Key legal question
Whether the denial of legal aid for the cantonal appeal was lawful because the underlying hardship-permit request was hopeless.
Extracted holding
The refusal of legal aid was upheld because, from an ex ante perspective, the hardship-permit claims had very low chances of success and were therefore hopeless.
Extracted reasoning
The court held that the earlier findings on the applicants' lack of entitlement, criminal record, social assistance dependence, and unchanged factual situation remained applicable; no new significant facts were shown, so a reasonable non-indigent litigant would not have proceeded.