private sponsorship of refugees program jennifer ardon, canadian lutheran world relief march 13,...
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Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program
Jennifer Ardon, Canadian Lutheran World Relief
March 13, 2015
Immigration Connection, Guelph
Who can be sponsored via the PSR program?
United Nations definition of refugee:
“any person outside his/her country of origin who has a well-founded fear of persecution by reason of religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” (1951 UN Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol)
Refugee Resettlement
Refugees have 3 possible durable solutions: • Repatriation• Local integration (in
country of asylum)• Resettlement to a
third country
3 Resettlement Programs
• Government-assisted (GARs)
• Privately-sponsored (PSRs)
• Asylum process (in-land determination)
GARs PSRs
Are identified by UNHCR (refugee determination done overseas) and referred to Canadian visa office
Identified for resettlement by family, groups, individuals in Canada
Profiles are selected overseas by Canadian visa officers for government resettlement assistance
Refugee determination done overseas by Canadian visa office
Have permanent resident status upon arrival
Have permanent resident status upon arrival
Canadian government provides financial and settlement support for 1 year
Canadian individuals, groups or organizations provide financial and settlement support for 1 year
What private sponsors do: • Reception at airport• Financial assistance for 1 year • Finding housing/furniture/clothing• Orientation into community
– School registration– Setting up utilities– Transportation system– Finding health care practitioners– Friendship, emotional support, etc.
Ways to privately sponsor refugeesSponsorship
Agreement HolderCommunity
SponsorshipGroup of 5
90 SAHs in Canada (faith-based, cultural-ethnic, NGO, etc)
Any group, church, association, organization
5 people needed to sign the application
Limited # of people they can sponsor a year
2 sponsorship applications per year
2 sponsorship applications per year
Limited where they can sponsor from (i.e. Nairobi, Cairo, Pretoria)
Can sponsor from anywhere in the world
Can sponsor from anywhere in the world
Refugee applicant does not require refugee recognition document
Refugee applicant must have refugee recognition from UNCHR country of asylum
Refugee applicant must have refugee recognition from UNCHR country of asylum
Types of Sponsorships
Family-linked sponsorship
Blended Visa Office-Referred
Joint-Assistance
Full Sponsorship
Why be a private sponsor?
• Part of rich history within Canada– Canada is the only country in the world with a
private refugee sponsorship program– Many Canadians have their own refugee
histories, generations back
• Faith principles: welcoming the stranger• Mutually beneficial
– Enriches the community– Allows us to understand our world better
Syrian Refugees
• This week marks 4th year of the conflict
• 3,755,417 registered Syrian refugees– Registered by UNHCR in Egypt, Iraq,
Jordan and Lebanon– 1.5 million Syrians registered by the
Government of Turkey– 24,055 Syrian refugees registered in
North Africa.
Syrian Refugees• 2013: Canada will resettle 1300 Syrian refugees
by 2014– 200 were GARs, 1100 were PSRs– Slow processing times, late arrivals
• UNHCR requested that Canada take in 10% of 100,000 Syrian refugees ready to be resettled, over a 2 year period
• January 2015 announcement: Canada will resettle 10,000 over a 3 year period– 40% will be GARs– 60% will be PSRs
Syrian Refugees
• Concerns:– Do private sponsors have the capacity?– BVORs or full sponsorships?– Cuts to IFH extended health benefits– Downloading responsibility to private sector– Slow processing times– Will also resettle 2000 Iraqis of the 3000 the
government announced they would resettle
For more information:
Jennifer ArdonProject Officer for Refugee Resettlement and Community Relations
CLWR Eastern Regional Office
519-725-8777