The Canadian refugee sponsorship program is a program that allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as organizations, to sponsor refugees to come to Canada as permanent residents. There are several types of refugee sponsorship programs in Canada, including the Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) program, the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program, and the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program.
The Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) program is a program that is administered by the Government of Canada and provides assistance to refugees who are selected for resettlement by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or the Government of Canada. GARs receive support from the government for the duration of the sponsorship period, which is generally one year.
The Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program is a program that is administered by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and is a partnership between the government and private sponsors. Under the BVOR program, private sponsors provide financial and social support to refugees for the duration of the sponsorship period, while the government provides assistance with the refugee’s resettlement costs.
The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program is a program that allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as organizations, to sponsor refugees to come to Canada as permanent residents. Private sponsors are responsible for providing financial and social support to the sponsored refugees for the duration of the sponsorship period, which is generally one year for government-assisted refugees and up to three years for privately sponsored refugees.
To be eligible to sponsor a refugee through the refugee sponsorship program, sponsors must meet certain eligibility requirements, including being able to demonstrate that they can financially support the sponsored refugees and undertaking to provide for the basic needs of the sponsored refugees for the duration of the sponsorship period. Sponsored refugees must also meet certain eligibility requirements, including being admissible to Canada and undergoing a medical examination and a security clearance.