REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP AND RESETTLEMENT

Refugees have had to flee for their lives from war and persecution. They live in vulnerable and precarious situations and are in need of protection and opportunities to build a new life.

There are over 43.4 million refugees globally. These men, women, and children have often been displaced by war, persecution and violence. Many live in very difficult conditions and struggle with food insecurity and poverty.

Since 1979, World Renew with churches and other sponsoring groups, has responded to the needs of refugees around the world and has successfully sponsored and resettled more than 11,000 refugees to Canada.

How You Can Help

REFUGEE SPONSORSHIP and resettlement

Refugees have had to flee for their lives from war and persecution. They live in vulnerable and precarious situations and are in need of protection and opportunities to build a new life.

There are 43.4 million refugees globally. These men, women, and children have often been displaced by war, persecution and violence. Many live in very difficult conditions and struggle with food insecurity and poverty.

Since 1979, World Renew with churches and other sponsoring groups, has responded to the needs of refugees around the world and has successfully sponsored and resettled more than 11,000 refugees to Canada.

How You Can Help

Sponsor

World Renew is a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

This enables us to sponsor refugees for their resettlement to Canada through Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program (PSRP).

Partner

World Renew partners with churches, other faith based organizations and sponsoring groups to sponsor and resettle refugees to Canada.

Advocate

Join us in pursuing advocacy for refugee rights. It is a way of putting faith into action that can change lives – those of refugees and of those who advocate for them.

Join us in advocating on behalf of refugees to your local MP.

Counting up hope

In 2024, Sponsorship and Resettlement looked like:

0
Refugees Sponsored
0
Applications Submitted to IRCC
0
Participating Churches & Groups
0
Refugees Arrived in Canada

Celebrating Refugee Sponsorship and Resettlement

Join us as we recognize Refugee Sunday and World Refugee Day throughout the month of June. With resources to engage your church and family, find new ways to support refugee sponsorship and resettlement, advocate, and pray for refugees around the world.

Access Children’s Activities

Looking for a way to engage your young ones? Download this PDF containing a lesson and activities to help shine a kid-friendly light on what caring about refugees can look like.

Give to Refugee Sponsorship

Help World Renew’s Refugee Sponsorship and Resettlement Program assist Canadian churches and sponsorship groups with resettling refugees to their communities.

Download Church Resources

Holding a Refugee Sunday offering at your church? Access resources like PowerPoint slides, a bulletin insert, and a video to use during your service to encourage your congregation.

What is refugee sponsorship?

Provides refugees protection, the opportunity to rebuild their lives and hope for the future.

The Private Sponsorship of Refugee Program allows Canadian citizens, as well as permanent residents, an opportunity to help sponsor refugees to Canada.

Through sponsorship you share the love and hope of Jesus Christ.

As a sponsor you support and resettle refugees to Canada; you support the refugees for the duration of the sponsorship period, which is usually one year.

The support you provide will include:

  • Housing
  • Food
  • Clothing
  • Transportation
  • Social & Emotional Support
Donate to Our Refugee Sponsorship Program

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”

– Leviticus 19:33-34 NIV

The Sponsorship Process

The church or sponsoring group meets with World Renew for an initial inquiry to begin the process. The church or sponsoring group forms a Refugee Sponsorship Committee to help steer the process. The Refugee Sponsorship Committee participates in orientation, training, and readiness preparation with World Renew. World Renew works with the church or sponsoring group to ensure all finances are in order to support the refugees. This involves budgeting, providing proof of sponsorship funds, and fundraising. The Refugee Sponsorship Committee prepares a thorough settlement plan with World Renew and completes all paperwork necessary.

The Refugee Sponsorship Committee works with World Renew to prepare and submit the application for private sponsorship to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). IRCC sends the application to the Canadian visa office overseas.

This part takes place primarily in the country where the refugee is currently residing. This is a time for patience as an interview will take place, followed by medical and background checks for the refugee. The waiting period for this step can be lengthy, up to three years.

After receiving the Notice of Arrival (NAT) from IRCC, the Refugee Sponsorship Committee works with World Renew to prepare for the arrival of the refugee overseas. This includes revising the budget, reviewing the settlement plan, and ensuring readiness.

It’s finally time to meet each other! The church or sponsoring group meets the newcomer at the airport and provides transportation to the community of resettlement.

The church or sponsoring group provides orientation and connects newcomers to settlement agencies for services such as ESL education, employment services, applying for identification and health care, and more as needed.

Sponsors fund monthly and start-up costs for newcomers. They visit and follow up to help address questions and provide general support. Sponsors and newcomers participate in regular check-ins through World Renew’s monitoring program.

The church or sponsoring group supports the empowerment, independence, and integration of the newcomers and help them to become more at home in Canada.

Congratulations! Your group has successfully sponsored and resettled refugees to Canada. Now, it’s time to evaluate the sponsorship and celebrate its success. We encourage you to celebrate your relationship with the newcomers for many years to come!

Advocating together

In anticipation of the release of the Government of Canada’s immigration levels plan in October 2024, World Renew collaborated with the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue to send a letter to Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Marc Miller, to encourage the government to continue to strengthen its refugee protection and resettlement systems. After the levels were released, World Renew was disappointed to see a drop in the planned numbers of refugee arrivals over the next several years. These changes deeply impact our sponsors and, more importantly, the refugees they are sponsoring, who are waiting for many years in vulnerable situations. In June 2025, World Renew and the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue sent another letter to Canada’s new Minister of IRCC, Lena Metlege Diab. We encourage you to read the linked letters and take action with us through the Centre for Public Dialogue’s Action Alert system.

ADVOCATE WITH US

Resources:

Refugee handbook
Refugee resettlement fact sheet
Blended Visa Office Referred (BVOR) Program
Sponsorship Process Summary
Sponsorship Process Infographic

Contact Us:

REFUGEE PROGRAM, CANADA

1-888-975-3769
[email protected]

Journey with Me

Take a glimpse into the life of a refugee.

An essential aspect of our work is to raise more public awareness on the experiences of refugees. We’ve partnered with the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue to create a 90-minute interactive workshop that focuses on the plight of refugees around the world.

This workshop can be done with your congregation, a small group, or at any gathering of 5-500 people.

EXPERIENCE THEIR JOURNEY NOW

Support our Refugee Sponsorship and Resettlement Program

Your gift today will help World Renew support churches and sponsoring groups in resettling newcomers to Canada.