In response to the refugee crisis resulting from civil war in Syria, the Canadian government has promised to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees by February 2016, and hinted at bringing the total number to 50,000 in the coming months. This past week, Canada welcomed it’s 10,000th Syrian refugee. Many of these refugees have never had the joy of hearing the Gospel of Jesus which means that there is presently an amazing opportunity for the Church to demonstrate the love of Christ.
One way that you or your church can make a tremendous impact is to consider sponsoring refugees to come to Canada.
Why Sponsor A Refugee:
Sponsoring a refugee means that you (or your church or organization) will become the main person that they will meet when they arrive in Canada. As a sponsor you, and those who may join with you, will be the ones to help them in their initial phase. It is a tremendous way to show the love of Jesus and witness Christ to them. Many immigrants testify that it was those who helped them in their initial days of integration into a new society that had the greatest impact on them.
How To Sponsor A Refugee:
There are a few ways to privately sponsor a refugee to come to Canada. They include:
1 - If you, your church or your denomination are a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), you are eligible to sponsor a refugee.
2 - You can sponsor through a Group of Five (G5) which means that a group of five or more Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents join together to form a sponsoring group that will help provide for refugees in their integration phase to Canada.
3 - Through Community Sponsors ('CS'). A CS is an organization, an association or a corporation that agrees to help provide for refugees in their integration phase to Canada.
There is also a Joint Assistance Program that allows applicants to sponsor refugees with special needs for up to 36 months.
Finding A Refugee To Sponsor:
MY Canada is currently working with One Free World International to identify potential refugees that need sponsorship. If you are interested in being matched with one please let us know by e-mailing us at admin@4mycanada.ca
Click on the links below here to read a two part explanation that lays the process out clearly.
▪ Part 1
▪ Part 2
More Links:
To find out more, please visit the Government of Canada's Citizenship and Immigration website, or click here to apply to become a sponsor.
If you live in Quebec and are interested in refugee sponsorship, please find more information here as the province has its own sponsorship process in place.
