The Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program lets private groups sponsor eligible refugees abroad. As the private sponsor, you’ll support a refugee for the sponsorship period, usually up to 1 year. The support you provide will include

start-up costs, such as furniture and clothing

on-going monthly costs for basic necessities, including housing, food, and public transportation

supporting refugees socially and emotionally

Groups that can sponsor refugees

You can’t sponsor a refugee on your own. You must be part of one of the following groups in Canada:

Sponsorship agreement holders (SAH) sign agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees when they come to Canada Constituent Groups are groups who work with SAHs to sponsor refugees under the SAH’s agreement

sign agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees when they come to Canada Groups of Five are groups of 5 or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who sponsor refugees to settle in their communities

are groups of 5 or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who sponsor refugees to settle in their communities Community Sponsors are organizations, associations or corporations that sponsor refugees

Refugee sponsors in Quebec

Quebec has its own process to sponsor refugees. Learn how to sponsor a refugee in Quebec.

Decide which refugees to sponsor

There are different ways to sponsor a refugee depending on how you choose them.

Choose from a list of refugees we’ve already approved to come to Canada The Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program helps your group sponsor refugees who are most in need while lowering the costs of sponsorship. The BVOR program has 3 main benefits: reduces the financial burden on private sponsors

prioritizes the most vulnerable refugees through referral organizations

connects sponsors with refugees we’ve already screened and interviewed, making them ready to travel sooner Learn more

Sponsor a refugee with special needs

The Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) Program helps your group sponsor refugees with special needs.

Only SAHs and their Constituent Groups are eligible to sponsor through the JAS program.

With the JAS program

sponsors must support refugees for up to 24 months

the Government of Canada provides financial assistance

Sponsor a refugee you know

You can sponsor a specific refugee or refugee family. The person your group wants to sponsor must be eligible under the PSR program.

If you choose to sponsor a refugee you know

the processing time may be longer than if you sponsor a refugee we’ve already reviewed

you won’t get financial assistance from the Government of Canada

The process depends on the type of sponsorship group you are: