Sponsorship Agreement Holders – Sponsoring refugees
A number of organizations have signed sponsorship agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees from abroad when they resettle in Canada. These organizations are known as sponsorship agreement holders. They can sponsor refugees themselves or work with others in the community to sponsor refugees.
Most sponsorship agreement holders are religious, ethnic, community or service organizations.
Determine your eligibility
To be eligible to become a sponsorship agreement holder (SAH), an organization must be incorporated (a legally created organization) and must sign a sponsorship agreement with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
Apply to become a sponsorship agreement holder
If your organization is not already a SAH, you can apply to become one. Follow these steps to apply to become a SAH.
Apply to sponsor a refugee
Once you have been approved to become a SAH, you can apply to sponsor a refugee. When you sponsor a refugee, your organization must agree to give emotional and financial support to the refugee for the full sponsorship period - usually one year.
You can also authorize other groups in the community to sponsor refugees under your agreement. These groups are known as constituent groups.
Check processing times
Find out how long it will take CIC to process your application to sponsor a refugee.
After you apply: get next steps
Find out what you should do after you apply to be a SAH.
Related links
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