Resettlement from outside Canada: Convention refugees abroad class—Who can apply
To be eligible, you must meet the definition of a convention refugee.
You are a convention refugee if you are outside your home country, or the country where you normally live, and can’t return to that country because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on:
- race
- religion
- political opinion
- nationality or
- membership in a particular social group, such as women or people with a different sexual orientation.
You must also be:
- outside Canada, and want to come to Canada
- referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), another referral organization or a private sponsorship group and
- selected as a government-assisted or privately sponsored refugee, or have the funds needed to support yourself and any dependants after you arrive in Canada.
You will have to pass a medical examination and security and criminal checks. You can find more information on these topics in the I Need To… section on the right-hand side of this page.
Some people are not eligible
You are not eligible for Convention Refugee Abroad Class if:
- you have another “durable solution” (a secure offer for protection), such as an offer of resettlement in another country
- you voluntarily regain your citizenship in your home country
- you voluntarily regain the protection of your home country
- you acquire citizenship in another country and have the protection of that country
- you voluntarily return to live in the country which you had left or
- the reasons for your fear of persecution no longer exist.