Pause on New Group Refugee Sponsorships

Summary#

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration issued instructions under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that pause new group applications to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will accept zero new group sponsorship applications for 2024 and 2025; the instructions take effect November 29, 2024 and expire December 31, 2025.

What it does#

• Sets the number of new sponsorship applications submitted by groups (as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations) that will be accepted for processing at zero for the calendar years 2024 and 2025.
  • For 2024, the year starts on the day these instructions take effect and ends December 31, 2024.
• Excludes applications made under a temporary public policy under section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (those remain outside this pause).
• Says that a humanitarian and compassionate request made from outside Canada under subsection 25(1) that accompanies a group application that is not accepted for processing will also not be processed.
• States the purpose is to let IRCC continue processing existing applications and meet Cabinet-approved admission targets without growing inventories.

Who's affected#

• Community groups and other organized groups that apply under Part 8, Division 2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to privately sponsor refugees.
• Refugees who would rely on new group private sponsorships may face delays or be unable to access this route while the pause is in effect.
• Existing group sponsorship applications already accepted for processing are still being worked on by IRCC.
• Applications under temporary public policies are not affected. The notice does not clearly say whether other sponsorship categories (for example, individual sponsors or different parts of the sponsorship program) are affected; it specifically targets "groups" as defined in the regulations.

Why it matters#

• Community sponsorship is one common way refugees resettle in Canada. Putting new group applications on pause means fewer privately sponsored arrivals through that route during the pause.
• Groups planning to sponsor people now will have to wait or seek alternative pathways. That could delay family reunifications or resettlement for people relying on private sponsors.
• The rule also limits the ability to have related humanitarian and compassionate requests from outside Canada considered if they accompany a group application that is not accepted.