uOttawa Law Students guiding Sponsors through Refugee Process

Law students in Sponsorship Support Program.

A group of law students at the University of Ottawa is learning first-hand how to help resettle refugees.

It's a unique course, guiding sponsors through the complicated legal process.  And for a couple of the students, it hits particularly close to home.

University is usually about lectures, studying and school work.  But the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program is hands-on.

‘It’s very exciting, moving, there’s obviously a sense of urgency,’ says Mayoori Malankov.

Malankov is one of 15 law students who applied for and were chosen to be part of a unique course at the University of Ottawa. It is giving them training to help guide others through the complicated process of sponsoring refugees.

For Assma Basalamah, there is a personal connection. The fourth year law student tried two years ago to sponsor some Syrian family members including her grandmother, aunt and cousins.

‘And having seen how complex the procedure is and how important it is for people who have the goodwill to get some guidance on sponsorship, I really wanted to part of this,’ says Basalamah.

Each student is paired with a lawyer and two clients.

Mayoori Malankov is working with Canadians who are trying to sponsor their family members in Syria.

Malankov was a refugee herself and at 2-years-old came to Canada with thousands of other Tamils fleeing conflict in their country.

‘I like to believe that having personal insight and connection to this helps my ability to connect with the people that are involved,’ says Malankov.

The course has proven to be so successful, other law schools have gotten on board.

Emily Bates is the Director of Refugee Hub.  The Sponsorship Support Program is one of its initiatives.

‘As a law student, you get to be engaged in the legal issues of a case,’ says Bates of what law students get out of the course, ‘Is this person a refugee? How can we think about the legal definition of this? But also you get to work with a client who has a problem you can help solve and that's really valuable.’

Basalamah hopes her work here will help her help others; maybe even her own family.