Resettlement: Travel arrangements

(REF-OVS-8-2)

This guidance provides migration officers with an overview of the process to make travel arrangements from outside Canada to final destination in Canada for resettled refugees and other clients in similar situations.

On this page

• Resettlement targets shared with IOM
• Loan for transportation to Canada - counseling and signature
• RAP contributions for exceptionally high-needs resettled refugees
• Case finalization and IOM movement assistance
• Self-booking clients
• Maximum number of clients per commercial flight
• Charter flights
• Day of arrival
• Transportation and associated costs
• Travel arrangements for service animals and household pets

Resettlement targets shared with IOM

Each year, resettled refugee admission targets by country of residence are shared with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) by the Resettlement, Family and Humanitarian (RFH) branch. Updated targets are shared with IOM on a quarterly basis, or sooner if new needs or new government commitments arise.

Loan for transportation to Canada - counseling and signature

Clients should be counselled on the terms and conditions of the Loans for transportation to Canada, and sign the Loan Agreement for Transportation to Canada [IMM 0502] (PDF, 2.2 MB) before travelling. While the loan agreement must be signed and authorized by a migration officer, counselling the client on the loan and obtaining the client’s signature can be done by the migration officer, a locally engaged staff member, or IOM.

Minors traveling without their parent or without their intended guardian

There may be instances where a client under the age of 18 is required to travel either without their parent(s) or without their intended guardian present. This may include

• minors accepted under the one-year window of opportunity program (OYW) joining their parent(s) in Canada
• minors travelling to Canada to be united with a blood relative, who may apply for guardianship once the minor is in Canada (consanguineous minors)
• minors being resettled concurrently with their parent, but from different countries of asylum
• minors travelling as de facto dependents (DFD), either accompanied by their intended guardian, resettled concurrently but from a different country of asylum than their intended guardian, or joining their intended guardian in Canada

The Migration Officer must seek confirmation from the parent or intended guardian on whether the Loan for transportation to Canada and movement assistance are required for the minor. If so, the loan agreement must be signed by the minor’s parent or intended guardian.

For more information related to minors, see Immigration Loans Program (ILP).

When completing the Loan Agreement for Transportation to Canada for a minor:

• Under the IRCC Application # field, include the minor’s application number as follows: GXXXXXXXXX-Minor
• Under the Loan applicant name field, include the parent’s or intended guardian’s name as follows: Last name, First Name (“Parent” or “Intended Guardian”)

For more information, see Immigration Loans Program (ILP).

RAP contributions for exceptionally high-needs resettled refugees

Through the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), IRCC may pay for transportation costs, transportation-related costs, and/or initial settlement costs on behalf of exceptionally high-needs resettled refugees, rather than having them repay these costs through a loan under the Immigration Loans Program (ILP).

Requests can be made

• pre-arrival, by migration offices or the Humanitarian and Identity Operations (HIO) branch’s Resettlement Operations Division (ROD), to cover a client’s transportation and transportation-related costs
• post-arrival, by RAP service provider organizations (SPO) or regional Settlement and Resettlement Operations (SRO) offices, to cover a client’s transportation and transportation-related costs, and/or initial settlement costs

For more information, see RAP contributions for exceptionally high-needs resettled refugees

Case finalization and IOM movement assistance

For most resettled refugees, IOM provides movement assistance to travel to Canada. Clients can only access the Loan for transportation to Canada by also accessing IOM’s movement assistance, and in some countries, clients may have the option of accessing this assistance and paying IOM directly.

The migration office notifies the local IOM office that the clients are ready to travel by sharing with IOM a “Travel Booking Referral” spreadsheet that includes all cross-referenced cases (x-refs), in order to avoid separating families. Migration offices must send the following to the local IOM office, along with the Travel Booking Referral:

• Clients’ Confirmation of Permanent Residence and any corresponding travel documents
• Loan Agreement for Transportation to Canada (IMM 0502), signed by the IRCC migration officer, for which IOM is expected to obtain the loan recipient’s signature (that is, the parent or intended guardian in the case of minors)

For minor traveling without their parent or without intended guardian, in addition to the items listed above, the following must be sent to the local IOM office with the Travel Booking Referral:

• The Acknowledgement of Responsible Adult form [IMM 5590E (PDF)] signed by the in-Canada relative or intended guardian

  Note: The intended guardian must be identified on the IMM 5590 before the minor travels to Canada.

• The Declaration from Non-Accompanying Parent/Guardians for Minors Immigrating to Canada form [IMM 5604 (PDF, 1.4 MB)], where applicable
• The parent’s or intended guardian’s details, included in the body of the Travel Booking Referral email:
  • full name
  • UCI and/or IRCC application number, if applicable
  • contact information in Canada, if applicable (address, phone number, email)
  • relationship to the minor

All communications with IOM must clearly state that the minor is traveling without their parent or without their intended guardian.

In cases of concurrent resettlement of the minor and their parent or intended guardian (that is, resettling from different locations), migration offices and IOM must work together to ensure that the parent or intended guardian arrives in Canada before the minor.

Self-booking clients

Clients can choose to make their own travel arrangements; however, they should be aware that this will be without support from IOM or IRCC. Clients who self-book

cannot

• access ILP transportation loans to cover the cost of their travel to Canada
• receive assistance from IRCC or IOM for obtaining exit permits, booking travel, navigating transit airports, etc.

must

• make arrangements to pick up their visa at the migration office
• comply with any travel requirements
• ensure that they travel to Canada prior to the expiry of their visa
• navigate immigration and customs procedures without RAP SPO support once in Canada

Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSR) and Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) clients must inform their sponsor of their upcoming travel so that sponsors can be prepared to receive them. Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) must contact the RAP SPO receiving them when they arrive.

If a Loan Agreement for Transportation to Canada (IMM 0502) has already been signed by the client and added to GCMS, a note to file must be added stating: “The loan request is Cancelled as the client opted to self-book travel.” If a travel booking referral was already sent to IOM, in order to avoid costs being incurred, the migration office must notify IOM as soon as possible that the client has opted to self-book, and ask IOM to have the client’s visa and CoPR returned to the migration office.

Maximum number of clients per commercial flight

A maximum of 75 resettled refugee clients should be booked on a single commercial flight by IOM.

Charter flights

Commercial flights are the preferred travel option for the vast majority of resettlement movements. However, the use of charter flights can be assessed on a situational basis to support large scale movements and/or where the urgency or complexity of the situation warrants it.

Particularly in the context of large movements, IOM will advise IRCC if available commercial bookings are insufficient to achieve established targets, or where the use of charter flights may otherwise be recommended for operational reasons.

Day of arrival

Restrictions on day of arrival: Government-assisted refugees

GAR and humanitarian cases may not arrive on Saturday, Sunday or statutory holidays unless there are extenuating circumstances. Note that there are different statutory holidays from one province to another. An updated list of Canadian statutory holidays is distributed to migration offices and the IOM each fall by the GAR team.

Restrictions on day of arrival: Privately-sponsored refugees

Friday and weekend arrivals of PSRs and BVORs are permitted, but should be kept to a minimum. The PSR or BVOR client must have the name and telephone number of their sponsor when they travel to Canada.

Time of arrival

Clients’ flight arrangements should allow for arrival at their final destination before 22:00 hours local time.

Port of Entry RAP Services

Upon their arrival at the port of entry (POE) airport, resettled refugees and other eligible clients receive POE services from the POE RAP SPO. These services include

• meeting and greeting clients as they deplane
• assisting them with immigration and customs procedures
• issuing winter clothing if required
  • to GAR and and Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) clients between October 15 and April 15
  • to PSRs and BVORs on an exceptional basis only, or as per instructions from IRCC
• if the POE city is the final destination, ensure clients
  • meet the RAP SPO or sponsors waiting for them at the POE airport or
  • for GAR and JAS clients, if applicable, facilitate client transportation to their temporary accommodation
• if the POE is not the final destination
  • addressing any immediate and in-transit needs
  • assisting clients to their onward ground or air transportation to their final destination
  • making arrangements for overnight accommodation and transportation to and from this accommodation if the onward flight is scheduled on another day
  • helping clients to obtain an in-Canada transportation loan from CBSA to cover overnight accommodation and/or ground transportation costs, if required

For more information, see the Port of Entry (POE) Airport Services chapter of the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) Service Provider Handbook.

Connecting flights

At least four hours are required at the POE airport to allow for procedures related to the granting of permanent residence, clearing customs, distribution of winter clothing if applicable and accompanying clients to connecting flights.

Transportation and associated costs

Excess baggage

The number and size of allowed baggage may vary between airlines.

Personal and household effects

Beyond their allowed baggage, clients are responsible for shipping arrangements and related costs for their personal and household effects. These costs cannot be covered under the ILP or the RAP.

Prohibited items

Travelers are encouraged to consult Transport Canada’s What you can’t bring on a plane.

Airline and baggage claim tickets

Ensure that clients each have their own airline tickets and baggage-claim tickets. 

Travel arrangements for service animals or household pets

Service animals

For clients resettling to Canada with service animals, the GAR team must be informed as soon as possible to relay this information to the receiving POE RAP SPO, and the RAP SPO, sponsor, or the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation, et de l’Intégration (MIFI), as this will impact arrangements for temporary and permanent accommodations. IOM will facilitate travel arrangements for service animals, including adding related costs to clients’ transportation loan, for cases with

• visual, hearing, physical or cognitive impairment
• mental health condition (such as post-traumatic stress disorder)
• seizure disorder
• diabetes
• etc.

Clients may be asked to provide a medical report attesting to the requirement for a service animal.

Clients must also be counselled on all requirements and costs that may be encountered upon arrival in Canada. More information can be found at Travelling with pets.

Household pets

IOM will not facilitate travel arrangements for household pets and the GAR team will not facilitate notification with service providers. Clients should be encouraged to make their own arrangements to bring their household pet after their arrival in Canada. Clients are responsible for covering any related travel and accommodation costs for their household pet.

As RAP SPOs would only be notified about an incoming household pet after a client arrives, it may be difficult to assist the client in finding alternate temporary accommodation that is pet-friendly. As such, clients should make their own arrangements to accommodate their household pet while they are in temporary accommodation. More information can be found at: Importing pets.