Canada operates two major overseas refugee resettlement programs — the Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) program and the Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) program. Unlike the inland refugee determination system (where refugees already in Canada make claims to the Immigration and Refugee Board), resettlement involves selecting refugees outside Canada — typically from refugee camps or protracted displacement situations — and bringing them to Canada as permanent residents. Both programs result in PR status on arrival.

For current resettlement targets, program eligibility, and application processes, refer to the IRCC GAR program page.

• Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), s 12(3) — the humanitarian class including resettled refugees
• IRPR, s 138–152 — the Convention Refugee Abroad class and Humanitarian-Protected Persons Abroad class criteria
• IRCC: Government-Assisted Refugee program — canada.ca/gar
• IRCC: Private Sponsorship of Refugees program — canada.ca/psr

Resettlement vs. inland refugee protection

It is important to distinguish resettlement from inland refugee protection:

• Resettlement (GAR/PSR): The refugee is outside Canada. They are selected abroad — by UNHCR referral (for GAR) or by Canadian sponsors (for PSR) — and arrive in Canada as permanent residents. No IRB hearing is required.
• Inland refugee protection: The person arrives in Canada (or is already in Canada) and makes a refugee claim. The Refugee Protection Division (RPD) at the Immigration and Refugee Board decides the claim. If accepted, the person becomes a protected person and may then apply for PR. See the refugee claim eligibility page.

Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR)

GARs are refugees referred to Canada by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or other designated referral organisations, based on their vulnerability and protection needs. IRCC makes the final decision on whether to accept the referral (based on admissibility — health, character, security). Once accepted, GARs are settled in Canada with full government support:

• Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP): Income support for up to 1 year (or until the person becomes self-sufficient, whichever comes first), plus essential services delivered through IRCC-funded Service Provider Organizations (SPOs)
• Immediate and essential services include temporary housing, orientation, language assessment, referral to employment services, and assistance with government registration
• Income support is equivalent to provincial social assistance rates

GARs arrive in Canada as permanent residents — they have full PR rights from the day they land. They do not need to go through the IRB or make an inland claim.

Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSR)

PSRs are identified by Canadian sponsors — private individuals, churches, community groups, or organisations — who commit to supporting the refugee for at least 1 year after arrival. The sponsors provide financial support (meeting or exceeding the same income support levels as the GAR program), housing assistance, social and emotional support, and help with settlement and integration. There are four types of sponsors:

• Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH): Organisations that have a standing agreement with IRCC to sponsor refugees — typically churches, ethnic associations, and settlement agencies
• Constituent Groups (CG): Groups that operate under the umbrella of a SAH and sponsor refugees with the SAH's co-signature
• Groups of Five (G5): Five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who jointly sponsor a refugee without needing a SAH — they must each be 18 or over and live in the community where the refugee will settle
• Community Sponsors (CS): Organisations (corporations, unincorporated groups) that sponsor refugees in the community where they will settle

PSRs also receive PR status on arrival. The IRCC process includes an admissibility assessment similar to that for GARs. The Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR) program is a hybrid: UNHCR refers refugees (like GAR) but private sponsors co-fund the support (like PSR).

2025–2026 resettlement targets

Canada's 2025 resettlement targets were:

• 15,250 Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR)
• 23,000 Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSR)
• 100 Blended Visa Office-Referred (BVOR)
• Total: 38,350 resettled refugees

The levels plan includes an overall 14.6% reduction in resettlement admissions targets over 2025–2027, reflecting a 22.1% reduction in the PSR target but no reduction to the GAR target for 2025–2026. For current annual targets, refer to the immigration levels plan page and the IRCC levels plan.

Eligibility — who can be referred or sponsored

To be resettled through the GAR or PSR programs, the person must:

• Be a Convention Refugee (meet the refugee definition under the 1951 Convention) or be a person in similar circumstances (under the Humanitarian-Protected Persons Abroad class)
• Be unable to return to their country of origin, unable to integrate locally in the country of asylum, and not have another durable solution available
• Not be inadmissible to Canada on health, character, or security grounds

UNHCR submits referrals for GAR based on the most vulnerable cases — those with the most acute protection needs. For PSR, Canadian sponsors identify the person they wish to sponsor and submit an application to IRCC.

Special resettlement initiatives

Canada periodically implements special resettlement initiatives for specific populations. For example, a 2025–2026 public policy allows up to 400 principal applicants who are Yazidis and survivors of Daesh to be resettled with eligible family members as GARs by end of 2026. For other current special initiatives, refer to the IRCC GAR page.

Canada's Private Sponsorship of Refugees program is one of the oldest and largest in the world — it has served as a model for other countries implementing community-based resettlement. The PSR program allows Canadian civil society to play a direct role in refugee protection. The GAR program ensures that the most vulnerable refugees — those identified by UNHCR — receive government support regardless of whether a private sponsor is available. For current intake status, sponsor eligibility requirements, and processing times for both programs, refer to the IRCC resettlement pages.