Sponsor a refugee

The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program lets private groups sponsor eligible refugees abroad. As a 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 PRs who sponsor refugees to settle in their communities

• Community Sponsors are organizations, associations or corporations that sponsor refugees

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Groups of Five (G5)

A Group of Five (G5) is five or more Canadian citizens or PRs who have arranged to sponsor a refugee living abroad to come to Canada.

G5s may only sponsor applicants who are recognized as refugees by either the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or a foreign state. The principal applicant MUST already have refugee status. Having refugee status means that an authorized body has found that an individual meets its refugee definition. This authorized body can either be the UNHCR or the government of the country (i.e., foreign state) where the refugee is now living.

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You must include the document proving recognized refugee status with the refugee sponsorship application you submit.

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Community Sponsors

Some community organizations can sponsor refugees to come to Canada.

The organization must agree to give emotional and income support to the refugees for the full sponsorship period. This is usually for one year.

Community Sponsors may only sponsor applicants who are recognized as refugees by either the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or a foreign state.

The principal applicant MUST already have refugee status. Having refugee status means that an authorized body has found that a person meets its refugee definition. This authorized body can either be the UNHCR or the government of the country (i.e., foreign state) where the refugee is now living.

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You must include the document proving recognized refugee status with the refugee sponsorship application you submit.

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Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH)

Many organizations have signed sponsorship agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees from abroad when they resettle in Canada. These organizations are called Sponsorship Agreement Holders. They can sponsor refugees themselves or work with others in the community to sponsor refugees.

Most Sponsorship Agreement Holders are religious, ethnic, community, or humanitarian organizations. 

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1. Determine your eligibility

To be eligible to become a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), your organization must be:

• incorporated (a legally created organization),

• physically located in Canada, and

• approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as a SAH before you apply to sponsor a refugee.

 

2. Apply to become a Sponsorship Agreement Holder

If your organization is not already a SAH, you can apply to become one.

 

3. Apply to sponsor a refugee after you are approved to be a Sponsorship Agreement Holder

Once we have approved you to become a SAH, you can apply to sponsor a refugee. When you sponsor a refugee, your organization must agree to give emotional and financial support to the refugee for the full sponsorship period. Usually, this period is for one year.

You can also work with other groups in the community to sponsor refugees under your agreement. In doing so, you remain responsible for the emotional and financial support provided to the refugee(s). These groups are known as “Constituent Groups.”

 

4. Check processing times

Book a consultation to find out how long it will take to process your application to sponsor a refugee.

 

5. After you apply: get next steps

Book a consultation to find out what you should do after you apply to be a SAH.