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.

JusticeNet is a not-for-profit organization that can help people find legal services when their income is too high for legal aid and too low to afford legal fees. Their website has a list of lawyers, paralegals, and mediators who charge reduced fees based on your income and family size. You must register and pay a small fee to use their services.