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Legal Aid Ontario will be closed on October 2
Please note that we will be closed on Monday, Oct. 2 to commemorate Truth and Reconciliation Day. Offices and the call centre will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

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Français LAO Client Portal
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  • Services
    • Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
    • COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
    • Our services
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • Youth legal issues
    • Legal clinics
    • How to apply
    • Find a lawyer
      • Finding the right legal aid lawyer
    • What do you think about our services?
    • Languages
    • Contact us
  • For legal professionals
    • COVID-19: Ongoing list of supports for lawyers
    • LASA 2020 process updates for lawyers
    • Changes to policies and certificate coverage
    • Roster resources
      • Audit & Compliance
      • Billing
      • Case management
      • Forms library
      • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 policies
      • Legal Aid Online
      • LAO LAW
      • Minimum experience requirements
      • More resources
    • Do legal aid work
    • Mentoring
    • Test case funding
    • News for lawyers
    • B3 Newsletters
    • Contacts for lawyers
  • Corporate
    • About
      • By-laws
      • Our clients
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Team
      • Board Advisory Committees
      • Sidney B. Linden Access to Justice Award
      • French Language Services
    • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020
      • LASA 2020 Rules and Policies
      • LASA 2020 glossary
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Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) applications

Tariff increase

Certificate hours for H&C applications and submissions have increased from 10 to 16 hours.

Note: LAO does not cover the application fees required when making applications under Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds. Those in receipt of a certificate must pay the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada filing fees ($550 per adult and $150 per child) from their own private funds.

Enhanced legal eligibility

Certificates for H&C applications and submissions are available for an expanded range of clients and circumstances including:

  • Victims of domestic abuse
  • Cases engaging the best interests of non‑citizen children (previously limited to citizens)
  • Persons facing serious human rights violations beyond the scope of refugee protection
  • Persons who elect to pursue H&C applications rather than refugee claims
  • Persons with significant mental health issues.

Note: LAO may provide coverage in other meritorious circumstances as well, on a case‑by‑case basis.

  • This form is feedback only.
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Call us toll free at 1‑800‑668‑8258 Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) for help in over 300 languages.

Current wait time: The CLSC is currently closed.

Wait times: Monday is our busiest day. For faster service, try calling Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Land acknowledgement: Legal Aid Ontario recognizes that its work, and the work of its community partners take place on traditional Indigenous territories across the province.

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