whereTOemigrate
Get your free results
CA country scene

Private Sponsorship of Refugees - Sponsorship Agreement Holder

CanadaHumanitarian protection

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

Explore pathways in Canada Read the five questions ↓

What exactly is this: asylum, temporary protection, humanitarian admission, resettlement or another protection mechanism?

This is the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) mechanism used by a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) to sponsor a refugee abroad for resettlement in Canada. Existing SAHs can currently sponsor; the intake to become a new SAH is closed for 2026.

See recorded sources
  • Guide introduction
    This guide is to assist you, the Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), to submit a complete application to sponsor a refugee abroad under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program.
  • Status
    Sponsor as an existing SAH
  • Status
    There won’t be a 2026 application intake.

Which population, circumstances or geographic group does the mechanism cover?

The principal applicant abroad must qualify for Canada’s refugee/humanitarian resettlement programme as either a Convention refugee with a well-founded fear of persecution or a member of the country of asylum class seriously and personally affected by civil war, armed conflict or massive human-rights violations.

See recorded sources
  • Step 3
    The PSR program is only for sponsoring refugees and persons in refugee-like situations.
  • Step 3
    - A Convention refugee as per section 96 of Immigration and Refugees Protection Act (IRPA) as they have a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion;
  • Step 3
    - Member of the country of asylum class as per R147 of IRPR as they have been, and continue to be, seriously and personally affected by civil war, armed conflict or massive violation of human rights.

Where can protection be requested, and is this a direct application, border/in-country request, referral or other process?

The case is an overseas refugee sponsorship. The existing SAH submits the sponsorship and the refugee’s permanent-residence application through the Permanent Residence Portal; all family members must be declared and covered by the sponsorship undertaking whether accompanying or not.

See recorded sources

What happens after the request: registration, family handling, major support and rights where officially stated?

This route is processed for a refugee abroad, so the route-specific guide does not grant an interim Canadian status while the sponsorship is pending. The sponsor’s concrete obligation is settlement support after arrival, including start-up support and 12 months of income support.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • No route-specific Canadian interim status for the overseas principal applicant is stated while the application is pending.
  • Definition of a SAH
    An organization that has signed a Sponsorship Agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to resettle refugees from abroad and provide settlement support.
  • Appendix A: Financial Guidelines
    You are responsible for providing 12 months of income support, plus start-up costs.

Which competent authority, UN body or official assistance channel should the person use?

The Canadian authority for this route is Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): a Sponsorship Agreement Holder is an organisation that has signed a Sponsorship Agreement with IRCC to resettle refugees from abroad and provide settlement support. These organisations are usually religious, ethnic, community or service organisations, and they can sponsor refugees themselves or work with other groups (constituent groups) and/or co-sponsors.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • This citation names no contact point, helpline or complaints channel for a refugee or for a sponsoring group.
  • The captured guide carries no fraud or scam warning.
  • chars 311-679
    An organization that has signed a Sponsorship Agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to resettle refugees from abroad and provide settlement support. These organizations are usually religious, ethnic, community or service organizations. SAHs can sponsor refugees themselves or work with other groups (Constituent groups) and/or co-sponsors.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

Explore more pathways in Canada · All pathways

Your story.
Your next step.

Explore pathways in Canada →