Victoria – British Columbians fill out and file an average of 21,000 applications annually for Provincial Court family law cases.
British Columbians can now complete and file provincial family law case applications online as part of B.C.’s plan to modernize access to court services.
“Filing family law matters, such as protection orders and child support in Provincial Court, often means taking time off work and having to travel to a court registry, which creates barriers for many British Columbians,” said Grace Lore, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity. “This new service provides an accessible and convenient option for individuals and families, as they can complete and file their forms online.”
The online service allows people to digitally fill out and file forms by answering simple questions for many family matters, including child support, parenting arrangements, case management and protection orders.
Because of its trauma-informed design and functionality, the service also includes safety screening, a quick exit button, safety checks throughout and referrals to additional resources. Information is also saved as the user progresses through the questions in case they need to pause and return to finish a form later.
People can continue to bring forms in person to a registry to file. To access this new service, visit: https://justice.gov.bc.ca/apply-for-family-order/
The online service is part of the Provincial Court Family Rules implementation. The rules implementation helps families reduce conflict so they can work toward earlier resolutions outside the court process, make court processes and forms user-friendly and make each court appearance meaningful and productive.
FYI:
To learn more about family cases in Provincial Court, visit: https://www.provincialcourt.bc.ca/types-of-cases/family-matters
