Refugee Sponsorship

We are currently sponsoring a family and are NOT accepting new applications.

A number of organizations have signed sponsorship agreements with the Government of Canada to help support refugees from abroad when they resettle in Canada. These organizations, including The United Church of Canada, are known as Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH). They can sponsor refugees themselves or work with others in the community to sponsor refugees.

Here’s how it works:

  • The United Church is a Sponsorship Agreement Holder, which means we are registered with the Government of Canada to support refugees with coming to Canada.
  • Refugees need to apply to the General Council Office to see if there are spots available, the general council office then matches refugees with churches who have open spaces.
  • The matched churches (like Robertson-Wesley) work with the refugees to help with the application process (ex paperwork) and apply to the Government of Canada.
  • If the application is successful the Church works with the refugee to ensure smooth resettlement. (help with finding housing, travel plans, etc.)

To begin the process, Contact the Refugee Advisor ( refugees@united-church.ca ) at the General Council Office to inquire if there are available refugee allocations. The General Council Office’s role is to facilitate the sponsorship process for sponsor and refugee.

Our Faith and Mission

We believe that hospitality to the refugees in our midst is fundamental to the Gospel of Christ and God’s way of working in the world. Therefore it is basic and central to our faith and mission as a church. Robertson-Wesley’s first refugee sponsorship was in 1979, with the influx of Vietnamese Refugees to Canada. Two church members agreed to assist with the settlement of two young Vietnamese boys, Chung and Ti.  Since 1979 R-W has sponsored refugees from: Vietnam 1980, Czechoslovakia 1990, South Africa 1993, Somalia 1995, Kosovo 1999, Eritrea 1999, Uganda 2003, Somalia 2013.

We are currently sponsoring a refugee couple originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Refugee Project Team was delighted to announce that they met their fundraising goal in July!

Thank you to everyone who made donations and participated in the fundraisers. We have submitted the sponsorship forms to the United Church of Canada which has a refugee sponsorship agreement with the Government of Canada. Our case is on the waitlist for 2023-24 submission. While we wait for processing, we continue to pray for our sponsorees safety and well-being.