Partner Initiatives
a) The Immigration and
Refugee Legal Clinic
The Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic, hosted by ISSofBC, offers free legal advice and representation for low-income people across BC with immigration and refugee law matters. The Clinic advocates for law reform and engages in advocacy to effect widespread systemic change. The Clinic also provides mentorship to law students and junior lawyers interested in developing their careers in refugee and immigration law.
Successes included:
- Advocating for dozens of clients – including families with children, survivors of violence, and persons with disabilities – to be granted secure immigration status in Canada.
- Stopping deportations of individuals and families with children so that their legal matters could be determined.
- Representing clients in Federal Court and receiving positive decisions that will advance the law.
- Continuing to support our clients in accessing legal adjacent services, including accessing health care, food security programs and other social services, with help from our Community Legal Worker.
- Launching the Gender Violence Legal Representation Project (funded by the Racial Justice Grants Initiative) which aims to provide individuals in BC who have endured domestic, gender, or intimate partner violence with the information and resources they need to assert their independence and end cycles of abuse.
“This past year, we continued to act on the frontlines of the access to justice crisis that affects the most vulnerable members of our society. We are proud to have helped many individuals who were at risk of falling through the cracks of the legal system.”
Juilana Dalley and Darcy Golden,Clinic Co-Leads and Staff Lawyers, IRLC
Data from 2022-23
b) BC Refugee Hub
The BC Refugee Hub is a resource centre, providing access to the latest publications and relevant statistics on all refugee categories throughout BC. ISSofBC, in partnership with the Provincial Government of British Columbia, created this online resource hub to assist and empower both individuals and organizations in the refugee resettlement process.
This year, the Hub has played an important educational role in the immigration sector by providing updates on changes to the government’s immigration and refugee policies.
The Hub also organized multiple webinars and events to share resources for vulnerable newcomers, including LGTBQIA+ refugees and those suffering from physical and mental health issues.
The BC Refugee Hub dedicated special resources to championing the voices of Afghan refugees for the one-year anniversary of the fall of Kabul, helping to highlight their struggles and successes since leaving their home country.
c) Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program
Since 2016, ISSofBC has been a Sponsorship Agreement Holder working with refugee clients and corporate partners to help reunite extended family members and close friends through the PSR program.
Recently, ISSofBC has been fortunate to partner with Vancity and TELUS engaging their local employees as settlement mentors, as well as through their one-year financial sponsorship donation towards selected refugee families originating from the Middle East and African continents.
These unique partnerships with Corporate Canada are one impactful example of making a concrete difference in the growing global refugee crisis, while employee volunteers can create more welcoming and inclusive communities in BC.
In 2022 – 23, we welcomed three families.
