Canadian citizens and permanent residents can engage in the resettlement of refugees from abroad. As members of organizations, associations and groups, citizens and residents can sponsor refugees overseas as any of following: a Group of Five a Community Sponsor or a Sponsorship Agreement Holder.

The BVOR program is a “blended” program because it is a cost-sharing arrangement whereby IRCC and private sponsors contribute financially to sponsor refugees.

Refugee sponsorship entails a number of moral, financial and legal responsibilities on the part of sponsors toward the sponsored refugees. Refugee sponsorship entails a number of moral, financial and legal responsibilities on the part of sponsors toward the sponsored refugees. Sponsors are also accountable to Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for the delivery and quality of the settlement and financial support they provide to the sponsored refugees, as outlined in their respective settlement plans.

RSTP offers regular workshops, webinars and e-training courses on all aspects of refugee sponsorship, from how to complete applications to preparing sponsored refugees for their post-sponsorship life.

The refugee sponsorship application forms must be completed, signed, dated and submitted together to the Resettlement Operations Centre in Ottawa (ROC-O) along with all required supporting documents.

RSTP’s settlement support connection project matches sponsored refugees with trained settlement workers (also known as settlement counsellors) in their community, at no cost.