Canada Humanitarian Program For Afghans
The Government of Canada is committed to welcoming Afghan refugees to Canada. As part of this, they announced a special humanitarian program to resettle also vulnerable Afghan nationals outside of Afghanistan.
Note: The information in this blog collected from Canada Government Official Website and nothing is changed.
This program aims to resettle a mix of
- government-assisted refugees and
- privately sponsored refugees
Who may be eligible to Canada Resettlement program
Eligibility
To be eligible for this program you must meet all of the following requirements:
- you’re an Afghan national
- you’re outside of Afghanistan
- you don’t have a durable solution in a third country and
- you’re part of one of the following groups:
- women leaders
- human rights defenders
- persecuted religious or ethnic minorities
- LGBTI individuals
- journalists and those who helped Canadian journalists
If you’re in Afghanistan and plan to leave
The Government of Canada remains firm in its commitment to welcome Afghan refugees to Canada.
If you plan to leave Afghanistan, firstly you must check and follow the travel requirements of the country you plan to enter or travel through. Along with your passport, meanwhile you may also need to get a visa to legally enter another country.
Also It’s important to follow the immigration laws of countries you plan to enter. If you don’t, you could
- be detained
- be unable to leave the country or
- get deported back to Afghanistan
This can make it harder to get help to travel to Canada or any other country in which you plan to resettle.
What to do if you think you might be eligible
Firstly you should register for refugee status with either the
- United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
- government of the country in which you now live
To resettle in Canada as either a government-assisted refugee or a privately sponsored refugee, you need to be:
- referred by one of the following
- the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
- the government of the country in which you now live
- one of the other organizations we’re working with for this program
- identified by a private sponsor
Here you can find also prioritizing applications of eligible immediate family members joining Afghans currently in Canada.
How the program works
We’re working with trusted international and Canadian partners to implement this new humanitarian program.
You can’t apply directly to this humanitarian program.
The program will resettle Afghan nationals in 2 ways.
1. Government-assisted refugees
Under the government-assisted refugees program, we’ll resettle Afghan nationals to Canada and provide support for up to one year after arrival.
You must be referred to us by one of the following referral partners:
- United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
- Find out about the UNHCR’s process to resettle refugees.
- Front Line Defenders (for human rights defenders only)
- ProtectDefenders.eu (for human rights defenders only)
If you’re a human rights defender
There’s currently a high level of need among Afghan human rights defenders. Front Line Defenders and ProtectDefenders.eu can only refer the human rights defenders who are most at risk. For these organizations to consider you for referral, it’s expected that you
- actively promote and protect human rights and
- face a direct risk because of this work
2. Privately sponsored refugees
You can also resettle to Canada if a group sponsors you as a refugee. Sponsors could be either
- a sponsorship agreement holder (an organization that helps support refugees when they resettle in Canada) or
- an organization, or a group of 5 or more people, in Canada that has volunteered to sponsor referred refugees
Sponsor groups would support you for the sponsorship period, which is usually up to 1 year. Their support includes
- start-up costs, like furniture and clothing
- ongoing monthly costs for necessities like housing, food and public transportation
- social and emotional support
How to apply
Finally here is how you can Contact them using the web form. Please don’t send photos or other attachments until we ask you to.
Contact us by phone at +1-613-321-4243
- Available both inside Canada and abroad
- Monday to Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (ET)
- We’ll accept charges for collect calls or calls with reverse charges
Wait times may be longer due to call volumes.Report a problem or mistake on this page.
