Category: Uncategorized

The Refugee Law Lab is looking for a part-time junior backend developer to assist with an open source legal analytics application that we are building.

The backend developer will help us connect our application’s frontend visualizations with our relational database by writing efficient SQL and/or GraphQL queries to compute various metrics and analytics.

The position is open to current students or recently graduated students.

Core Requirements:

• Degree in progress or recently completed degree in computer science, engineering, or related fields

• Programming skills in NodeJS, GraphQL, and SQL

• Experience with relational databases such as PostgreSQL

• Experience with implementing and documenting API endpoints

• Experience with a Version Control System such as Git

• Current legal authorization to work in Canada

Assets, but not required:

• Experience in data engineering/backend development roles is an asset

• Lived experience with forced migration and/or being a member of an equity seeking group are assets

Time commitment: 5-7 hours per week for Fall Term 2022, with the possibility of additional work in the Winter Term.

Salary: $35/hr for undergraduate students, $45/hr for recent graduates

Application Deadline: Position open until filled

Application Process: Apply online with a CV, electronic copy of unofficial transcripts, and a brief cover note describing your interest in the position.

Context: The Refugee Law Lab, based at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies and Osgoode Hall Law School, is devoted to research and advocacy related to new legal technologies and their impact on refugees, other displaced communities, and people on the move. We develop datasets and legal analytics that enhance transparency in refugee law processes. We study and critique the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies by governments and private actors in the migration field. And we produce legal technology that advances the rights and interests of refugees and other marginalized people on the move.  We are committed to social justice, to interdisciplinarity, to evidence-informed policy, and to ensuring that the data, research and technologies that we produce are freely accessible to the public. We strive to work from a community-based perspective, foregrounding the lived experiences of people on the move and their interactions with technology. We have secured funding to build a free open-source legal analytics application in the refugee law field. The application uses data about Canada’s refugee determination process scraped from online sources, applies various NLP tools to extract useful information from that data, and then presents analysis of that data to assist refugee lawyers appearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board and the Federal Court.

On April 4, 2022, the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board (Member Erin Bobkin) issued a decision overturning a Refugee Protection Division (RPD) decision on the basis that the RPD Member demonstrated a reasonable apprehension of bias towards Roma refugee claimants. As Member Bobkin wrote (at para 34):

“I find that a reasonable person would conclude that this Board Member has a predisposition against Roma claimants from Romania. I find that the test for a reasonable apprehension of bias is met. The five decisions reviewed in this appeal reveal that the Member has inappropriately used boilerplate reasons and has repeatedly engaged in a pattern of credibility findings based on inappropriate considerations. Looking at these patterns along with the confrontational and sarcastic tone used in this RPD hearing, I find the test for bias is made out.”

Read the decision here.

Read a media story about the case here.

The Refugee Law Lab, hosted at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies and Osgoode Hall Law School, is looking for a Part-Time Student Backend Developer.

The Backend Developer will join a team that currently includes a law professor, a research lawyer, a data scientist, a software engineer, and a front-end developer who are building a legal analytics app to help lawyers draw on insights from data about Canada’s refugee determination system to advance the interests of refugee claimants.

The app involves scraping data about refugee law processes from various online sources, parsing the data, applying natural language processing, and transforming the data into information that will be of use to refugee lawyers, presenting the information to refugee lawyers, and providing a secure venue for lawyers to exchange tips that relate to the information. The app will be made available free of charge to refugee lawyers and more broadly to members of the public. Wherever possible, data obtained through the project will be shared so that it can be used by other researchers.

We are seeking a backend developer who can help us develop and document a REST API to interface with databases such as PostgreSQL and MongoDB.

Core Requirements:

• Degree in progress in computer science, engineering, or related fields at any Canadian university
• Programming skills in Python, JavaScript, Node
• Experience with documenting REST API endpoints
• Experience with Git
• Current legal authorization to work in Canada

Assets, but not required:

• Experience with FastAPI and/or SQLAlchemy
• Interest in leveraging technology to advance the interests of displaced people and other marginalized groups
• Interest in contributing to open-source technologies

Pay, hours & location:

• $40/hr (inclusive of 4% vacation pay)
• This is a part time position with flexible work hours. We anticipate a total level of effort at around 120 hours, with approximately 10 hours per week for the first 8 weeks of the contract, followed by 5 hours per month as we move into the launch face of the project.
• Start date: as soon as possible.
• End date: 31 December 2022
• Work is remote
• Additional work may become available, as the Refugee Law Lab is growing quickly.

Application Process: Apply online with a CV and a brief cover note describing your interest in the position by Feb 7 at 5:00pm EST.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 23, 2021

LAW PROFS & CONSUMER ADVOCATES TO INVESTIGATE RACIAL PROFILING OF AIR PASSENGERS

Announcement: New funding received by York University’s Refugee Law Lab to work with Air Passenger Rights and University of New Brunswick law professor to investigate racial profiling by Canadian government at airports abroad

Toronto, ON, (November 23, 2021) – York University’s Refugee Law Laboratory is delighted to announce that it has received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to work with Air Passenger Rights, Canada’s independent nonprofit consumer advocacy group for air travellers, and University of New Brunswick law professor Benjamin Perryman, to undertake a joint research project about the Canadian government’s use of racial profiling to prevent some people from travelling to Canada.

In 2016, the Canadian government made it mandatory for Canada-bound air travellers to get pre-authorization for their travel. Before boarding a plane, non-Canadian citizens must apply for and receive an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). An eTA is a mini-visa granted by a largely automated system. Each applicant is digitally cross-referenced against lists of “threats” to Canada’s security and the integrity of its immigration system. If a person is on a list, they are not issued an eTA and not allowed to board a plane. The eTA is part of a Beyond the Border strategy that extends the effective border beyond Canada’s territorial limits. One of the purposes of this strategy is to prevent the arrival in Canada of refugee claimants.

Air Passenger Rights, in the context of ongoing litigation, has discovered that the Canadian government appears to be racially profiling travellers and cancelling their eTAs to deboard perceived refugees from planes. Using targeting methodologies, private airline security forces and overseas enforcement officers search out indicators that a person will make a refugee claim once they arrive. One particularly problematic indicator is whether passengers are associated with refugees — implying that the Canadian government views passengers who associate with refugees as unwelcome. If there are enough indicators, the otherwise legitimate eTA is revoked and the door to Canada is closed. APR has painstakingly obtained documentary evidence showing that Hungarian Roma passengers are disproportionately screened and deboarded. This appears to be part of a longer-term trend of racial discrimination towards Hungarian Roma passengers that precedes the establishment of the eTA. 

“There is a long history in Canada and in Europe of racial discrimination against members of Roma communities,” said Professor Sean Rehaag, Director of York University’s Refugee Law Laboratory. “This research project is necessary because the Canadian government continues to strenuously fight the release of information about the eTA program and how that program is applied to Roma passengers”, he added.

This project, which received $19,854 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnership Engage Grant competition, will support research into this practice and explore whether Canada’s actions contravene domestic and international law.

# # #

ABOUT AIR PASSENGER RIGHTS

Air Passenger Rights is an independent, nonprofit organization of volunteers working to make the travelling public aware of its rights and capable of enforcing them. The organization’s mission is to turn helpless passengers into empowered travelers through education, advocacy, investigation, and litigation.

ABOUT THE REFUGEE LAW LABORATORY

The Refugee Law Laboratory, based at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies and Osgoode Hall Law School, undertakes research and advocacy related to new legal technologies and their impact on refugees, other displaced communities, and people on the move.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Gabor Lukacs
President
Air Passenger Rights
lukacs@airpassengerrights.ca

Benjamin Perryman
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Law
University of New Brunswick
benjamin.perryman@unb.ca 

Simon Wallace
Research Lawyer & PHD Candidate
Refugee Law Laboratory & Osgoode Hall Law School
York University
simonwallace@osgoode.yorku.ca

The Refugee Law Lab is seeking a part-time Osgoode JD research assistant. The successful candidate will assist the Lab by:

(a) Participating in brainstorming and planning meetings
(b) Assisting with preparing grant applications and manuscripts, including preparing research memoranda and copy editing
(c) Helping with legal data collection / data cleaning for Lab projects, including for the Refugee Law Lab Reporter

The position is open to JD students in all years at Osgoode Hall Law School (as of Fall 2023)

Context: The Refugee Law Lab, based at York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies and Osgoode Hall Law School, is devoted to research and advocacy related to new legal technologies and their impact on refugees, other displaced communities, and people on the move. We develop datasets and legal analytics that enhance transparency in refugee law processes. We study and critique the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies by governments and private actors in the migration field. And we produce legal technology that advances the rights and interests of refugees and other marginalized people on the move.  We are committed to social justice, to interdisciplinarity, to evidence-informed policy, and to ensuring that the data, research and technologies that we produce are freely accessible to the public. We strive to work from a community-based perspective, foregrounding the lived experiences of people on the move and their interactions with technology.

Supervisor: Sean Rehaag (RLL Director)

Time: up to 10 hours per week hours per week for the Fall Term (hours are flexible and we can accommodate periods where the candidate is not available), with the possibility of additional work in the Winter term.

Location: Remote

Pay: $25/hr (inclusive of vacation pay)

Eligibility: Must be a current Osgoode JD student

Mandatory qualifications :

• Strong legal research and writing skills

• Attention to detail

• Demonstrated interest in immigration/refugee law

Qualities that are assets but are not required:

• French language skills

• Experience with law journal editing

• Successful completion of Refugee Law (or equivalent experience through clinical programs / employment)

• Background in computer science, software engineering, data science, statistics

• Programming skills (especially Python)

• Webdesign experience (including content creation / management in WordPress)

• Lived experience with forced migration and/or being a member of an equity seeking group

Application Deadline: Sept 11 at 5:00 pm EST

Application Process: Apply online with a CV, electronic copy of unofficial transcripts, and a brief cover note describing your interest in the position.

The Refugee Law Laboratory (RLL) is looking to hire a summer Osgoode JD research assistant with an interest in refugee law. The successful candidate will assist the Lab with several ongoing projects, including law journal articles about Canada’s refugee determination system and about artificial intelligence and other new technologies in the migration law context. This position is only open to Osgoode Hall Law School students.

Supervisors: Sean Rehaag (RLL Director) & Petra Molnar (RLL Associate Director)

Time: approximately 35 hours per week for 15 weeks, May 2 to Aug 12 (dates flexible)

Location: If Covid restrictions allow in person research, then work will be hybrid in-person and remote (York University campus 3-5 days per week, Remote 0-2 days per week). If Covid restrictions do not allow in person research, then work will be remote.

Pay: $25/hr (inclusive of vacation pay)

Eligibility: Must be a current 1L/2L JD student at Osgoode Hall Law School

Expected tasks:

• Preparing legal research memoranda

• Copy-editing manuscripts, grant applications, and online materials

• Assisting with online events

• Other tasks as required

Mandatory qualities sought:

• Strong legal research and writing skills

• Attention to detail

• Interest in immigration/refugee law

Qualities that are assets but are not required:

• Ability to read in French

• Background in data science, statistics, computer science, or related disciplines

• Lived experience with migration or membership in other equity-seeking groups

Application Deadline: Feb 1 at 5:00 pm EST

Application Process: Apply online with a CV, unofficial transcripts, and a cover note describing your interest in the position.

2020 Refugee Claim Data and IRB Member Recognition Rates

The following note and the accompanying data are provided by Sean Rehaag, Director of the Refugee Law Laboratory, Director of the Centre for Refugee Studies, and Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University.

5 August 2021

Data obtained from the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) through Access to Information Requests and a data sharing agreement reveals vast disparities in refugee claim recognition rates across decision-makers in 2020. This is consistent with similar findings from prior years for Canada’s previous and new refugee determination systems.

In 2020, some Refugee Protection Division (RPD) decision-makers who decided over 30 cases granted refugee status in most of the cases they heard, including L. Houle (100.0%), J. Morin (100.0%) and F. Ramsay (100.0%). Others who decided over 30 cases granted refugee protection much less frequently, including G. Brien (1.8%), M. Rodrigue (11.1%) and P. Ariemma (12.5%).

The tables also show substantial variance for some decision-makers between the recognition rates that would be predicted based solely on the average recognition rates for the countries of origins in the cases they decided, and their actual recognition rates. For instance, R. Khalifa (predicted 48.5%; actual 79.5%), G. Pagidas (predicted 48.0%; actual 76.3%) and J-G. Jam (predicted 63.9%; actual 91.5%) had much higher recognition rates than predicted, whereas K. Gibson (predicted 71.1%, actual 15.1%), L. Stewart Ferreira (predicted 70.3%; actual 17.8%) and G. Brien (predicted 47.0%; actual: 1.8%) had much lower recognition rates than predicted. All decided at least 30 cases.

Some of the recognition rate variation observed in the data is due to specialization in particular types of cases. For example, some decision-makers specialize in geographic regions with especially high or low refugee claim recognition rates. It should also be kept in mind that to enhance efficiency the RPD has recently placed increased emphasis on streaming cases into different categories, including expedited cases that are granted based on paper reviews rather than hearings. The proportion of such claims heard by particular decision-makers may affect their recognition rates. For further possible explanations for variations in recognition rates, please see an explanatory note (also available in French) that was provided by the IRB.

The data for 2020 also includes information about outcomes on appeals at the IRB’s Refugee Appeal Division (RAD). Like the variations seen in RPD decision-making, RAD decision-makers have very different rates at which they grant appeals. For example, in RAD cases decided on the merits, claimants were much more likely to succeed in their appeals before J. Pollock (77.8%), J. Bousfield (75.9%) or C. Maxwell (69.1%) than before J. Sadek (3.8%), M. Lamani (5.5%) or M. Jobin (5.6%). All decided at least 30 cases.

A few implications of this year’s data are worth highlighting:

• The persistence of variations in recognition rates across adjudicators, combined with the devastating potential impact of false negative refugee decisions (i.e. refugees being returned to face persecution), make robust oversight mechanisms essential. Unfortunately, many refugee claimants continue to be denied access to the appeal at the IRB and are ineligible for automatic stays on removal pending judicial review at the Federal Court. This includes large numbers of claimants who transited to Canada via the United States under an exception to the Safe Third Country Agreement – even though one’s route to Canada has little to do with whether one has a well-founded fear of persecution. For further analysis, see: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2647638

• The overall success rates in RAD appeals are remarkably high. Indeed, appeals brought by claimants and decided on the merits in 2020 were granted in around a third of cases (32.3%). The fact that the RAD is correcting large numbers of claims that were wrongly denied at the RPD emphasizes the importance of this form of oversight. And it is yet another reason why all claimants – including those who have transited to Canada via the United States – must be entitled to a full appeal on the merits. For further analysis, see: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2647638

For a discussion of the methodology used to obtain the data and to calculate the statistics, as well as an analysis of the implications of similar data for a previous year, see https://ssrn.com/abstract=1468717

Note that, unlike past years, the IRB initially declined to provide the data requested in our annual Access to Information Request, pointing to the new Treasury Board Privacy Implementation Notice and the need to protect the privacy of refugee claimants. The IRB did, however, agree to enter into a data sharing agreement to facilitate this research. While we are grateful to the IRB for engaging with researchers in this way – and while we share the view that it is important to protect the privacy interests of refugee claimants – the agreement limits how much data we are able to publicly share. Thus, for example, we are not posting the raw data we obtained. We are also only posting statistics relating to outcomes in cases decided on the merits by Board Members (leaving hundreds of claims decided on other grounds out of the reported figures). We are also only posting recognition rates, rather than counts of cases and breakdowns of outcomes. If you are interested in general statistics on refugee claim outcomes, including breakdowns for all claims from particular countries, we encourage you to consult the statistics webpages of the IRB and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Tables for RPD Cases:

1.1. Outcomes by Board Member (Alphabetical)

1.1a. Outcomes by Board Member (Organized by Recognition Rate, 30+ Decisions)

1.1b. Outcomes by Board Member (Organized by RR Nominal Variance, 30+ Decisions)

1.2. Outcomes by Board Member (Excluding Paper Review & Expedited Positive Decisions) (Alphabetical)

1.2a. Outcomes by Board Member (Excluding Paper Review & Expedited Positive Decisions) (Alphabetical) (Organized by Recognition Rate, 30+ Decisions)

1.2b. Outcomes by Board Member (Excluding Paper Review & Expedited Positive Decisions) (Alphabetical) (Organized by RR Nominal Variance, 30+ Decisions)

1.3. Outcomes by Country and Board Member

1.4. Outcomes by Board Member and Country

Tables for RAD Cases:

2.1. RAD Outcomes by Board Member (Alphabetical)

2.1a RAD Outcomes by Board Member (Organized by Allowal Rate, 30+ Decisions)

To be cited as: Sean Rehaag, “2020 Refugee Claim Data and IRB Member Recognition Rates” (5 August 2021), online: https://refugeelab.ca/refugee-claim-data-2020.

NOTES:

• The data was obtained through Access to Information Request A-2020-01130 and a data sharing agreement with the IRB dated 2 June 2021.
• Tables 1.1, 1.1a, 1.1b, 1.3 and 1.4 include only cases resulting in positive (including expedited positive and paper review positive) or negative (including no credible basis) decisions, excluding cases that were abandoned, withdrawn or otherwise decided. Tables 1.2, 1.2a and 1.2b, include only cases resulting in positive (excluding expedited positive and paper review positive) or negative (including no credible basis) decisions, or where applications were withdrawn or declared abandoned, excluding cases that were abandoned, withdrawn or otherwise decided.
• All statistics (including recognition rates) include only principal applicant claims (i.e. excluding associated claims by family members of principal applicants).
• A small number of cases were decided by panels of Board Members. Only the first listed Board Member is included in the statistics.
• Country of origin averages and predicted recognition rates are calculated separately for tables that include (i.e. Tables 1.1, 1.1a, 1.1b, 1.3 and 1.4) and exclude (i.e.  Tables 1.2, 1.2a and 1.2b) expedited positive and paper review positive decisions.
• The data refers to “recognition rates”. The term “recognition rate” is used to mean the proportion, expressed as a percentage, of positive (including expedited positive) decisions relative to the total number of positive (including expedited positive and paper review positive where applicable) and negative (including no credible basis) decisions, excluding cases that are abandoned, withdrawn or otherwise resolved. This is the standard practice for reporting outcomes by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (https://www.unhcr.org/statistics), and it is the way that both “recognition rates” and “grant rates” were reported for data obtained for prior years (see links below).
• Tables 2.1 and 2.1a only include principal applicant RAD appeals brought by claimants (i.e. excluding appeals brought by the minister) that are decided on the merits (i.e. excluding appeals that are abandoned, withdrawn, not perfected, denied on jurisdictional grounds, or otherwise resolved).
• This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Sean Rehaag

Director, Refugee Law Laboratory
Director, Centre for Refugee Studies
Associate Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School
York University

Data from previous years (via Refugee Law Lab):

2019

Data from previous years (via Canadian Council for Refugees):

2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011 (Updated)
2011 (Original)
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006

The Refugee Law Lab currently has two positions available:

(1) Law Student with Advanced Coding / Data Science Skills (Application Deadline: Open until filled)

Part-time research assistant position starting any time for a current law student (JD or graduate student) at any Canadian faculty of law who is considering a career at the intersection of AI and legal practice. Advanced coding or data science skills required.

(2) Migration + Tech Monitor Fellowship (Application deadline: 15 December, 2023)

The Refugee Law Lab’s partner organization, the Migration + Tech Monitor, is now accepting applications for its 2024 MTM Fellowship program. People on the move are often left out of conversations around technological development. Like other historically marginalized communities, their lives serve as testing grounds for experimental new projects. The MTM wants to change this, by putting affected people in the driver’s seat. We offer funded fellowships to people who are externally or internally displaced, who migrated or are on the move at the moment, and to members of communities that live under occupation. We support projects in research, journalism, culture, education, and tech-in-use and look forward to brand new ideas too.

The Refugee Law Lab engages with students in several ways. We employ students as Research Assistants and students are welcome to attend Refugee Law Lab events (join our email list to hear about our events). There are also opportunities to pursue graduate studies in law (including for non-lawyer technologists) under Refugee Law Lab Director Professor Sean Rehaag‘s supervision at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Rafael Dolores, Research Assistant (ML Infrastructure Engineer)

Rafael is a Software Engineering student at York University with experience in data engineering and software development. His previous work includes enhancing data systems at Sanofi Pasteur and developing backend infrastructures for IoT devices at Johnson Controls during his second and third years. Currently, he is involved in a collaborative project with the Canadian Space Agency to develop a web application for satellite schedule optimizations. At the Refugee Law Lab, Rafael contributes by developing automated processes for analyzing court cases and by improving the Lab’s cloud infrastructure to use Digital Research Alliance of Canada resources more effectively.

Sarah Dawson, Research Assistant (JD RA)

Sarah (she/they) is a JD candidate at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law. They completed a PhD in computational polymer physics at McMaster University. They are currently a steering committee member at the LASL branch of the Fair Change Community Services Clinic, and a student case worker at the Lincoln Alexander legal clinic. They also organize with the Hamilton Encampment Support Network and the Barton Prisoner’s Solidarity Project. The transition from physics led them to wonder how the tools of data science and statistics can be applied to important questions about social justice in the law. They are excited to work on these questions with the team at the Refugee Law Lab.

Benn McGregor, Research Assistant (Software Engineer)

Benn McGregor is a Bachelor of Software Engineering student at the University of Waterloo. In first year, he organized Citizen Hacks, a hackathon about creating privacy-protecting technology. Through Waterloo’s co-op program, he has worked at a wide range of tech companies, most recently as a gameplay programmer at Behaviour Interactive. He is currently designing and creating a collaborative multiplayer video game to inspire action on the climate crisis. At the Refugee Law Lab, he will be helping to create a platform for data analysis of Federal Court cases.

Soliyana Yared, Research Assistant (JD RA)

Soliyana Yared is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. She completed her undergraduate degree with High Distinction at the University of Toronto with an Honours BA in both Criminology and Peace, Conflict and Justice Studies and a minor in Spanish. Soliyana has worked alongside the Matthew House to expand their Refugee Hearing Program which worked to prepare refugee claimants for their upcoming Immigration and Refugee Board hearings. In doing so, she provided data analysis, marketing and outreach insights to improve the program. More recently, Soliyana was a member of the COVID-19 rebuild team at the United Alliance on Race Relations. In addition to compiling relief resources for BIPOC communities within the Greater Toronto Area, she also composed and presented a topical analysis regarding the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 within marginalized (racialized) communities.

Alexandra Verman, Research Assistant (JD RA)

Alexandra Verman is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Alex completed their undergraduate and Masters degrees at the University of Toronto, in the department of Political Science and in collaboration with the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies. Their scholarly work deals with issues of identity and imperialism. At Osgoode, Alex’s focus is on immigration, family, and refugee law; trauma-informed lawyering; and feminist and community-based legal work. Alex is also a journalist and has written about anti-imperialism, criminalization, and LGBTQ struggle for The Atlantic, Briarpatch Magazine, BuzzFeed, Xtra Magazine, Jewish Currents, and others.

Emily Wuschnakowski, Research Assistant (JD RA 2022-2023)

During her time with the Refugee Law Lab, Emily Wuschnakowski was a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Prior to law school, she attended the University of Toronto where she completed a double major in Political Science and Public Policy with a minor in Canadian Studies. There, she studied Canadian immigration policies, learning about the systemic inequalities and advocating for avenues for reform. Outside of the classroom, Emily is an active member in her community. She served as the Chair of the Etobicoke North Youth Council and was responsible for liaising between youth in her community and federal elected officials, as well as volunteered as a caseworker at the Osgoode Community Legal Aid Services Program. In 2022-23, Emily was a student in the Intensive Program in Immigration and Refugee Law, where she participated in seminars on advanced topics in the field, as well as a six-week external clinic placement. As a Research Assistant, Emily undertook legal research on Canadian immigration law and policy for the Refugee Law Lab. 

Catanne Boan-Mitchell, Research Assistant (JD RA 2022-2023)

Catanne Boan-Mitchell was a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School when they joined the Refugee Law Lab as a Research Assistant in 2022-2023. They completed their undergraduate degree with High Distinction at the University of Toronto with an Honours BA in both Political Science and Diaspora and Transnational Studies. Catanne has worked with a number of organizations that provide free legal services to migrants and asylum seekers: including the FCJ Refugee Centre, The Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, and Parkdale Community Legal Services. They also volunteered with an Immigration and Refugee law firm providing research for the firm’s legal aid clients. 

Mathew Tran, Research Assistant (JD RA 2022-2023)

While working as a Research Assistant at the Refugee Law Lab, Matthew Tran was a joint JD/MA candidate at the University of Toronto pursuing a Masters in Criminology. He holds a PhD in Systems Neuroscience from the University of Toronto. He served as steering committee member of the University of Toronto Law Union and an executive member of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, University of Toronto Chapter. He was also a case worker at Advocates for Injured Workers and the Refugee/Immigration Division of Downtown Legal Services. He supports and organizes alongside different community organizations across the city including the Toronto Prisoners’ Rights Project, Injured Workers Action 4 Justice, and the FCJ Refugee Centre. Mathew assisted the Refugee Law Lab with visual research outputs and tool creation for legal practitioners in refugee law. 

Faris Mohamed, Research Assistant (Backend Developer) (Spring 2022)

When he was in the Refugee Law Lab, Faris Mohamed was in his final year of the Computer Science Honours Bachelor’s Degree (Security Stream) at Carleton University. Faris is interested in all sorts of software development but security is one of his favourite subfields of software development. At the Refugee Law Lab he helped manage the infrastructure of a legal analytics application involving refugee law decision-making.

Gwenyth Wren, Research Assistant (JD RA 2021-22)

Gwenyth Wren was a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School when she worked at the Refugee Law Lab. She completed her BA Honours in Environment and Development at McGill University where she spent four months in East Africa researching the effects of climate change on the livelihoods of vulnerable populations. She subsequently worked as a research assistant at the London School of Economics, aiding current work on creating a typology for human rights-based climate litigation. These experiences cemented her commitment and passion for leveraging law to combat climate change. At the Refugee Law Lab, Gwenyth assisted with gathering data about refugee adjudication from online sources. 

Vince Lai, Research Assistant (JD RA 2021-22)

During his time at the Refugee Law Lab, Vince Lai was a JD candidate at the Osgoode Hall Law School. He graduated with a BA in Political Science and French at the University of Toronto. There, he helped manage the Greenpath Program and facilitated the arrival of international students. While doing so, he broadened his appreciation for diversity and took an interest in Canadian immigration policies. After his undergraduate studies, he worked for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business as a Bilingual Specialist. Vince aspires to continue advocating for small businesses and to gain a greater understanding of immigration law. Vince assisted the Refugee Law Lab with gathering refugee adjudication data for research involving machine learning processes and helped prepare refugee cases for publication in the Refugee Law Lab Reporter. 

Subhah Wadhawan, Research Assistant (JD RA 2021-22)

Subhah Wadhawan was a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School when she joined the Refugee Law Lab in 2021-2022. She completed her Masters in Criminology at the University of Ottawa where her research focused on the interaction between processes of racialization, surveillance and securitization in the post 9-11 context. Subhah interviewed Canada’s security certificate detainees, infamously known as the ‘Secret Trial 5’, and their families to investigate their lived experiences of securitization. Prior to law school, Subhah worked for the Department of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada as a policy analyst. She has also worked as a caseworker in the Immigration and Migrant Rights Division at Parkdale Community Legal Services and is committed to learning and un(learning) how to cultivate fierce and sustainable communities of resistance striving toward liberation. She undertook legal research on Canadian immigration law processes for the Refugee Law Laboratory. 

Katherine Griffin, Research Assistant (JD RA 2021-22)

Katherine Griffin joined the Refugee Law Lab in 2021-2022, when she was a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. She completed her undergraduate degree at Sciences Po Paris in the Europe-Africa program. In the final year of her studies, she undertook internships with locally founded and operated arts and culture organizations in South Africa and Morocco. Prior to law school, Katherine worked with refugee claimants in Vancouver as a Settlement Worker, and later as Acting Program Coordinator. At Osgoode, Katherine continued to be actively engaged in refugee rights-related advocacy as Co-Director of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) Osgoode chapter and Events Co-Chair of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) Osgoode chapter. As a Research Assistant in the Refugee Law Lab team, Katherine helped to revise a law journal article, to gather refugee adjudication data for research involving machine learning processes, and to prepare refugee cases for publication in the Refugee Law Lab Reporter. 

Alison Hanson, Research Assistant (JD RA Summer 2021)

Alison Hanson was a JD student at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Ryerson University during her time with the Refugee Law Lab. Before attending law school, she worked with the Computer Science Department at the University of Waterloo and has experience doing web development and design for numerous small businesses. She is interested in access to justice issues and using technology to address gaps in the legal system. Alison served as a research assistant at the Refugee Law Lab in the Summer 2021 term. 

Rahemah Siddiqui, Research Assistant (JD RA Summer 2021)

During her time at the Refugee Law Lab, Rahemah Siddiqui was a JD candidate at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University. She completed her BA in History at the University of Toronto where her research focused on state-sanctioned violence and human rights abuses. She developed an interest in refugee law while working as a Legal Transcriptionist for the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. The role informs her awareness of the unique barriers faced by migrants, refugees, and undocumented peoples in the legal arena. She hopes to aid in dismantling these barriers and improving Canada’s refugee determination system through legal advocacy and research. She served as a research assistant at the Refugee Law Lab in the Summer 2021 term.