CIMM – Responsive Lines Concerning the Declining Trend for Sponsorships Due to the Long Wait/Processing Times – November 29, 2022

Key Messages

• Refugee resettlement to Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic was limited by many factors such as travel restrictions. Similarly, during the pandemic, sponsors themselves faced challenges, as COVID restrictions reduced volunteer numbers and limited opportunities to fundraise.
• Despite these challenges, resettlement processing is ongoing in all IRCC Migration Offices, and IRCC resettled over 5,000 privately sponsored refugees in 2020 and more than 9,500 in 2021.
• Indeed, the continued generosity and compassion of Canadians in welcoming refugee newcomers to Canada in itself presents a unique challenge, in that the PSR inventory currently sits at over 66,000 applications, with processing times approaching three years.
• We understand processing times are a major concern for sponsors as well as for the refugees that they are trying to bring to safety. The Department is working hard to draw down the application inventory and to implement program efficiencies to address long wait times and support more consistent processing times.
• To do so, the Department is seeking to employ a systemic approach, including the development of new policy instruments to manage application intake, and of new technologies and tools to increase processing efficiencies.
• Refugee processing is complex due to work with some of the world’s most at-risk people in challenging local conditions. Some of these factors include establishing identity, screening for security and medical concerns as well as logistical challenges that are outside of IRCC’s control.
• Work on these initiatives is currently underway, with the view to implementation within the next year, and we are engaging key program stakeholders, such as Sponsorship Agreement Holders, and the Canadian Council for Refugees, to help shape them.

If asked about the decrease in 2023 levels space for privately-sponsored refugees

• While the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan admission targets for 2023 have been lowered slightly for privately sponsored refugees, this is a reflection of the anticipated pacing of Canada’s commitment to welcome at least 40,000 vulnerable Afghans over the next year.
• Interest in the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program remains high in the sponsorship community, and is in fact anticipated to grow as resettled refugees seek out similar solutions for family and friends left behind.
• For this reason, private sponsor admissions will continue increase over 2024 and 2025.

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