Refugees are referred to Canada for resettlement by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or another referral organization. Individuals cannot apply directly. The government is responsible for financial and settlement support for their first year in Canada.
If you know a refugee who is overseas you can sponsor them through either the “Group of 5” sponsorship stream or you can work with a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) to resettle a refugee in Canada. Many church denominations in Canada are SAH's.
Matches refugees identified by the UNHCR with private sponsors in Canada. The financial costs of sponsorship are shared between the Canadian government and the sponsorship group. The sponsors are responsible for all the settlement support.
You must be part of a group to sponsor a refugee. You can't sponsor a refugee on your own. You must be part of one of the following groups in Canada.
Sponsorship Agreement Holder
A Sponsorship agreement holder (SAH) signs agreements to sponsor and support refugees when they come to Canada.
As a SAH, you can also work with other groups in the community to sponsor refugees under your agreement. These groups are called “Constituent Groups.”
A Group of Five (G5) is a group of 5 or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who come together to sponsor a refugee(s) and help them settle in their communities. The sponsorship group will have to prove to the government that they have the necessary resources and a detailed plan for how to support the newcomer when they arrive
Groups of Five can only sponsor people who have already been formally and officially recognized as a refugee in their country of asylum and who are able to provide proof of this status.
Community Sponsors are organizations, associations or corporations that sponsor refugees to come to Canada.
Under the Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) Program, refugees are referred to Canada for resettlement by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or another referral organization. Individuals cannot apply directly.
You must register for refugee status with the UNHCR or state authorities to be considered by a referral organization.
A GAR's initial resettlement in Canada is entirely supported and funded by the Government of Canada (or in the case of Quebec, the province of Quebec.) This support is delivered by non-governmental agencies called service provider organizations funded by IRCC (Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada.)
GARs receive support for up to one year from the date they arrive in Canada, or until they are able to support themselves, whichever happens first.
To learn more about GAR, click here
Canadians can privately sponsor refugees from outside of Canada. Groups that can sponsor a refugee(s) are:
(A) Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs): Incorporated organizations that have signed a formal sponsorship agreement with IRCC. Most current SAHs are religious organizations, ethnocultural groups, or humanitarian organizations. SAHs, which may be local, regional or national, assume overall responsibility for the management of sponsorships under their agreement. Organizations entering into a sponsorship agreement with IRCC generally submit several refugee sponsorships a year.
(A-1) Constituent Groups (CG): A SAH can authorize CG to sponsor under its agreement and provide support to the refugees. Each SAH sets its own criteria for recognizing CG. CG are based in the sponsored refugee's expected community of settlement and must have their sponsorship application and settlement plan approved and signed by their SAH before the undertaking is submitted to the Resettlement Operations Centre in Ottawa (ROC-O). Most church organizations that do not have a SAH falls under the Constituent Group.
(B) Groups of Five (G5): Five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents, who are at least 18 years of age, live in the expected community of settlement and have collectively arranged for the sponsorship of a refugee living abroad. These individuals act as guarantors that the necessary support will be provided for the full duration of the sponsorship.
ROC-O (Resettlement Operations Center - Ottawa) assesses individual contributions of group members to the sponsorship. The financial and non-financial aspects are considered collectively, as well as the settlement plan, before the sponsorship is approved. The group's financial commitment must meet the levels established in the Sponsorship Cost Table in Appendix A of the Guide for Groups of Five to privately sponsor refugees (IMM 2200).
(C) Community Sponsors (CSs): Any organization, association or corporation located in the community where the refugees are expected to settle can make an organizational commitment to sponsor. CSs must undergo financial and settlement plan assessments by ROC-O each time they wish to sponsor. Like G5s, CSs must demonstrate that they are willing and able to commit funds toward the sponsorship in line with the levels established in the Sponsorship Cost Table in Appendix A of the Guide for Community Sponsors to privately sponsor refugees (IMM 2201).
The Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program makes it easier for private sponsors to help the most vulnerable refugees. The benefits of the BVOR program are:
To support sponsors, IRCC offers up to 6 months of financial support after refugees arrive in Canada.
Private sponsors on the other hand:
If you are a Privately Sponsored Refugee (PSR) you can expect that your sponsorship group will:
As a PSR, the sponsorship group must support you financially for 1 year after you arrive or until you can support yourself, whichever comes first.
There are no processing fees for these applications and you don't need to pay your sponsor for the cost of helping you settle. Sponsors are not allowed to ask you for money to help you be resettled.
Interested organizations can request an application to become a SAH by writing to IRCC.INPSR-PPPRRI.IRCC@cic.gc.ca.
SAHs must be incorporated organizations and must be located in Canada. Generally, new SAH applicants have sponsorship experience and expect to sponsor multiple refugee cases each year. Applicant organizations must have personnel and finances available to ensure the settlement needs of the sponsored refugees are in place before their arrival, and must be able to provide financial statements for the most recent 2 year period.
Each SAH sets its own criteria for recognizing CGs. Interested parties should contact a SAH directly to inquire about sponsoring under its auspices. Click here to find IRCC approved list of SAHs.
At least 5 individuals must be eligible to sponsor and willing to contribute to the requirements of sponsorship. At least 3 group members must contribute funds towards the sponsorship, and each group member contributing funds must complete a personal Financial Profile form (IMM 5373B).
The sponsoring group must collectively complete a Sponsorship Undertaking and Settlement Plan - Groups of Five (G5) (IMM 5670).
An organization that decides to participate in refugee sponsorship and provides statements demonstrating the ability to meet the required financial obligations. Individual co-sponsors formally partnering with a CS who are contributing personal income towards the sponsorship must complete a personal Financial Profile form (IMM 5373B). The sponsoring group must collectively complete a Sponsorship Undertaking and Settlement Plan - Community Sponsor (CS) (IMM 5663).
Interested individuals or organizations should contact a SAH, a CG or a CS in their area to inquire about partnering in the private sponsorship of a refugee. Each SAH, CG or CS has its own procedures for screening and approving a co-sponsor as well as for establishing the division of responsibilities in the settlement plan. The decision to accept an individual or organization as a co-sponsor is the choice of the SAH or CS that submits the undertaking.
To apply, use the sponsorship kit for SAH/CGs, G5s or CSs as well as the Application for Convention Refugees Abroad and Humanitarian-protected Persons Abroad (IMM 6000) (overseas application kit), which the refugee must complete.
Decide if you want to sponsor a specific refugee or a refugee referred by a visa office
In some cases, a Community Sponsor may want to sponsor a specific refugee or refugee family abroad, such as a:
This is known as “sponsor-referred refugee.”
Sponsor-referred refugees must qualify under Canada's refugee and humanitarian resettlement program. Both you and the refugee must fill out an application. After you apply, an officer abroad will assess the application to decide whether the person you want to sponsor qualifies.
In other cases, you may ask for a “visa office-referred refugee.”These refugees have already been determined to be eligible and have already been chosen by an officer abroad. They just need a private sponsor before they can come to Canada.
You can sponsor a visa office-referred refugee through either the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program, or the Visa Office-Referred (VOR) program.
You may be in this class if you:
Country of asylum class refugees can be privately sponsored. You can also be in this class if you have the funds you need to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada. You will still need the UNHCR, a referral organization, or a private sponsorship group to refer you.
IRCC maintains a website HELP CENTER to help sponsors and refugee claimants with FAQ. Click here to find the questions that you may have