Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has prolonged its moratorium on new refugee sponsorship applications from so-called “Groups of Five” and community sponsors until 31 December 2026. The pause, first imposed in November 2024, aims to clear backlogs that had pushed wait times past five years in some visa offices.
Context: Under Canada’s acclaimed Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Programme, faith groups, neighbourhood associations and ad-hoc collectives may bring refugees to Canada if they prove financial and settlement capacity. Demand exploded after crises in Afghanistan, Sudan and Gaza, overwhelming visa posts in Amman, Nairobi and Islamabad.
![IRCC extends two-year freeze on private refugee sponsorship by Groups of Five and community sponsors]()
Data released to Parliament in October showed more than 100,000 individuals awaiting first-stage approval, dwarfing the 31,500 PSR arrivals Canada is targeting for 2026–28. IRCC therefore argues that extending the freeze is the only way to uphold service standards and protect programme integrity.
Implications for sponsors: • Applications filed before the 21 Nov 2025 notice will continue to be processed, but new submissions are locked out for another 13 months; • Sponsoring groups may shift to the “Sponsorship Agreement Holder” (SAH) stream, but SAH quotas for 2025 are already nearly full; • Some organisations will redirect resources to Blended-Visa Office Referred cases, which remain open.
Corporate angle: While PSR is mainly humanitarian, several large Canadian employers partner with community groups to co-sponsor refugee talent. Mobility and DEI teams should review ongoing cases to ensure continuity of settlement support and consider alternative pathways—such as the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot—for skilled refugees.
Context: Under Canada’s acclaimed Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Programme, faith groups, neighbourhood associations and ad-hoc collectives may bring refugees to Canada if they prove financial and settlement capacity. Demand exploded after crises in Afghanistan, Sudan and Gaza, overwhelming visa posts in Amman, Nairobi and Islamabad.
Data released to Parliament in October showed more than 100,000 individuals awaiting first-stage approval, dwarfing the 31,500 PSR arrivals Canada is targeting for 2026–28. IRCC therefore argues that extending the freeze is the only way to uphold service standards and protect programme integrity.
Implications for sponsors: • Applications filed before the 21 Nov 2025 notice will continue to be processed, but new submissions are locked out for another 13 months; • Sponsoring groups may shift to the “Sponsorship Agreement Holder” (SAH) stream, but SAH quotas for 2025 are already nearly full; • Some organisations will redirect resources to Blended-Visa Office Referred cases, which remain open.
Corporate angle: While PSR is mainly humanitarian, several large Canadian employers partner with community groups to co-sponsor refugee talent. Mobility and DEI teams should review ongoing cases to ensure continuity of settlement support and consider alternative pathways—such as the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot—for skilled refugees.
