Sponsoring a Refugee
If you would like to sponsor a refugee
, you would need to meet certain requirements to be eligible. First and foremost, in order to sponsor a refugee, you will need to be a group of five or more Canadian citizens, Registered Indians, or permanent residents who are 18 years of age or older and who live (or have representatives) in the community where the refugees are expected to live. The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada refer to this group of people as the Group of Five. Similar to any other types of sponsorship, sponsors are obligated to arrange necessary settlement to financially support the principal applicant (the refugee) for the full duration of the sponsorship. The sponsors are also responsible for fulfilling the terms of the Sponsorship Undertaking. In this blog, you will specifically learn about the financial responsibility of the sponsors.
Who is Ineligible to Sponsor a Refugee
If you are a person who has been convicted in or outside Canada of murder or other offences, and five years have not passed since the completion of the person’s sentence, then you are ineligible to sponsor a refugee. A person who has not paid fines ordered by a court, is in jail, is subject to a removal order, or is subject to a revocation proceeding under the Citizenship Act, also fails to qualify as an eligible sponsor.