Temporary Pause on New Group of Five & Community Sponsor Applications under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program Extended to December 31, 2026

Dear sponsorship community, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has extended the temporary pause on new Group of Five and Community Sponsor applications to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program until December 31, 2026.

For more details, please read the notice and instructions posted to the IRCC website today in either English or French at the links below.

Additional Details:

English – Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Immigration and Refugee Protection Act:

https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2025/2025-11-22/html/notice-avis-eng.html#na1

French – Ministere de la Citoyenneté et de l’Immigration, Loi sur l’immigration et la protection des réfugiés:

https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2025/2025-11-22/html/notice-avis-fra.html#na1

*Please note, the BVOR program is not impacted by the pause nor its extension. Groups of Five and Community Sponsors are still eligible to apply to be matched with refugees in need of resettlement under the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program. Please note, the BVOR program matches sponsors with refugees that are not known to them – sponsors cannot name refugees to participate in the program.

Monthly Series #4: How to Prepare for Arrival & Meeting Post-Arrival Needs and Requirements in an Ethical Way

This hands-on webinar by the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) is for new and experienced sponsors who want to learn about the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program. Join us to review or learn about sponsors’ settlement responsibilities when sponsoring refugees under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) and Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) programs

We will go over the following information:

*review of sponsors’ settlement responsibilities under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) and Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) programs

*the important ethical considerations to keep in mind when sponsoring refugees

*learn about the inherent power imbalance that exists in the sponsor-sponsored newcomer relationship and tips on how to mitigate this imbalance

*learn about the importance of managing the expectations of the sponsors and the newcomer(s).

The monthly webinars are a 5-part PSR program webinar series where attendees will learn how to become a PSR refugee sponsor by going through the entire process from A-Z. These webinar series can also be taken as refresher sessions for existing sponsors.

Please note: this webinar starts at 6 PM Eastern Time on February 25th.

Monthly Series #3: Submitting a Private Sponsorship Application Online – through the PR Portal

This hands-on webinar by the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) is for new and experienced sponsors who want to learn about the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program. Join us to learn how to submit your PSR application online, through the Permanent Residence Portal (PR portal).

In this session, we will cover information about:

*how to submit the application package online.

*how to navigate the new PR Portal and find out how to access it and how to log in.

* the difference between a Primary Sponsor and a Principal Applicant – and the documents that each of them need to upload to the portal.

*how to review your application in detail before submitting it online

*common application mistakes that you can avoid making.

The monthly webinars are a 5 part PSR webinar series where you will learn how to become a PSR refugee sponsor by going through the entire process from A-Z.

REGISTER HERE.

Please note -this event starts at 6 PM Eastern Time. Registration is required.