Free Legal Help for Newcomers in Northern Ontario

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO)

LAO is the province-wide source of free legal help for low-income Ontarians. It covers refugee claims, immigration appeals, criminal charges, family law (custody, child protection, domestic violence), and some mental-health and poverty-law matters.

Phone: 1-800-668-8258 (Mon–Fri 8 am – 5 pm)
Free interpretation in 200+ languages
Web: legalaid.on.ca

Income eligibility is updated annually. As of March 2025, the threshold for a criminal certificate is around $45,440 gross household income (up to 4 people) with an asset cap of $15,000. Larger families have a higher threshold. Refugee claimants are eligible regardless of income for the claim itself.

LAO Refugee Law Office

The Refugee Law Office (RLO) handles Basis of Claim form preparation, Refugee Protection Division hearings, Refugee Appeal Division, and Federal Court reviews. Based in Toronto but serves Ontario-wide via referrals.

Phone: 416-977-8111 (or 1-800-668-8258)

Community legal clinics in Northern Ontario

Each region has a free clinic for low-income residents covering tenant rights, social assistance, employment insurance, human rights, and consumer/debt issues.

Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic (Thunder Bay) — 86 S. Cumberland St · (807) 344-2478 · 1-888-373-3309 · kalc.ca · satellite offices in Marathon and Geraldton. Does not handle immigration — refer to LAO.
Sudbury Community Legal Clinic — 40 Elm St, Unit 272 · (705) 674-3200 · 1-800-697-8719 · English and French · 200-language interpretation
Algoma Community Legal Clinic (Sault Ste. Marie) — 477 Queen St E, Suite 301 · (705) 942-4900 · algomalegalclinic.com

Pro Bono Ontario hotline (free 30-min advice)

Free 30-minute legal consultations for civil law matters — lawsuits, employment, housing, debt, small business or non-profit issues. Does not cover family law, immigration, or criminal — use LAO for those.

Phone: 1-855-255-7256 (Mon–Fri 9 am – 5 pm)
Web: probonoontario.org/hotline

Law Society Referral Service (LSRS)

Free 30-minute consultation with a lawyer or paralegal. You request through an online form (or by phone if in crisis), and a lawyer in your needed area calls back within 3 business days.

Online: findlegalhelp.ca
Crisis phone: 1-855-947-5255 (Mon–Fri 9 am – 5 pm)

Steps to Justice and CLEO — self-help guides

Both run by Community Legal Education Ontario, free, no login. They have plain-language step-by-step guides on immigration, refugee law, family, housing, employment, and human rights.

stepstojustice.ca — searchable how-to guides
cleo.on.ca — newcomer publications in multiple languages

Beware: ghost immigration consultants

This is the single biggest legal scam targeting newcomers in Canada. "Ghost consultants" charge thousands of dollars to file IRCC applications without disclosing they're representing you — leaving you on the hook for any errors and the consultant unaccountable. IRCC has flagged hundreds of unauthorized practitioners and removed thousands of fake sites in the past year.

Red flags:

Promises of "guaranteed" PR or visa
Pressure to pay quickly, in cash, or via e-transfer to a personal account
Refusing to provide a written retainer agreement or licence number
Filing applications under your name without listing themselves as your representative
WhatsApp / Facebook only — no verifiable business address
"Express Entry boost for $10,000" — points cannot be bought
Job offers tied to LMIAs that seem too good to be true (often human-trafficking related)

How to verify before paying anyone

Only three categories of people can legally charge for IRCC representation:

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) — verify on register.college-ic.ca (status must be "Active" + "Entitled to Practise: Yes")
Canadian lawyers in good standing with their provincial law society (Law Society of Ontario for ON: lso.ca)
Quebec notaries in Quebec

If they don't appear in one of those registries, walk away. Report suspected fraud to IRCC at canada.ca/immigration-fraud or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

Court support — duty counsel

If you have to appear in court without a lawyer, free duty counsel can give same-day advice at the courthouse. Means-tested at the court — bring proof of income.

Thunder Bay Courthouse: 125 Brodie St N · Criminal Duty Counsel office (807) 345-1972
Family Duty Counsel at most courthouses for unrepresented parties on custody, support, and child-protection issues

Specific legal needs — quick map

I need help with…	Best first call
Refugee claim or appeal	LAO Refugee Law Office (1-800-668-8258)
Immigration / sponsorship / status	LAO + verified RCIC or lawyer (never a "ghost")
Tenant being evicted or landlord won't fix things	Local clinic — Kinna-aweya / Sudbury / Algoma
Wage theft or unfair dismissal	Local clinic + Pro Bono hotline
Family law / custody / child protection	LAO + Family Duty Counsel
Criminal charges	LAO + Criminal Duty Counsel
Domestic violence (and immigration tied to abuser)	LAO + see our DV support guide
Need a self-help guide first	Steps to Justice

Local services across Northern Ontario

Verified entries from settlement.org and 211 Ontario directories. Confirm hours and intake before visiting.

Thunder Bay

Newcomer Legal Clinic — Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, Suite 3005A, Thunder Bay. 807-346-7800. Free legal help on immigration, refugee, and citizenship matters for Northwestern Ontario residents.
Legal Aid Ontario — Thunder Bay District Office — 114 Centennial Square, Thunder Bay. 807-346-2950 · toll-free 1-800-393-8140. Legal aid certificates, duty counsel coordination. Criminal Duty Counsel located at 125 Brodie Street North.

Greater Sudbury

Sudbury Community Legal Clinic — 40 Elm Street, Unit 272, Sudbury. 705-674-3200 · toll-free 1-800-697-8719. Tenant rights, social assistance appeals, employment law, human rights — free for low-income residents.

Sault Ste. Marie

Algoma Community Legal Clinic — 477 Queen St E, Suite 301, Sault Ste. Marie. 705-942-4900 · toll-free 1-800-616-1109. Tenant rights, social assistance appeals, immigration referrals, employment law.
Sault Ste. Marie Legal Aid / Duty Counsel — 426 Queen St E, Sault Ste. Marie. 705-942-8448. Criminal and family duty counsel, legal aid certificates. General LAO line 1-800-668-8258.

North Bay

Nipissing Community Legal Clinic — 107 Shirreff Avenue, Suite 214, North Bay. 705-476-6603. Tenant rights, ODSP/Ontario Works, EI, CPP disability, WSIB. Serves Nipissing district including North Bay, Sturgeon Falls, Mattawa. Mon–Fri 8:30–4:30.
Legal Aid Ontario — North Bay Office — 360 Plouffe St, North Bay. 705-497-1184. Legal aid certificates, criminal and family duty counsel, refugee and immigration legal aid eligibility.

Timmins

Timmins-Temiskaming Community Legal Clinic — 3 Pine St S, Suite 202, Timmins. 705-267-0300 · toll-free 1-866-382-0300. ODSP, Ontario Works, tenant rights, employment, immigration matters. Satellite offices in Matheson, Iroquois Falls, Kirkland Lake, New Liskeard.
Legal Aid Ontario — Timmins Area Office — 3 Pine St S, Suite 201, Timmins. 705-264-9472 · toll-free 1-800-319-7314. Legal aid certificates, criminal duty counsel, family law assistance for low-income clients.

Sources & references: Local services cross-referenced with settlement.org (OCASI's Ontario newcomer directory) and 211 Ontario. Confirm current hours and intake before visiting.

Next steps

Identify which type of help you need (immigration, tenant, family, etc.)
Call the right first contact from the table above
If you might pay anyone for immigration help, verify them on CICC register first
Browse Steps to Justice while you wait

DON'T LIVE NEAR A SETTLEMENT OFFICE?

Call the regional org for your area.

Settlement workers will register you by phone or video and help you find local supports. There's no requirement to live in the same town as the office — these services are funded for all of Northern Ontario.

See all settlement services →

Last reviewed: April 2026. LAO income thresholds update annually. Always confirm on legalaid.on.ca before assuming eligibility.

Free and low-cost legal help