Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program
(REF-OVS-3)
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.
Under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, private sponsors in Canada identify Convention refugees or members of the Country of Asylum Class for resettlement to Canada. A sponsor must demonstrate the capacity to provide support. The processing stages are outlined below.
1. Identification of refugee and sponsor
2. Eligibility assessments (sponsor)
3. Managing agreements with sponsorship agreement holders (SAHs)
- Becoming a sponsorship agreement holder (SAH)
- Agreement administration
- SAH organizational assessment
- Agreement actions
4. Eligibility assessments (refugee)
5. Admissibility assessment
6. Final decisions for resettlement
- Final decision - Resettlement to Canada
- Final decision – Program selection (PSR Program or Quebec PSR Program)
7. Arrangements for resettlement and support in Canada
8. PSR Program Assurance
- Program Integrity Framework
- Post-arrival monitoring
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