Canadian community members are once again able to bring refugees to Canada with the relaunch of the BVOR program.
NEWS RELEASE
June 24, 2022
TORONTO, On. – The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, helped to celebrate the official relaunch of the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) sponsorship program yesterday, along with representatives from the Canadian refugee newcomer community who participated in a lived-experience panel conversation.
The BVOR sponsorship program is a financial partnership between the Government of Canada and community members. It provides a unique opportunity for Canadians to support refugees identified as people in need of protection by the UN Refugee Agency, while sharing settlement costs with the Government. This year, Canadians can welcome more than 1,000 refugees through the BVOR program, many of whom are in particularly vulnerable situations. Refugees under this program arrive in Canada as soon as two to three months after they are matched with a sponsorship group in Canada.
“With the resumption of this important program, Canadian sponsors will once again be able to help resettle refugees to Canada quickly and safely, with strong financial collaboration with the Government,” said Minister Fraser. “Canada has a longstanding and proud tradition of welcoming the world’s most vulnerable, and when we come together to welcome refugees and newcomers, we are strengthening our communities and contributing to our country’s success.”
The celebration, organized by the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program, honoured the resilience and transformative contributions of refugee newcomers in our communities. The lived-experience panel included Tabisha Esperance, Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies and Qaabata Boru and entertainment by artists, the Sultans of String and Ifrah Mansour, it explored varied refugee perspectives on how meaningful acts of solidarity from community members made their transition into Canadian life smoother.
Thanks to the generosity of Canadians, we have opened our hearts and our communities to over 8000 BVOR refugees since the program’s start in 2013. Although worldwide travel restrictions from the global pandemic have impacted Canadian sponsorship opportunities over the last 2 years, we are confident that Canadians’ will continue to help refugees start a new life in peace and safety.
To learn more on what sponsoring through the BVOR program entails and how to become a BVOR refugee sponsor, visit: www.bit.ly/sponsorrefugees to request information or a workshop, or contact bvor@rstp.ca
Pictured: Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the Honourable Sean Fraser during speech.
Pictured: Panelists, Tabisha Esperance, Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies, Qaabata Boru and event host Alex Narvaez.
The Refugee Sponsorship Training Program is funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and administered by Catholic Crosscultural Services