What can I expect from my sponsor after I travel to Canada as a refugee?

When you arrive in Canada, your sponsor will welcome you at the airport and help you get settled.

Your sponsor will find a place for you to stay, such as an apartment, house or hotel. Depending on what your sponsor has arranged, this may be a temporary place for you to stay for your first weeks in Canada or a place where you may stay for a much longer period. They will also give you food and clothing.

Your sponsor will answer questions about life in Canada and help you with things such as

• covering the cost of food, rent and household utilities as well as other day-to-day living expenses
• providing clothing, furniture and other household goods (some items may be new and some may be donated by people in your sponsorship group)
• finding an interpreter if you need one
• choosing a family doctor and dentist
• applying for provincial health-care coverage and a social insurance number
• enrolling children in school and adults in language training
• introducing you to people with personal interests similar to yours
• explaining banking services and transportation, etc. and
• helping you look for a job.

Quebec has its own process to sponsor refugees. This means that the rules private sponsors in Quebec must follow are different from the rest of Canada. If your sponsor is from Quebec and you have questions, contact Immigration, Diversité et Inclusion. This is the part of the Quebec provincial government that deals with immigration.