Canada Suspends Private Sponsorship of Refugees until Dec 2025
Author: Al Parsai, LL.M, RCIC-IRB
Last Updated On: December 1, 2024
Canada has announced significant changes to its Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program. These changes include suspending new PSR applications from certain groups until December 31, 2025. Find out what this means for refugee resettlement and old applications.
Refugee Resettlement vs. in-Canada applications
Canada resettles refugees through coordinated efforts involving the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This process helps refugees outside Canada who need international protection. In contrast, in-Canada asylum claims involve different government bodies, including the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), IRCC, and eventually the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). Resettlement requires thorough planning between UNHCR, IRCC, and other authorities to ensure safe relocation. Meanwhile, in-Canada claims begin when individuals arrive at the border or are already in Canada. These claims involve detailed assessments by IRCC and CBSA, with final decisions made by the IRB.
Canada offers three major resettlement pathways. These include the Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) Program, the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program, and the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) Program:
Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) Program:
Refugees receive government support during their initial year in Canada.
The government provides financial assistance, housing, and settlement services to help refugees integrate.
Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program:
Private groups, such as community organizations or groups of Canadian citizens or permanent residents, sponsor refugees.
Sponsors provide financial, emotional, and social support for 12 months.
Sponsors can include Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs), Groups of Five, or Community Sponsors.
Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) Program:
This program is a partnership between the government and private sponsors.
The government provides financial support for the first six months, while private sponsors offer support for the remaining six months.
Private sponsors also provide social and emotional assistance throughout the year.
The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program allows private citizens and organizations to sponsor refugees directly. Sponsors include Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs), Groups of Five, and Community Sponsors. These groups take responsibility for helping refugees settle in Canada. They provide financial and emotional assistance and help refugees access housing and essential services. Sponsors must meet specific eligibility requirements, including proving their financial capacity to support refugees for at least one year. The Resettlement Operations Centre in Ottawa (ROC-O) assesses applications for completeness. Once approved, migration officers review refugee cases abroad, conducting interviews and security screenings. The PSR Program plays a crucial role in community-driven refugee resettlement, allowing Canadians to significantly impact global humanitarian efforts.
The suspension of PSR
On November 29, 2024, Canada has paused new PSR applications from Groups of Five and Community Sponsors until December 31, 2025. This pause addresses the growing backlog of applications, which has overwhelmed processing capacity. IRCC will use this time to focus on the backlog, ensuring better service for existing applicants. The current application volume has exceeded the sponsorship spaces outlined in Canada’s immigration levels plan, leading to significant delays in refugee sponsorship processing times.
Only Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs) can continue submitting new PSR applications during this pause. SAHs have established agreements with the government, allowing them to sponsor refugees without interruption. By limiting new applications to SAHs, IRCC hopes to manage intake more effectively and prevent further accumulating pending cases.
The pause allows IRCC to work towards more predictable and shorter processing timelines. It will enable the system to catch up on pending applications and efficiently allocate resources. Consequently, this decision ensures Canada can focus on resettling refugees already in the system and effectively meet resettlement goals. Moreover, IRCC intends to collaborate with partners and stakeholders during this pause to explore long-term program improvements and strategies for future intakes.
What about old applications that have already been submitted?
The suspension only impacts new applications from Groups of Five and Community Sponsors. Refugee sponsorship applications submitted before the pause will continue through the usual process. The Resettlement Operations Centre in Ottawa (ROC-O) and migration officers abroad will evaluate these existing applications. They will conduct thorough assessments, including medical checks, identity verification, and background security screenings.
Processing times may still vary significantly. Factors such as medical exams, security screenings, and logistics for exit permits from the refugee’s current location can all affect timelines. Nonetheless, IRCC remains committed to meeting its obligations for these previously submitted applications. The goal is to clear the backlog and ensure efficient processing of existing cases, thereby enabling a smoother transition for refugees.
During this period, IRCC also aims to establish more predictable and shorter processing timelines for future applications. IRCC hopes to enhance its capacity to process current commitments effectively by focusing on applications already in the system. Additionally, they plan to collaborate with stakeholders to implement long-term improvements in the sponsorship process.
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Al Parsai, LLM, MA, RCIC-IRB
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Adjunct Professor – Queen’s University – Faculty of Law
Ashton College Instructor – Immigration Consulting
Author – 88 Tips on Immigration to Canada
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Al Parsai, LL.M, RCIC-IRB
Al Parsai is a distinguished Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (L3 RCIC-IRB – Unrestricted Practice) hailing from vibrant Toronto, Canada. Al’s academic achievements include an esteemed role as an adjunct professor at prestigious Queen’s University Law School and Ashton College, as well as a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from York University (Osgood Hall Law School). A respected member of CICC, Al’s insights are further enriched by his experience as the dynamic CEO of Parsai Immigration Services. Guiding thousands of applicants from over 55 countries through the immigration process since 2011, Al’s articles offer a wealth of invaluable knowledge for readers.
Canada Suspends Private Sponsorship of Refugees until Dec 2025
Luis Diaz was fouled in Liverpool clash. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)
Liverpool were 1-0 winners over Girona in the Champions League on Tuesday night and former Reds star Steve McManaman feels his old club got a little lucky. The Merseyside club arrived into the clash in Spain having won all five of their Champions League matches and Arne Slot’s men kept up their 100 per cent record with the victory.Girona caused Liverpool a lot of problems in the first half and the Reds boss can thank his goalkeeper Alisson Becker for keeping the home side out. The Merseyside outfit were much better in the second 45 minutes and it was during this half that the biggest talking point of the game emerged.Donny van de Beek would commit a clumsy challenge on Luis Diaz – who has recently been linked with a move away from Anfield – in the Girona box when the Dutch midfielder barely stepped on the winger’s heel.The referee viewed the coming together as a foul after being sent to the VAR monitor, resulting in Mohamed Salah converting the spot-kick.The incident sparked a lot of debate on social media and former Liverpool star Steve McManaman felt his old club were lucky to get the decision.
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Steve McManaman on the Liverpool penalty incident
Liverpool star Luis Diaz earned Liverpool a penalty. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)Speaking after the match, McManaman stated that he thought the penalty was harsh and compared it to the unpunished fouls that often happen during corners and free-kicks.“You expect the midfielders to go to close down and if you stand on an inch of his heel, it is very unfortunate,” the pundit said on TNT Sports. “With all respect, it is a contact game. We see a lot more contact at corners and free-kicks that go unmentioned so I don’t think it was a penalty regardless of the result.”
“He’s given the referee an opportunity to make a decision or VAR to get involved” ?@rioferdy5 and Steve McManaman give their verdict on Liverpool’s penalty ?
? @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/wwH4emYXiI
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 10, 2024Liverpool will feel fortunate that they were awarded the penalty but Van de Beek gave the referee a decision to make after making the clumsy foul in their own box.Slot’s men were not at their best in Spain but as seen several times this season, the Reds found a way to come away from the match with all three points. https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/12/10/liverpool-champions-league-tnt/
When it comes to home theater sound, one of the best brands to go with is Samsung. Over the last several years, Samsung surround sound systems and soundbars have done a phenomenal job at enhancing movie nights, which is why we’re always on the lookout for Samsung soundbar deals. As luck would have it, we came across a great one earlier today:
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Far more than a home theater system, you’ll also be able to use the HW-Q6CC to stream music from a phone or tablet using Bluetooth. Pair two devices simultaneously and enjoy fast playback with Samsung’s Tap Sound feature, which lets you start playing a song from your phone through the Samsung soundbar just by tapping one device to the other.
While it’s hard to say how long this markdown is going to last, Samsung deals like this one have gone pretty quickly in the past. That being said, today might be the best day to save. Take $180 off the Samsung 3.1ch HW-Q6CC Soundbar when you purchase at Walmart, and be sure to check out our list of the best Walmart deals for even more holiday discounts!
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The case in which two city lawyers are accused of forgery has taken a new twist after a prominent law firm has been implicated for alleged convenience in misleading court.
In the letter dated December 3, 2024 to the Inspector of Courts, pastor Daniel Walugembe has accused the lawyers, Robert Ssenfuka and Umar Nyanzi of SK and Partners Advocates of colluding with their colleagues at H&G Advocates to commit the alleged crimes.
Through his lawyers, Walugembe states that there is coordinated convenience between H&G Advocates and SK and Partners Advocates whose sole intention is to mislead and bias court against him which is very unfortunate and regrettable.
“Your worship, it is evident that in the letter written by H&G Advocates dated 23rd December 2021, requested for certified copies of proceedings, plaint, affidavit of service, and written statement of defense, consent judgment and decree in Civil Suit No. 699of 2017. Indeed in the letter dated 9th December 2022,” reads the petition adding that Natukunda Jeneva the Deputy Registrar certified the same documents.
According to the petition seeking for the intervention of the judiciary authorities into the matter, Walugembe insists that nowhere the registrar “gave any agreement to H&G advocates which they purportedly passed on to SK and Partners who are their conduits.”
Petition indicates that H&G Advocates is the law firm that represents Makerere University in the case litigated with Walugembe before the Land Division of the High Court; “But at no single point has H&G ever brought this purported sale agreement to disapprove or show inconsistent in his claim.”
The petition copied to the Chief Justice and other lawyers, the lawyers; Ssenfuka and Nyanzi are accused of concocting information and documents with a view of misleading court.
Through his lawyers of Alma Associated Advocates, Walugembe accused the lawyers of misleading court in the sworn statements to the principal judge that their client, Dr Ntwatwa Lule has never been party to earlier cases before the High Court.
“On that basis alone, it is our considered view that a person who can advise his client to lie on oath cannot be trusted at all. To demonstrate to you the perpetual lies of the accused persons in the affidavit they drafted for their client, drawn by SK and Partners Advocates, they advised their client to lie that he has never been party to application number 434 of 2019,” reads the complaint.
The petition copied to the chief justice, judicial authorities and lawyers was in response to complaints challenging the private prosecution of the lawyers Ssenfuka and Nyanzi.
Ssenfuka and Nyanzi both attached to SK & Partners Advocates are accused of fraud in regard to alleged forgery of agreements for Kibanja in Katanga near Wandegeya.
Last week, the Magistrates Court at Buganda Road, Jalia Basajjabalaba issued criminal summons against Ssenfuka and Nyanzi to answer accusations of forgery and uttering false
The duo is expected to appear in court on December 17, 2024 for plea taking and also for hearing formal application in which they are challenging the legality of the charges.
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It is alleged that the lawyers Ssenfuka and Nyanzi attached to SK & Partners Advocates while acting for and on behalf of their client, Dr Ntwatwa Lule committed criminal acts.
Court documents indicate that the accused lawyers are alleged to have committed forgery, uttering false documents and conspired to commit a felony when knowingly and unlawfully altered sales agreements dated February 9, 1996 and August 13, 1996 respectively.
H&G Advocates Accused of Forgery as Court Documents in Walugembe Case Face Scrutiny