Private Refugee Sponsorship in Canada

Webinar by CLWRPresenter: Jennifer Ardon, Project Officer

June 19, 2014

Agenda

• Refugees• CLWR’s refugee history• The PSR Program• Types of Sponsorship• Policy changes• BVOR Initiative• Settlement Challenges• Why get involved

Refugees

“To be a refugee means you are in exile. It is a very different experience from being a migrant. Many migrants

have come here to get a better standard of living. We have come here because our lives are in danger.”

--anonymous refugee

CLWR’s Refugee Sponsorship History

• Since 1946• By the end of 1949: 30,000 ethnic Germans came

to Canada as refugees and displaced persons• 1970s: refugees from Asia• 1979: one of the first sponsorship agreement

holders (SAH) with the federal government • 1980s: refugees from Latin America• 1990s to present: refugees from the Balkans,

Africa and the Middle East

The PSR Program

• Canadians involved with sponsoring refugees• Only country in the world that has a PSR

program• Refugees

– No durable solution – Refugee determination

process done abroad

(need to meet refugee

definition)

The PSR Program

• Since 1979 – resettlement of 200,000 refugees

• Principle of additionality • Principle of naming• Sponsorship Agreement Holders,

Community Sponsors and Group of 5

Sponsor Responsibilities

Provide support for a 1 year period: • Reception at airport• Find affordable housing• Help with basic necessities (food/clothing)• Settlement support and orientation into the

community• Psychological, spiritual and emotional support

Sponsorship Types

• Joint Assistance

• (NEW) Blended Visa-Office Referred

• Full sponsorship

• Family-linked

Recent Policy Changes

• Caps introduced to reduce backlog and long processing times

• Global Caps for Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs)– Limit number of named refugees they can

sponsor– 2014 global SAH cap: 5000

• SAHs – 4000 (to be split between 82 SAHs)• Reserved for Ministerial priorities – 1000

• Mission Caps:– Nairobi (2011)

• Burundi, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda

• 2014: 2000 spaces

– Cairo (2012)• Egypt, Sudan, and Palestinian Authority (Gaza)

– Pretoria (2012)• Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

– Islamabad (2012)• Afghanistan, Pakistan

The Policy Changes

The Policy Changes

• Interim Federal Health (IFH) Program cutbacks– June 2012: private sponsors liable

for extra health costs (such as prosthetics, medications, eye care, and dental care)– Unexpected health calamities can presents

themselves after arrival– Sponsors sometimes unprepared for extra

expenses

Recent Policy Changes

• Elimination of Source Country Class– October 2011: sponsors not able to sponsor

refugees directly out of their country of origin– El Salvador, Guatemala, Sudan, Colombia,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone– Challenges for refugees to flee their country – Some discretion based on humanitarian and

compassionate considerations, but sponsors not usually eligible

Recent Policy Changes

• Group of 5 and Community Sponsors– Can only sponsor refugees who have been

identified as Convention refugees by the country of asylum or the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)

– Difficulty in getting refugee determination– Some countries, such as Thailand, stopped

registering refugees years ago

Challenges for Sponsors

• Difficulty in reuniting family• Increase of Minister-led initiatives• Move towards more government-led

resettlement program• Increase of target refugee

populations and less global• Inability to respond to

crisis (e.g. Syria)

CLWR’s Response to Syrian Refugees Abroad

• Zaatari Refugee Campo Relief Shipment in February 2013o Support for community service provisionso Sweater Campaigno Shoes for Syria

• Mafraq and Irbid governorates o Winterization project (Shelter renovations, gas heaters,

carpets) o Food Voucher programo Summer project (WASH upgrades, Hygiene kits, Summer Non-

food items (NFIs)

BVOR Initiative

• The Blended Visa Officer-Referred Initiative– Implemented January 2013– Government and sponsors each pay for 6

months of settlement support– Only refugees selected by government’s priority

population list– Refugees are travel ready– Refugees have full IFH coverage

Settlement challenges: • trauma of war/persecution• trauma/re-victimization of

resettlement process • language barriers • feelings of isolation and

loneliness • adaptation to climate • unemployment and

underemployment • credentials not recognized• loss of social status

• intergenerational conflicts• changed family dynamics• unfamiliarity with Western

culture and customs • lack of affordable housing • racism/discrimination• youth face bullying,

isolation, low self-esteem, dual identity crises, confusion with educational system and expectations

Practical Reasons for Getting Involved

• Responding to the call to welcome the stranger in the name of Christ

• Opportunity to restore hope • Building community

• With BVOR:– Cost sharing arrangement with the Government– Expanded Health Coverage as refugees sponsored

under this initiative are coved by Extended IFH– Faster processing time (2-4 months)

For more information…Jennifer Ardon

Eastern Regional Office

101-470 Weber St. North

Waterloo, ON N2L 6J2

519-725-8777

clwr.on@gmail.com

Fikre Tsehai

Western Regional Office

80 East 10th Avenue

New Westminster, BC V3L 4R5

604-540-9760

clwr@clwrbc.ca

Pastor Rob Korsch’s BVOR Experience

Contact Pastor Korsch:

Grace Lutheran Church136 Margaret AvenueKitchener, ON N2H 4G9519-742-7431pastorkorsch@yahoo.com