Who can apply

To be eligible to sponsor refugees under the Joint Assistance Sponsorship, your organization must be:

• a sponsorship agreement holder (SAH), an organization that has signed a sponsorship agreement with the federal government or
• a constituent group of a SAH, authorized to sponsor under the agreement.

In order to become a SAH, an organization must be incorporated (a legally created organization).

A SAH can be a local, regional or national organization. It assumes overall responsibility for the management of sponsorships under its agreement. A SAH must be located in the community where the refugee or refugee family is expected to resettle.

A SAH can authorize other groups in the community to sponsor refugees under its agreement. These groups are known as constituent groups.

In addition, the community in which the refugees will resettle must be able to provide the services required to address their special needs. These special needs may be related to:

• trauma caused by violence or torture
• medical disabilities
• effects of systemic discrimination and
• gender persecution (women under the Women at Risk program).

Sponsors in Quebec

Quebec has its own process for sponsoring refugees. Sponsors who live in the province of Quebec should contact the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration.