On February 17, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced an increase in sponsorship opportunities for sponsorship agreement holders (SAHs) under the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program. 

For over 40 years, Canada has remained at the forefront of refugee resettlement and integration with the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program. It joins Canadians and permanent residents together to provide protection and secure homes to tens of thousands of refugees every year. The program owes much of its success to the sponsorship agreement holders (SAHs) – over 130 organizations consistently sponsor refugees. 

IRCC announced that SAHs will be able to sponsor up to 13,500 refugees in 2023, representing a 10-fold increase from 2012. SAHs are responsible for all aspects of the sponsorship process, including identifying refugees, submitting applications, and providing essential support to the sponsored individuals. 

Canada will remain a worldwide pioneer in refugee resettlement and integration under IRCC’s 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan, which is to resettle more than 144,000 refugees, including over 83,500 privately sponsored refugees, over the next 3 years.