Refugee Sponsorship

The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program of Canada allows certain private groups offer sponsorship to the refugees residing abroad. Under this sponsorship program, the private sponsor must agree to support the refugee for the entire sponsorship period which is usually up to 1 year. The support a refugee, private sponsor will have to provide the followings:

♦ Settling & start-up costs, such as arranging furniture and clothing to the refugee
♦ Monthly financial help to fulfill refugee’s basic needs such as food, housing, and public transportation
♦ Social and emotional support to the refugee

Who can sponsor refugees?

An individual cannot sponsor a refugee to Canada. In order to be eligible for this kind of sponsorship, you must be a part of one of the following groups in Canada:

♦ Sponsorship agreement holders (SAH): SAHs have agreements with the Canadian Government to help support refugees once they arrive in Canada.
There are constituent groups as well that work with SAHs to sponsor refugees under the SAH’s agreement
♦ Groups of Five: Group of 5 or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada are also eligible to sponsor refugees to settle in the country
♦ Community Sponsors: Community Sponsors are basically the organizations, associations or corporations that are eligible to sponsor refugees.

Sponsoring a Refugee Having Special Needs

There is a program called Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) Program that helps your group sponsor refugees with special needs.

Who are eligible to sponsor refugee with special needs?

Only SAHs and their Constituent Groups can sponsor a refugee with the special needs through the JAS program.

The JAS program states that:

♦ Sponsors must agree to support refugees for up to 2 years
♦ The Canadian Government will provide financial assistance

Sponsoring a ‘Known’ Refugee

If you or your relative know a refugee or a person and your group wants to sponsor a known refugee, they’re eligible to do so under the PSR program.

In case you choose to sponsor a known refugee, the application may take longer to get accepted in comparison to sponsoring already reviewed refugees. Also, your group doesn’t get any kind of financial assistance if you’re sponsoring a refugee you know.

The process also depends on the type of sponsorship group you are in:

♦ Sponsorship agreement holder

♦ Group of Five

♦ Community Sponsor

Consult Choice Immigration

If you or your group is thinking about sponsoring a refugee to Canada, we can help you figure out the best possible solution where you get all the benefits and assistance from the government. At Choice Immigration, we take a thorough look at your case, and provide the solution that is most beneficial to our client. Our out-of-the-box thinking abilities set us apart from our competitors when it comes to providing sponsorship solutions in Canada.

Whatever your requirements are and no matter how complicated your case is, bring it to us and you’ll get your most cost and time-efficient solution