Access to Justice for Refugee Claimants
The “Access to Justice for Refugee Claimants: Measuring the Impact of Refugee Legal Aid Funding in Canada” project (2020-2021) seeks to examine access to justice for refugee claimaints in Canada. This project is funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) research grant.
This project is a collaborative research initiative between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS), the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Migration and Integration, and the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ). The primary objective of this project is to offer a timely and important investigation into the extent and impact of accessible justice services for refugee claimaints in Canada.
Legal representation by high quality counsel is integral to Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB ) efficiency and for maintaining public trust in Canada’s asylum system. Access to counsel also significantly affects the rights of refugee claimants to a fair and efficient process – core guarantees under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This project will use empirical research methods to gather and examine quantitative and qualitative data relating to legal aid for refugees with a goal to understanding the level of support available to refugee claimants through the legal system.
Research Alliance
Principal Investigator
Craig Damian Smith, Ph.D.
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Project Partners