Can I get legal aid for my refugee claim in Quebec?
In the United States? This answer is Québec and Canadian law. The US side of this site answers different questions, state by state: different law, and different coverage. Go to the US side
Short answer
In Quebec, legal aid covers immigration law, including preparing a refugee claim; eligibility depends on your financial situation according to the scales set out in the legislation, and it is the legal aid office that assesses it.
In detail
The Gouvernement du Québec presents legal aid for asylum seekers as one of the available services, for preparing the refugee claim.
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, for its part, publishes a list of legal aid offices by province, precisely so that people involved in proceedings before it can contact them.
Eligibility is assessed file by file, based on your income, your assets and your liquid funds. It is better to call early: hearing dates at the Immigration and Refugee Board are set independently of your search for a lawyer.
What to document
Your proof of income and expenses, the composition of your household, the date of your legal aid application, the name of the office you contacted, and your hearing date if it is already known.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
Open the application Up to 3 files, no card · see the plans
And to put it in order: our free tools · number your exhibits, set your facts in date order, request a copy of your file. No account, and nothing leaves your browser.
Official sources
- Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada · List of legal aid offices
- Gouvernement du Québec · Asylum seekers
Related questions
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- Can I sponsor my partner if we are not married?
- What proves my relationship is genuine for a sponsorship?
- Can I apply for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate grounds?
- My permanent resident card has expired have I lost my status?
See all the answers · the full guide collection · Lire en français
What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.