OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Lena Diab has announced an extension of the pause on new applications for the Private Sponsorship for Refugees Program until 2027. This decision aims to allow the department to address its backlog of applications. The new ministerial instructions were published in the Canada Gazette and are also available on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website.

The pause specifically affects refugee sponsorships submitted by community organizations or groups of five or more individuals. However, applications that were submitted before the pause took effect on November 29, 2024, will continue to be processed, as stated in the notice.

When the pause was first implemented last year, immigration officials reported that around 90,000 private refugee sponsorships were pending processing. The government has outlined plans to resettle 16,000 privately sponsored refugees each year over the next three years, as part of its immigration levels strategy. This extension reflects ongoing efforts to manage the significant number of applications and ensure that existing cases are handled efficiently.