There are currently over 90 million people forcibly displaced worldwide, including 27 million refugees. Moreover, since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in March 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that about 6.8 million Syrians have fled the country and more than one million have requested asylum in different countries of the European Union. Among the policies for refugee integration, Canada’s private sponsorship program (PSR) has proven to be one of the most effective worldwide. In 2019, Canada resettled 30,100 refugees, overtaking the United States and Australia in the number of refugees admitted that year. But about two in five refugees arrived in the country over the past decade have been admitted under the private sponsorship program. This program allows groups of citizens and organizations to financially and emotionally support the resettlement of refugees in Canada. It has been officially operating since 1978 but, under the active role of interreligious groups, Canada started refugee resettlement programs at the end of World War 2. Since its creation the private sponsorship program has offered protection to more than 350,000 refugees. In time of refugee crisis, it has offered protection to thousands of persons in a short period of time as with the resettlement of 34,000 Indochinese refugees in 1979-1980 and more than 11,000 Syrians between December 2015 and February 2016. PSR program is considered more effective than the government assisted sponsorship program as the PSR ensures a smoother, faster and long-term integration of refugees. Aside from its success in resettling refugees, the private sponsorship and public-private partnerships are more favorable as they reduce both short and long-term government costs incurred in relation to the refugee settlement. The costs are either entirely covered or shared amongst the private citizens during the sponsorship period. Therefore, aid can be offered to a greater number of refugees and private sponsorships lead to an increase in the number of resettlements.
It is said to be a durable solution to refugee crises and a mechanism for sharing responsibility among host countries. During the World Refugee Forum hosted by UNHCR in Geneva in December 2019 was highlighted that Canada is serving as a model for other countries that are now implementing community sponsorship initiatives looking to Canada as a leader. In fact, several countries have already shown an increasing interest in Canada’s experience. In 2013 Australia implemented a private sponsorship program based mainly on the Canadian model, and different EU member states experimented with short-term private sponsorship schemes in response to the increased refugee flows.
The overall objective of this action is a comprehensive analyse of the Canadian private sponsorship model to integrate refugees, of its impact in providing to Syrians a safe and legal way to resettlement and socio-economic integration, and an exploration of its possible modalities of application in some countries of the European Union. This overall objective is achieved through three specific objectives. S.O.1: Analyse and present the overall Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, and describe its benefits, results and challenges. S.O.2: The impact of private sponsorship program in the case of Syrians and comparison with outcomes of other resettlement programs. S.O.3: Investigation about the possible application of the Canadian program in EU countries.
Therefore, this project is important for society since it deals with a contemporary issue and addresses an important global question. Moreover, it aims to explore the possibility to transfer the Canadian program in other jurisdictions which could be of great interest for European Union.
