Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

For someone to be resettled in Canada as a refugee, they must be in one of the following classes:

Convention Refugee Abroad Class

• Individual is outside their home country.
• Individual cannot return to their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, political opinion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group (examples: gender, sexual orientation, etc.)

Country of Asylum Class

• Individual is outside their home country or the country where they normally live, and
• Individual has been seriously affected by civil war or armed conflict, or
• Individual has been denied basic human rights on an ongoing basis

At the Office for Refugees, we are a small team with limited spaces that the Federal Government of Canada provides to us as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH). Therefore, we are limited in who we can assist. To manage the demands of so many in great need, we have narrowed down our focus to partnering with Catholic stakeholders within the Diocese of Hamilton geographical boundaries. Therefore, we would be unable to help you with your request. However, if you have a family member or a friend who lives within the boundaries of the Diocese of Hamilton and has established contact with the parish near their residence, please ask them to request and discuss the sponsorship with the parish priest in their neighborhood.

If you are looking to immigrate to Canada, please visit your local Canadian consulate and see the Government of Canada's Immigration & Citizenship website.

The Diocese of Hamilton, SAH does not have a wait list as we only accept referrals from our Catholic Stakeholders.  For further information please refer to our “How can I Sponsor with the Diocese of Hamilton, Sponsorship agreement Holder (SAH) web page.

We indiscriminately serve those who have been forcibly displaced and are living in countries of asylum across the world, irrespective of political affiliation, religious background or sexual/gender orientation.

The Diocese of Hamilton is a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) with Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada and is not an immigration consultant. We support the community and families through private sponsorship of refugees.

If you do not live within the geographical boundaries of the Diocese of Hamilton, or if your family members are not recognized as a refugee, then unfortunately we are not able to help.

Please note that due to our office capacity, we are only working with Catholic stakeholders within the Diocese of Hamilton geographical boundaries.

If your family member meets the criteria as a refugee and you live outside of the geographical boundaries of the Diocese of Hamilton, you can reach out to the SAH that serves your community of residence here. You can search based on the province and city in which you reside.

Please visit the following link on our website for detailed information on how to proceed.

To have an existing connection with a parish means that you have already an established relationship with the Parish.  Either through attending as a parishioner at the Catholic Church yourself, or you have a relative or friend who attends the parish.  If you are a parishioner of a Catholic Church, we advise you to speak with the parish priest to see if he may be interested in making a referral to our office on your behalf.  If you have relative or friend who attends a Catholic Church, you could request from them to speak to the parish priest on your behalf in regard to making a referral to our Office.  Please note that should the priest make a referral to the Diocese of Hamilton, there is no guarantee that the case will be accepted – so we caution that you do not make any promises to the refugee(s) overseas as this does not mean a commitment has been made for us to take on your case.

Our Office for Refugees prefers the Principal Applicant (PA) to complete the application. The application will be completed online through the Permanent Resident (PR) Web Portal. If your case is formally accepted by our office, Constituent Group (CS) representatives and/or Co-Sponsor (CS) will be invited to the PR portal, where they can fill out the forms on behalf of the refugee(s) overseas. It is imperative that the wording of the refugee(s) is represented on the forms, and that they understand what is being filled out on their behalf to IRCC. Our office will make sure that the forms are correct and the application package is complete and meets the IRCC program requirements before submission.

Refugees sponsored by the Diocese of Hamilton do not need UN refugee status. However, please note that we ask for documentation that proves the refugee(s) live outside of their country of citizenship.

If the refugee(s) you want to sponsor has UN refugee status, then we may refer you to apply through the group of five or community sponsor.

Co-Sponsors are responsible for providing financial and settlement support to the newcomer/s during the sponsorship period for up to one year. A full list of duties can be reviewed here. Our office will provide support and guidance where needed, and also will monitor the case to ensure that Co-Sponsors are following all IRCC requirements.

The Office for Refugees at the Diocese of Hamilton does not have lawyers who can help you with your inland claim. For further information on how to seek asylum when you are inside Canada, please visit the Government of Canada’s Asylum Seekers info page or the Government of Canada’s Immigration & Citizenship info page.

Our office is only able to inquire about the application status for submissions made through our organization. If your family member applied through another organization or directly through the UNHCR, they will need to contact them directly, as we are unable to assist with those applications.

The cost of the sponsorship varies and depends on different factors such as the number of individuals in the family, their ages, needs, city of destination and housing. This calculator will give you an estimate.

The Diocese of Hamilton does not provide financial support for privately sponsored refugees when they arrive in Canada. Co-Sponsors have the full financial responsibility and must be able to provide financial and non-financial support for the refugee(s) for one year after their arrival. Once the application is accepted by our office, the sponsor is required to deposit their one-year financial sponsorship contribution into a trust bank account managed by the Diocese of Hamilton. The financial support will be provided to the refugee(s) after their arrival for up to one year. Note that sponsored refugee(s) are not allowed to access Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program for financial assistance during the first year of sponsorship, as all financial assistance must come from their Sponsors in Canada.

Funds cannot come from the refugee(s).

The Privately Sponsored Refugee program is a humanitarian program which assists vulnerable people in need. The undertaking you sign to submit your sponsorship application states that you, as the sponsor, have not accepted funds from the refugee(s) you are sponsoring and that you will not require the refugee(s) to repay any cost of sponsorship.

Any sponsor who attempt to secure or does accept funds from the refugee(s) will be considered by IRCC to be in default of the Sponsorship Undertaking. If you are found in default, you will be barred from submitting future sponsorship applications to IRCC. For more information on defaults, refer to R153 IRPR. we will not profit financially from the sponsorship of refugees, have not accepted any funds from the refugee(s) we are sponsoring, and will not require the refugee(s) to repay any cost of sponsorship. We understand that any sponsor who attempts to secure or does accept such funds will be considered by IRCC to be in default of this Sponsorship Undertaking.

Refugees are legally entitled to work after their arrival in Canada. However, if they don't speak English, the first step is to enroll in English classes to gain the language skills required to work, learn, and integrate into the community.

IRCC will follow up and ask for documentation that proves that the refugee is registered in certified English classes. Once they obtain English skills, refugee(s) will be able to work.

Refugees can work part-time when they are enrolled in full-time English training.

Refugees working during their first year of sponsorship are still eligible and entitled to sponsorship funds from their sponsors. This is a government-regulated guideline to protect refugees and ensure sponsors uphold their responsibility.