Refugee Abroad and Humanitarian Resettlement Program

Question 1

Applicable to who?

Answer 1

Applicable to those refugees that are located outside of Canada, including those that have sought temporary refugee in camps across the boarder from their war-torn countries

This program is led by the UNHCR to find durable solutions for refugee, which means one of the following:

1. voluntary repatriation: beacuse it has become safe to do so
2. local integration: integration into the country of refuge
3. Resettlement: in a third country, such as Canada, providing legal and physical protection that should eventually lead to citizenship

Visa officer cannot issue PR to a FN if there is a possibility of repatriation or integration elsewhere and the onus is on the FN to establish that there is no such reasonable prospect

Question 2

Two main Classes under Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program

Answer 2

1. Convention Refugee Abroad Class
   - must be first granted a visa under the COnvention by a visa officer
   - must apply for settlement outside of Canada
   - must establish that other than settlement, there is no other durable solution
   - must have the financial resources necessary to resettle

2, Humanitarian -Protected Persons Abroad Class

• they are not convention refugees but are in similar circumstances
  3. Country of Asylum Class
• are refugee like situation where they are outside of their country and continue to be personally and seriously effect by war like conditions within their country

Question 3

Special Needs Cases

Answer 3

• these people are defined as having he greater need for settlement assistance as a result of personal circumstances

R. 138 classifies two different categories for the special needs

1. urgen need
2. vulnerable persons

Question 4

Self-Sufficient

Answer 4

Applicants are assessed on the basis of their ability to become self-sufficient within 12 months of their arrival in Canada, although support may be extended for up to two years for refugees with special needs.

• this evaluated through a modified version of the formal points system.

Question 5

Refugees and their families who are in need of resettlement and do not have sufficient resources

Answer 5

May obtain support from a number of sources

1. Government Assisted Refugee Program
2. Citizens and PR, individually or in a group through Private Sponsorship Porgram
3. both the Canadian Gov and private sponsors through a Joint Assistance Sponsorship Program

Government Assisted Refugee Program

• requires help integrating into their new community as they work toward self-sufficiency and independence
• the eligibility requirement for resettlement, is the ability to be self supporting or to become self supporting within 12 months or arrival
• GAP offers both financial and settlement assistance
• settlement officers in Canada have authority to transfer GAR with special needs to JAS program after their arrival in Canada if the officer determine that it will take longer for them to adapt to resettlement and become self-sufficient

Joint Assistance Sponsorship

• meant for those that are in emergency cases where it is not likely that they will become independent after 12 months
• extends the commitment of sponsorship from 12 months to 24 months for special needs refugees and 35 in special cases.
• the responsibility of sponsorship is shared between the IRCC and the private sponsors

Private Sponsorship Porgram

• sponsors enter into an undertaking with the government, they agree to be responsible for income support and medical costs for the refugee for one year after the arrival
• IRPR allows for private sponsorship to be extended in extenuating circumstances

Types of Private Sponship Programs

a. Group of Five (G5)
- may decide with a group of four others to join together and sponsor one or more refugee but must meet the following requirements (18 years old, CC or PR, not in default of a sponsorship undertaking, lives in the same community as the refugee and has resources to guarantee supoort for the full duration of the sponsorship
- must provide a detailed plan for the refugee’s settlement plan
b. Community Sponsors
- open to organizations, associations and corporations that meet the requirements (financial capacity, ability to provide emotional and social support)
- several groups may come together as co-sponsors to form the sponsorship program
- all members of the community sponsor group are named in the undertaking with the minister
c. Sponsorship Agreement Holders and Their Constituent Groups
- ranging from religious organizations to ethno-cultural group
- exempted from the requirement that the claimant must be preapproved as a refugee by UNHCR - these groups may sponsor directly or may undertake sponsorship indirectly through a local constituent group