When refugee sponsorship groups don’t meet their responsibilities

When we learn of a potential issue with a SAH, we place it in a check-in period. A check-in period

• has no impact on the SAH’s good standing with us
• doesn’t change the SAH’s sponsorship allocation
• doesn’t affect the SAH’s active sponsorship applications

SAHs can still submit sponsorship applications during a check-in period.

The issue that triggers a check-in doesn’t mean there’s a larger problem with the organization. Factors that trigger a check-in may include

• repeated issues with the SAH’s sponsorship applications
• repeated issues when we interview the refugees being sponsored
• fixing issues only after we identify them in monitoring, instead of the SAH addressing the issue beforehand
• not responding or responding inconsistently to time-sensitive messages we send

What happens when a SAH is put into a check-in period

When a check-in period is triggered

1. We send the SAH a letter describing the issue and what it needs to do to fix it, like
   • getting training through the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP)
   • developing an internal monitoring plan and sharing it with us
   • reviewing its sponsorship caseload to make sure it has the money and resources to support them
   • developing and sharing bi-annual settlement reports about the refugees already in Canada
2. We complete reactive monitoring and give the SAH feedback on what we find.
3. SAHs have up to 1 year to fix the issues and complete the corrective actions we identified.

What happens after the 1-year deadline

The SAH will leave the check-in period if

• it solved the issues
• we didn’t find any other problems through monitoring

If the SAH couldn’t or wouldn’t fix the issues we identified, we’ll give them the status “not in good standing.”

Before we give a SAH the status “not in good standing,” we give it the chance to fix the issues we identify. If the SAH can’t or won’t solve these issues, we’ll change its status.

Factors that can cause a SAH to be moved from a check-in period to the “not in good standing” status may include

• not fixing issues during the 1-year check-in period
• monitoring that finds several reported cases or serious issues
• repeatedly not giving the refugees it sponsors the financial and settlement support they should be getting

Some issues that may cause us to give a SAH the status “not in good standing” without a check-in period first include

• repeated concerns about its ability to support its sponsorship caseload
• needing to sort out the SAH’s legal representatives after concerns about the SAH’s management
• declaring a sponsorship default for 1 of the SAH’s sponsorship cases

What happens when a SAH is not in good standing

When a SAH has the status “not in good standing”

1. We send it a letter describing the issue and what it needs to do to fix it, like
   • getting training through the RSTP
   • developing an internal monitoring plan and sharing it with us
   • developing and sharing quarterly settlement reports about the refugees who are already in Canada
2. It can’t submit any new sponsorship applications (except for 1-year window applications).
3. We’ll review all the sponsorship applications it has in progress to
   • decide if the SAH can continue with the application or if we’ll refuse it
     • If the sponsor is in default, we stop the applications it has in progress.
   • ask for its settlement plans and proof it has the money needed to support the refugees
4. We may review the sponsorship applications we already approved (if the refugee hasn’t arrived in Canada yet) to make sure the sponsorship is valid.
5. We complete reactive monitoring and give the SAH feedback on what we find.
6. The SAH must continue to support the refugees it sponsored if they are already in Canada. We’ll make other arrangements for these refugees if the SAH
   1. tells us it can’t support these refugees
   2. we decide it isn’t able to.

How to get back into good standing

There are a number of ways a SAH can get back into good standing.

1. It resolves any sponsorship defaults.
2. It completes training through the RSTP, specific to the issues we identified.
3. It develops and shares an internal monitoring plan.
4. Our reactive monitoring of the SAH’s activities shows it’s meeting all of its responsibilities.
5. The quarterly settlement reports it must share with us show it’s
   1. keeping track of its sponsorship caseload
   2. providing enough support after the refugees arrive in Canada
6. We complete any investigations about problematic legal- or program-related behaviour.
   1. These investigations can take some time to complete. If we need to investigate, we may also find other ways the SAH can get back into good standing.

SAHs have up to 1 year to fix the issues and complete the corrective actions we identified.

What happens after the 1-year deadline

The SAH will move back into good standing if

• it solved the issues
• we didn’t find any other issues through monitoring

If the SAH can’t or won’t fix the issues or if we find new problems in monitoring, it will face agreement cancellation.

We may cancel a SAHs agreement if

• while having the status “not in good standing”
  • it didn’t fix the issues identified within the 1-year period we gave it
  • we found more issues while monitoring it
  • we reviewed its open sponsorship applications again and refused a high number of them
  • it defaulted on any of its sponsorship cases
• it violated its agreement in a way that discredits us or the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program
  • For example, the SAH is involved in a criminal investigation.
• it has several sponsorship cases in default, even after we give it the chance to fix the problems

During an agreement cancellation

• We’ll refuse any open sponsorship applications for not meeting the requirements of the Immigration and Refuge Protection Act.
• We may re-open any applications we approved, if the refugee hasn’t already arrived in Canada, to confirm the sponsorship is valid.
• The SAH must continue to support the refugees they sponsored if the refugees
  • have already been approved to come to Canada
  • are already in Canada

How to get back into good standing

Once we cancel a SAH’s agreement, it can’t get back into good standing. If it fixed the problems that lead us to cancel its agreement, it can re-apply to become a SAH.