Resettlement from outside Canada
The Refugee and Humanitarian Resettlement Program is for people in need of protection who are outside Canada. The Canadian government uses the term resettlement to describe the legal process of bringing refugees from the country where they have sought protection to Canada to live as permanent residents. Their status when they arrive is the same as that of permanent residents who immigrated under any other category.
People who can be resettled from outside Canada fall into two classes:
These refugees can be resettled to Canada through three programs:
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Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) program:
Initial resettlement in Canada is supported by the Government of Canada.
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Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program:
Resettlement in Canada is supported by a group of people in Canada.
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Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program:
UNHCR matches refugees with private sponsors to support their resettlement in Canada.
Refugee resettlement by program
The graph below shows the number of people that have resettled per year for each category. As demonstrated, there was a significant increase in refugee resettlement in 2016, which was due to the arrival of Syrian refugees in Canada.
Refugee claims from inside Canada
The In-Canada Asylum program
is for people seeking asylum (i.e., making a refugee protection claim) from within Canada or at one of Canada's borders. This program offers protection to individuals who have a well-founded fear of persecution or who are at risk of torture or unusual punishment if they return to their home country (Government of Canada, 2017j). Individuals can apply for refugee protection in Canada by making a claim at a port of entry or at an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) office. Eligible claims are sent to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) for a decision.
Refugee claimants
(also called asylum seekers) are temporary residents in Canada while their claims are being considered. Refugee claimants whose claims are accepted may apply for permanent residency in Canada. Those whose claims are rejected can apply for a judicial review of the Immigrant and Refugee Board (IRB) decision. They can also apply to stay in Canada on humanitarian or compassionate grounds or they can apply for a pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) (Government of Canada, 2017k).
Learn more about the In-Canada Asylum program