Refugees will no longer be covered by legal aid for appeals and federal court reviews of negative and allegedly wrongful asylum and deportation decisions as of this week. In a letter released late Monday, Legal Aid Ontario CEO David Field said the agency has suspended paying for new legal services for immigration and refugee clients, except for the preparation of asylum claim forms. The move comes after Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government announced cuts in Thursday’s provincial budget to refugee and immigration cases — part of a 30 per cent or $133 million reduction to Legal Aid Ontario’s annual budget. David Field, CEO of Legal Aid Ontario, says in a letter released Monday evening that the agency has suspended paying for new legal services for immigration and refugee clients, in the wake of provincial government budget cuts. In a joint statement released Monday evening, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and Ontario Refugee Lawyers Association said refugees are among the most vulnerable people Legal Aid Ontario serves.

Source: thestar April 15, 2019 23:48 UTC