Refugee Sponsorship Training Program

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IRCC message for sponsors regarding upcoming RAP rate increase

This is to inform you that the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) is moderately increasing its rates in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario to align with provincial social assistance rates.

In addition to the updated rates in the three provinces noted above, the transportation allowance will also be raised to $75 per month in all communities throughout Canada where the actual cost of a monthly transit pass is lower than that amount.

These changes will come into effect on November 1, 2019, and the updated rates will be posted on the RSTP website at least two weeks in advance of the effective date.

Both social assistance and RAP rates change over time, and as always, sponsoring groups are expected to provide support at the rates in place at the time of the refugee’s arrival and over the course of their sponsorship period. These changes are necessary in response to the rising costs of living and to ensure that RAP income support levels are aligned with provincial social assistance rates.

Please note that the Sponsorship Cost Table and the In-Kind Deduction Table listed in the Group of Five and Community Sponsor application guides will not be updated at this point in time. The Sponsorship Cost Table amount is used by IRCC to assess the financial capacity of sponsors at the application stage.  After the refugees’ arrival, sponsors must use the RAP rates in the expected community of settlement to calculate the actual support income they must provide.

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La présente vise à vous informer que les taux du Programme d’aide à la réinstallation (PAR) seront légèrement augmentés pour l’Alberta, la Colombie-Britannique et l’Ontario afin qu’ils concordent avec les taux d’aide sociale en vigueur dans ces provinces.

En plus de la mise à jour des taux dans les trois provinces susmentionnées, l’allocation de transport passera à 75 $ par mois dans toutes les collectivités du Canada où le coût réel d’un laissez-passer mensuel est inférieur à ce montant.

Ces changements entreront en vigueur le 1er novembre 2019. Les taux mis à jour seront affichés sur le site Web du PFPR au moins deux semaines avant leur date d’entrée en vigueur.

Les taux d’aide sociale et ceux du PAR changent au fil du temps, et on s’attend toujours à ce que les groupes de parrainages offrent un soutien en fonction des taux en vigueur au moment de l’arrivée du réfugié et pendant la durée de la période de parrainage. Ces modifications sont nécessaires pour répondre à l’augmentation du coût de la vie au Canada et veiller à ce que les niveaux de soutien du revenu du PAR concordent avec les taux d’aide sociale en vigueur dans les provinces.

Veuillez noter que le Tableau des coûts de parrainage et le Tableau de déduction des dons en nature figurant dans les guides de demande des groupes de cinq et des répondants communautaires ne seront pas mis à jour pour le moment. Le montant indiqué dans le Tableau des coûts de parrainage est utilisé par IRCC pour évaluer la capacité financière des répondants à l’étape de la présentation de la demande. Après l’arrivée des réfugiés, les répondants doivent utiliser les taux du PAR dans la collectivité d’établissement prévue pour calculer le revenu de soutien réel qu’ils doivent fournir.

Procedures Regarding Residency Requirements for Private Sponsorship

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS & OBLIGATIONS

As per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) 153(1)(a), a sponsor must reside or have representatives in the refugee’s expected community of settlement. To meet the residency requirements of sponsorship:

For Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH):

  • Either the SAH and/or Constituent Group (CG) is located in the community of settlement; or
  • At least two co-sponsors reside in the community of residence; or
  • At least two appointed representatives reside in the community of residence

For Community Sponsors (CS):

  • Either the CS is located in the community of settlement; or
  • At least two co-sponsors reside in the community of residence; or
  • At least two appointed representatives reside in the community of residence

For Groups of Five (G5):

  • All five sponsors reside in the community of settlement; or
  • Their appointed representatives (for each group member that does not reside in the community of settlement) reside in the community of settlement.

To assess whether your sponsoring group meets the residency requirements, IRCC will compare the sponsors’ addresses on the Sponsorship Undertaking (IMM 5373) or the representative’s address on the Appointment of Representative(s) in Expected Community of Settlement (IMM 5956) form with the province and city (where the refugees plan to live) listed in question 5 of the PA’s Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008).Applications that do not meet these requirements on submission will be refused.

If the regulatory residency requirements of R153 (1)(a) are no longer met on arrival, sponsors will need to make alternate sponsorship arrangements, which can include: 1) finding a replacement sponsor located in the community of settlement to take over the original sponsorship; 2) updating the Sponsorship Undertaking to include a CG or at least two co-sponsors who are located in the community of settlement; or 3) appointing representatives in the new community of settlement. A combination of one representative and one co-sponsor would satisfy this requirement as well. See the chart below for more details. If a sponsor cannot meet the residency requirements when a sponsored family has moved, the case may lead to a no-fault or fault sponsorship breakdown. For more information on breakdowns and possible defaults, please see the following on Sponsorship Disputes and Breakdowns.

DEFINITIONS

A representative is a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident who is located within the refugee’s community of settlement and is appointed to represent the sponsor in the community, in accordance with the scope and action of representation agreed upon between the representative and the sponsor. A representative is not a party to the sponsorship, and is not liable to fulfill the sponsorship obligations.

A co-sponsor is a person or organization that partners with a SAH or CS to share responsibility for sponsorship support as per the Sponsorship Undertaking. They are jointly and severally liable to fulfill the sponsorship obligations.

Community of settlement is defined as the village, town or city and surrounding areas in which the refugee is expected to settle. The term community is used, as there may be situations in which the sponsor does not live directly in the same village, town or city but could be considered to reside in the same general community. In determining the community of settlement, the paramount consideration should be the sponsor’s ability to provide adequate, in-person support to the refugee, taking into account the distance between the sponsor and the refugee.

APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES

The appointment of representatives in no way removes the sponsorship group’s legal obligations towards Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to fulfill all sponsorship responsibilities committed to via the Sponsorship Undertaking and outlined in the Settlement Plan; the signatories to the Sponsorship Undertaking remain jointly and severally responsible for the sponsorship. The sponsor and the representative(s) are responsible for agreeing upon the action and scope of representation and for establishing amongst themselves how the sponsorship support will be provided, but this agreement is outside the sponsor’s contractual obligations with IRCC.

The representatives cannot be legally bound to the sponsorship, unless they are formally added as co-sponsors through an updated Sponsorship Undertaking. It is therefore in the best interest of the sponsoring group to formally include the representatives as co-sponsors and therefore as parties to the Sponsorship Undertaking, as it would also bind them to the sponsorship obligations. However, in both scenarios, the sponsoring group who signed the Undertaking still bears ultimate responsibility to provide all sponsorship support should the assistance of the co-sponsor or representative(s) cease at any time during the sponsorship period.

To appoint representatives, the sponsoring group must submit an Appointment of Representatives in the Expected Community of Settlement form (IMM 5956). The IMM 5956 includes a Settlement Plan to explain how the sponsorship support will be provided in the new long distance arrangement. The Settlement Plan must explain the type of interaction that will be in place with the representatives and how the support will be provided via the representatives. For example, if winter clothing is required, the sponsoring group who signed the Sponsorship Undertaking would still be responsible to provide this financially by perhaps sending a money transfer to the representatives who will purchase and provide the clothing directly to the sponsored refugees.

OPTIONS FOR SATISFYING RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT HOLDER (SAH) RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT UNDER IRPR153(1)(a):
Either the SAH, the CG, or a minimum of two co-sponsors or two appointed representatives or a combination of one representative and one co-sponsor must reside in the refugee’s community of settlement.
OPTIONS IF RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT NOT MET PROCEDURE
1. Transfer the case to another SAH residing in the new community of settlement.
  • New SAH submits a Sponsorship Undertaking and the new Sponsorship Undertaking replaces the original.
  • For a SAH that is less than two years old, a Settlement Plan is required.
  • For a SAH that is more than 2 years old, an updated Settlement Plan must be kept on file to reflect the change in sponsorship responsibilities; IRCC may request this settlement plan at any time.
2. Locate a CG residing in the new community of settlement.
  • Submit updated Sponsorship Undertaking, including the new CG located in the community of settlement.
  • For a SAH that is less than two years old, a Settlement Plan is required.
  • For a SAH that is more than 2 years old, an updated Settlement Plan must be kept on file to reflect the change in sponsorship responsibilities; IRCC may request this settlement plan at any time.
  • A Sponsor Assessment Form is required for the new CG signing authority.
3. Locate a minimum of two co-sponsors residing inthe new community of settlement.
  • Submit updated Sponsorship Undertaking including thenew co-sponsor(s).
  • For a SAH that is less than two years old, a SettlementPlan is required.
  • For a SAH that is more than 2 years old, an updatedSettlement Plan must be kept on file to reflect the changein sponsorship responsibilities; IRCC may request thissettlement plan at any time.
  • A Sponsor Assessment Form is required for each of thenew co-sponsor(s).
  • Proof of Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residencefor each co-sponsor.
4. Appoint a minimum of two representativesresiding in the new community of settlement.
  • Submit IMM 5956 – Appointment of Representative(s) inExpected Community of Settlement.
  • Identification for each representative1.
  • Confirmation of address for each representative.
COMMUNITY SPONSOR (CS) RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT UNDER IRPR153(1)(a):
Either the CS or a minimum of two co-sponsors or two appointed representatives or a combination of one representative and one co-sponsor must reside in the refugee’s community of settlement. All new or updated forms can be sent to the Resettlement Operations Centre – Ottawa (ROC-O) at IRCC.INROCO-CORORI.IRCC@cic.gc.ca
OPTIONS IF RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT NOT MET PROCEDURE
1. Transfer the case to another sponsoring group residing in the new community of settlement.
  • New sponsoring group submits a Sponsorship Undertaking and the new Sponsorship Undertaking replaces the original. It will be important to reference that this is regarding an existing sponsorship that has been submitted AND;
  • Sponsor Assessment Form(s) AND;
  • A Settlement Plan and Financial Assessment Form AND;
  • Community Sponsor Group Representative Proof of Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residence AND;
  • Proof of income or Proof of Funds in Trust.
2. Locate a minimum of two co-sponsors residing in the new community of settlement.
  • Sponsoring group submits an updated Sponsorship Undertaking and the updated Sponsorship Undertaking replaces the original. It will be important to reference that this is regarding an existing sponsorship that has been submitted AND;
  • Sponsoring group submits an updated Settlement Plan and Financial Assessment Form AND;
  • Sponsor Assessment Form is required for each new co-sponsor AND;
  • Proof of Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residence is required for each new co-sponsor.
  • For each co-sponsor(s) individually contributing funds, a Financial Profile and Proof of Income is required.
3. Appoint a minimum of two representatives residing in the new community of settlement.
  • Submit IMM 5956 – Appointment of Representative(s) in Expected Community of Settlement.
  • Identification for each representative2.
  • Confirmation of address for each representative.
GROUP OF FIVE (G5) RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT UNDER IRPR153(1)(a):
At least five group members or their appointed representatives must reside in the refugee’s community of settlement. All new or updated forms can be sent to the Resettlement Operations Centre – Ottawa (ROC-O) at IRCC.INROCO-CORORI.IRCC@cic.gc.ca
OPTIONS IF RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT NOT MET PROCEDURE
1. Transfer the case to another sponsoring group residing in the new community of settlement.
  • New sponsoring group submits a Sponsorship Undertaking and the new Sponsorship Undertaking replaces the original AND;
  • Sponsor Assessment Form(s) AND;
  • A Settlement Plan and Financial Assessment Form AND;
  • Proof of Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residence AND;
  • Proof of Funds Held In Trust AND;
  • A Financial Profile and Proof of Income for each sponsor contributing funds.
2. Appoint one representative in new community of settlement to replace each member of the G5 who does not reside in the community of settlement
  • Submit IMM 5956 – Appointment of Representative(s) in Expected Community of Settlement.
  • Identification for each representative3.
  • Confirmation of address for each representative.

1 The ID document must include the name and current address of the representative (e.g.: driver’s license). If the ID does not contain the current address of the representative, then an additional document showing the current residential address must be provided in addition to the ID (e.g., a lease agreement).

2 The ID document must include the name and current address of the representative (e.g.: driver’s license).If the ID does not contain the current address of the representative, then an additional document showing the current residential address must be provided in addition to the ID (e.g., a lease agreement).

3 The ID document must include the name and current address of the representative (e.g.: driver’s license).If the ID does not contain the current address of the representative, then an additional document showing the current residential address must be provided in addition to the ID (e.g., a lease agreement).

Guidance on Post-Arrival Conversion of a BVOR Case to a JAS Case

IRCC’s operational guidelines for requests to convert Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) cases to Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) cases outline the criteria for BVOR to JAS conversions to be considered:

A private sponsor or SPO can request the conversion of a BVOR case to a JAS case. However, conversions of BVOR to JAS are done only in exceptional circumstances and with the concurrence of the local IRCC office.

Exceptional circumstances for a BVOR case to be converted to a JAS include the following:

  • Information regarding high medical or settlement needs is known only post-arrival (note: pre-arrival conversion to JAS or GAR [in situations when sponsor groups withdraw their sponsorship due to lack of capacity to support the higher medical needs] could be an option if this medical or settlement information is identified only at the Notification of Arrival Transmission [NAT] stage).
  • The case meets JAS criteria. Namely in that there is greater need of settlement assistance than there is for other GARs because of exceptional resettlement needs, such as the following:

    o          A physical or mental condition that could require treatment in Canada

    o          An unusual family configuration such as a single-parent family with several young children or a family consisting only of siblings, one or more of whom has assumed parental responsibilities

    o          Other special needs identified by the overseas office or an inland IRCC office)

  • Sponsor support is available (if the current sponsor does not have the capacity or experience, the case could be solicited to other sponsors in the community of settlement).
  • JAS would be in the best interest of the client.
    • Considerations:
      • JAS clients may receive additional support through services from RAP SPOs.
      • Sponsors may further support JAS clients by diverting financial resources to help cover additional medical costs that are not covered through the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) or provincial health care programs.
      • There is potential to extend the sponsorship period beyond 12 months, if it is in the client’s best interest.

Sponsors who want to recommend a BVOR case to JAS should contact IRCC.INPSR-PPPRRI.IRCC@cic.gc.ca to request a Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) In-Canada Recommendation Form [IMM 5673]. Once completed the forms can be sent to the local IRCC office or the RAP mailbox, as indicated in the instructions on the form.

Reminder: only SAHs can sponsor JAS cases. If a Group of Five or a Community Sponsor recommends conversion of a BVOR case, they must partner with a SAH in order to continue sponsoring the case as a JAS.

Guidelines on Sponsorship of Refugees out of Turkey

September 2015 – This guidance has been developed to assist private sponsors in identifying cases for resettlement from Turkey. It is intended to increase the likelihood of the refugees being granted exit clearance by the Government of Turkey, and to ensure that applicants are ready to travel to Canada as soon as possible once a positive decision has been made on their application for resettlement.

While the Government of Canada cannot guarantee that exit permission will be granted by the Government of Turkey, ensuring that sponsored refugees have formally registered with the Turkish authorities will significantly increase the chances of the refugees being authorized to exit the country. Failing to consider this criterion can lead to sponsored refugees approved by CIC not receiving the necessary exit permits from the Government of Turkey for resettlement to Canada.

In order to increase the chances of being granted exit permission from Turkey, sponsored refugees should be registered with local Turkish authorities as demonstrated by having a valid one of the following documents:

  • Residence permit (Ikamet) in the form of an Ikamet Izni or Ikamet Tezkeresi;
  • Temporary residence document such as visa or work permit (does not include electronic visas);
  • Yabanci Tanitma Belgesi (Foreigner ID Document) or Yabanci Tanitim Karti (Foreigner ID Card);
  • Sığınma başvuru sahibi tanıtım kartı (Foreigner Registration Card);
  • Uluslararası Koruma Başvuru Sahibi Kimlik Belgesi (Identification Card for International Protection Applicant);
  • Uluslararası Koruma Başvuru Sahibi Kayit Belgesi (Registration Card for International Protection Status Holder);
  • Uluslararası Koruma Statüsü Sahibi Kimlik Belgesi (Identification Card for International Protection Status Holder); or
  • Gecici Koruma Kimlit Belgesi (Temporary Protection ID).

If you have any questions about these guidelines, please contact us.

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