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Group of Five Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program

The Group of Five (G5) Private Sponsorship of Refugees program allows for the sponsorship of refugee claimants from overseas by a group of five (5) or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents. These Canadians must be at least 18 years of age and must be willing to make a financial commitment to the support of the refugee and any included family members.

To be eligible for G5 sponsorship, a Canadian visa officer must be satisfied that the candidate is a Convention refugee, an individual who has a well-founded fear of prosecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a specific social group, or political opinion. As a result of this well-founded fear, a Convention refugee must be either outside of the country of nationality and unwilling to seek the protection of that country, or does not have a country of nationality and must be outside of the country of habitual residence and unwilling to return. A Canadian visa official must determine that the eligible Convention refugee falls within the class of a Convention Refugee Abroad, the Country of Asylum Class, or the Source Country Class.

To be eligible to sponsor an eligible refugee claimant, a Group of Five may act as guarantors for the provision of the necessary support to the refugee. The group must constitute a minimum of five Canadian citizens aged 18 years or older. Each member of the group is required to live in the Canadian community in which the refugee will reside and commits a financial contribution to the support of the refugee. The group of five must also provide a settlement plan and prove that it has the money to sponsor a refugee for one year. Sponsorship is expected to lead to financial self-sufficiency of the refugee, so sponsoring groups are encouraged to help refugees find employment. If a refugee refuses a reasonable offer of employment, sponsors are permitted to adjust their financial support downward. Sponsorship may include an eligible refugee and accompanying family members, including de facto members of the family unit. The amount of financial sponsorship needed varies, depending on the size of the refugee’s family unit.

When applying for a G5 sponsorship, there are two stages of processing. In the first, the group of Canadians will submit an application for approval as sponsors. In this stage, Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials in the region of the group’s residence will evaluate the financial commitment and the settlement plan. Once this stage is decided, the case is referred to the Canadian visa office responsible for the jurisdiction of the refugee, where evaluation of the admissibility of the refugee and processing of the visa (including medical and security clearances) takes place.

Contact Robinson Sheppard Shapiro to discuss eligibility for Group of Five Sponsorship of a Convention refugee.