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ICLT's "Legal Materials on Tibet"
Tibetan Asylum &
Immigration Clearinghouse
On May 15, 1996, ICLT established the Tibetan Immigration and Asylum
Clearinghouse. Tibetans in the US and abroad critically need immigration and
asylum legal assistance, but lack of organization of resources on a national
level has been an obstacle to meeting their needs.
The Clearinghouse provides referrals to attorneys for Tibetans who seek political asylum in the United States and Tibetans who have questions regarding other immigration matters. The Clearinghouse has created a nationwide pool of pro bono attorneys who are willing to advise and represent Tibetans in immigration and asylum matters. ICLT's "Brief Bank" provides attorneys with up to date legal research materials on the conditions in Tibet as well as sample legal briefs for Tibetan asylum applications. Due to limited resources, ICLT can not represent individual Tibetans in immigration and asylum cases.
When the Clearinghouse was about to first open its doors, the Dalai Lama's former Representative to the United States, Rinchen Dharlo stated: "I am very pleased to hear that ICLT is planning to create the Clearinghouse. We receive many requests for legal assistance from individual Tibetans who are petitioning for political asylum. In the past, due to lack of resources and legal expertise, we have been unable to provide assistance in many cases."
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