published on 16 December 2024 @ 10:01 am · COMMENT

IRCC Pauses Private Sponsorship Refugee Programs

The Canadian government has temporarily stopped accepting new applications from groups of five and community sponsors under the  Private Sponsorship Refugee (PSR) Program as of November 29, 2024.

This is disappointing news for Canadian private sponsors because for over 40 years, the PSR program, a model for other countries around the world, has brought hope and opportunity to hundreds of thousands of refugees.

The government’s reason for the pause is that due to ongoing high demand, applications from private sponsors continue to exceed the private sponsorship spaces available under the immigration levels plan, resulting in a large and growing application inventory and lengthy processing times.

This measure will remain in effect until December 31, 2025. During this time, IRCC will continue processing previously received PSR applications and resettling sponsored refugees in accordance with the PSR Program targets outlined in the immigration levels plan. For 2025, Canada aims to welcome 23,000 privately sponsored refugees.

filed under: IMMIGRATIONPERMANENT RESIDENCE