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Immigration Refugee Legal Clinic (IRLC) transitions from ISSofBC to CLCOS-BC

Marking ISSofBC’s and the Law Foundation’s role in launching and supporting the clinic over its first years.

On February 1, 2025, the Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic (IRLC), which provides free legal advice and representation for low-income people in BC with immigration and refugee legal matters, will transition to a new host, the Community Legal Clinic Operating Society of British Columbia (CLCOS-BC).   

IRLC is a program funded by the Law Foundation of BC (“LFBC”). It was established in 2019 by Immigrant Settlement Services of BC (ISSofBC), which has hosted the program for the past six years. 

CLCOS-BC was established in 2023 as an umbrella organization for community-based legal clinics and currently hosts two legal clinics in the Okanagan region. Its goal is “to establish, maintain, and operate not-for-profit community legal clinics in various regions of British Columbia for the benefit of people in those regions.” 

This transition will enable the IRLC to continue to deliver, quality, direct service to low-income people across BC dealing with complex and urgent immigration and refugee law issues in a more coordinated way with other community legal clinics serving different populations.   

Since IRLC’s inception in 2020, ISSofBC and IRLC are proud to have achieved the following: 

  • Advocating for hundreds 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. 
  • Providing timely legal advice to over 100 survivors of gender-based violence fleeing abusive relationships through its Gender Violence Legal Representation Project. 
  • Participating in systemic legal advocacy including undertaking strategic litigation to advance the rights of vulnerable people such as children and survivors of torture.  

The contact information and location of the clinic remain unchanged: 

103 – 2610 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, BC V5N 4L2 

Email: info@irlc.ca 

Jonathan Oldman, CEO, ISSofBC 

“We are proud of the IRLC’s successful evolution, seeing this transition as a natural progression. ISSofBC has a long-standing tradition of fostering growth, helping new settlement-focused services to become established, thrive, and eventually operate independently as anchors in their communities. Our partnership with IRLC embodied our core values of learning through action and driving innovation.” 

We are excited to continue to collaborate with the clinic in the future to enhance access to legal services and advocate for the legal rights of immigrants and refugees. Our gratitude extends to the Law Foundation and the Ministry of the Attorney General for providing the opportunity to establish this vital community legal clinic for low-income newcomers.” 

Omar Chu (Acting Clinic Director, IRLC) 

“We are grateful for our partnership with ISSofBC, which has allowed us to take action at the forefront of the access to justice crisis affecting the most vulnerable members of our society. Through this collaboration, we have proudly supported countless individuals at risk of falling through the cracks of the legal system.” 

As we transition to the Community Legal Clinic Operating Society of British Columbia (CLCOS-BC), we are pleased to continue providing high-quality, direct services to low-income individuals across BC facing complex and urgent immigration and refugee law challenges and to work more closely with other community legal clinics across the province. “ 

Odette Dempsey-Caputo, Executive Director, CLCOSBC 

“We wish to express our gratitude to ISSofBC for hosting the Immigration and Refugee Legal Clinic and supporting its growth into a vital resource for individuals navigating complex immigration and refugee matters. At CLCOSBC, we recognize the expanding impact IRLC will have in addressing the legal needs of vulnerable communities. We look forward to collaborating with their dedicated and growing team to ensure greater access to justice and making a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of those we serve.” 

Josh Paterson, Executive Director, Law Foundation of BC 

On behalf of the Law Foundation, we extend our gratitude to ISSofBC for their dedication to launching and sustaining this vital program that provides legal support to people experiencing some of the most difficult circumstances in their lives. We celebrate all that has been achieved and wish the IRLC team continued success as the program transitions to CLOCBC.