Refugees

Refugees and persons in need of protection are people within or outside Canada who fear persecution and going back to their home country. In keeping with its humanitarian tradition and international obligations, Canada protects thousands of people each year.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents can also sponsor refugees from abroad who qualify to come to Canada.

Refugee Resettlement from Outside Canada

Convention Refugee Abroad Class

You may be in this class if you:

  • are outside your home country; and
  • cannot return there due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on:
    • race,
    • religion,
    • political opinion,
    • nationality, or
    • membership in a particular social group, such as women or people with a particular sexual orientation.

You must also be:

  • outside Canada, and want to come to Canada,
  • referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or another referral organization, or be sponsored by a private sponsorship group, and
  • selected as a government-assisted or privately sponsored refugee, or have the funds needed to support yourself and any dependants after you arrive in Canada.

Country of Asylum Class

You may be in this class if you:

  • are outside your home country or the country where you normally live and have been, and continue to be, seriously and personally affected by civil war or armed conflict, or have suffered massive violations of human rights.

You must also be:

  • outside Canada,
  • referred by the UNHCR or another referral organization or be sponsored by a private sponsorship group, and
  • privately sponsored, or have the funds needed to support yourself and any dependants after you arrive in Canada.

You will have to pass a medical exam and security and criminal checks.

Some people are not eligible

You are not eligible to resettle to Canada as a refugee from outside Canada if:

  • you have another secure offer for protection, such as an offer to be resettled in another country;
  • you become a citizen of another country and have the protection of that country;
  • you choose to return to live in the country you had left; or
  • the reasons for your fear of persecution no longer exist.

Canada-Quebec Accord

Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the Quebec government selects the refugees who settle in Quebec. Citizenship and Immigration Canada is responsible for determining whether a person selected by Quebec qualifies as a refugee based on Canadian immigration regulations.

Sponsor a Refugee

The Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program helps thousands of refugees every year. You or your group can sponsor refugees from abroad who qualify to come to Canada. As a sponsor, you provide financial and emotional support for the refugees for the duration of the sponsorship. This includes help for housing, clothing and food. Most sponsorships last for one year, but some refugees may be eligible for assistance from their sponsors for up to three years.

Refugees must qualify for entry under Canada’s laws and must pass medical and security checks before they can come to Canada.

Sponsorship Agreement Holders

A number of groups across the country have signed agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees from abroad when they resettle in Canada. They are known as sponsorship agreement holders.

Groups of five

A group of five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents over the age of 18 can sponsor one or more refugees to come to Canada and settle in their area.

Community sponsors

Some community groups can sponsor refugees to come to Canada.

Joint Assistance Sponsorship Program

Organizations can work as partners with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to resettle refugees with special needs.

Sponsors in Quebec

Quebec has its own process to sponsor refugees. Sponsors who live in the province of Quebec should contact Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés Culturelles (MICC).

Claim Refugee Protection from Inside Canada

Canada offers refugee protection to some people in Canada who fear persecution or who would be in danger if they had to leave. Some dangers they may face include the following:

  • torture;
  • a risk to their life; or
  • a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

If you feel you could face one of these risks if you go back to your home country or the country where you normally live, you may be able to seek protection in Canada as a refugee.

Officers receiving your refugee claim will decide whether it is eligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB), an independent administrative tribunal that makes decisions on immigration and refugee matters. The IRB decides who is a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection.

Your refugee claim may not be eligible for referral to the IRB if:

  • You have been recognized as a Convention refugee by another country to which you can return;
  • You have already been granted protected person status in Canada;
  • You arrived via the Canada-United States border;
  • You are not admissible to Canada on security grounds, or because of criminal activity or human rights violations;
  • You made a previous refugee claim that was found to be ineligible for referral to the IRB;
  • You made a previous refugee claim that was rejected by the IRB; or
  • You abandoned or withdrew a previous refugee claim.

Please Contact Us for more information on this program.

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