Sponsorship agreement holders

Foreign nationals may be sponsored from outside Canada as they immigrate by the Federal government or via private sources or Sponsorship Agreement holders, which may or may not know the person they are assisting. Such groups sponsoring someone who is outside Canada are comprised of or one or more people and are usually humanitarian organizations, religious organizations, community ethnic groups and may operate on a local, regional or national level. These groups choose to support refugees who are immigrating to Canada from other countries, in conjunction with Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada. Organizations sponsoring refugees may submit multiple applications to the IRCC.

Sponsorship agreement holders must meet several criteria including:

• be a local, regional or national corporation or legally documented organization
• be a foreign national, officially recognized by the UNHRC as a ‘Convention refugee’ or ‘person in need of protection’
• obtain a sponsorship agreement signed with the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
• agree to be responsible for the management of the person/s you have agreed to sponsor
• ensure the sponsor agreement holder/s are in the same community as the sponsored person/s for a determined period, usually about a year
• be incorporated via a legally created organization
• have sufficient funds to ensure all the needs outlined in the sponsored refugee’s settlement plan can be paid for
• ensure travel and living arrangements have been made, prior to sponsored refugee’s arrival

Sponsor Agreement Holders may form a co-sponsorship with an individual or another organization and share in helping with the settlement plan of the refugees.