Apply to sponsor a refugee – Community sponsors

The kit includes the application guide and all of the forms you need to fill out. Download and print the application kit.

• Before you start, read the guide carefully. It contains detailed instructions for completing all the required forms.
• Gather all of the necessary documents. They are listed in the document checklist.
• Photocopy the blank forms and use one as a working copy. Keep the working copy for your records.
• Fill in the forms carefully and completely. Many of the forms can be completed on your computer and saved. Print the forms after you fill them out. If you are filling out the forms by hand, print clearly—in black ink. Sign and date your forms.
• Complete all of the forms:
  • Undertaking/Application to Sponsor (IMM 5373);
  • Sponsor Assessment (IMM 5492);
  • Consent to Disclose and Collect Personal Information (IMM 5729);
  • Settlement Plan and Financial Assessment (IMM 5515). This form is a planning tool for sponsoring groups to indicate how they intend to deliver the financial settlement assistance needed to help the refugees become established successfully in Canada. Where possible, arrangements should be in place before the refugee arrives;
  • Document Checklist (IMM 5437).

    Optional:

  • Request for a Refugee Profile (IMM 5496). You must complete this form if you want to request a refugee profile. See the section below for more information;
  • Use of a Representative (IMM 5476). You must complete this form if you want to use a representative or an agent to help you apply. Using a representative is a personal choice. Find out more about using immigration representatives.
• Have the refugees you are applying to sponsor complete the Application for Convention Refugees Abroad and Humanitarian-Protected Persons Abroad (IMM 6000), unless you are submitting a request for a refugee profile.
• Enclose proof of funds for the community sponsors.
• Enclose proof of refugee status recognition for the principal refugee applicant. A photocopy of the original document is acceptable.

In some cases, a community sponsor may want to sponsor a specific refugee or refugee family abroad, such as a friend or a member of a family in the community, or a refugee referred by an overseas contact. This is known as a “sponsor-referred refugee.”

Sponsor-referred refugees must qualify under Canada’s refugee and humanitarian resettlement program. Visa officers abroad will assess the application to determine whether the applicant qualifies. This assessment may include an interview with the applicant.

In other cases, your group may request a “visa office-referred refugee.” These refugees are eligible and have already been selected by a visa officer abroad, but require a private sponsor before they can come to Canada.

You can request a refugee profile if you want to sponsor a visa office-referred refugee through CIC’s Matching Centre.

Additional details are available in the Guide to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program that is included in the application kit. For more information on the refugee profile, see requesting a refugee profile.

Use the document checklist to ensure that you have included everything you need. Make sure that you sign and date your forms. Your application will not be processed and will be returned to the person or group that submitted it if it is incomplete. Enclose all of the required documents in an envelope and mail them to:

Centralized Processing Office - Winnipeg (CPO-W)
400 - 25 Forks Market Road
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 4S9

Make sure you provide your complete return mailing address.

Remember, it is your responsibility to keep your application up-to-date.