CanadaAsylum / refugee status

Refugees referred by the UN in Canada

A Canadian resettlement class for people who cannot return home because they fear persecution on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a social group. The candidate is referred by the UN refugee agency, a partner organisation or a private sponsorship group. The applicant and their family go through medical and police checks. Those approved arrive in Canada as permanent residents and can work immediately.

Visa term

Arrivals come straight in as permanent residents (PR)

Threshold

GAR: government support for about 1 year; PSR: sponsors for about 12 months

Processing time

There are no fixed timescales; they depend on the checks and on the programme

Work

As a PR — the right to work immediately, with no permit

Source: ircc.canada.ca — Convention refugees abroad class

Who travels with government support, and who thanks to sponsors

Within a single refugee class there are two resettlement routes — they determine who provides support during the first months after arrival in Canada.

Government-assisted resettlement (GAR)

Referred by UNHCR as being in need of urgent protection
There is no sponsor or relative in Canada willing to take on the costs
Financial support from the government is needed as soon as they arrive

Resettlement through private sponsors (PSR)

There is a sponsorship group, an accredited organisation or relatives in Canada
The joint programme in which the government takes on part of the costs is suitable (Blended Visa Office-Referred)
The sponsors are ready to take an active part during the first months after arrival

When this programme is not suitable

The person wants to apply for resettlement on their own, without a referral

Approach UNHCR, an authorised partner organisation or a sponsorship group — this is the only way into the process, as applications are not accepted directly

The person is already in Canada and needs protection on the spot

The programme is designed for people abroad; from inside Canada a refugee claim is made to the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB)

The person is fleeing general instability or armed conflict, but without personal persecution

Consider the Country of Asylum Class — the neighbouring class for those affected by war and systematic human rights violations

The person wants to put together a new Group of Five support group or set up a new community sponsorship organisation

Approach an existing Sponsorship Agreement Holder organisation or use the Blended Visa Office-Referred programme — new applications from such groups are temporarily closed

The person has already obtained citizenship or secure protection in another safe country

The class does not apply: a durable solution is already in place and there is no well-founded need for resettlement

Documents to gather

The package is put together by the applicant with the referring organisation or the sponsor, using the forms in Guide 6000 — the exact set depends on the composition of the family and on the country of residence.

The application on forms IMM 0008, IMM 5669 (Schedule A) and IMM 0008 Schedule 2 'Refugees Outside Canada'
The document confirming refugee status (RSD), where it has already been determined
Photographs of each family member no more than 12 months old, with the name and date of birth on the back
Identity and civil status documents: birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates, national identity documents (ID)
Documents relating to children: proof of custody, exit permission or parental consent
Documents about the past: military service book, membership cards of organisations
Travel documents: passport, valid visas or residence permit in the country of residence
A certified translation of every document not in English or French, together with the translator's affidavit

How the process runs

The order of events is described for both branches of the programme — government and private; some stages apply only to sponsored cases.

1
A referral from UNHCR, a partner or a private sponsor
Without a referral the application is not accepted: the candidate must be put forward by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, an authorised partner organisation or a private sponsorship group in Canada — it is not possible to file the documents oneself.
2
Assessment of the sponsorship group
Where private sponsorship is being arranged, the Resettlement Operations Centre (ROC-O) checks that the sponsorship group's package is complete and that the group is entitled to act; once approved, the case is given a number and passed to the visa office abroad.
3
Assessment of eligibility for the refugee class
A migration officer determines whether the applicant meets the definition of the Convention Refugees Abroad Class or the Country of Asylum Class, and may take into account relatives in the receiving city, knowledge of English or French and employment prospects; an interview in person is possible.
4
Medical, police and criminality checks
The applicant, the spouse or partner and all dependent children undergo a medical examination by a doctor designated by the visa office, together with security and criminal record checks — the examination cannot be arranged on one's own initiative, as the office sends the instructions.
5
The decision on the case and arranging departure
After a positive decision the city of arrival is designated — for private sponsorship this is the sponsor's city, while for government support the decision is taken by IRCC, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) arranges the flight.
6
Arrival in Canada as a permanent resident
The applicant and their family members arrive in Canada already as permanent residents and enter the resettlement programme straight away — orientation on housing, language courses, employment and everyday life is organised by the receiving side and by service providers.

Timelines and rights

Residence

The PR obligation: 730 days in every 5 years

Who you can bring with you

Within one year of arrival a permanent resident who was resettled as a refugee can be reunited with the family members who were declared in the case before departure for Canada but were unable to travel at the same time.

A spouse or common-law partner

Must have been named in the original resettlement case before the applicant left for Canada and must continue to meet that status until the final decision

Dependent children of the applicant and dependent children of the spouse or partner

At the time of filing they must meet the definition of a dependent child and must keep that status until the final decision

Dependent children of dependent children (the applicant's grandchildren)

Included only where they themselves qualify as dependants under the IRCC rules in force

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Refugees referred by the UN	Humanitarian grounds	The Express Entry programme
Visa term	Arrivals come straight in as permanent residents (PR)	The application stands until a decision is made	A profile stays in the pool for 12 months
Money	GAR: government support for about 1 year; PSR: sponsors for about 12 months	Government fees for PR (processing + RPRF + fees for family members)	Processing costs CAD 990 for the principal applicant, the same for a spouse and CAD 270 for a child
Work	As a PR — the right to work immediately, with no permit	Filing does not automatically give status or a work permit	An approved application gives permanent resident status
Residence	The PR obligation: 730 days in every 5 years	Physical presence in Canada in order to file; then the PR obligation	A permanent resident spends 730 days in Canada in every 5 years

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

PR on entry (a PR visa)

Route to citizenship

Citizenship after PR (1,095 days within 5 years)

Frequently asked questions about Refugees referred by the UN

Is it possible to apply for resettlement on your own, without a referral?

No. A candidate can only be referred by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, another authorised partner organisation or a private sponsorship group in Canada — there is no provision for applying to the department directly.

How much does it cost to file for resettlement under this class?

There is no official government fee for a refugee application — no fee has to be paid. A sponsor is not entitled to demand money from the refugee to cover the resettlement costs; accredited sponsor organisations (Sponsorship Agreement Holders) may only ask for limited reimbursement of their administrative expenses.

Is it possible at the moment to put together a new Group of Five for sponsorship?

No: new applications from groups of five and from community sponsorship organisations are temporarily suspended because of the volume of applications and the long queues, and the pause has been extended to the end of 2026. Cases already filed continue to be processed, while Sponsorship Agreement Holder organisations and the joint programme with the government continue to accept new cases.

What does government support for refugees resettled under GAR include?

The Resettlement Assistance Program meets the refugee at the airport, helps with temporary and permanent housing, registration for mandatory programmes and orientation on life in Canada, and provides a one-off start-up allowance and monthly financial support until the person becomes financially self-sufficient.

Is it possible to work in Canada immediately on arrival?

Yes. Applicants arrive already as permanent residents, and this status gives the right to live, work and study in any province without a separate work permit.

Is anything required to avoid losing permanent resident status after resettlement?

Yes. As for all permanent residents, there is an obligation to be in Canada for at least 730 days in every five years; those days do not have to be consecutive.

How soon can an application be made for Canadian citizenship?

Citizenship can be applied for once the applicant has been physically present in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 1,095 days in the last five years.

Is it possible later to bring over a spouse or children who were unable to travel with the applicant?

Yes, if they were named in the resettlement case before the applicant left for Canada. Within one year of obtaining permanent resident status an application can be made to be reunited with a spouse, common-law partner or dependent children under the One-Year Window of Opportunity programme.

Other ways to move to Canada

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Canada.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 8 August 2026.