Refugee Sponsorship in Canada and how congregations can get involved
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Transcript of Refugee Sponsorship in Canada and how congregations can get involved
Private Refugee Sponsorship in Canada
Webinar by CLWRPresenter: Jennifer Ardon, Project Officer
June 19, 2014
Agenda
• Refugees• CLWR’s refugee history• The PSR Program• Types of Sponsorship• Policy changes• BVOR Initiative• Settlement Challenges• Why get involved
Refugees
“To be a refugee means you are in exile. It is a very different experience from being a migrant. Many migrants
have come here to get a better standard of living. We have come here because our lives are in danger.”
--anonymous refugee
CLWR’s Refugee Sponsorship History
• Since 1946• By the end of 1949: 30,000 ethnic Germans came
to Canada as refugees and displaced persons• 1970s: refugees from Asia• 1979: one of the first sponsorship agreement
holders (SAH) with the federal government • 1980s: refugees from Latin America• 1990s to present: refugees from the Balkans,
Africa and the Middle East
The PSR Program
• Canadians involved with sponsoring refugees• Only country in the world that has a PSR
program• Refugees
– No durable solution – Refugee determination
process done abroad
(need to meet refugee
definition)
The PSR Program
• Since 1979 – resettlement of 200,000 refugees
• Principle of additionality • Principle of naming• Sponsorship Agreement Holders,
Community Sponsors and Group of 5
Sponsor Responsibilities
Provide support for a 1 year period: • Reception at airport• Find affordable housing• Help with basic necessities (food/clothing)• Settlement support and orientation into the
community• Psychological, spiritual and emotional support
Sponsorship Types
• Joint Assistance
• (NEW) Blended Visa-Office Referred
• Full sponsorship
• Family-linked
Recent Policy Changes
• Caps introduced to reduce backlog and long processing times
• Global Caps for Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs)– Limit number of named refugees they can
sponsor– 2014 global SAH cap: 5000
• SAHs – 4000 (to be split between 82 SAHs)• Reserved for Ministerial priorities – 1000
• Mission Caps:– Nairobi (2011)
• Burundi, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Kinshasa), Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda
• 2014: 2000 spaces
– Cairo (2012)• Egypt, Sudan, and Palestinian Authority (Gaza)
– Pretoria (2012)• Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
– Islamabad (2012)• Afghanistan, Pakistan
The Policy Changes
The Policy Changes
• Interim Federal Health (IFH) Program cutbacks– June 2012: private sponsors liable
for extra health costs (such as prosthetics, medications, eye care, and dental care)– Unexpected health calamities can presents
themselves after arrival– Sponsors sometimes unprepared for extra
expenses
Recent Policy Changes
• Elimination of Source Country Class– October 2011: sponsors not able to sponsor
refugees directly out of their country of origin– El Salvador, Guatemala, Sudan, Colombia,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone– Challenges for refugees to flee their country – Some discretion based on humanitarian and
compassionate considerations, but sponsors not usually eligible
Recent Policy Changes
• Group of 5 and Community Sponsors– Can only sponsor refugees who have been
identified as Convention refugees by the country of asylum or the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)
– Difficulty in getting refugee determination– Some countries, such as Thailand, stopped
registering refugees years ago
Challenges for Sponsors
• Difficulty in reuniting family• Increase of Minister-led initiatives• Move towards more government-led
resettlement program• Increase of target refugee
populations and less global• Inability to respond to
crisis (e.g. Syria)
CLWR’s Response to Syrian Refugees Abroad
• Zaatari Refugee Campo Relief Shipment in February 2013o Support for community service provisionso Sweater Campaigno Shoes for Syria
• Mafraq and Irbid governorates o Winterization project (Shelter renovations, gas heaters,
carpets) o Food Voucher programo Summer project (WASH upgrades, Hygiene kits, Summer Non-
food items (NFIs)
BVOR Initiative
• The Blended Visa Officer-Referred Initiative– Implemented January 2013– Government and sponsors each pay for 6
months of settlement support– Only refugees selected by government’s priority
population list– Refugees are travel ready– Refugees have full IFH coverage
Settlement challenges: • trauma of war/persecution• trauma/re-victimization of
resettlement process • language barriers • feelings of isolation and
loneliness • adaptation to climate • unemployment and
underemployment • credentials not recognized• loss of social status
• intergenerational conflicts• changed family dynamics• unfamiliarity with Western
culture and customs • lack of affordable housing • racism/discrimination• youth face bullying,
isolation, low self-esteem, dual identity crises, confusion with educational system and expectations
Practical Reasons for Getting Involved
• Responding to the call to welcome the stranger in the name of Christ
• Opportunity to restore hope • Building community
• With BVOR:– Cost sharing arrangement with the Government– Expanded Health Coverage as refugees sponsored
under this initiative are coved by Extended IFH– Faster processing time (2-4 months)
For more information…Jennifer Ardon
Eastern Regional Office
101-470 Weber St. North
Waterloo, ON N2L 6J2
519-725-8777
Fikre Tsehai
Western Regional Office
80 East 10th Avenue
New Westminster, BC V3L 4R5
604-540-9760
Pastor Rob Korsch’s BVOR Experience
Contact Pastor Korsch:
Grace Lutheran Church136 Margaret AvenueKitchener, ON N2H [email protected]