2.B Sponsors: From Mobilization to Engagement
B.5 What are sponsors' responsibilities?
(iv) Who holds sponsoring groups accountable to their responsibilities?
How Canada Does It
Canada holds Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs), Groups of Five, and Community Sponsors responsible for fulfilling their obligations to sponsored refugees. SAHs are responsible for ensuring their Constituent Groups (CGs) and/or co-sponsors are meeting their obligations. However, SAHs remain ultimately liable for the financial and settlement obligations of the sponsorship.
SAHs are responsible for ensuring their CGs are fulfilling their responsibilities. If CGs are unable to meet legal responsibilities, their SAHs must make alternative arrangements, as the sponsorship agreement is between the SAH and the Government of Canada. The CG’s failure to comply with its responsibilities may result in consequences for the SAH, CG, and/or the refugees, depending on whether the breach of legal responsibilities took place before or after the refugees’ arrival, and who is at fault for the breach of responsibilities (see 2.D.3).
The Government of Canada is responsible for ensuring that Groups of Five, Community Sponsors, and SAHs are fulfilling their responsibilities. If the refugees have not yet arrived, the Resettlement Operations Centre in Ottawa (see 2.B.4) may take certain measures to ensure the sponsoring group meets or will meet eligibility requirements. This includes, e.g., reviewing a sponsoring group’s eligibility and addressing requests to withdraw sponsorships (see 2.D.1). If the refugees have already arrived, the local migration office will monitor whether the sponsoring groups are fulfilling their responsibilities and mediate any disputes among sponsors or between sponsors and refugees (see 2.D.3).
A sponsoring group’s failure to comply with its responsibilities may result in consequences for the sponsoring group and/or the refugees, depending on whether the breach of responsibilities took place before or after the refugees’ arrival, and who is at fault for the breach of legal responsibilities (see 2.D.1, 2.D.2, and 2.D.3).