COMPASS Refugee Centre is pleased to have Riley Macnab, a law student from the University of Western Ontario, interning with us this summer. We have invited him to share his authentic and profound perspective as he learns about the refugee claim journey in Canada. This is his third “ENCORE” post – we were only expecting two! If you missed the first two, check them out: Newcomer to New Coming…! and Coming out of the Box … Enjoy!!

Lost in Translation: Why Refugees Need More Than a Map. They Need a COMPASS

Author: Riley Macnab           

Have you ever been in a conversation with a friend and they casually drop a word you don’t know? You pause… Depending on the sentence your lack of understanding might leave you confused, unsure of the point, or even the tone. This one word might change the way you perceive the entire sentence, maybe even the entire conversation. Perhaps you smile and nod, or maybe you pull out your phone and secretly Google it.

Now imagine that friend isn’t a friend, it’s the government and you’re not you, you’re a newly arrived refugee or migrant. The unfamiliar “word” isn’t just a phrase in passing, it’s a complex, often unclear policy or regulation that determines whether you get to stay in Canada.

At that moment an NGO is more than helpful, it’s your dictionary. It bridges the gap between bureaucratic language and lived human experience. Without it, you could be left guessing at the most high stakes conversation of your life.

Let’s be honest: immigration policy doesn’t make the average person’s pulse race. It can seem abstract, distant, heavily embedded with acronyms and paperwork. But for someone claiming refugee status, fleeing war, persecution, or unimaginable danger, it’s not just paperwork. It’s survival.

Refugees arrive in Canada with strength, resilience, and the dream of a better life. However, oftentimes they arrive without the language, legal literacy, or emotional safety to face the system alone. That’s where COMPASS Refugee Centre and similar NGOs step in.

Contrary to myth, NGOs like COMPASS aren’t here to “fight the system”; they’re here to mediate it. They don’t issue decisions. They don’t implement immigration policy. They don’t speed up or delay applications. What they do is stand in the gap between overwhelming government systems and the very human people navigating them. To be a mediator is to be present in the in-between, where trust is fragile, and information is everything.

Public perception of NGOs can be complicated. Some view organizations like COMPASS as essential. Others, influenced by political rhetoric, question neutrality or intent. But COMPASS isn’t political, it’s personal. It’s built on trust. As the saying goes: trust isn’t given, it’s earned. Even more so by people whose trust in institutions may have been shattered.

The climate inside COMPASS is one of quiet urgency. Staff and volunteers juggling heavy caseloads and tight resources, yet still making space for humanity. Celebrating the small wins while simultaneously holding space during the losses. That’s the truth many don’t see: behind every case file is a real person, and behind every person is a network of care.

When we picture refugee support we often imagine shelters or headline making rescues. But much of the real work happens in quieter spaces: church basements, offices, waiting rooms, Zoom calls. Filling out a form for the third time. Explaining the same process five different ways until someone feels confident and assured. Going the extra mile to help someone take a step.

In immigration and refugee matters, maps can fail you. Policies shift. Borders move. Wars break out. What once was a clear path can vanish without warning. A map shows where others have gone, but a compass tells you where to go next. It adapts. It orients. It points forward even when the ground beneath you is uncertain.

COMPASS Refugee Centre is more than a static guide. Offering responsive direction in a world that keeps on changing, COMPASS meets people where they are, not just with answers, but with presence, persistence, and care. Maps grow outdated. Hearts go adrift. But COMPASS adjusts, stays true, and guides those who need direction.