CIMM – Refugee Resettlement – October 21, 2025

Key Messages

• Canada’s refugee resettlement program saves lives and offers protection to the displaced and persecuted. In 2025, we plan on welcoming 38,350 refugees who will make Canada home.
• For the first year after arrival, resettled refugees receive essential financial and non-financial supports from either the government or private sponsors to help them integrate into their new communities. Thereafter, they have access to federally funded settlement supports to further support integration.
• Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program allows Canadians, permanent residents, and community organizations to offer protection and a safe, permanent home for thousands of refugees each year. The high level of interest from private sponsors in the PSR program has led to a large volume of applications and long wait times, as the number of applications has consistently exceeded the private sponsorship admission spaces available under the Immigration Levels Plan.

Resettlement Program Performance

• Canada’s refugee resettlement program consistently meets its performance benchmarks. The program has two performance indicators: 1) Number of resettled refugees admitted to Canada (where the target is the annual Levels Plan range), and 2) Percentage of resettled refugees in the world that Canada resettles (where the target is ≥20%).

If pressed on program results:

• In 2024, Canada met its target, resettling over 49,000 refugees. In addition, Canada resettled 26% of the refugees resettled globally in 2024, meeting the target of ≥20%, which puts  Canada in the top three resettlement countries worldwide.

Resettlement Immigration Levels

• The 2025-2027 Levels Plan included an overall reduction to admissions targets for resettled refugees (compared to the 2024-2026 Levels Plan), which was consistent with the broader downward trend for all immigration categories.

Processing Times

The current processing time for Government-Assisted Refugee applications overall is 19 months. Processing time for Privately Sponsored Refugee applications is 42 months.

If pressed on processing times:

• Historically, the Refugee Resettlement program has not had service standards for processing times, recognizing the complexity of refugee cases and variable conditions in refugees’ countries of residence. However, the Department agreed with a recommendation by the Office of the Auditor General to establish service standards in all lines of business, including in refugee resettlement. As such, the Department is working towards establishing a service standard for the resettlement program.

Intake Control for PSR program

• Due to ongoing high demand for the PSR program, applications from private sponsors continue to exceed the spaces available under the Immigration Levels Plan, resulting in a large application volume of applications and lengthy wait times.
• To provide more certainty to refugees abroad and sponsors in Canada, IRCC has temporarily stopped accepting new applications from Groups of Five and Community Sponsors under the PSR Program as of November 29, 2024. This measure will help prevent further growth in the volume of applications, with the goal of achieving shorter and more predictable wait times for applicants and for sponsors.
• IRCC will continue to process PSR applications already received and to resettle sponsored refugees to Canada, in line with the PSR Program targets established in the Immigration Levels Plan. For 2025, Canada is aiming to welcome 23,000 privately-sponsored refugees.

In-Canada Supports for Refugees

• To support Government Assisted Refugees and other eligible clients, IRCC funds immediate and essential services under the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP). These services include supports such as temporary accommodation, assistance finding permanent accommodation, and providing basic orientation to Canada. Government Assisted Refugees also receive income support, which includes a one-time start-up payment to help clients set up a new home, as well as monthly income support generally for one year for shelter and other basic needs.
• In the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program, resettled refugees receive financial and integration supports from their sponsors in Canada, typically for one year after arrival.
• As permanent residents, all resettled refugees are also eligible to receive longer-term settlement services through IRCC’s Settlement Program.

Multi-Year Resettlement Commitments for Government-Assisted Refugees

• Canada’s Government-Assisted Refugees program, which assists the most vulnerable refugees worldwide, is on track to meet its existing 2024-2026 multi-year resettlement commitments to resettle 12,000 persons each from Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific regions, and 4,000 persons from the Americas by 2028.

Resettlement of Uyghurs and Other Turkic Muslims
(Motion 62)

• The Government of Canada is deeply concerned about the serious human rights violations in Xinjiang affecting Uyghurs and Turkic Muslims. Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims who have fled China may still face threats, including the risk of forced return, or refoulement. Canada’s immigration system offers protection pathways for Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims who are living in third countries and are in need of protection.
• The Government has not announced implementation details about this population due to safety and security risks to applicants, our program  delivery partners, and Canadian staff.
• What we can share is that as of September 13, 2025, over 140 people have arrived in Canada, and the Department has received applications for more than 740 Uyghurs, which are still being processed.

If pressed on what risks the Uyghur population is facing:

• Our first priority is the safety of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims abroad, who may live in fear of being returned to China against their will. This is why we will not be providing any details concerning the work underway to provide protection for these individuals, as it could put them at further risk.

If pressed on whether the Government will meet the 10,000 person commitment by the end of 2025:

• The initiative for Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims is captured within Canada’s overall refugee resettlement program. In 2025, over 38,000 resettlement spaces were allocated under the Immigration Levels plan, which are being used to resettle many vulnerable populations globally, as identified by referral partners.
• The Government is assessing how best to support this population as well as other vulnerable populations through the upcoming 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

Resettlement of Yazidis and Other Survivors of Daesh

• Since 2017, the Government has welcomed more than 1,400 Yazidis and survivors of Daesh and their family members to Canada. Yazidi families in Canada are generally integrating well. However, many continue to struggle with being separated from members of their family.
• The government has committed to resettle family members and extended family members of Yazidi and other survivors of Daesh already in Canada. This effort seeks to further support their integration and settlement in Canada and help them to continue to recover from the trauma they have faced.
• In December 2023, the government put a special initiative in place to reunite Yazidis and survivors of Daesh, who were already resettled to Canada, with family living in Iraq. These individuals, along with their family members, are being welcomed as government-assisted refugees.

If pressed on Yazidi admissions:

• We expect to resettle up to 400 principal applicants and their family / extended family members by the end of 2026.

Human Rights Defenders

• Under the Government-Assisted Refugees program, IRCC has a stream to resettle up to 500 human rights defender refugees and their families who are at risk due to their work.
• From January 1st to August 31st 2025, approximately 230 individuals were admitted as Government Assisted Refugees within the Human Rights Defenders special program.
• IRCC partners with the United Nations Refugee Agency, as well as human rights defender organizations ProtectDefenders and Front Line Defenders to deliver this initiative.
• The Government works closely with experts on international protection, including in civil society, to identify and reach the defenders most in need of Canada’s protection.

LGBTQI+ Resettlement

• Canada has a proud history of providing protection to and helping resettle those most in need. That includes those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional sexually and gender diverse (LGBTQI+) community.
• People who are persecuted because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) can be identified or referred to Canada by referral partners, including Rainbow Railroad and UNHCR, or by private sponsors, including through the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership.
• Under the Government-Assisted Refugee program, Rainbow Railroad refers up to 250 at-risk LGBTQI+ refugees and their families to find safety in Canada, in addition to LGBTQI+ refugees referred by the United Nations Refugee Agency and other referral partners.
• Since 2011 Canada has been working with Rainbow Refugee Society to resettle LGBTQI+ refugees through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program. Under the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership, the Government of Canada provides the start-up expenses and 3 months of income support for up to 50 privately sponsored refugee cases each year, while the remaining income and settlement support is provided by the sponsoring group.
  • Recently, IRCC extended this partnership for another five years until December 31, 2029. As of June 30, 2025, approximately 335 refugees have arrived through this initiative.

Rohingya Refugees

• Since the Myanmar military’s crackdown on Rohingya people in 2017, Canada has stood ready to resettle Rohingya refugees. After overcoming earlier challenges in obtaining permission from refugee hosting countries, Canada was able to resettle over 1,200 Rohingya refugees in 2024 and has continued to resettle this population in 2025.

Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot

• Beyond refugee resettlement, Canada offers a labour mobility pathway which supports skilled refugees and other qualified displaced persons to arrive in Canada to fill labour market needs.
• The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) allows employers in Canada to fill vacancies in a wide range of sectors, including health care, construction, food service, and manufacturing.
• Since 2019, over 1,100 refugees and displaced persons have been admitted to Canada under the EMPP.

If pressed on the future of the program:

• Canada is committed to attracting skilled refugees and displaced persons from around the world to fill skills shortages and drive economic growth. 
• The EMPP was developed as a time limited pilot and the recent increased in intake is a positive indication of its success and demonstrates the growing interest from applicants, employers and stakeholders.
• The Department continues to assess lessons learned from the pilot to improve program design of complementary pathways for refugees, including labour mobility pathways.
• In the meantime, the Department is working on reducing the inventory to ensure that the EMPP continues to be relevant and to meet its intended objectives.