
Help Me Pay Legal Fees For Refugee Claim
Donation protected
hello everyone, my name is amine, im a 19 year old LGBTQ refugee claimant in canada, ive been in canada by myself since march 30 as an international student (which i got to in the first place through a gofundme made by a friend years ago) to escape homelessness, abuse and discrimination in my home country, but that could only get me so far with paying for two semesters at the college i was attending and i risk deportation if I don't pay my tuition and continue to attend as per the conditions of my study permit, so i decided to seek refugee status (which was my intention from the beginning)
unfortunately i was denied legal aid as the liquid asset threshold for eligibility is extremely low, what caused the denial was that i had savings (raised by friends) to pay rent, so i have to pay my lawyer completely out of pocket, my lawyer laid out my expenses as such (copied from my retainer agreement)
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The retainer involves the specific work set out below:
- Refugee Application, including preparing and filing the application with the IRCC at a
block fee of $2,000 plus tax;
- If your claim is found eligible and referred to the IRB, the Refugee Hearing including
advice on supporting documents, and providing legal submissions and representations at a
block fee of $3,000 plus tax - $1,500 is payable 6 months after your claim is filed;
- Our legal fees do not include government processing fees or disbursements, such as
photocopy, printing, and courier charges, etc.;
- The balance of your legal fees must be paid at least one month prior to attending your
hearing
"
so far, ive been able to pay 1000 canadian dollars out of the $5000 + tax total, i dont have a job, ive not been able to find a job for the 8 months or so ive been here, as i was an international student, i could only work part time and no more than 20 hours a week, and no matter how many applications and visits to potential workplaces ive not been able to land a job
to exasperate things further, i live in student housing currently through a homestay, and now that im leaving my college soon as i cant pay tuition, i cant rent in student housing anymore either, so i have to move out within january 31st, and currently, i have to pay my lawyer $760 before january 7th (the 7th is the billing date for my monthly payments to my lawyer)
i dont have the means to handle all of this, i have no support network here as i dont have any family in canada, i cant secure an income, and im in a severely unstable mental state, ive not been medicated for 6 months by now and ive not been able to receive care as im not a citizen and dont have a canadian health card, plus my insurance that was paid for by my tuition fees will be expiring soon and i was not able to use it anyway because most healthcare providers did not offer direct billing, any donations received will primarily help with my outstanding legal fees so that i can focus on my other expenses and issues, thank you
Organizer

Amine F
Organizer
Barrie, ON