Special Program for Sponsoring Afghan Refugees

Special Program for Groups of Five and Community Sponsors to Sponsor Afghan Refugees without Proof of Refugee Status (RSD document)

IRCC announced a temporary public policy that enables Groups of Five and Community Sponsors to sponsor Afghan refugees who do not have a refugee status document issued by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), or a foreign state, which formally recognizes the applicant as a refugee in early October, 2022. For information about the program go to this link: Temporary public policy to facilitate the sponsorship of Afghan refugees by groups of five and community sponsors – Canada.ca

The special program to sponsor Afghan refugees without refugee status from the UNHCR or a foreign state is no longer accepting applications.  The IRCC program has received the maximum number of applications and is full.

If you have already applied to the special program, IRCC will review and process the application. Information about the application process can be found in these guides:

• Group of five
• Community Sponsor.

If there are any changes to your application – updated address, new telephone number or if the refugee moves – please inform IRCC as soon as possible. Information about how to contact IRCC is provided in the guides linked above.

Other sponsorship options for Afghan refugees:

• If an applicant has been recognized as a refugee by UNHCR or a foreign state, a sponsorship application can be submitted by a Group of Five or Community Sponsors. Please visit the RSTP website – www.rstp.ca – for more information and training sessions for these types of applications.

• If an applicant has not been recognized as a refugee, an application needs to be submitted by a Sponsorship Agreement Holder. Here is information about working with a Sponsorship Agreement Holder here: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/refugees/help-outside-canada/private-sponsorship-program/agreement-holders.html

If you have any additional questions or require specific information, please contact an RSTP trainer in your area. You can find a list of trainers here: https://www.rstp.ca/en/contact-us/

For more details, please visit:

• Updates on the Special program to sponsor Afghan refugees without refugee status from the UNHCR or a foreign state – Canada.ca
• Temporary public policy to facilitate the sponsorship of Afghan refugees by groups of five and community sponsors – Canada.ca
• Frequently Asked Questions