Free, unrestricted access to legal support
The asylum process is a legal one, yet in Greece there is no state-provided legal aid available for asylum seekers before their decisive first interview, meaning that most attend without having spoken to a lawyer. The only way an asylum seeker can receive legal assistance at this stage is through one of the NGOs in Greece.
Our activities
Our work is driven by the belief that every asylum seeker should be able to receive free, high-quality assistance from an independent, experienced lawyer before their asylum interview. Since we began our operations in 2016, we have provided free legal assistance to over 20,000 people.
We familiarise asylum seekers with the asylum process and criteria, help them understand their rights and obligations and be fully prepared for their interview. Our work contributes to upholding the rule of law, protecting human rights and ensuring the asylum procedure is fair, efficient and robust.
We cooperate closely with other organisations, particularly UNHCR, IRC, Médecins Sans Frontières and Médecins du Monde, who often refer vulnerable individuals to us for legal assistance.
ELIL provides:
One-on-one legal consultations to prepare people for their asylum interview. Our team provides legal information, practical support and tailored advice to asylum seekers at this crucial stage of the process.
Provision of legal assistance to children, including in relation to age assessment (for children incorrectly registered as adults).
Assistance with family reunification applications under the Dublin Regulation, allowing people to join family members in other European countries.
Group legal information sessions, particularly focused on groups who face obstacles in accessing legal information/assistance.
Where We Work
ELIL was founded in 2016 on Lesvos, the Aegean island which has received the highest intake of asylum seekers to date.
For the past seven years, the ELIL team has provided vital legal assistance to new arrivals from our office in Mytilini and in camps on the island. With arrival numbers high and few legal actors remaining on the island, the support that ELIL offers is more important than ever.
In spring 2021, ELIL launched a new Athens project to help meet the critical need for legal assistance for asylum seekers on the Greek mainland.
The Athens project allows ELIL to provide comprehensive assistance to refugees across Greece and forms a crucial link between the islands and our Europe-wide network of lawyers for cross-jurisdictional cases such as family reunification.
In 2021, for the first time since our work started, the number of those crossing Greek’s northern land border with Turkey exceeded that of people arriving by sea.
There are thousands of asylum seekers currently residing in Thessaloniki and in detention/reception facilities in the surrounding region. To help meet the resulting high demand for legal assistance, in 2022 ELIL launched a project in Thessaloniki.
In June 2024 due to the growing needs on the island, we are officially restarted our in-person and full-time operations on Samos. We currently have one lawyer stationed at the Alpha Centre of Samos Volunteers.
Our values
Unhindered access to legal assistance
We believe access to independent legal assistance from a lawyer is a fundamental right and vital to upholding the rule of law;
Equality
We provide legal assistance to all, irrespective of nationality, age, gender identity or expression, ethnic or social origin, religion, beliefs, disability, ability or sexual orientation and at all times all team members abide by the European Lawyers in Lesvos Code of Conduct;
Independence
Our legal work is completely independent, and in the interest of the individual we are assisting;
Quality
Legal assistance is provided by practising and experienced Greek and European asylum lawyers who have been identified through a rigorous selection process. It complies with the professional and ethical standards of the legal profession, including those relating to privacy and confidentiality.