2016 National SAH

Conference –Orientation

for New SAH

Representatives

MAY 29TH, 2016

MELISSA SCOTT, RSTP TRAINER

Agenda

PART 1:

Overview of National SAH Conference

Logistics, participation, important information.

Review of PSR Program actors (SAHs, SAH reps, IRCC, UNHCR, SAH Council, SAH Secretariat) and their roles in the conference and PSR Program.

PART 2:

Overview of PSR Program

Sponsorship process (application submission and processing constraints)

Recent PSR Program Changes (policy and practice)

Review of 2016 Immigration Levels Plan, SAH Global Cap and important terminology (i.e. targets, allocations, sub-capped missions, non-capped missions, etc.)

What is RSTP?

Refugee Sponsorship Training Program

Located at Catholic Crosscultural Services in Toronto

Funded by IRCC to provide information, support and

training to the refugee sponsorship community and the

Canadian public interested in sponsoring refugees.

Also responsible for promoting the BVOR Program and

matching BVOR cases with SAHs, Groups of Five (G5s) and

Community Sponsors (CSs).

Launched Family Links Initiative (FLI) in January 2016, focusing

on matching Syrian families referred by a relative in Canada

with a sponsoring group in Canada.

National program (except Quebec)

Organize a national SAH conference annually

Training and Information Sharing

In-person sessions (upon request from sponsors)

E-training Courses

(basic PSR and advanced)

WebinarsBi-weekly

newsletter for SAHs

SAH and PSR electronic mailing

lists (listservs)

Materials posted on RSTP Website

Videos

National SAH Conference

Annual national gathering of SAHs

Purpose: information sharing, discussion, exchange of experiences, networking,

training amongst SAHs

Participants:

SAHs (1 representative per SAH)

IRCC partners (National Headquarters, CPO-W, International Region, Visa Office(s))

UNHCR partners from Ottawa

IOM partners from Ottawa

May 30 – June 1, 2016 (3 full days)

Registration table open in foyer (Registration Monday morning 7:30-9:00 am)

Need assistance? Find RSTP staff (Yosief, Melissa, Felisa, Ekaterina and Laura)

Conference Overview

Sunday, May 29 – Arrivals and registration (2:30-

7:00)

Monday, May 30: Day 1 - SAH Only Day

Tuesday, May 31: Day 2

- IRCC, IOM, UNHCR, Community partners join

- Group dinner at 6:30 pm

Wednesday, June 1: Day 3

- Check-out in morning or during break

- Must be checked out by 12:00 pm at latest.

Attendance

Participants are expected to attend all sessions during the

three days of the conference

Don’t be shy - active participation in the discussions is

encouraged.

You are welcome to ask questions of the speakers. Please

be respectful of all conference participants by keeping

your questions brief and to-the-point.

Meet private refugee sponsors from across Canada, IRCC

officers from National HQ, UNHCR and IOM staff

Meet new people, network, and enjoy!

Reimbursement

Accommodation for up to 3 nights at the Hilton Garden Inn (May 29-31)

Travel expenses (flight/train, taxi/bus, mileage)

Two dinners up to $45 each

Please keep all your original, itemized receipts – transaction receipts are not enough

Please only pay for your own expenses.

For reimbursement purposes, RSTP cannot cover expenses that you have paid for other people (e.g. one person paying for the dinner of three conference attendees).

For detailed information on reimbursement, please consult the 2016 National SAH Conference Information document (included in conference package)

Mail all your receipts to RSTP right after the conference

All reimbursement will be done after the conference

Major players in PSR

Private sponsors (SAHs/CGs, Groups of 5, Community

Sponsors)

IRCC NHQ, local offices, Canadian Visa Offices

NGO-Government Committee

SAH Association

SAH Council

SAH Secretariat

RSTP

Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR)

Service Providing Organizations (SPOs)

SAH Council and SAH Secretariat

SAH Council:

8 elected SAH representatives

Represent the concerns of the SAH Association membership to IRCC

Make up the steering committee of the SAH Association

Advocacy related matters

Chair: Brian Dyck

SAH Secretariat:

Provides admin support to the SAH Council and the SAH Association

Consists of 3 part-time staff: Elizabeth Walton (allocations!), Ellen Woolaver and Debra Simpson

Funded by IRCC

Centralized Processing Office

in Winnipeg (CPO-W)

Receives and reviews all applications for completeness

Responsible for making a decision on the Undertaking

portion of a private refugee sponsorship

Receives One Year Window (OYW) requests

Receives status updates and case updates

Assessing and processing case withdrawals

IRCC – Matching Centre

Only for BVOR and JAS cases

Provides BVOR and JAS profiles

Liaises with RSTP to find sponsors

Issues Notification of Arrival

Transmissions (NATs)

IRCC – National Headquarters

Reviews and approves application to become a

SAH

Maintain SAH Agreement and contact

information

Responsible for the planning, program and policy

changes, setting targets, liaising with SAH

Community

Provides funding to SAH Secretariat & RSTP

Canadian Visa Office (Overseas)

Assesses PSR applications and makes the final decision

on a case

Issues instructions for medical exams, security and

criminality background checks

Issues visa for approved cases

Liaises with IOM for travel arrangements

May be referred to as ‘VO’ or a mission

PART 2:

Overview of PSR Program

Acronyms

SAH

CG

NAT

PSR

CPO-W

IRCC

RAP

BVOR

MC

RSTP

JAS

Was CIC –

Now IRCCUNHCR IOM

G5 CS

PSR as Part of Resettlement –

Who Are the Actors Involved?

Government

Assisted Refugee

Program

Private Sponsorship

of Refugees

Program

United Nations High

Commissioner for

Refugees (UNHCR)Government of Canada

International

Organization for

Migration (IOM)

What is the Private Sponsorship of Refugees?

The resettlement of a refugee to Canada, in which financial costs and

settlement support are provided by private groups or organizations.

• Sponsoring groups must provide

financial support for 12

months or until the refugee

becomes self-sufficient

(whichever comes first).

• Exception: To sponsor

refugees through the BVOR

program, sponsoring groups

must provide financial

support for 6 months.

• Sponsoring groups must provide

settlement support for 12

months

Considering eligibility, durable solutions and local integration:

Who is eligible to be sponsored?

Is outside of their home country

Is not in Canada

Is unable or unwilling to return to their country

Cannot locally integrate where they are

currently living (cannot stay there, do not

have rights similar to the rights of citizens, etc.)

Fits the definition of:

Convention Refugee Abroad Class:

OR

Country of Asylum Class:

Well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinionSeriously and personally

affected by civil war or

armed conflict, or suffered

massive violations of

human rights

Has a sponsoring group in Canada

Someone who:

Canadian Refugee Resettlement

Canadian

Resettlement

Program:

Privately

Sponsored

Refugees (PSR)

Blended Visa Office

Referred (BVOR)

Joint Assistance

Sponsorship (JAS)

Government Assisted

Refugees (GAR)

Funded by: Private sponsors 6 months income

support from

government

6 months income

support from

sponsors

Government Government

Settlement Support by: Private sponsors Private sponsors Initial settlement

support by

Government-

funded

organizations,

then by Private

Sponsors

Government-funded

organizations

Referred to IRCC by: Private sponsors UNHCR UNHCR UNHCR

Are the refugees

known to the sponsor?

Yes No No No

Full Responsibility by Private Groups …… Full Responsibility by Government

YOU

• Sponsors collect info & gather documents

• Sponsors complete forms & assist refugee applicants to do the same

• Mail complete application package to Centralized Processing Office in Winnipeg (CPO-W)

CPO-W

• Screen application

• Create file

• Approval

• File will be sent to Visa Office (VO)

VO

• Review

• Interview

• Initiate medical, security, criminality checks

• Approval

• Arrange for travel (IOM)

The Processing of a PSR Application

PSR Program - Recent Changes

Centralization of in-Canada processing - 2012

Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP)

Cut-backs to IFHP in 2012.

Addressed in 2016: on April 1, 2016, IRCC restored the IFHP to the levels of

coverage that were available before 2012. This applies to all refugees resettled

through the PSR Program.

Caps and allocations system - 2012

Limits the number of refugees that can be sponsored and from where

Groups of Five and Community Sponsors require refugee status

documentation. (Note: currently, there is an exemption for Syrians and Iraqis).

Definition of dependent child - 2014

In August 2014, the age a child is considered dependent was lowered from under

22 to under 19.

Recent Changes for Private Sponsorship

- Syrian Refugees

Syrians and Iraqis do not need refugee status recognition documents to be sponsored by Groups of Five (G5s) or Community Sponsors.

Temporary waiving of travel costs for Syrians (no longer waived if PA was interviewed March 1, 2016 or after).

Full (Type 1) IFHP coverage offered to Syrians in November 2015. Now, full coverage is offered to all refugees as of April 1, 2016.

Government of Canada commitment to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees –fulfilled as of February 29, 2016.

Syrian and Iraqi populations are no longer exempt from cap

requirements in 2016. The type of space (capped or

non-capped) that will be required will depend on where the

refugee applicant is residing and the visa office the application

is processed through.

Targets, Caps, Allocations

History of Caps System:

Caps and allocations on the number of refugees that Sponsorship

Agreement Holders can sponsor since 2012.

As a result, SAHs found challenges in sponsoring all refugees referred to

them because they have reached their limit, either overall or for the

specific visa office.

In 2015, 60% of the spaces were reserved for Ministerial priorities.

Allocations Model Principles – the proposed intention of the system

Continued need to reduce the backlog: ensure that all backlogs begin

declining.

Targets, Caps, Allocations

Targets = the maximum number of people that the Government

of Canada will admit in a given year under the PSR Program

In 2016: 17,800

Global SAH Cap = the total number of persons for whom SAHs

are allowed to submit a PSR application in a given year.

In 2016: 10,500

Sub-cap = refers to the total number of persons per mission (visa

office) in a given year. Not all missions are capped.

Allocations = the number of spots (persons) a SAH has received

for a given year

IRCC Admission Targets for 2016

Immigration Program2016 Levels Plan

Target

Refugees and

Protected Persons

Protected Persons in

Canada and

Dependants Abroad

11,000

Resettled Refugees 44,800

Government-Assisted

Refugees24,600

Blended Visa Office-

Referred2,400

Privately Sponsored

Refugees17,800

Protected Persons

and Refugees Total55,800

This number is not total

PSR application

submissions for 2016,

but total PSR arrivals.

2016 Caps and Allocations

2016

SAH Global Cap 10,500

Non-capped Missions 8,700

Sub-capped Missions 1,650

Nairobi 400

Dar es Salaam 200

Cairo 100

Rome 250

Pretoria 250

Islamabad 100

Tel Aviv 350

Contact RSTP

Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP)

c/o Catholic Crosscultural Services

55 Town Centre Court, Suite 401

Scarborough, ON M1P 4X4

Tel: 416.290.1700 ext. 401

Toll-free: 1-877-290-1701

For conference related inquiries: conference@rstp.ca

Visit us at: www.rstp.ca

Follow us on Twitter (@RSTP_ca) and Facebook