Based on research by the Grove and Friends and Dewson School Community Refugees Welcome, to the best of our information.  For more detailed and authoritative answers, please review Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

 

What is involved in sponsoring a refugee?

There are three main components to sponsoring a refugee.  The first is an application process, where details of the sponsorship plan and the refugee's case are assessed by the Government of Canada.  The second is a financial commitment – likely, about $30,000 for a family of four in Canada.  The third is hands-on settlement assistance upon the arrival of the refugee family.

 

Where does the fundraising target of approximately $30,000 come from?

The Government of Canada publishes a table of projected expenses for refugees – for a family of four, the estimated cost is over $27,000, which includes start-up costs, and a living allowance for twelve months based on provincial social assistance rates.

 

Does all of the money (100%) raised go to the actual refugee family?  

Yes, 100%.  The $27,000 covers the equivalent of social assistance payments for a family of four as well as costs for furnishing, rent, transportation and providing adequate clothing etc.

 

How does the process work?  

The refugee process in Canada is pretty complex, and it depends on a number of factors, such as:

• Have you already identified a refugee family needing sponsorship? 

• Has someone in that family been officially recognized as a refugee by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees or another government? 

If both those things are true, a group of five or community group can sponsor a refugee directly.   In that situation, the government would assess both the applicants and the refugee family.

 

If a group does not know a specific refugee, or that refugee has not been officially recognized overseas, then potential sponsors must work through Sponsorship Agreement Holders.  Sponsorship Agreement Holders will co-sponsor or work with a constituent group in the community to go through the application process.

 

What is a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH)? 

Usually charities or churches, they are groups who have been pre-approved by government to support the resettlement of refugees in Canada.  Very often, they have minimal staff. Only SAH’s can sponsor someone who has not been recognized as a refugee, or someone through the Blended Visa Office Referral program.  If they have the capacity, Sponsorship Agreement Holders will work with you to help match with refugee families (groups like Lifeline Syria are helping with this matchmaking too), and will support the application process.  They have to approve your application – capacity to provide financial and practical support.  Depending on whether the SAH is a registered charity, it may be possible to receive a tax receipt for donations.

 

What is the Blended Visa Office Referral Program (BVOR)?

Currently, the government of Canada will contribute to the cost and expedited settlement of 1000 refugees a year.  Refugees in the BVOR program are close to travel-ready, and the government pays half the cost of sponsorship support.  There are hundreds of refugees who actively need sponsorship in the BVOR – but currently, none are from Syria.

 

Who is a refugee? 

The legal definition of a refugee is someone, outside their own country, who is not in Canada already, who is unable or unwilling to return to their own country and has no option for local integration where they are.  A refugee must also demonstrate “a well-founded fear of persecution” or that they are seriously and personally affected by civil war, armed conflict, or massive violations of human rights.  To be sponsored, a refugee must be eligible (meet the criteria above), and admissible (have made it through security, medical and criminal background checks).

 

Who pays the refugee's transportation costs to arrive in Canada?

Depending on the country they may or may not be living in Refugee Camps but will be registered with the UN High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR).  Once selected by the government of Canada, the refugee will receive a government issued Transportation Loan.  Transportation is then arranged by the International Organization of Migration (IOM).  Refugees are able to ask the government of Canada for a loan deferral but they are expected to re-pay the loan once they have re-settled and find employment.  Often sponsor groups pay for the transportation costs (which can be quite high especially for a large family) but this is not part of the legal obligation of $27,000.

 

What are the legal responsibilities of the sponsors?  

They are responsible for ensuring the minimum funds are raised and made available to the family (if needed).  The legal responsibility ends after 1 year.  We recommend a minimum of five families sign the agreement. 

 

In the news it was reported that there are not enough Syrian families being processed.  Will we actually get a family?  Are there enough families?

In light of recent news we are extremely hopeful that Syrian refugees will be processed more quickly by the Canadian government.  Even if you raise the funds in the next two weeks it COULD take up to a year to greet the family at the airport.

 

When do the pledges need to become actual dollars?  

This depends on the SAH.  Every SAH varies, some want 50% before they bring the application to the CIC.

 

What kinds of setbacks are SAHs experiencing?

Volume.

 

Can we connect with a case and be assigned a SAH before we have the full $27,000 raised?

I guess this would really be up to the five or more individuals signing the legal documents - as it is they who are ultimately legally responsible for the $27,000. It also depends on which SAH you are matched up with. Some want the entire amount in an in-trust bank account before they send the application off to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

 

What are the processing times on the refugees' end (i.e. – once sponsors are approved in Canada, how long until they actually arrive at the airport? Where is the bottleneck?

It takes about 30 days for the CIC Central Processing Office in Winnipeg to approve submission for completeness, acknowledge receipt and provide a tracking number. They then send approval to a Canadian Visa Office abroad. The bottleneck occurs at the Visa offices. It takes on average 9 to 11 months to make it through this process in Beirut, but up to 50 months in Turkey where there are 2 million Syrian refugees right now. Please note, it is the Visa Offices that are responsible for the security and criminality checks as well as to review the medical certificates. Once checks are complete they issue the visas and then they notify the SAH of travel arrangements (by International Organization for Migration).

 

Who is responsible for health care costs for the family's first year?

When a privately sponsored refugee arrives at the airport they arrive as a permanent resident. Therefore they are eligible to apply for OHIP immediately upon arrival and can use their cards immediately. If they have health issues that go beyond the scope of OHIP they can access the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). If this program does not cover their needs due to cuts in 2012, they can also access the Ontario Temporary Health Program (OTHP).

 

What are the responsibilities of the sponsors both legal and non-legal?

For a full list of responsibilities visit the CICs website and search for "The Undertaking Form" and look under section G, here. It does seem the main one is the providing $27,000 of financial support for the first 12 months. If sponsors fail to provide this and the family accesses Social Assistance at any time within the initial 12 months - the folks who signed the agreement are responsible for re-paying the assistance received to the Government of Canada.

 

Sponsors are encouraged to do or help with the following.....

Welcome at the airport

Arrange for temporary housing (please leave up to the family to find their own permanent housing)

Help find permanent housing

Apply for a health card

Enroll in English Classes (if needed)

Connect with Settlement Agencies

Access Health Care Services (doctor, dentist)

Enroll Children in School

Apply for Social Insurance Card

Open Up Bank Account

Find A Job

Apply For Child Tax Benefit

Provide Emotional and Moral Support

 

What are the sponsors not responsible for?

Sponsors are not responsible for any debt the family incurs so long as they have made the agreed-upon financial support available in the first 12 months. They are not responsible for any criminal activity on the part of any family member.

 

What should I expect overall from our role as a sponsor?  Has anyone done a detailed overview?

The Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Training program has developed a handbook that takes you through the sponsorship program, from first considering becoming a sponsor through to developing a settlement plan, and settlement activities in the first year.  Lifeline Syria is developing a handbook, focused particularly on sponsoring refugees from Syria in the Greater Toronto Area - its still under development, but even the table of contents provides a pretty good checklist for the process.