So, you have loved ones who have been forced to flee from their home and you'd like to help them get to Canada. May God bless you and guide you in your efforts!
As of today, there is no mechanism in place to help Afghan nationals who are still inside Afghanistan or Iran. Canada does not have an embassy in either of those countries. I know that is a big problem. Routes out are few and dangerous, and once out, there is still no assurance of a solution.
For those already outside Afghanistan, the route to sponsorship is the same as it is for every other refugee. To either:
- be identified by UNHCR or the Canadian government for direct resettlement to Canada, or
- to connect with a group of Canadians who will submit an application to privately sponsor your family.
As someone already in Canada, our best advice is to contact churches and mosques in your own community. Many have never sponsored anyone before, so along with information about your family members, it may be helpful to include some information about the sponsorship program. The 2 links we find to be most useful for new sponsors are:
https://www.rstp.ca/en/refugee-sponsorship/the-private-sponsorship-of-refugees-program/
Unfortunately, the AGC is in the process of cancelling our SAH Agreement and will no longer be sponsoring refugees. However, we do still encourage our churches to sponsor refugee families as they are able.
A better option if your loved ones have employable skills and can speak English or French may be Canada's Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot program. This new program combines refugee resettlement and economic immigration. It's a pathway that helps skilled refugees immigrate to Canada through existing economic programs, and gives employers access to a new pool of qualified candidates to fill job openings.
We hope you find this information helpful.