What we do
RAILS provides free advice on refugee and immigration issues on Monday and Wednesday. General Law advice provided first and third Mondays of each month.
RAILS has provided advice and assistance to many thousands of
people in need, including
onshore and offshore refugees and asylum seekers, migrant women
suffering from domestic
violence and Australian residents seeking to sponsor or propose
relatives for migration to Australia.
RAILS takes up genuine cases for people most in need and provides
legal help to people who have
cases before the Department of Immigration, Migration Review Tribunal,
Refugee Review Tribunal and sometimes take cases of public interest
to the Federal and High Court..
RAILS has provided legal education to a wide range of groups including
refugee and migrant
communities, support agencies, schools, universities, and the general
public and produced cross-cultural training resources for migrant
communities. The Service runs regular seminars for volunteer and
private
migration agents to comply with statutory requirements for continuing
professional development.
RAILS also undertakes law reform projects.
However, RAILS has a small staff and cannot take on all cases.
Our minimal resources do not
allow us to take on many genuine cases in need. Many volunteers
also contribute to provide
a highly regarded service for people in Queensland.
Evening Advice Sessions (EAS) play a vital role
in RAILS’ service delivery. The sessions provide
a "drop-in" opportunity for people to make enquiries and
obtain initial advice and referral. The EAS
are staffed by volunteers with staff support.
The EAS is often the first point of contact for clients with the
Service. The sessions perform multiple functions:
- they are the "starting point" for people to obtain initial
advice about whether they have a problem and whether there might
be a solution
- they act as a referral network for people to find out about
other organisations where assistance can be obtained
- they can be a "one-stop" solution for people with simple problems
- they act as a "vetting ground" from which the daytime staff
select ongoing casework.
The Evening Advice Sessions are held at RAILS:
Level 1-170 Boundary Street, West End
Every Monday and Wednesday doors open at 5.30pm, the first 8 clients will be assisted.
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