The Revised SAH Agreement Presented at the 2017 SAH National Conference, Edmonton, Alberta

Presentation Objectives Review main principles of the SAH Agreement Highlight key revisions and explanation of why change was needed Next steps to finalize the Agreement Qs & As

The Importance of the SAH Agreement Provides the framework and foundation to guide the partnership between IRCC and SAHs, granting authority to sponsor refugees for resettlement to Canada; Helps to ensure fairness, consistency and harmonization of expectations and responsibilities; Acknowledges that the foundation of the PSR Program is that SAHs generously provide financial and settlement support to refugees but must not profit financially from their sponsorship; Recognizes that many SAHs are driven by humanitarian and compassionate considerations and operate largely on a volunteer basis

SAH Agreement: History and Areas of Revision The current 5 year Agreement expires on December 31st, 2017 Agreement revised in 2012 to insert Global Caps and expiration date Last significant content update other than the 2012 amendments as noted above were made in 2003 Significant increase in new SAHs in last few years requires that the Agreement is more explicit Objective for increased clarity throughout in particular to Global Caps section, Breach of Responsibility sections (former Suspension and Cancellation sections) and Financial Guidelines for SAHs Incorporating program integrity aspects, such as ensuring proper screening of sponsors involved in the settlement of refugees as well as post-arrival monitoring

SAH Agreement Changes: SAH Responsibilities Clarify residency requirements as per IRPR R138(a) & R153(a) Ensure due diligence by screening staff and volunteers involved in support to refugees SAHs not over-extending capacity in Community Sponsorships and G5s and to circumvent cap space Ensure CG/Co-Sponsor and refugee notified if Sponsorship Application is returned/refused Encourage refugees to access settlement and other support services Report annually to IRCC of any change in organization governance structure Ensure sufficient allocation space before submitting Sponsorship Applications Section 5 – Pages 3 - 5

SAH Agreement Changes: Global Caps SAHs may not submit Sponsorship Applications until individual allocations received Allocations should be released by end of February for applicable calendar year Section 7 – Page 7

SAH Agreement Changes: Processing Moratoria Section re-named to clarify its purpose Relatively the same content as previous clause Section 14(e) of old Agreement Would only be applied in exceptional circumstances that would not allow for cases to be processed, such as host country restrictions (e.g. will not issue exit permits) or other factors impacting processing (e.g. security considerations) Section 8 – Pages 7 & 8 Different than sub-caps given that a moratorium can occur for one particular country – sub-caps are applied on a specific mission which is responsible for processing out of several countries.

SAH Agreement Changes: Sponsorship Withdrawal, Breakdown & Default Revisions required to align with IRCC resource materials available to the public (e.g., acceptable/unacceptable reasons for sponsorship withdrawal) SAHs should make reasonable efforts to make alternate sponsorship arrangements which can include finding a replacement sponsor Clarify areas such as when sponsorship default status may cease as per IRPR 153(4) Sections 9, 10 & 11 – Pages 8 - 11

SAH Agreement Changes: Breach of Responsibilities Replaces former suspension and cancellation sections in old Agreement New probationary period of benefit to allow remedial period before going straight to “intent to suspend” as per old Agreement Outline of possible administrative actions by IRCC Clarification of SAHs responsibilities in various scenarios Clarification of impacts to in process or pending refugee caseload IRCC can suspend or cancel an Agreement at any time Sections 13, 14 & 15 – Pages 11 - 15

SAH Agreement Changes: Appendix 1 - Financial Guidelines Minimum financial support threshold should, at a minimum, align with supports provided under the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), but SAHs should consider other additional social-economic benefits SAHs should not act as paid representatives and charge associated fees Refugees are not to be asked to provide funds towards their sponsorship Increase in administrative fee from $100 to $250 Removal of allowance for SAHs to reduce income support of refugee that refuses a reasonable job offer – SAHs commit to support refugees for the one year sponsorship period Appendix 1 – Pages 17 & 18

Agreement Changes: Appendix 2 - Communications Clarification of privacy rules and information sharing Revised communication touchpoints for in-Canada and overseas processing Clarification of Request for Reconsideration process and role of Case Management Branch Appendix 2 – Pages 19 - 23

Next Steps to Finalize Agreement Working Group, comprising representatives from IRCC, the SAH Council and Secretariat (with input from the SAH community) will finalize updates to the Agreement New Agreement applicable to all SAHs by end of December 2017