Sponsorship Agreement Holders Can Now Sponsor 10x More Refugees to Canada

Canada is still a leader in the world when it comes to resettling and integrating refugees. Canadians and permanent residents provides shelter and a secure, permanent home every year to tens of thousands of refugees, thanks to their collaboration. This has happened since the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program was established more than 40 years ago. Almost 130 companies, referred to as Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs), that support refugees on an annual basis are essential to the program's success.

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, stated today, on February 17, 2023, that the maximum number of refugees that SAHs may sponsor would rise to 13,500 in 2023 in response to this surge in SAHs. There are now 12,150 more spots accessible to SAHs than there were when the limit was first enacted in 2012.

According to IRCC, new SAHs will be able to launch their operations thanks to the extra cap places. Concurrently, this will assist seasoned enterprises in expanding. These organizations oversee every step of the sponsorship procedure, from selecting refugees and filing applications to giving sponsored immigrants vital support.

The PSR Program strengthens the Government-Assisted Refugee Program (GAR) and the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) Program. These are Canada's other two resettlement initiatives. They are one of the numerous ways Canada is aiming to meet its target of accepting more than 83,500 privately sponsored refugees by 2025. Collectively, they assist Canada in receiving more refugees each year than the Government of Canada could settle alone.

The PSR and BVOR programs in Canada serve as role models for other nations. Canada promotes and supports the implementation and growth of community sponsorship programs designed to meet local needs through its involvement in the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative (GRSI). Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Spain, the United Kingdom, and most recently the United States have all benefited from GRSI funding for the creation of programs.

Canada has increased the number of refugees sponsorship agreement holders can sponsor to 13,500 in 2023. The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program has been successful with the help of over 130 organizations, and Canada is working with the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative to encourage and support community sponsorship programs in other countries.

If you have any questions about coming to Canada, feel free to book a consultation by clicking the image below or visit the IRCC website.