Although the AGC will no longer be a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), there are still ways your church can sponsor refugees.
A person can only be considered a refugee if they are outside of their country of origin — having fled their homeland and unable to return because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, political opinion, nationality or membership in a particular social group, or because of war or severe human rights abuses.
Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR)
AGC churches can contact other SAHs in Canada to see if they have the capacity to work with an AGC congregation. If space can be found with a SAH, the sponsoring group agrees to provide financial, social and emotional support for the refugees for the duration of the sponsorship period. This includes help for housing, clothing and food until the family is settled in their new community. These sponsorships are a one year commitment.
Refugees must qualify for entry under Canada's laws and must pass medical and security checks administered by Canadian Visa Officers before being given Permanent Resident status in Canada. When sponsoring with a SAH, the refugee applicant does NOT need to have official refugee status, because the interviewing officer will make that determination at the time of their interview.
Groups of Five (G5)
A "Group of Five" is a type of refugee sponsoring group. Like Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs) and Community Sponsors, Groups of Five can engage in refugee resettlement to Canada - however, the criteria for group eligibility and refugee applicant eligibility differ.
As a Group of Five, five Canadian citizens or permanent residents get together to sponsor a refugee and his/her dependents. More people can join the group to provide settlement support, however, only the five group members sign the required application forms and are vetted individually by CRA and CBSA. By signing the forms, the group commits to supporting the sponsored refugee(s) financially, emotionally and with settlement support for 12 months from the date of arrival.
Members of the group must be 18 years of age or older and must reside in the expected community of settlement.
To be sponsored by a Group of Five, the Principal Applicant must be recognized formally as a refugee in the country of asylum and be able to provide documentary proof of this status.
Community Sponsors (CS)
A Community Sponsor is an organization, association or corporation that sponsors refugees coming to Canada. In this case, the church.
These organizations do not have to be incorporated under federal or provincial law, but they must exist as a legal entity. They must have the financial and settlement capacity to fulfill the sponsorship undertaking, and must be located in the community where the refugee is expected to settle.
In addition, Community Sponsors must also provide evidence of settlement capability, provide emotional and social support to a refugee and his/her family, and commit to supporting the sponsored refugees with settlement support for 12 months from the date of arrival.
Community Sponsors do not have a limit on the number of sponsorship applications that they can submit per year, as long as they can demonstrate financial and settlement capacity.
Community Sponsors can only sponsor persons who have already been formally/officially recognized as a refugee in the country of asylum (i.e.: where they reside now), and be able to provide documentary proof of this status, such as a document issued by the state of that country or a refugee status recognition or ‘mandate letter’ by the UNHCR.
The Community Sponsor may also choose to partner formally with an individual (e.g. a refugee’s family member in Canada) or another organization in carrying out settlement duties.