Sponsorship through a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH)

What is a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH)?

A SAH is an organization approved by the Canadian government to bring refugees to Canada through the private sponsorship program. SAHs sponsor refugees and support their settlement in Canada.

Who can be included in a sponsorship application through a SAH?

Every sponsorship application begins with a ‘Principal Applicant’. When a family applies together, one member must be the main or “principal” applicant. This is usually the head of the family.

So who else can be included as part of a family unit?

What constitutes a family unit in a sponsorship-refugee application?

Eligible

Ineligible

Deceased

Hassan Ali (48)

Principal Applicant (PA)

Amina Khaled (45)

Spouse

Ahmed Ali (24)

PA's Independent Adult Child

Haya Rahim (24)

Ahmed's Wife

Samira Ali (15)

PA's Dependant Child

Sara Mahmoud (26)

PA's Spouse's Dependant Child

Amjad Said (28)

Sara's Deceased Husband

Mohammad Said (2)

PA's Spouse's Dependent Grandchild

Mohammad Mahmoud (49)

PA's Spouse's Ex-Partner

What is the refugee eligibility criteria for sponsorship through a SAH?

SAHs must follow specific rules when sponsoring refugees. The Principal Applicant must fall into one of two categories of refugees:

Refugee Eligibility Criteria

Convention Refugee Class

A Principal Applicant is considered a Convention Refugee if they:

Have a strong fear of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinions, or belonging to a group ( gender, sexual orientation…etc)
Be outside of their countries of nationality and is unable, or unwilling due to fear, to seek protection from those countries; or
Not have a country of nationality, is outside their country of habitual residence, and is unable or unwilling to return there because of fear.

Click to see an example

Safa El-Khalil

Age: 27

Country of Origin: Afghanistan

Current Location: Pakistan

Safa was a university professor in Afghanistan who openly advocated for women’s rights. In 2021, when the Taliban took over, she was threatened with arrest and torture and she fled to Pakistan after witnessing what happened to women like her. She is not able to return to Afghanistan.

✅ Safa meets the definition of the Convention Refugee Class Class.

Country of Asylum Class

A Principal Applicant is considered a Country of Asylum Class if they:

Are outside all of their countries of nationality and habitual residence and have been (and continue to be) seriously and personally affected by:

Civil war
Armed conflict
Massive violations of human rights

Click to see an example

Yusuf Ahmed

Age: 35

Country of Origin: Sudan

Current Location: Kampala, Uganda

Yusuf was living in Khartoum when the civil war broke out in Sudan. Armed militias attacked his village, killing many civilians, including his younger brother. After his home was burned down, he fled to Uganda with his wife and child, where they have been living in a refugee camp for the past four years. The camp lacks basic resources, he has no legal status in Uganda, and is not able to return to Sudan.

✅ Yusuf meets the definition of the Country of Asylum Class Class.

In order to be eligible for sponsorship through a SAH, a refugee(s) must also….

Refugee Eligibility

Be outside of Canada at the time of the application

Be outside of their countries of nationality and their former place of habitual residence

Have no other solutions available to them in a reasonable amount of time, like:

Willingly returning or resettling in their home country or country of habitual residence
Resettlement or an offer to resettle in another country

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Pass admissibility checks like…

Admissibility Checks

Medical Screening

Security and Criminal Checks

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There are certain people who cannot be sponsored through a SAH at all. These include:

People who cannot be sponsored through a SAH

People already in Canada

People who have been given permission to live permanently in another country

People who fled persecution or civil war some time ago, but who can now integrate into the country where they live or can return home safely

People involved in war crimes, terrorism, or serious criminal activities

People who do not meet the eligibility criteria defined under either the Convention Refugee or Country of Asylum classes

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