Starting October 17, 2022, groups of five and community sponsors in Canada can sponsor Afghan refugees without having to submit a refugee status determination (RSD) document.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or a foreign state issues RSDs to confirm the person seeking protection is considered a refugee. Groups of five and community sponsors usually need to submit this document to sponsor a refugee.
We’ll accept sponsorship applications for this special program until
- October 17, 2023, or
- we’ve accepted applications for 3,000 Afghan refugees into processing
Groups of five and community sponsors can sponsor Afghan refugees through this special program.
Find out if you’re eligible to sponsor as a
Groups of five and community sponsors can sponsor Afghan refugees through this special program.
Find out if you’re eligible to sponsor as a
You can sponsor an Afghan refugee who
- is outside Afghanistan and
- meets the definition of a Convention refugee or Country of Asylum refugee
Through this special program, the refugee you sponsor does not need to have an RSD from the UNHCR or a foreign state. This means you don’t need to include a refugee status determination document with your sponsorship application.
IRCC still review all sponsorship applications to make sure the refugees meet our requirements for
- security
- criminality
- medical exams
Before applying to sponsor an Afghan refugee through this special program, there are a couple of things you must do.
Your sponsorship group must complete a special online training session with the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP). Who completes this training depends on your sponsorship group type:
- groups of five must have 1 member of the group (who signs the sponsorship application) complete the training
- community sponsors must have the group’s signing authority complete the training
This session will help you understand
- who you can sponsor as a refugee
- your responsibilities as a sponsor
If you don’t complete this online session, you won’t be able to sponsor through this special program.
You’ll get a certificate from the RSTP after you complete this session. You must include this certificate with your sponsorship application. IRCC won’t process your application without it.
