Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Refugees are people who have fled their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution. They are not able to return home. They have seen or experienced many horrors.
The Canadian refugee system has two main parts:
- the Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program, for people who need protection from outside Canada and
- the In-Canada Asylum Program for people making refugee protection claims from within Canada
Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), along with private sponsors, identifies refugees for resettlement. A person cannot apply directly to Canada for resettlement. After they are identified, it takes time to process the cases.
Private sponsors across the country also help resettle refugees to Canada. Some do this on an ongoing basis. They have signed sponsorship agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees. These groups, known as Sponsorship Agreement Holders, can sponsor refugees themselves or work with others in the community to do so.
Other sponsors, known as Groups of Five and Community Sponsors, are people or groups in the community who have come together to sponsor refugee(s). They do not generally sponsor refugees on an ongoing basis.
The Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) Program matches refugees identified by the UNHCR with private sponsors in Cana
In-Canada Asylum Program
The asylum program works to provide refugee protection to people in Canada who:
- have a well-founded fear of persecution or
- are at risk of torture, or cruel or unusual punishment in their home countries
Not everyone is eligible to seek asylum. People are not eligible to make a claim if they have been convicted of serious criminal offences or had previous refugee claims denied by Canada.
If you are a refugee claimant in Canada and you need help to prepare your file to present it before the Immigration and Refugee Board, please contact us.