Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program Jennifer Ardon, Canadian Lutheran World Relief March 13, 2015 Immigration Connection, Guelph

Until 2012, we had an average of 200 sponsorships per year CLWR has a rich history of refugee resettlement: Founded in 1946 in the aftermath of WWII when Canadian Lutherans sponsored European Lutherans whose lives were devastated by the war 1979: CLWR was one of the first Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH) with the Canadian government’s new Private Refugee Sponsorship Program Until 2012, we had an average of 200 sponsorships per year

Who can be sponsored via the PSR program? United Nations definition of refugee: “any person outside his/her country of origin who has a well-founded fear of persecution by reason of religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” (1951 UN Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol)

Refugee Resettlement Refugees have 3 possible durable solutions: Repatriation Local integration (in country of asylum) Resettlement to a third country Photo: Vocational training in commercial cooking skills, in Adjumani refugee settlement, Uganda. Photo: Bob Granke

3 Resettlement Programs Government-assisted (GARs) Privately-sponsored (PSRs) Asylum process (in-land determination)

GARs PSRs Are identified by UNHCR (refugee determination done overseas) and referred to Canadian visa office Identified for resettlement by family, groups, individuals in Canada Profiles are selected overseas by Canadian visa officers for government resettlement assistance Refugee determination done overseas by Canadian visa office Have permanent resident status upon arrival Canadian government provides financial and settlement support for 1 year Canadian individuals, groups or organizations provide financial and settlement support for 1 year

What private sponsors do: Reception at airport Financial assistance for 1 year Finding housing/furniture/clothing Orientation into community School registration Setting up utilities Transportation system Finding health care practitioners Friendship, emotional support, etc.

Ways to privately sponsor refugees Sponsorship Agreement Holder Community Sponsorship Group of 5 90 SAHs in Canada (faith-based, cultural-ethnic, NGO, etc) Any group, church, association, organization 5 people needed to sign the application Limited # of people they can sponsor a year 2 sponsorship applications per year Limited where they can sponsor from (i.e. Nairobi, Cairo, Pretoria) Can sponsor from anywhere in the world Refugee applicant does not require refugee recognition document Refugee applicant must have refugee recognition from UNCHR country of asylum

Types of Sponsorships Family-linked sponsorship Blended Visa Office-Referred Joint-Assistance Full Sponsorship

Why be a private sponsor? Part of rich history within Canada Canada is the only country in the world with a private refugee sponsorship program Many Canadians have their own refugee histories, generations back Faith principles: welcoming the stranger Mutually beneficial Enriches the community Allows us to understand our world better

Syrian Refugees This week marks 4th year of the conflict 3,755,417 registered Syrian refugees Registered by UNHCR in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon 1.5 million Syrians registered by the Government of Turkey 24,055 Syrian refugees registered in North Africa.

Syrian Refugees 2013: Canada will resettle 1300 Syrian refugees by 2014 200 were GARs, 1100 were PSRs Slow processing times, late arrivals UNHCR requested that Canada take in 10% of 100,000 Syrian refugees ready to be resettled, over a 2 year period January 2015 announcement: Canada will resettle 10,000 over a 3 year period 40% will be GARs 60% will be PSRs

Syrian Refugees Concerns: Do private sponsors have the capacity? BVORs or full sponsorships? Cuts to IFH extended health benefits Downloading responsibility to private sector Slow processing times Will also resettle 2000 Iraqis of the 3000 the government announced they would resettle

For more information: Jennifer Ardon Project Officer for Refugee Resettlement and Community Relations CLWR Eastern Regional Office 519-725-8777 jardon@clwr.mb.ca