what can a lawyer do refugee

Lawyers work to enforce refugee and immigrant rights in legal settings. They work to represent clients in court, give legal advice, and help complete immigration paperwork. Lawyers can represent and advocate on behalf of both individuals and groups of people.

Full Answer

Do I need a lawyer to make a refugee claim?

If you intend to make a refugee claim through the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) eligibility process within Canada, you should meet with your lawyer first. Your lawyer will help complete your BOC form to submit to the IRCC officer as part of the process of starting your refugee claim.

What kind of criminal law problems do refugees face?

Criminal law problems for both communities primarily related to theft, burglary, assault, battery, and forgery. It’s not clear to what extent refugees are victims or perpetrators, and how many cases involve juveniles versus adults.

What are my responsibilities as a refugee in the US?

As a refugee, you must be aware of your responsibilities under U.S. law. An important one is that your notify USCIS of any change in your address. You must do so within ten days of moving using Form AR-11, Alien's Change of Address Card.

How can an immigration lawyer help you?

An experienced immigration lawyer can help guide you through the process of becoming a refugee. An immigration attorney can also help you seek permanent residence if you are eligible. Ken joined LegalMatch in January 2002.

What does the law say about refugees?

Under U.S. law, a “refugee” is a person who is unable or unwilling to return to his or her home country because of a “well-founded fear of persecution” due to race, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, religion, or national origin.

What laws protect refugees?

The 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol also ensure protection of refugees against refoulement, or forcible return to a country where they face persecution, and provide them and their families with access to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights similar to those enjoyed by nationals.

What rights do refugees have under international law?

Those rights in the UN Refugee Convention essentially highlight that refugees who are fleeing to a different country should have freedom to work, freedom to move, freedom to access education, and basic other freedoms that would allow them to live their lives normally, just like you and me.

What are the six types of refugees?

Therefore, six categories of refugees and displaced persons were discerned: I) anticipating refugees/displacees; II) semi- -refugees/displacees; III) impelled refugees/displacees; IV) refugees/dis- placees of war; v) expellees; VI) ex-camp inmates refugees/displacees.

Do refugees have legal rights?

[23] The Refugee Convention contains certain rights provisions- protection from refoulement, protection against unlawful expulsion or detention, the right to employment and education, access to the courts, and freedom of movement.

Is refugee law human rights law?

The Refugee Convention is not UK immigration legislation. It is a piece of international human rights law, designed to remedy the problems that arise when people or groups of people can no longer rely on their state to protect their most fundamental rights.

What are the 5 grounds on which a person can seek protection as a refugee?

The Act states that a person has a well-founded fear of persecution if: they fear persecution for at least one of five reasons specified in the Act....The five reasonsrace.religion.nationality.membership of a particular social group, or.political opinion.

Which country accept asylum easily?

The more accepting nations include Australia and most of Western and Northern Europe—Sweden, Austria, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.

Who is responsible for refugees?

The UN agency that helps refugees is UNHCR (also known as the UN Refugee Agency), which emerged in the wake of World War II to help Europeans displaced by that conflict. UNHCR was established on December 14, 1950 by the UN General Assembly with a three-year mandate to complete its work and then disband.

Who is a famous refugee?

There are more than 25 million refugees living in the world today, according to the United Nations. Some have become so successful that they're international celebrities, like Mila Kunis, Regina Spektor, and Madeleine Albright. Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

Who are not refugees?

Becoming a refugee begins with requesting asylum while outside one's own country. It is important to remember that an asylum seeker is not a refugee and might not become one. A person may enter a country with the intention of claiming asylum, either as an individual or as part of a large group fleeing violence.

What is a sentence for refugee?

(1) The refugee problem has now reached immeasurable proportions. (2) Many of the refugee villages are in isolated areas. (3) Dysentery and malaria are rife in the refugee camps. (4) The author portrays life in a refugee camp very vividly.

What is the LAO office?

LAO staff office. A community legal aid clinic. Clients can contact Legal Aid Ontario for more information. Call us at 1‑800‑668‑8258 (toll‑free), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., or visit the refugee and immigration law and services for refugee claimants section of this website.

What is a panel in legal aid?

All lawyers who represent legal aid clients must belong to the panel (s) for the type (s) of law they practice. Panel standards help ensure that legal aid clients receive high‑quality services.

How to contact legal aid Ontario?

Clients can contact Legal Aid Ontario for more information. Call us at 1‑800‑668‑8258 (toll‑free), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., or visit the refugee and immigration law ...

Can lawyers come in and save the day?

It can be very easy for well-meaning lawyers working with this population to come in and reinforce this power imbalance. Lawyers can come in, save the day, and have really good legal results but end up being very disempowering to the community.

Do immigrants question lawyers?

Immigrants, even more than American-born folks, tend to think that lawyers have all the answers and that they should not question their lawyers.

Do immigrant communities have legal services?

There are only a few organizations that provide legal services to immigrant communities in general . Those organizations have mastered legal services and other complementary services for Latino and European immigrant communities, but not Black immigrants. When there are limited legal services in general, refugees and immigrants from African ...

How long do you have to notify USCIS of a change of address?

As a refugee, you must be aware of your responsibilities under U.S. law. An important one is that your notify USCIS of any change in your address. You must do so within ten days of moving using Form AR-11, Alien's Change of Address Card.

What is the ORR program?

The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), in partnership with various nonprofit agencies and volunteers, will provide you with certain benefits from the day you arrive in the United States. These may include help with things like finding and furnishing an apartment, getting acquainted with the bus and public transport system in your area, ...

How long do I have to file an I-730?

There is a deadline: You must file the form I-730 for each qualifying family member within two years of the date you entered the U.S. as a refugee. If you have missed that date, talk to an attorney. It is possible for USCIS to make an exception and extend this time period for humanitarian reasons.

What age do you have to be to be a refugee?

If you are a male refugee between the ages of 18 and 26, you must register for the U.S. Selective Service – that is, the list of people who may be called upon in a military draft.

How long does it take to get a green card for a refugee?

A refugee will need to wait one full calendar year before beginning the process of applying for U.S. lawful permanent residence (a green card). You'll apply using a procedure known as " adjustment of status ."

What is the purpose of ORR?

These may include help with things like finding and furnishing an apartment, getting acquainted with the bus and public transport system in your area, enrolling your children in school, finding a doctor, learning English, and hunting for a job.

Do I need a refugee passport if I already have a passport?

However, even if you already have your own passport, you will need to get a Refugee Travel Document for use when reentering the United States. You can apply for this by filing USCIS Form I-131. It's available for free download on the I-131 Application for Travel Document page of the USCIS website.

What are the legal problems faced by Syrian refugees?

Within the refugee communities, what stands out is the large number of legal problems faced by Syrians involving marriage, divorce, alimony, and child custody as compared to Palestinians.

What is the most common problem faced by Syrians?

Access to alimony and child support is the most common type of problem faced by Syrians, primarily poor women. Alimony and child support are financial transfers meant primarily to ensure the basic needs of children are met. If payments are not made, female-headed households are more likely to be in poverty;

Why is understanding the legal problems of refugees important?

Understanding the legal problems of refugees will remain important. If left unaddressed, these problems can undermine the effectiveness of humanitarian and development assistance provided to refugees. They may also exacerbate tensions between refugees and their host communities.

Which country is more likely to have legal problems related to refugee status?

Syrians were much more likely to have legal problems related to refugee status, namely access to civil and refugee registration documents, and deportation. The legal framework that applies to Palestinians perhaps provides more security;

What are the criminal law problems for both communities?

Criminal law problems for both communities primarily related to theft, burglary, assault, battery, and forgery. It’s not clear to what extent refugees are victims or perpetrators, and how many cases involve juveniles versus adults.

Do Syrians have problems with marriage?

Syrians are much more likely to experience problems related to proof of marriage; basically, marriages conducted in Syria. This has consequences for newborn children, who cannot be properly registered without proof their parents are married; Legal problems around divorce are also more common for Syrian women.

Do refugees have legal problems?

Like other vulnerable people, refugees are likely to encounter legal problems . These problems are often linked directly to their displacement, but also reflect general problems poor people encounter related to family, civil, and criminal matters. The longer the displacement, the more legal problems that tend to arise, ...

What can a lawyer do for a student?

A lawyer may provide legal advice about a person's ability to obtain a work visa in another country for a specified period of time. If a student is studying abroad, then he or she may want to consult with a immigration attorneys for the appropriate visa. An immigration attorney also helps people obtain citizenship through naturalization.

What is the best way to get citizenship?

Applying For Citizenship. An immigration lawyer can be very helpful when you are applying for citizenship from another country. The process of applying for citizenship can be very complex and time-consuming. A lawyer helps you gather the documentation you need to become a citizen.

Why do you need an immigration lawyer?

An immigration attorney also helps ensure that you are handling the process with as much efficiency as possible. He or she will try to avoid any delays in helping you obtain your citizenship.

What Are The Refugees’ Rights?

Who Can Be A Refugee?

Should I Contact A Lawyer About My Status as A Refugee?

• The field of international law is very broad and potentially confusing. An experienced immigration lawyercan help guide you through the process of becoming a refugee. An immigration attorney can also help you seek permanent residence if you are eligible.

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