The Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation is proud to announce the launch of IARC Plus, a wrap-around legal services initiative in partnership with Immigration Advice and Rights Centre (IARC).
The wrap around service will provide free civil law advice and assistance to vulnerable migrants.
IARC is an independent community legal centre specialising in immigration law. The majority of their work is assisting vulnerable migrants with partner visas, carer visas, child visas and protection visas. Most of their work involves assisting women on partner visas where there is a history of domestic or family violence.
IARC lawyers have identified over the last few years that there was an unmet need for civil law advice among vulnerable migrants while there was an increasing significance of 'good character' tests in Australian immigration and citizenship law. Previously, the immigration department's focus on 'character' was with regard to criminal convictions. However, a person can now be found not to be of 'good character' simply based upon her or his "past and present general conduct".
To properly assist their clients with their immigration matter, IARC have partnered with Colin Biggers & Paisley to establish a wrap-around civil law service.
Each Monday, our lawyers attend the IARC office to provide civil legal advice on:
- Insurance
- Debts owed to the Commonwealth
- Unpaid bills
- Centrelink disputes
- Fines
- Employment
- Complaints to the human rights commission and ombudsman
- Victims compensation.
This partnership is consistent with Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation core objective to promote and protect the rights of women and children in Australia and abroad.