Legal Support
MWC provides legal support at no cost to migrant workers in BC. We focus on the areas of employment and immigration law. We focus on the most vulnerable workers – those who work with a closed work permit and don’t have the option of leaving an unsafe or abusive workplace without being forced to return to their home country. You can refer to our eligibility criteria below.
Okanagan Legal Support
MWC established the Okanagan Legal Support office in Kelowna in 2023. This team focuses on the needs of agricultural migrant workers across the province, specifically those with closed work permit or without a status.
The MWC team in Kelowna primarily works remotely. However, in-person meetings can be arranged upon request. Since our space is not open to the public, workers must complete our intake process in order to schedule an in-person meeting.
Kelowna Office
Our office is located at 2339 HWY 97 North Unit 430 (@ the Staples Studio co-working space).
*Space open on an appointment-basis.
Elegibility for the Okanagan Legal Support:
- Agricultural workers in BC (outside lower mainland) with a closed work permit or without a status
- Working in agricultural sector, for example: fisheries, food processing, nurseries and packing houses.
For an appointment please contact [email protected]
System Navigation and Community Connection
This program offers a range of services that support migrant workers in BC while they navigate Canadian institutions. Available resources and programs remain largely inaccessible to many migrant workers due to language, cultural, and other structural barriers. Our team at MWC supports migrant workers with:
- Filing a workplace injury claim or report unsafe working conditions with WorkSafeBC;
- Filing complaints with the Employment Standards Branch to report unfair labour practices;
- Obtaining coverage of the BC Medical Services Plan;
- Translation and interpretation for important meetings;
- Receive emergency housing and income supports;
- Joining free education and development programs such as English lessons; and
- Referrals for workers to other organizations whenever we are unable to provide help.
Community Connector
Our Community Connections Program provides hands-on systems navigation and advocacy for migrant workers in BC.
We offer support navigating different areas like: employment and labour rights, immigration processes, healthcare, housing, education, mental health, family law, and situations involving violence or abuse.
Our work is grounded in trauma-informed, anti-racist, and gender-equity principles, and we are committed to providing culturally responsive support. We focus particularly in supporting Spanish-speaking women and families.
As of March 2026, we are also offering system-navigation for migrant workers without status or with a precarious status in BC.
Wellness Program
MWC currently provides one-on-one emotional and mental support for migrant workers across BC and occasionally we also support their families, as well as periodic collective workshops and talks on mental health and personal development. Sessions address mental health, family relationships, supporting workers in reaffirming their remarkable resilience, confidence, safety, and hope.
The Wellness Program uses an approach of a strength-based, trauma-informed, harm-reduction, and bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework.
Eligibility
Migrant workers residing in British Columbia who:
- Are working without immigration status, under a closed work permit, or under a vulnerable worker open work permit or other similar program
- Are facing hardships and/or mental health challenges
- Are not otherwise able to afford mental health supports
Please be aware that our program is at full capacity – You can reach out to [email protected] to have your name added to the waiting list and will reach out as soon as a spot has opened.
Legal Education and Outreach (LEO)
The LEO program has a participatory, non-hierarchical, community-based approach that offers tools and educational resources to workers to analyze their conditions and take action to create change. MWC works in solidarity with migrant workers, recognizing that they are the experts of their own experience.
In this program, migrant worker leaders attend a series of workshops to discuss their experiences, practice understanding and advocating for their rights in Canada, and share knowledge about navigating Canadian systems. These leaders then form part of an active network of organizers who share the resources to other workers and identify needs for support.
In this program, migrant worker leaders attend a series of workshops to discuss their experiences, practice understanding and advocating for their rights in Canada, and share knowledge about navigating Canadian systems. These leaders then form part of an active network of organizers who share the resources to other workers and identify needs for support.
Policy Advocacy and Law Reform
Migrant Workers Centre advocates for changes to policy and law that uphold migrant workers’ rights under the direction of our Advocacy Committee, which is comprised of migrant workers and allies. MWC works with grassroots organisations, community groups, and other coalitions provincially and federally to be effective advocates; some of this work is done by lobbying the government, by making submissions to government bodies, and through test case litigation.