THE REFUGEE AND HUMANITARIAN RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM

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THE REFUGEE AND HUMANITARIAN RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM

The Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement program is designed for people seeking protection from outside Canada. Selected refugees for resettlement to Canada have often fled their homes due to unimaginable hardships and have been forced to live in refugee camps for many years. When refugees arrive in Canada, they basically pick up the pieces of their lives and start all over again.

Being a member of the international community, Canada works closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in order to find solutions to prolonged and emerging refugee situation. Furthermore, the UNHCR along with private sponsors help to identify refugees for resettlement. When a refugee is identified to Canada, it takes time to process the cases.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

To come to Canada as a refugee, a person must be:

Referred by the UNHCR or another designated referral organization, or
Be sponsored by a private sponsorship group

In addition, people who can be resettled from outside Canada fall into two classes:

Convention Refugee Abroad Class

People who are outside their home country and cannot return there, due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, political opinion, nationality, or membership in a particular social group, such as women or people with a particular sexual orientation.

Country of Asylum Class

People who are outside their home country or the country where they normally live and have been, and continue to be, seriously and personally affected by civil war or armed conflict, or have suffered massive violations of human rights.

Not everyone is eligible to resettle to Canada as a refugee from outside Canada. Individuals won’t be to resettle to Canada if:

They have another durable solution for protection, such as an offer to be resettled in another country;
They become a citizen of another country and have the protection of that country;
They choose to return to live in the country you had left, or
The reasons for your fear of persecution no longer exist.

Note: The Province of Quebec selects its own refugees.

TYPES OF RESETTLEMENT

Refugees are resettled to Canada in three ways:

A) GOVERNMENT-ASSISTED REFUGEES (GARs)

These are Convention refugees whose initial settlement (for up to one year) is entirely supported by the Government of Canada or by the province of Quebec. Furthermore, they are referred to Canada for resettlement by a referral organization like the UNHCR.

Once the resettlement case has been referred to Canada, a Canadian visa officer will review the file and in most cases, arrange an interview. Furthermore, medical examination and criminal or security checks must be done before the acceptance of resettlement.

B) PRIVATELY SPONSORED REFUGEES (PSRs)

These are refugees who meet either the Convention refugee or the Country of Asylum definitions, and are referred for resettlement by a private sponsor in Canada who agrees to provide financial and other support for the refugee for one year.

C) BLENDED VISA OFFICE-REFERRED REFUGEES (BVORs)

These are Convention refugees referred by the UNHCR who are matched with a private sponsor in Canada. The income support (for the first six months) is provided by the Government of Canada through the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), while private sponsor provide another six months of financial support. In addition, social and emotional support may be provided by a private sponsor up to one year.

REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP

The Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program helps thousands of refugees every year. Individual or his/her group can sponsor refugees from abroad who qualify to come to Canada. As sponsors, they provide financial and emotional support for the refugees for the duration of the sponsorship. In most cases, sponsorship last for one year, but some refugees may be eligible for assistance from their sponsors for up to three years. There are number of options to sponsor a refugee, such as:

A) SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT HOLDERS

Organizations that have signed sponsorship agreements with the Government of Canada in helping support refugees from abroad, when they resettle in Canada. They can sponsor refugees themselves or work with others in the community to sponsor refugees.

B) GROUPS OF FIVE

A Group of five, also referred as G5, consist of five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who have arranged to sponsor a refugee living abroad to come to Canada. All of the group members must be at least 18 years of age and live or have representatives in the area where the refugee will settle.

C) COMMUNITY SPONSORS

Some community organizations can sponsor refugees to come to Canada. These organizations must agree to give emotional and financial support to the refugees for the full sponsorship period (around one year).

D) JOINT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (JAS)

JAS program is designed to resettle refugees with special needs. These refugees get income support from the Government of Canada and private sponsorship groups. Depending on the case, refugees might receive support for up to 24 months.

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