7. INLAND CLAIMS OVERSEAS SELECTION REFUGEE PROTECTION IN CANADA Government assisted Private Sponsorship Joint Assistance Sponsorship Agreement Holders Groups of 5 Community Groups WUSC
8. WUSC is among over 70 Sponsorship agreement holders (SAH) in Canada and 10 in Quebec, but is the only organization in the world that pairs EDUCATION with refugee resettlement. UNIQUE IN THE WORLD
16. Interview Circulation of Dossier Placement Medical Exam Education, English Classes, IOM Orientation Selection Academic Support CIC Forms Selection of Candidates Transition for end of sponsorship Finding a Job Applications Course Registration Welcome Admission Overseas In-Canada Fundraising Fundraising Public Awareness Public Awareness Social Support
17. The entire process takes around 2 years, but in terms of refugee sponsorship more generally this is a very short period of time. PREPARING FOR SPONSORSHIP
18. SRP IN CANADA The preparations for sponsorship take a minimum of 8 months, but for the first sponsorship preparations usually begin 2 years in advance
19. … there is someone to lend a helping hand… ONCE THE SPONSORED STUDENTS SET FOOT ON CANADIAN SOIL...
Canada’s longstanding refugee and humanitarian programs, resettle between 20,000-36,000 refugees per year. Of these, the majority fall under two umbrella programs: The first is the Landed-in-Canada Asylum Program (for refugee claimants). Anyone who lands on Canadian soil and claims refugee status is an asylum-seeker. International legal regulations, which Canada recognizes, provide that every asylum seeker's claim must be processed and evaluated. The second is the Refugee & Humanitarian Resettlement Program (for sponsored refugees). Refugee claims can also be made from outside of Canada. In these cases, there must be a sponsor for the claim. The Government of Canada acts as a sponsor, as do private individuals.
Private sponsorship entails a guarantee to provide financial and personal settlement support 12 – 36 month commitment Private sponsors include: Groups of five Community sponsors SAHs Any group of five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents, who are at least 18 years of age and who live in the community where the refugees are expected to settle, can join together to sponsor one or more refugees. Community sponsors are organizations, associations or corporations with adequate financial capacity and ability to provide settlement support. Most private refugee sponsors – over two thirds – are sponsorship agreement holders. Constituent groups work under a Sponsorship Agreement Holder to sponsor refugees in their communities. So in WUSC’s case, WUSC is the SAH, and each local committee sponsoring student refugees is a Constituent Group. WUSC collaborates with overseas partners to select, interview and prepare the student before their arrival in Canada, supports the Local Committees, and monitors and evaluates sponsorship. The Local Committees, for their part, provide the financial, moral and emotional support to sponsored students for the minimum 12 month period.
Since its inception in 1978, WUSC has sponsored students from 35 countries of origin In 2008, WUSC Resettled students from 3 countries of asylum: Kenya, Malawi, & Thailand, and these individuals represented a wide range of countries of origin.
Before we get into the intricacies of how the program operates in Canada, let’s first look at where the it all begins: Overseas
These partners include… (read list). By working closely together, we can ensure that the SRP works efficiently and transparently.
Applications – The call for applications is posted throughout the camps, and advertised to all different ethno cultural communities in the camps through WUSC’s partners. All who apply for the program had equal opportunities to go through the process. SRP candidates submit their applications to WUSC’s Overseas partners in the camps. This is Windle Trust Kenya, in Kakuma and Dadaab Refugee Camps in Kenya, and WUSC Malawi, the UNHCR and the Jesuit Refugee Society (JRS) in Dazaleka Camp in Malawi. Interviews - Candidates go through an interview process with a representative of WUSC, and well as the UNHCR, representatives of WUSC’s overseas partners, and other implementing agencies operating in the camps. This ensures the transparency of the process. Selection is based on the candidate’s interview and his/her demonstrated academic excellence. Meeting the eligibility requirements is a must. WUSC does not take religion, ethnicity or family relations into consideration for selection. However, WUSC is trying to achieve more gender equity in the SRP. Education, English Classes – The students who come through the camps in Kenya and Malawi, will take a full year of preparatory classes with WUSC’s overseas partners. These classes focus on TOEFL preparations and academic primary research and writing. SRP students currently do not receive extensive socio-cultural preparations. Like all sponsored refugees they attend a 3 day orientation given by the International Organization of Migration. This pre-departure orientation is designed for all refugees being resettled to the global north and is therefore quite general. Currently, WUSC provides all SRP students with a pre-departure booklet (available online at the WUSC website) and is looking to develop a more extensive pre-departure orientation. Medical Exam – Like all sponsored refugees, the SRP students will have to go through a medical examination and security clearance with the Canadian High Commission Overseas. Placement – the student’s placement is facilitated by the WUSC National Office. WUSC always strives to ensure that all of the selected SRP candidates are able to be placed at a Canadian Institution. This matching is a very complex process that takes numerous factors into account. Circulation of Dossier – a profile of SRP students is distributed to all the sponsoring committees Admission – Michelle can you add a few words here CIC Forms - Michelle can you add a few words here Welcome – The Local Committees welcomes the SRP students at the airport and provides them with a nice meal. SRP students are given an orientation of their new environment (see SRP Module: Delivering an Orientation) Course Registration – Help the SRP student book an appointment with his/her faculty advisor and register for courses. Social Support – Bring your SRP student to clubs days, organize social events (potluck dinners, picnics, skating, bowling etc.) See SRP Module: Best Practices, for more ideas. Academic Support – Register your SRP student for tutoring, academic workshops, etc. See SRP Module: Best Practices, for more ideas. Finding a Job: Go with your SRP student to Career Services. See SRP Module: Best Practices, for more ideas. Transition for end of sponsorship: Hold a Networking Workshop, go with your student to a career fair, help him/her move. SRP Module: Best Practices, for more ideas.
It is very imporant to understand that the model for sponsorship is different on each camps. Some committees are only able to sponsor one student every four years, while others sponsor 4 students per year. The leadership style differs for each campus to, and the degree of influence that students, faculty, administration or student government have over the program, is unique to each college or university.
Just as the sponsorship models differ, the budgets of sponsoring committees will also look very different from each other. According to Canadian Legislation, the Government of Canada requires sponsoring groups to have a minimum of 9500 Wusc sponsorships usually cost between 15,000 – 25, 000. This includes in Kind donations like Waivers and Meal plans. Included in this amount is also A Contribution fund of $2500 is due in November
Any questions?
Purpose of the session: To answer many frequently asked questions about the financial aspect of the SRP, and prepare you for raising the funds necessary for your sponsorship and managing them properly.
For those of you who finance their program through fundraising, What are some events that your committees do to raise large amounts of money? Bishops, Brandon U, Nipissing U, UQAM,
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