CIC selects refugees who are seeking resettlement in Canada. To be eligible, they must have no alternative, such as voluntary repatrition, resettlement in their country of asylum or resettlement to a third country, or there must be no possibility of such an alternative within a reasonable period of time. Three classes of people are eligible for this program.

Convention refugees seeking resettlement are people who are outside their country of citizenship or habitual residence and who have a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, political opinion, nationality or membership in a particular social group.

The Country of Asylum class includes people who are outside their country of citizenship or habitual residence and who have been and continue to be seriously and personally affected by civil war, armed conflict or massive violations of human rights.

Source Country Class

This class includes people who would meet the definition of convention refugee but who are still in their country if citizenship or habitual residence. It also includes people who are suffering serious deprivations of the right of freedom of expression, the right of dissent or the right to engage in trade union activity, and who have been detained or imprisoned as a consequence. Only citizens or habitual residents of specific countries are eligible under this class.

The government may sponsor members of the Convention Refugees and Source Country classes. Members of any of the three classes may be privately sponsored

People selected for resettlement, regardless of their class, must demonstrate their ability to eventually re-establish in Canada and must undergo medical, security and criminality screening.

Organizations, and groups of Canadian citizens or permanent resident may sponsor refugees under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees program.

Sponsoring groups commit to providing assistance in the form of accommodation, clothing, food and settlement assistance for one year from the refugee’s date of arrival. There are three types of sponsoring groups

A number of organizations and groups across Canada have signed sponsorship agreements to facilitate the sponsorship process. Sponsorship agreement holders are essentially pre-approved sponsors. They may sponsor refugees themselves or their constituent groups may sponsor refugees with the approval of the agreement holder

A group of five Canadian citizens or permanent residents can partner to sponsor refugees living abroad. Each member of the group must be at least 18 years age, live in the community where the refugee will live and personally provide settlement assistance and support.

Community Sponsors

Other groups interested in sponsoring refugees may consider a community sponsorship. This type of sponsorship is open to organizations, associates and corporations who have the necessary finances and who can provide adequate settlement assistance to refugees. Community sponsors must be located in the community where the refugee will live.

Community sponsorship Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, groups interested in sponsoring refugees can now do so through community sponsorship.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE

WHAT IS REFUGEE PROTECTION?

A protected person can be either a Convention refugee or a person in need of protection.

… a convention refugee?

The Act has adopted the same definition of a Convention refugee as appears in the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951.

Convention refugees are people who are outside of their country of nationality or habitual residence and who are unable or unwilling to return to that country because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, political opinion, nationality or membership in a particular social group

… a person in need of protection?

People in need of protection are people whose removal to their country of nationality would subject them to

               the possibility of torture, as defined by the Convention against Torture, or
               the risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment, or
               a risk to their lives.

( * ) The Claimant or CIC may ask the Federal Court of Canada for leave (permission ) to apply for judicial review of any decision of the Refugee Protection Division.