How to Get Help

Legal Help

MWC provides free (pro bono) legal advocacy services to migrant workers. MWC has a Sanctuary Policy and will never share information related to immigration status with CBSA, IRCC, or police. Please see below for eligibility criteria.

Our services are available by appointment Tuesday to Saturday. Please call our office during our intake hours (Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Pacific Time) to book an appointment. If we are not able to respond to your call, please leave a voice mail message or email us at info@mwcbc.ca and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

We occasionally host walk-in clinics on Saturdays at our Vancouver office at 302-119 West Pender; all migrant workers who meet our eligibility criteria (see “Who We Can Help” section below) are welcome to attend. Our clinics are an opportunity for migrant workers to simply show up to our office and see a staff lawyer to get legal advice in the areas of employment and immigration.

If you’re interested in coming to the legal clinic, please email us at info@mwcbc.ca and send us :

  •  Your passport and work permit
  • Employment contract and other documentation
  • Any other documents you have about the issue you’re facing

If you have questions about the legal clinic or are unsure of what to bring, please give us a call in advance to discuss.

Next Saturday Walk-in Legal Clinic Dates

  • May 3
  • May 24

Who we can help

Our organization provides assistance to Migrant Workers with closed work permits, Migrant Care Workers, and Migrant Workers without status who live in British Columbia.

If you have an open work permit and are facing severe exploitation and/or sexual harassment at work, we may also be able to help you.

What we can help with

Migrant Workers Centre has limited funding; for this reason, we are often forced to prioritize clients who do not have access to other resources.

We may be able to help you with the following:

  • Provide information about  rights and obligations under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program;
  • PR applications under care giver pilot programs;
  • Work place injuries;
  • WorkSafeBC claims;
  • Missing wages and hours;
  • Poor working conditions;
  • If you’ve been forced to pay fees to get a job;
  • Labour exploitation;
  • Sexual harassment at work;
  • Getting fired from work;
  • Employment Standards Branch complaints;
  • Closed Work Permit applications;
  • Francophone Mobility Program work permit applications;
  • Open Work Permit for Vulnerable Workers;
  • Work Permit Under Special Programs;
  • Employment Insurance;
  • Judicial Reviews of Immigration applications;

We may be able to help you with issues outside of what is listed above. We encourage you to contact us to learn more about our services.

What we can’t help with

Unfortunately, we are unable to assist you if you are one of the following:

  • Refugee or refugee claimant;
  • International student;
  • Co-op permit holder;
  • Canadian Citizen;
  • Permanent resident;
  • Divorce and other family law cases;
  • Open work permit holder, including
    • Post-grad work permit;
    • International Experience Canada work permit;
    • CUAET work permit;
  • Living outside of BC;
  • Your issue happened outside of BC;
  • Applying for PR under Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds;
  • Applying for the BC Provincial Nominee Program;
  • Applying for PR under Express Entry, International Experience Class, or Canadian-Experience Class ;
  • Applying for Family Sponsorship; or
  • Applying for Canadian Citizenship.