Sponsorship Frequently Asked Questions
We will expand this section in the near future - check back soon! In the meantime, please explore the resources that other organizations have put together to assist people with getting involved with the private refugee sponsorship program.
If you are looking for information on how to start your own sponsorship group, or if you already have started a group and are looking for additional support and information, please check out the following links:
If you are looking for information on how to start your own sponsorship group, or if you already have started a group and are looking for additional support and information, please check out the following links:
- The Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) website (this website has all the information you need to get started with sponsorship - RSTP is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and administered by Catholic Crosscultural Services)
- Immigrant Settlement Agency of Nova Scotia's (ISANS') information on private refugee sponsorship. You can download their PDF information guide to private sponsorship here.
- The government's Guide to the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program
- The government's Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Application Guide
- Some great tips on how to fundraise the money to sponsor a refugee family, written by the Ripple Refugee Project in Toronto.
- A great list of resources complied by the Lunenburg Friends sponsorship group.
- A flow-chart [PDF] of the different steps involved in being matched with a refugee family through the BVOR family (after the fundraising and preparatory stages have been accomplished). This flow-chart was created by the United Church.
- A welcome flyer [PDF] designed for Syrian newcomers in Arabic, provided by the Al-Rasoul Islamic Society in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Features contact information and a list of regular programming.
- An Arabic list of grocery stores in Halifax [JPEG] that are staffed with Arabic-speakers, provided by the Al-Rasoul Islamic Society in Bedford, Nova Scotia.
- Things refugees might not like to say to their sponsors ; "We are so grateful, but..." [PDF]. This 2-page document gives you some insight into some misunderstandings that can arise between sponsors and the families they have sponsored.
- Provider Resource Guide: Caring for New Syrian Residents in Nova Scotia [PDF], prepared by the Nova Scotia Health Authority, IWK Health Centre, and the Department of Health and Wellness. Published Dec. 22, 2015. This document is directed at health care providers to assist them with knowing how to best support new Syrian arrivals.
