Sponsorship Process
Form Your Group
- Ask 4 or 5 people who share an interest to form a team.
- Become informed about the responsibilities of sponsorship through City of Refuge.
- Many people will eventually play a role in the settlement of the refugee, and one of the first steps is deciding who will be part of your team. Remember, due to the processing time at the Visa office as well as the actual settlement period, your team will be working together for up to five years.
- Build interest and consensus within your congregation for this ministry of compassion by sharing your excitement and vision. City of Refuge can recommend links to short videos about the sponsorship opportunities.
- Share information with all stakeholders and ensure the church council is prepared to support this sponsorship initiative.
Deciding Who to Sponsor
- City of Refuge has a database of refugees in need of resettlement. All applicants are required to provide a credible personal statement of faith and wherever possible a referral letter from a pastor.
- When the team is confident that they will have the necessary resources in place, both in terms of people and finances, the next step is to identify a suitable refugee. They can choose a family from the database based on urgent need, ethnicity, processing times in the various visa offices, family composition, etc. Additional background information for each refugee is available to interested sponsors.
- City of Refuge does a preliminary assessment to determine whether refugee applicants may meet Canadian Immigration eligibility criteria for resettlement to Canada.
- If the church does not want to make a selection from this database, they can email the coordinator to discuss other options.
- Please fill in the web form on the home page to view profiles!
Financial requirements
The sponsorship cost table should be used as a guideline only, as it is one national average of costs and there are several variables that can affect the amount of support required for sponsorship.
To determine the actual amount of financial assistance that may be required in a particular city or province, sponsors should consult the Resettlement Assistance Program rates in the expected community of settlement.
Financial Guidelines for churches.
The total sponsorship costs may be reduced through the donation of "in-kind" support, which may include shelter, furniture and clothing.
Budget for the sponsorship year: https://www.rstp.ca/calc/?lang=en
More financial FAQs: https://www.rstp.ca/en/sponsorship-responsibilities/financial-faq-2021/
Next Steps
A City of Refuge Coordinator will prepare all the required documents for the Sponsor’s (CG - Constituent Group) signature, including an Authorization letter, Sponsor Assessment, Undertaking to Sponsor, Settlement Plan and Memorandum of Understanding. The selected refugee will be assisted by the Coordinator to complete their applications and compile supporting documents.
Please read this for more information!
