Sponsor

The first month will likely be the most demanding as the family deals with the shock of coming to an entirely new place and starting a new life, but over time as their comfort level in Canada increases, the need for your support will be reduced. There are also many supports that already exist for people who arrive in Toronto as refugees and Lifeline Syria will help you make these connections.

Specifically as a sponsoring group you will do the following during the first 12 months:

Meet the family at the airport and escort them to accommodation
Assist the family in finding housing and ensuring the costs for housing are covered;
Make sure that the family’s needs are covered for clothing, furnishings, and food;
Make the necessary health connections;
Make sure the family is given a general orientation to the city and its transportation system;
Make sure that, most likely with the assistance of settlement service organizations, children register in school and parents in English as a Second Language classes;
Help to fill in the knowledge gaps that everyone experiences when they move to a new city or country.
Help members of the family find appropriate training or employment

More detailed information will be available from Lifeline Syria staff who will provide training and resources to all interested groups and individuals. They will explain the support that can be provided throughout the sponsorship process. The Refugee Sponsorship Training Program has also produced detailed information which can be found here and here.

A refugee family of four will require a minimum of about $20,000 for support for a year plus start up costs of $7000; a family of five, about $22,500 plus $7200 start up. This is roughly equivalent to Social Assistance payments. Start up money is used to buy household items, such as beds and pots and pans, and other items that the refugees might not have, such as winter clothing. Start-up costs – housing deposits, furniture, utilities, clothing etc. – are required at the beginning of a sponsorship, while housing, food and transportation will be ongoing expenses.

Smaller families involve lower costs. These costs can be reduced by donations in kind, such as by providing a place to live. A rough rule of thumb is that the cost will be equivalent to what a family on social assistance would receive. If a refugee becomes financially self-sufficient during the 12-month sponsorship period, the sponsors are not obligated to provide income support for the remainder of the sponsorship. But they must be prepared to resume assistance if the refugee ceases to be self-sufficient during their first year in Canada.

Refugees resettled in Canada are responsible for paying for their overseas medical examination, travel documents and transportation costs to Canada. They may receive a repayable loan from the government to cover these costs.

Sponsoring Groups are not responsible, unless they have co-signed loans, for any debt that a refugee incurs in Canada.

After the first twelve months, the formal sponsorship commitments end, but we hope that sponsoring groups will have created strong links with the family that will make them want to stay in touch.