The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced the arrival in Canada of over 250 Afghan refugees, including 170 human rights defenders, as government-assisted refugees. Canada has a long and proud tradition of standing up for human rights at home and abroad. In July 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched a human rights defenders immigration stream, making Canada one of the few countries in the world with a dedicated, permanent immigration program for those who protect and promote human rights.

The Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) announces that IRCC’s Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program will restart in early 2022.

The program will continue to open doors and hearts, and give people in Canada a chance to sponsor refugees.

RSTP will share more details on the program’s opening dates and upcoming information and training webinars shortly. This is a great time to get ready, by learning about the BVOR sponsorship program, how it works, and what it can mean to both you and the refugees you’ll sponsor. 

When the sponsoring group submits their sponsorship application, they make a formal agreement with the Canadian government to provide the sponsored refugees with financial, emotional and settlement support. During the sponsorship period, the group is collectively responsible for the basic needs of the sponsored refugee(s), including monthly income support.

The Private Sponsorship of Refugee Program involves two groups: the sponsors and the refugee applicants. Each has rights and responsibilities at every stage of the sponsorship that need to be understood by everyone involved in the sponsorship. 

The world is facing a refugee crisis. Across the globe, millions are displaced and longing for what most of us take for granted: a safe place to call home. As a global leader in protecting those who need it most, Canada welcomed nearly half of all refugees resettled around the world in 2020. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recently called Canada “a bright light in a horrible year for refugee resettlement.”

Over the past few years, the Government of Canada has kept its commitment to help Yazidi refugees and other survivors of Daesh start new lives in this country. Over 1,400 have settled in Canada since 2017, escaping unimaginable horrors at the hands of Daesh. Yet many of these refugees had to leave family members behind.

In June 2019, IRCC announced that Canada was introducing the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership (RRAP), a program which supports a greater number of Canadians hoping to privately sponsor LGBTQIA+ refugees fleeing violence and persecution.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, February 17th, 2021

To help prevent the further introduction and transmission of COVID-19 and its new variants, the Government of Canada has introduced additional measures to protect the health and safety of Canadians.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) clients who are currently eligible to travel to Canada, in accordance with the travel restrictions and exemptions, are still able to do so. This includes privately sponsored refugees who received their permanent resident visa prior to March 18, 2020.

The Canadian Council for Refugees and the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) invite you to attend a virtual meeting with representatives from IRCC.