Ukrainian refugees wait in line to get train tickets in the ticket hall at Przemysl Glowny train station, after fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Poland, April 4, 2022.KACPER PEMPEL/Reuters
A B.C. church organization that has been instrumental in sponsoring refugees has abruptly suspended its program, as Canada’s private sponsors face frustration and burnout amid a growing humanitarian crisis.
“I regret to inform you that all sponsorship activities under the auspices of the Anglican Diocese of BC are hereby suspended effective immediately,” Tony Davis, the diocese’s sponsorship co-ordinator, told community partners in a March 27 e-mail obtained by The Globe and Mail. “This action is taken with a heavy heart, and I am not certain how long the issues behind this decision will take to be resolved.”
Canada is facing pressure to expand its refugee programs to welcome Ukrainians and Afghans forced to flee their homelands, but the decision by the church highlights the strain on a mostly volunteer system that is already stretched thin.
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When Canadians embraced the first surge of Syrians fleeing civil war in 2015, private sponsors stepped up and took responsibility for settling the majority of the new arrivals. The Anglican Church of Canada ramped up its refugee activities and now has one of the largest private sponsorship programs in Canada. It has brought in thousands of refugees over the past seven years through the Sponsorship Agreement Holders program, a formal agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Groups that sign a sponsorship agreement bear a significant legal responsibility: They must provide basic financial support – housing, food and care – until the sponsored refugee no longer requires assistance, an obligation that typically lasts five years.
There are 70 families currently in the process of making the journey to Vancouver Island through the work of the Anglican Diocese of B.C. But no new applications will be accepted, leaving in limbo many families who had hoped to be next in line.
Mr. Davis would not comment on the sudden change, but Archdeacon Barry Foster, the executive officer of the diocese, said staff are facing burnout, the financial burden is high and the federal government is not doing enough to support volunteers.
“The decision that we’ve made is to just have an opportunity to reassess what it is that we’re doing, in relation to our own capacity to do the job well. How can we have a refugee program that is sustainable, and that serves the best interests of people who approached the program, and at the same time serves the best interests of the staff that are working on it?” Archdeacon Foster said.
“If the government was pouring money into Sponsorship Agreement Holders to do the work, well, that would be a different ballgame. But they’re not, and there’s only so much capacity that any organization can handle.”
The federal government, through the IRCC, takes an average of three years to process a refugee application, and instead of streamlining the process, it is proposing new regulations that will likely drive sponsors away, Archdeacon Foster said.
“The IRCC is wanting to review procedures and effectively make the work of refugee sponsorship more difficult,” he said.
One proposed change would see Sponsorship Agreement Holders required to provide audited financial statements annually, which he estimates would cost as much as $30,000 a year. “Lots of these Sponsorship Agreement Holders would not have the financial capacity to do that on an annual basis. Because most of them kind of run on a shoestring, in the sense that the monies that they receive are for the benefit of those people that we’re trying to bring to Canada.”
An official with the IRCC would not comment on proposed changes to the program.
“Canada remains committed to our privately sponsored refugee program and has not implemented any general change to the program elements,” Rémi Larivière said in a written statement. “As with all other programs, we continue to work towards strengthening program integrity and efficiency of process.”
Jenny Kwan, the NDP critic for immigration, refugees and citizenship, said many private sponsors are increasingly frustrated with the uncertainty and red tape involved in helping refugees land in Canada. Just finding housing in tight rental markets is difficult, particularly when arrivals are delayed.
“The government needs to make the process easier, to process applications expeditiously, to harness the kindness and compassion and generosity of Canadians,” Ms. Kwan said in an interview. “There is no question we are in unprecedented times. There is a huge demand, but at the same time, IRCC is unable to move files forward.”
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