[1] The government also offers semi-private sponsorship through the Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program, which connects private sponsors with pre-screened and pre-interviewed refugees.
[3] Established in 1978 under Operation Lifeline,[4] the program has since resettled and provided support for over 200,000 refugees[5] under various initiatives and with fluctuating annual intakes.
[8] As of January 2020, the Canadian Government has resettled nearly 300,000 refugees through the PSR program since 1979,[3][7] while also helping with family reunification.
In the second year of resettlement, if the refugees become permanent residents when they arrive, they will be able to apply for means-tested governmental social welfare benefits if their sponsor has not been successful in helping them find employment.
[22] The Province of Quebec—through its Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie and Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration—has its own process for refugee sponsorship,[30] available for groups of two to five people who reside in Quebec or non-profit organizations that agree to take responsibility for a refugee(s) by signing a 'collective sponsorship undertaking'.
[18] On 28 October 2020, Minister Nadine Girault issued a decision in the ministerial order published in the Gazette officielle du Québec (No.
Through this program, the Government of Canada provides financial assistance for sponsors, who must support refugees for up to 24 months.
Special needs can include trauma from violence or torture; medical disabilities; the effects of systemic discrimination; or a large number of family members.
[35] The Rainbow Refugees Assistance Partnership was announced in June 2019 by the Government of Canada, officially launching in 2020.
[citation needed] There are concerns that the support of PSRs is overly dependent on a few individuals and organisations, and that it can be a lengthy process, with long waiting lists.
[8][39] The UK relaunched its sponsorship scheme in 2020, now counting all refugees in addition to those being resettled via different routes.
[43] In New Zealand, a pilot of 25 Community Organisations Refugee Sponsorship (CORS) places was approved as part of the government's response to the 2015 crisis.