Guide to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program
2. Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program
2.14 IMM 6000 application kit
Refugee applicants are required to complete all relevant application forms contained in the IMM 6000 kit (Application for Permanent Residence in Canada: Convention Refugees Abroad and Humanitarian-Protected Persons Abroad). The IMM 6000 includes the IMM 0008, Schedule A, Schedule 2, and the Authorization to Release Information forms. Applicants are also expected to gather all supporting documentation required for their application. (Refer to the Checklist in Appendix A of the IMM 6000.)
The IMM 6000 may be obtained by contacting the Call Centre or downloading it from this website. Only after a visa office has received an approved sponsorship undertaking and a complete Application for Permanent Residence form from the CPO-W is an interview with the applicant arranged.
For sponsor-referred cases, there are two methods by which the sponsorship undertaking and the Application for Permanent Residence in Canada may be submitted to CPO-W for processing:
- The sponsoring groups send the IMM 6000 kit to the refugees they wish to sponsor. The refugee applicant completes it and returns it to the sponsor, along with supporting documents and photographs. The sponsor ensures that the forms have been completely filled and that no required information is missing, before submitting at the same time, the IMM 6000 forms, supporting documents, photographs and the sponsorship undertaking form to the CPO-W.
OR
- The sponsoring groups send the completed sponsorship undertaking form to the refugees overseas they wish to sponsor. The refugee applicants send the completed IMM 6000 kit along with supporting documents and photographs together with the sponsorship undertaking form to the CPO-W.
The first submission method has the advantage of reducing the processing time overseas as well as providing sponsors with an opportunity to review the content and completeness of the refugee’s application before it is submitted.
Supporting Information
Sponsoring groups may provide additional information to the visa office in support of the applicant’s need for protection. Information provided should generally be non-personal and written by organizations or individuals who are aware of the current situation in the country the applicant is fleeing or now residing in.
Examples of information that can help the visa officer in making a determination on the applicant’s need for protection include written accounts from individuals who have fled similar situations, recent media reports on the persecution of persons with similar attributes, and reports of government legislation affecting the status of refugees in countries of asylum. Supporting information must be directly relevant to the refugee’s need for protection.
Sponsoring groups are further encouraged to include their settlement plan for refugees who they feel may be considered difficult to settle. This is intended to inform the visa office that the sponsoring group is prepared to cope with any special needs the refugees may have.
If sponsoring groups wish to provide a “Sponsorship Rationale,” a separate sheet of paper may be attached to the application to provide additional information as to why:
- the principal refugee applicant is being referred for protection;
- resettlement is the only durable solution available to him/her; and
- Canada is the most logical choice as a destination.
This section can assist sponsors in screening their applications so that they can determine, to the best of their knowledge, whether the applicant meets one of the definitions of refugee. Ultimately, the final decision on whether an applicant is both eligible and admissible rests with the visa officer.
The submission of supporting information is optional and designed to help sponsors show why the person is in need of resettlement and what arrangements have been made in Canada to help the refugee settle.
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