Sponsor a refugee
Do you have questions about how to sponsor a refugee?
For general information about sponsoring a refugee, check out our Help Centre.
For information on how you can get involved and become a sponsor or for questions regarding the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) can help.
Information bulletins
Resettlement in Canada as a refugee
These bulletins provide information about the next steps in the application process, and give you more information about Canada.
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Saving family No.417: the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program in action
A mother and her three children, had no idea a group of strangers in Peterborough, Ontario had chosen to sponsor her family through the BVOR program.
Each year, millions of people are forced to flee their homelands to escape persecution, war or severe human rights abuses. Often these people can never return home.
The Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program helps thousands of refugees every year. You or your group can sponsor refugees from abroad who qualify to come to Canada. As a sponsor, you provide financial and emotional support for the refugees for the duration of the sponsorship. This includes help for housing, clothing and food. Most sponsorships last for one year, but some refugees may be eligible for assistance from their sponsors for up to three years.
Refugees must qualify for entry under Canada’s laws and must pass medical and security checks before they can come to Canada.
A note for privately sponsored refugees
Being a privately sponsored refugee means that a group of people in Canada have volunteered to help you adjust to life in Canada. Your sponsorship group has made a commitment to support you for one year after you arrive or until you become financially independent, whichever comes first. Your sponsor is responsible for providing you with this support. You do not need to pay your sponsor for the costs of helping you settle in Canada.
Sponsorship Agreement Holders
A number of groups across the country have signed agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees from abroad when they resettle in Canada. They are known as sponsorship agreement holders.
Blended Visa Office-Referred Program
The Blended Visa Office-Referred (VOR) Program matches refugees identified for resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with private sponsors in Canada.
Groups of five
A group of five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents over the age of 18 can sponsor one or more refugees to come to Canada and settle in their area.
Community sponsors
Some community groups can sponsor refugees to come to Canada.
Joint Assistance Sponsorship Program
Organizations can work as partners with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to resettle refugees with special needs.
Sponsors in Quebec
Quebec has its own process to sponsor refugees. Find more about refugee sponsorship in Quebec.
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Embrace Canadian culture
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