CanadaAsylum / refugee status

Rainbow Refugee Partnership in Canada

A partnership between the Government of Canada and the Rainbow Refugee Society: Canadians and permanent residents privately sponsor the resettlement of LGBTQI+ refugees who are fleeing persecution on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status. Candidates are found and referred by partner organisations. The government pays for the start, while housing, language and work are taken on by the sponsorship group. On arrival the person becomes a permanent resident.

Visa term

The support obligation is 12 months; arrivals come in as PR

Threshold

Government: start-up costs plus 3 months; sponsors: 9 months (about $16,500 for the year)

Processing time

A long process, taking anything from months to several years

Work

As a PR — the right to work immediately

Source: open.canada.ca — Rainbow Refugee partnership (IRCC note)

Who is eligible for resettlement, and who for sponsorship

The programme connects two sides: LGBTQI+ refugees seeking protection outside Canada, and Canadians ready to become their private sponsors.

The resettlement candidate — a refugee outside Canada

Persecution or violence on grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics (SOGIESC) or HIV status
Is outside Canada at the time of filing
The candidacy is identified and referred by a partner organisation — the Rainbow Refugee Society, a local LGBTQI+ group or a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH)

The private sponsor — a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

Is ready to take on the private sponsorship of a resettled refugee
Can provide financial and settlement support for the period allotted to the sponsor once the government has covered the start-up costs and the first stage of assistance
Acts through one of the sponsorship groups or agreement holders (SAHs) working with the Rainbow Refugee Society under the partnership

When this programme is not suitable

The applicant is already in Canada and can make a refugee claim from inside the country

An in-Canada asylum claim is a separate channel, unconnected with resettlement from abroad

The person needs immediate evacuation from a situation of direct danger

The IRCC partnership with Rainbow Railroad (announced in 2023) — it is designed for urgent and vulnerable protection cases rather than for planned private sponsorship

The persecution is not connected with sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics or HIV status

The ordinary refugee resettlement channels — the government programme (GAR) or standard private sponsorship (PSR) with no link to the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership

The candidate has no partner organisation (the Rainbow Refugee Society, an LGBTQI+ group or a Sponsorship Agreement Holder) ready to identify and refer them

Look for any other sponsorship group under the standard private sponsorship of refugees programme (Groups of Five, Community Sponsors) — outside the framework of this partnership

What it costs

Twelve months' living support — one personThe minimum obligation under the private sponsorship of refugees programme (PSR) for one adult; under the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership the first 3 months of this amount are covered by IRCC and the remaining months by the sponsorship group	17 700 CAD
Start-up costs — one personFurniture, linen, clothing, food and other setting-up costs; under the partnership this amount is taken on by IRCC	3 700 CAD
Twelve months' living support — a family of 4The rate scales with the size of the family under the same Sponsorship Cost Table	25 700 CAD
Start-up costs — a family of 4	8 400 CAD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. the “Twelve months' living support — a family of 4” branch replaces the “Twelve months' living support — one person” line — 29 400 CAD; the “Start-up costs — a family of 4” branch replaces the “Start-up costs — one person” line — 26 100 CAD. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	21 400 CAD

Paid separately

The travel loan (Immigration Loans Program) — The refugee may pay for travel documents and the flight with an interest-free government loan; repayment begins 12 months after the loan is issued and is spread over 3–8 years depending on the amount — this is an obligation of the refugee, not of the sponsor

Documents to gather

The package of documents is prepared separately by the refugee candidate and by the receiving side — the Rainbow Refugee Society, the sponsorship group or the Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH).

The main application form for the refugee and accompanying family members (IMM 0008)
The background declaration for the refugee and adult family members (IMM 5669)
The special schedule for refugees outside Canada (IMM 0008, Schedule 2)
Photographs and identity documents for the refugee and their family members
The sponsorship undertaking and settlement plan from the agreement holder (IMM 5373)
The sponsor assessment (IMM 5492)
The risk-management settlement plan, where applicable (IMM 5440)
The sponsor's financial profile, where applicable (IMM 5373B)

How the process runs

The case follows the standard private sponsorship of refugees (PSR) route, but the candidate is always identified and referred into it by a partner organisation.

1
The partner organisation identifies and refers the candidate
The Rainbow Refugee Society, a local LGBTQI+ group or a Sponsorship Agreement Holder finds a person who meets the SOGIESC or HIV criteria and puts together the sponsorship case.
2
The sponsorship part of the application is assessed in Ottawa
The Resettlement Operations Centre (ROC-O) places the application in the queue by date of receipt, checks that the documents are complete and decides on the sponsorship part of the case.
3
An officer abroad interviews the refugee
A migration officer interviews the candidate in order to confirm that they meet the resettlement criteria, and to confirm their identity and the circumstances that make protection necessary.
4
The candidate undergoes a medical examination and security checks
A designated doctor carries out an examination, laboratory tests and an X-ray; criminal record and Canadian security checks run in parallel.
5
The visa is issued and travel is arranged by the International Organization for Migration
After a positive decision the visa office issues a visa to each approved refugee and contacts IOM to arrange the flight to Canada.
6
The sponsor meets the refugee on arrival
usually 4–10 weeks after the visa decision
The sponsorship group receives the Notification of Arrival Transmission at least 10 working days before departure and meets the refugee, who is granted permanent resident status on landing.

Timelines and rights

Residence

The sponsors propose the city; as a PR the person may live anywhere

Who you can bring with you

All of the candidate's family members must be named in the sponsorship and permanent residence application — whether or not they travel to Canada at the same time as the principal applicant.

Accompanying family members (spouse, partner, dependent children)

They are included in the same application and move to Canada together with the principal applicant as permanent residents

Family members who cannot yet travel with the applicant

They must still be named in the application, even if they are missing, in detention or unable to leave the country — otherwise it will later be impossible to use the one-year window of opportunity for family reunification

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.

	Rainbow Refugee Partnership	Humanitarian grounds	The Express Entry programme
Visa term	The support obligation is 12 months; arrivals come in as PR	The application stands until a decision is made	A profile stays in the pool for 12 months
Money	Government: start-up costs plus 3 months; sponsors: 9 months (about $16,500 for the year)	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	Filing does not automatically give status or a work permit	An approved application gives permanent resident status
Residence	The sponsors propose the city; as a PR the person may live anywhere	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 (as resettled refugees)

Route to citizenship

Citizenship after PR

Frequently asked questions about Rainbow Refugee Partnership

Can a refugee apply to the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership on their own, without a partner organisation?

No. Candidates are identified and referred by partner organisations — the Rainbow Refugee Society, local LGBTQI+ groups or Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs); after that the case follows the ordinary private sponsorship of refugees procedure.

How long does the move take once the case has been approved?

There is no fixed timescale: the length depends on the country of origin and on the complexity of the case. After a positive visa decision the refugee usually arrives in Canada within 4–10 weeks, and the sponsorship group receives the notification of arrival at least 10 working days before departure.

Does the refugee have to pay for the move to Canada themselves?

Resettlement services are free of charge, and sponsors are forbidden to take money from the refugee. The cost of travel documents and the flight, however, can be covered by an interest-free government loan through the Immigration Loans Program, which the refugee begins to repay 12 months after it is issued.

How does the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership differ from the partnership with Rainbow Railroad?

The Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership is a private sponsorship mechanism through Canadian citizens and permanent residents, designed for planned resettlement. The partnership with Rainbow Railroad, announced in 2023, is a separate initiative for more urgent and vulnerable protection cases; the two mechanisms run in parallel.

What happens to family members who cannot travel with the principal applicant?

They must still be included in the sponsorship and permanent residence application, even if they are not travelling to Canada yet — otherwise it will later be impossible to use the one-year window for family reunification.

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.