Temporary public policy to facilitate the sponsorship of Afghan refugees by groups of five and community sponsors

Date Announced:

September 29, 2022

Overview:

Under Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees program, Groups of Five and Community Sponsors are required to submit a Refugee Status Determination document, issued by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or a foreign state, with their sponsorship application. Because of the close ties between Canada and Afghanistan, many Canadians and permanent residents have expressed the desire to help support Afghan refugees. However, as displaced Afghans face significant obstacles in obtaining this document, these sponsors are limited in their ability to participate in the resettlement of this cohort.

This temporary public policy recognizes the vulnerability of Afghans who have fled Afghanistan due to the collapse of the government of Afghanistan and the close ties that exist between the people of Afghanistan and Canada, and aims to facilitate the resettlement of 3,000 Afghan refugees under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program.

This new temporary public policy will allow more Afghan refugees to be sponsored by Canadians and permanent residents by waiving the requirement to provide the Refugee Status Determination document previously referenced, thus facilitating the sponsorship of Afghan refugees by Groups of Five and Community Sponsors.

I hereby establish that, in light of the foregoing, there are sufficient public policy considerations to justify granting exemptions, pursuant to section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (the Act), to the requirements of the provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (the Regulations) listed below, for Afghan nationals and their accompanying family members who apply for the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program and meet the conditions (eligibility requirements) set out below.

Departments and Agencies:

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Type of Administrative Action:

  • Legislation and Regulations
  • Guidelines and rule changes

    • Immigration Category:

    Refugees

    Keywords:

    Afghan; Community Sponsors; Groups of Five; Private Sponsorship

    Source Document(s):

    https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/mandate/policies-operational-instructions-agreements/public-policies/afghan-refugee-sponsorship-group-five-community-sponsor.html

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