Immigrating to Canada as a refugee is highly achievable as Canada is welcoming to refugee who have been forced to leave their country due to one reason or the other and seek protection else where.

Mostly refugee are those stripped of their basic human rights and made to live in fear due to their identity, political opinion, an ongoing war or even religious beliefs in their country.

Canada’s refugee protection do not only offer refugees a safe haven to stay, it also gives them a chance to restart their lives in Canada.

This article will provide you with an overview of how you can immigrate to Canada as a refugee, the eligibility criteria for various refugee classes and the application process on how you can immigrate with ease.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA TO IMMIGRATE TO CANADA AS A REFUGEE

You do not just decide to pack up and start applying for immigration as a refugee, there are certain criteria you will need to meet before that becomes a possibility.

To immigrate to Canada as a refugee from another country or nation, you must get referral from either the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a designated referral organization, or by a private sponsorship group.

You can not apply to Canada directly in order to immigrate as a refugee, you can only get referred if you qualify for one of Canada’s two refugee classes which are;

Convention Refugee Abroad Class: This option I’d for those who currently are in a refugee camp in another country outside their home country. They also due to a legitimate fear of being persecuted for their religion, political opinion, an on going war and sexual orientation are unable to return to their home country.
Those under this class can either be sponsored by the government of Canada or a private sponsor group. It can also be from a mixture of both (Blended visa Office – Referred refugee).

After referral by an approved agency of group, you are also qualified in this category if you have the funds to support yourself and family members.

Country of Asylum class: This also is for people outside their home country or country of residence who are adversely
affected by civil war, armed conflict, denied basic human rights for a prolonged period of time.

Under the Country of Asylum Class, once you get a referral from a recognized agency or group, you can either fund yourself and family or get a private sponsorship on your arrival in Canada.

APPLICATION PROCESS

GET REFERRED FROM APPROVED AGENCY : Getting referred is the very first step of immigrating to Canada as a refugee. You need to get a referral from that UNHCR for resettlement in Canada. To achieve this, you will have to register with a UNHCR office in the country where you currently stay and also you will need to show proof that your refugee status claim is legitimate.

After your claim is accessed, the UNHCR will then refer you to a country for resettlement based on how eligible you are, your language abilities, culture, needs, and if possible, your preference. Mostly you are not able to choose a country for yourself but its possible on certain situation or under special consideration.

FILL IN APPLICATION PACKAGE: once you get your referral to immigrate to Canada as a refugee, you will have to apply as a Convention refugee or as a humanitarian-protected person abroad by filling out the application package. Take your time to fill out the application package correctly so your transition will be smooth.

SUBMIT APPLICATION: If privately sponsored, your sponsor will submit your application to the Resettlement Operations Centre in Ottawa (ROC-O) on your behalf. For government-assisted refugees, the IRCC office in your country will guide you on submitting your completed forms. If you are not fully-sponsored by the government, the IRCC will match you with a private sponsor who can raise funds and donations to provide you with financial assistance once you arrive.

UNDERGO MEDICAL TEST: Before coming to Canada, You and your family will have to undergo medical tests, the IRCC or International Organization for Migration (IOM) will contact you with more details on how to go about the medical tests.

CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK: Before any selection is done as regards immigrating to Canada as a refugee, there is need to clear security and criminal background checks. Canada will want to be certain you won’t pose a security risk to its citizens, residents and Canada as a whole. Once cleared, you can then be selected.

Now that you have all the require information and the processes to immigrating to Canada as a refugee, you can get started with reaching out and getting the help you need so you can become comfortable and exercise your basic human right without living in fear of persecution.

Canada is a safe haven with lots of opportunity and a stable economy, immigrating to Canada as a refugee would be an absolute blessing to you and your loved ones.