The Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (SSP)
The Refugee Sponsorship Support Program (SSP) is a national program across Canada that trains lawyers to provide free support to individuals and groups seeking to privately sponsor refugees.
The Refugee Sponsorship Support Program was established in 2015 to bring together sponsorship experts, pro-bono lawyers, law students, and community organizations to offer direct support to Canadians seeking to sponsor refugees. Created in response to the huge amount of public interest in private refugee sponsorship in the fall of 2015, individuals, groups and lawyers across Canada mobilized to help. Over two years later, the appetite for private sponsorship remains. There continues to be a large number of individuals who are prepared and able to sponsor refugees, but these groups often require assistance in filling out forms and navigating the complex sponsorship process.
The SSP has three primary components:
- Direct sponsorship support, which provides sponsor groups with direct support from pro-bono lawyers and law students throughout the private refugee sponsorship application process.
- A training programin partnership with the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP), which trains lawyers and law students on the completion of sponsorships, and provides ongoing support for their work through sponsorship experts.
- A public information program, which provides Canadians with resources and support regarding sponsorship.