CANADIAN REFUGEES
BASIC FACTS

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) defines a refugee as “someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war or violence. A refugee has a wellfounded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.” 
There are two main types of refugees in Canada, depending on if they have applied for refugee status overseas or from inside Canada:
  • Resettled Refugees

     Resettled refugees have permanent resident status in Canada. These refugees have been selected to come to Canada while they were outside their home country or the country where they normally live. They applied for refugee status while they were overseas (i.e. not inside Canada) and have been referred by a referral organization (usually the UNHCR). 


    Most resettled refugees are part of the "Convention Refugee Status", which refers to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention. These refugees are not able to return to their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, political opinion, nationality, or membership in a social group, such as women or people of a particular sexual orientation. 

  • Refugee Claimants (also known as asylum seekers)

    Refugee Claimants are not referred by the UNHCR abroad. They come directly to Canada to seek asylum (either at the border or within the country). If their claim is deemed valid, they are allowed to stay in Canada as temporary residents while waiting for their hearing with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB). 

Resettled refugees in Canada are sponsored for up to 1 year or until they are to support themselves. Sponsorship includes financial, social, and emotional support. There are 3 types of refugee sponsorship programs:
  • Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs)

    These refugees are entirely supported by the government of Canada.

  • Privately-Sponsored Refugees (PSRs)

    These refugees are supported by a private sponsor. This sponsor can be an approved religious, ethnic, community or service organization, or a "Group of Five" (groups of five or more Canadian citizens who can sponsor refugees to settle in their local community). 

  • Blended Visa Office-Referred Refugees (BVORs)

    This is a mixed sponsorship program. The Government of Canada provides up to 6 months of income support, while a private sponsor provides another 6 months of financial support as well as 1 year of social and emotional support. 

In Calgary, the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) provides settlement and integration services to all refugees in Calgary (and the rest of Southern Alberta). The various CCIS programs help refugees with their housing needs, job placement, school registration, language training, etc. 

Refer to the CCIS website for more information on the services they offer.


For more information on the different classes of refugees in Canada, please refer to the Government of Canada website: