Refugee Resettlement Canada

Aderito is a journalist and human rights activist from Mozambique. The riot police attacked his home a few months ago and severely beat him for his political views. It took Aderito a few months to recover from his injuries. Meanwhile, he received several death threats. Aderito, eventually, decided to flee the country. He reached out to the UNHCR office in Pretoria, South Africa and filed for protection. The UNHCR offered him asylum. However, he may not stay in South Africa. Aderito has two cousins in Calgary, Canada. He hopes to resettle there and start a new life. Aderito hopes for a brighter future that offers him freedom of speech.

An Introduction to Refugee Resettlement Programs

Sometimes people are displaced from their home country because of their nationality, race, political opinions, religion, or membership in a particular group (e.g., sexual orientation or gender). One option for these people is to seek asylum through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).In exceptional cases, you may still be able to resettle in Canada if you receive support from a private sponsorship group rather than the UNHCR. If their requests go through, they could potentially resettle to Canada and start a new life in our country. A successful resettlement process could lead to permanent residency in Canada upon arrival.

If you are not familiar with the concept of refugees, read the following article first.

• Refugee Definition

Three Sponsorship Options for Resettlement

If you pass the UNHCR’s first approval hurdle, you need to move to Canada via one of the following options.

• Government-Assisted Refugees Program (GAR)
• Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program (PSR)
• Blended Visa Office-Referred Program (BOVR)

Government-Assisted Refugees Program (GAR)

Under the GAR, a local Canadian visa office reviews the applicant’s case. The officer may then interview the applicant. If they believe the Canadian government wants to sponsor the applicant, they will go through the medical examination and criminal and security background checks. They also need to give biometrics. Assuming everything goes well, the applicant will be resettled in Canada as a permanent resident.

Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program (PSR)

Under this program, a community group in Canada, or five or more Canadians or permanent residents of Canada, agree to sponsor the refugee for the refugee’s first 12 months in Canada. Of course, a successful applicant also needs to undergo medical examinations, background checks, and biometrics before resettling in Canada.

Blended Visa Office-Referred Program (BOVR)

The BOVR option is a blend of the GAR and PSR options, in which the government supports the applicant for 6 months, and the private sector supports them for another 6 months.

Please note that Canada does not tolerate fraudulent activities. Our country is a welcoming country to refugees, but we do not want people who file false claims to undermine the integrity of our immigration system. Any misrepresentation in an application could result in refusal or even prosecution.

Take the Refugee Appeal Assessment

If you are facing a failed refugee claim, fill out the following form. However, for brand-new refugee claims, fill out our Refugee Claim Self-Assessment tool.

Take the Refugee Claim Self-Assessment

Please answer the questions below honestly. The form provides an immediate estimate of your claim’s strength based on the information you provide.

Disclaimer: This assessment is generated by an automated algorithm and does not constitute official legal advice.