This is another way to sponsor family members who are currently protected persons outside of their country of citizenship. This involves 5 Canadians who have enough income and promise to support a refugee for a period of one year.
Check with us if you have someone who is ALREADY recognized as a refugee outside their country of citizenship and you would like to sponsor under this program

A group of 5 is consisted of at least Five Canadian Citizens or permanent residents to sponsor people who have documentation to prove that the United Nations Refugee Agency, or a foreign state, has determined them to be Convention refugees or a ‘person in need of protection’.

Briere Imigration Law Services has experience in developing successful applications including the settlement plan that has to demonstrate to IRCC that the Group of 5 has planned the necessary steps for the successful integration of the refugees to life in Canada. Often, people in Canada will be able to sponsor their relatives that way. A Settlement Plan, lasts about one year, and must be submitted by the grou. Each member commits to assisting the refugees either financially, or for settlement activities or both.

For The Group if Five to be Approved ,Certain Criteria must be met:

• Be 18 years or older
• currently be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• reside in the same settlement community that will be offered
• provide support for the entire year (or period) of sponsorship, by helping the refugee improve their language skills, getting enrolled in programs to assist with their assimilation, counselling, accompanying them to medical appointments, opening a bank account, take steps to find work, etc.
• prove your group has the funds to assist with the settlement plan

have a detailed settlement plan including calculating costs for clothing, food staples, household, hook-up and school start-up costs, transportation costs and a general living allowance

This is also a great way to reunite families coming from unstable countries.

In this case the refugees need to be recognized as Convention Refugees by the UNCHR or the foreign state and be living abroad and the situation in their country of origin continues to be unstable.

The Sponsors are then a group of 5 adult Canadians (citizens or permanent residents) who will provide emotional, financial and settlement support to one or more refugees for a period of one year.

I have successfully submitted sponsorship application to IRCC and got the approval very quickly.

It is a complicated application to put together, however the idea of helping someone in need is very powerful for the sponsors!