When a church signs a sponsorship agreement, it becomes jointly and severally or solidarily bound with the other signatories (the AGC as the SAH and the co-sponsor if applicable) to perform the responsibilities that are detailed in the sponsorship agreement. The church becomes the official "Constituent Group (CG)" that will fulfill settlement obligations primarily through the members of their Core Team who are free to invite other volunteers to help with resettlement.

The CG, Core Team and co-sponsor (if applicable) are referred to as the "sponsors."

The responsibilities of the sponsors include:

1. Providing basic financial support (e.g., for housing and food) and care for the sponsored newcomer¹ during the sponsorship period, or until the sponsored newcomer no longer requires assistance, whichever comes first;
2. Ensuring it has sufficient resources and expertise to carry out its responsibilities;
3. Remaining jointly or solely liable with any co-sponsors that have signed a sponsorship undertaking.

What settlement assistance is required from Sponsors?

At the outset of the sponsorship process, a CG has an obligation to provide a settlement plan that outlines the settlement assistance it will offer to the sponsored newcomer(s). We have a detailed template that CGs can work from to put together a workable, thorough settlement plan for the newcomer family in their particular community.

What are the main Settlement Obligations?

1. Welcome the refugees at the airport, and provide an orientation to life in Canada;
2. Provide suitable accommodation, basic furniture and other household essentials;
3. Provide food, clothing, local transportation costs and other basic necessities of life;
4. Help the refugees:
   • Complete any required forms, including health insurance, social insurance and child tax benefits;
   • Learn English or French (e.g., help with getting into an English-as-a-second-language or
     French-as-a-second-language class, provide tutoring);
   • Understand the rights and responsibilities of permanent residents;
   • Find a job and make friends;
   • Learn about and access services that are available in the community;
   • Register children in school and guide them in dealings with the school system;
   • Locate a family physician and dentist; and
   • Become independent.

Sponsors are expected to prepare a settlement plan that outlines, in as much detail as possible, how it will divide the responsibilities of settling the newcomers among team members; which in-kind support is available; and what the back-up plan is in case the original settlement plan needs to be adjusted.

How long must sponsors provide support?

Sponsors are responsible for financial and settlement assistance for the duration of the sponsorship period. This is for one year from the date of the arrival of all PSR and BVOR undertakings, but can be up to three years if a sponsorship group takes on a JAS sponsorship.

Do sponsors have any responsibilities to the refugee(s) before they arrive in Canada?

The SAH will help sponsors fulfill their pre-arrival duties that are directly related to the refugee(s) while they are still overseas. These obligations include:

• pre-screening refugee family to ensure they meet Canada's eligibility & admissibility requirements.
• submitting a complete & accurate refugee sponsorship application package.
• updating IRCC about any changes in family composition (i.e.: a marriage, birth, or death after the application has been submitted).
• ensuring refugees are aware of their interview with the Visa Officer, helping them prepare for the interview, and ensuring they appear for the interview.
• working jointly with refugee applicants to avoid delays in the sponsorship process (i.e.: attending to email & letters of communication that are sent by the Visa Office or by ROC-O).
• updating IRCC with any changes in the financial or other conditions of the sponsoring group that they are unable to rectify.

IRCC and the AGC both strongly encourage sponsors to be in contact with the refugee applicant throughout the pre-arrival process. This not only enables the sponsors to share information and updates with them, but also enables the sponsoring group and refugee applicant to keep the visa office and ROC-O updated about any important changes.