Name of Organization: MCC Toronto
Website of Organization: https://www.mcctoronto.com/
Organization's Mandate:
MCC Toronto is a 2SLGBTQ+-affirming community organization providing support, settlement, and resettlement services to LGBTQ+ newcomers and refugees. Its refugee program supports 2SLGBTQ+ refugee claimants and sponsored refugees navigating the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) and Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) pathways, offering settlement support, referral navigation, and community connection with particular attention to trans clients and others with complex protection needs.
Project Name: Research Projects and Public Legal Education
Project Type: Legal Research - Creating produced content (e.g. research memos, brochures, podcasts, etc.)
Project Delivery: Virtual
Description of Project: MCC Toronto is a 2SLGBTQ+-affirming community organization serving LGBTQ+ newcomers and refugees. This project will support MCC Toronto's refugee resettlement program by clarifying the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) and Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) processes and producing plain-language resources to help clients better understand the pathways, their rights, and what to expect. The project stays within legal research and public legal education, and does not involve direct legal advice or client representation.
Role of Student Volunteers: This project will examine legal and practical issues related to refugee sponsorship, with a particular focus on 2SLGBTQ+ refugees. The student will prepare a legal research memorandum comparing the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) and Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) pathways. The memo will examine the relevant provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, assess how they affect 2SLGBTQ+ refugees, and identify practical steps that applicants and MCC Toronto can take to better support these clients.
A second related component of the project will focus on the evidentiary requirements for refugee sponsorship applications. The student will analyze the types of evidence required to establish key elements of a refugee claim, including identity, nationality, the basis of the refugee claim, country conditions, and membership in a particular social group (e.g., 2SLGBTQ+). The student will also identify best practices for gathering and presenting supporting documentation.
This research will then be used to create an intake guideline and evidentiary checklist that MCC Toronto can use during its client intake process, along with plain-language client-facing resources.
Role of Supervising Lawyer(s): The supervising lawyer will oversee the student’s research, provide guidance on the legal analysis, and review and approve all memoranda and resources prepared by the student before they are used by the partner organization.
Type of Law: Immigration and refugee law
Main Project Deliverable: Creating produced content (e.g. research memos, brochures, podcasts, etc.)
Number of Student Placements: 1 student
Hours per week the student volunteer(s) will be expected to work: 3-5 hours per week
Regular shifts or a flexible schedule: Weekly virtual check-ins via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with a flexible schedule arranged between the student, the supervising lawyer, and MCC Toronto. Additional communication by email as needed.
Is there a workspace provided for the student at the Organization: No.
Devices and technologies the students will be required to have: Computer, phone, internet access, Microsoft Office, Zoom/Microsoft Teams, and access to legal databases.
Is there an expectation for the student(s) to be bilingual: No
Law School Pre-Requisites: N/A.
Other Requirements or Expectations: An interest in refugee and immigration law and in serving 2SLGBTQ+ communities is an asset. Strong legal research and plain-language writing skills, discretion, and sensitivity to working with vulnerable clients’ information are valued.