Pause on New Group Refugee Sponsorships

Summary#

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration issued instructions under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to pause new group sponsorship applications in the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program. The number of new group applications accepted for processing is set to zero from November 29, 2024 until December 31, 2025, while existing applications will keep being processed.

What it does#

• Sets the number of new sponsorship applications from groups (as defined by section 138 of the regulations) that will be accepted for processing in a calendar year to zero.
• Applies to applications submitted on or after the coming-into-effect date. For 2024 the year starts on the day the instructions take effect; normally the year runs from January 1 to December 31.
• States that applications submitted under a temporary public policy under section 25.2 of the Act are excluded (they can still be considered).
• Says a humanitarian and compassionate request made from outside Canada under subsection 25(1) that accompanies an application not accepted for processing will not be processed.
• Takes effect on November 29, 2024 and expires on December 31, 2025.

Who's affected#

• Community groups and organizations that sponsor refugees under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program.
• Refugees who would rely on new group sponsorships to come to Canada.
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which will use this limit to focus on processing existing applications and meeting admission targets.
• People planning to submit new group sponsorships after November 29, 2024 will be unable to have those applications accepted for processing while the instructions are in force.
• It is clear that temporary public policy streams are excluded; otherwise, the notice specifically targets “groups” as defined in the regulations, so the effect on other sponsorship streams (for example, individual or family sponsorships) is not fully spelled out here.

Why it matters#

• It stops community groups from starting new group sponsorships for the specified period. That can delay or block some refugees from being brought to Canada through that route.
• The government says the move is meant to let IRCC finish processing existing applications and hit Cabinet-approved admission targets without growing the backlog.
• People and groups planning sponsorships should look for alternative programs or wait until the instructions expire on December 31, 2025, and sponsors should watch for further guidance from IRCC.