How privately sponsoring a refugee works
Video: A Refugee’s Resettlement Journey to Canada
The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program lets private groups sponsor eligible refugees abroad. As the private sponsor, you’ll support a refugee for the sponsorship period, usually up to 1 year. The support you provide will include
- start-up costs, such as furniture and clothing
- on-going monthly costs for basic necessities, including housing, food, and public transportation
- supporting refugees socially and emotionally
Groups that can sponsor refugees
You can’t sponsor a refugee on your own. You must be part of one of the following groups in Canada:
- Sponsorship agreement holders (SAH) sign agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees when they come to Canada
- Constituent Groups are groups who work with SAHs to sponsor refugees under the SAH’s agreement
- Groups of Five are groups of 5 or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who sponsor refugees to settle in their communities
- Community Sponsors are organizations, associations or corporations that sponsor refugees
Assessing refugee sponsorship groups
We assess and monitor all refugee sponsorship groups to make sure they meet their responsibilities. Find out how we assess groups and how SAHs assess themselves.
Refugee sponsors in Quebec
Quebec has its own process to sponsor refugees. Learn how to sponsor a refugee in Quebec.
Decide which refugees to sponsor
There are different ways to sponsor a refugee depending on how you choose them.
Choose from a list of refugees we’ve already approved to come to Canada
The Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program helps your group sponsor refugees who are most in need while lowering the costs of sponsorship.
The BVOR program has 3 main benefits:
- reduces the financial burden on private sponsors
- prioritizes the most vulnerable refugees through referral organizations
- connects sponsors with refugees we’ve already screened and interviewed, making them ready to travel sooner
Sponsor a refugee with special needs
The Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) Program helps your group sponsor refugees with special needs.
Only SAHs and their Constituent Groups are eligible to sponsor through the JAS program.
With the JAS program
- sponsors must support refugees for up to 24 months
- the Government of Canada provides financial assistance
Sponsor a refugee you know
You can sponsor a specific refugee or refugee family. The person your group wants to sponsor must be eligible under the PSR program.
If you choose to sponsor a refugee you know
- the processing time may be longer than if you sponsor a refugee we’ve already reviewed
- you won’t get financial assistance from the Government of Canada
The process depends on the type of sponsorship group you are:
How we process sponsorship applications
When we process applications to resettle a privately sponsored refugee, we review the:
- sponsor’s application
- refugee’s application
Find out more about how the process works.
Top questions about sponsoring a refugee
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