Private Sponsorship

Sponsorship groups are responsible for providing income support, plus start-up costs, to the refugee(s) they sponsor.

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.

Individuals cannot be private sponsors by themselves. They must be part of a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), a Group of Five (G5) or Community Sponsors.

The 1976 Immigration Act was the first immigration act that clearly defined refugees as a distinct class of immigrants and required a mandatory responsibility on the government to plan for the future of immigration.

A sponsorship breakdown happens when sponsors are unable or unwilling to continue supporting the sponsored family before the end of the sponsorship period (usually 12 months).

Month 13 is the first month when the sponsors’ legal responsibility comes to an end and the sponsored newcomers become independent. To prepare the newcomers for the post-sponsorship period, the…

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shares the same goal as sponsors, that refugees settle well into their community and work towards self-sufficiency. IRCC is accountable to the Canadian public…