Receipt and intake of application (GAR program)
(REF-OVS-2-1)
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.
Refugees may be referred to Canada for full government assistance by authorized organizations. The largest referral partner is the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Refugees in need of urgent protection can be identified for priority processing. Applications received are verified for completeness and accuracy before a file is created in the system for processing. The identity and status of the refugee are verified.
Referrals from UNHCR and other authorized organizations
Describes procedures and criteria for referrals from the UNHCR and other authorized referral organizations, key information on their refugee registration forms, and how the file is created and prepared to support assessment by IRCC officers.
Verifying status and identity of refugees
Standard IRCC procedures for validating name, birth and gender, and for collecting biometrics for identity and screening.
Cases for priority or special processing
Considerations for assessing and processing special or priority case groups. Includes cases referred for urgent protection, vulnerable cases, public policies, applicants who are persecuted on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity expression (SOGIE-LGBTQI) and other groups requiring special attention.
Resettlement: Program delivery partners – roles and responsibilities
Key partners within and outside of IRCC and their respective responsibilities regarding resettlement.
Temporary public policy to facilitate the sponsorship of specific refugees previously sponsored by a sponsorship agreement holder
Following the cancellation of a Sponsorship Agreement Holder’s (SAH) sponsorship agreement, refugee applicants sponsored by that SAH who have received a positive sponsorship decision, will have 90 days to find a new sponsor