CIMM – Rainbow Railroad – February 8, 2023

Implicated Recommendations:

Recommendation #25 – Broaden referral partners to include trusted NGOs

Recommendation #36 – Resettle 300 LGBTQI+ Afghan refugees

Key Messages

• The Government of Canada is working with many organizations, including Rainbow Railroad, to resettle vulnerable Afghans with a focus on priority groups, including LGBTQI+ individuals, as Government-Assisted Refugees under the Government of Canada’s commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghans.
• We have requested that current referral partners, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United States, and others, prioritize referrals of vulnerable Afghans with a focus on the Government of Canada’s priority groups under the humanitarian program, including LGBTQI+ individuals.
• Since 2011, Canada has been engaging with LGBTQI+ organizations, through the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership, to encourage the sponsorship of LGBTQI+ refugees through cost-sharing initiatives.
• In April 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) expanded this partnership to allow organizations in Canada to privately sponsor up to 150 additional Afghan LGBTQI+ individuals as part of the government’s commitment to resettle at least 40,000 Afghans.

Supplementary Messages

• Responsive: IRCC has been working with a range of new referral partners since the fall of Kabul in August 2021, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the United States, Front Line Defenders, and ProtectDefenders.eu, and is open to exploring collaboration with additional referral partners, as appropriate under the government’s Afghan Resettlement Initiative.