Sponsorship Information

Sponsorship Information


Refugee Sponsorship Program supported by CECA



In what is considered our core charitable service in our Community Association, Sponsoring of refugees started in 2000 as a Constituent Group under the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society. In 2002, CECA applied for and obtained a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) status from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. This agreement was renewed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in 2018.

 

With this agreement, CECA has been able to sponsor refugees directly under the private sponsorship of refugees (PSR) program of IRCC from various countries. The sponsorship undertaking process is based on Members of the Association nominating refugee relatives and / or acquaintances and being responsible to provide support for them for a mandated period of one year. During the application process, the CECA will always be the sponsor, and members of the Association are co-sponsors. Once the application forms are filled and signed by the refugee (Principal Applicant), an undertaking will be signed by both the co-sponsor and sponsor and the application forms will be submitted to Resettlement Operations Center - Ottawa (ROC-O).



TYPES OF SPONSORS

Under the PSR program of IRCC, there are three types of sponsors that can facilitate immigration to Canada. These are Sponsorship Agreement Holders, Groups of Five, and Community Sponsors.

 

Sponsorship Agreement Holders

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Sponsorship agreement holders are religious, ethnic, community or service organizations that have signed agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees from abroad when they come to Canada, and are already approved to sponsor refugees.

 

Groups of Five


Groups of Five are five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents over the age of 18 who can sponsor refugees to come to Canada to settle in their local community. A Group of Five provides a settlement plan and proves it has the money to sponsor a refugee for 1 year.

 

Community Sponsors


A Community Sponsor is an organization, association or corporation that can sponsor refugees to come to Canada. A Community Sponsor provides a settlement plan and proves it has the money to sponsor a refugee for 1 year. The organization, association or corporation doesn’t need to be incorporated under federal or provincial law.












Application Forms

Applicants or Sponsors can find complete and updated versions of application for the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program and/or Community Sponsorship of Refugees directly from the official Canadian government website. Visit the links provided below to know more about sponsorship programs as well as sponsorship application forms:

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Visit canada.ca/en/services/immigration-citizenship for additional information about Immigration and Citizenship in Canada.

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Visit canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/application-refugee-sponsorship or rstp.ca/en/applications/the-refugee-sponsorship-application-forms/ for complete and updated application form package for sponsorship

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If you are unsure or need additional information about Canadian Sponsorship, visit our Get In Touch page (click here) and we will be happy to assist you!

Requirements

General program requirements that sponsors are asked to show proof of if a case is reviewed:

 

Financial:

  • Start-up support, both monetary and in-kind

  • Monthly financial support

  • Budget calculations and deductions made (for example, due to assets or earnings)

  • Shelter, including costs or in-kind arrangements, during the sponsorship period

 

Non-financial:

  • Acquiring permanent resident card(s)

  • Access to local settlement services

  • Access to language assessment and/or registration for language training

  • Orientation to the community, including local transit system, community services, etc.

  • Registration for provincial health coverage

  • Orientation and facilitating access to Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) providers

  • Facilitating access to health-care providers

  • Assisting with applications for applicable benefits, such as the Canada Child Benefit (CCB)

  • Assisting with One Year Window (OYW) applications

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Some resources that will provide more information on the above, including what officers look for during a case review, can be found here:

 

General info on RSAT, and assurance and Agreements activities