"I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me"
Refugee Sponsorship at Rosedale United Church

For Volunteers and Supporters in Toronto

Rosedale United Church has a long history of walking alongside newcomers to Canada through the Refugee Sponsorship Program of the United Church of Canada.

Currently, we only provide administrative support to FAMILIES IN TORONTO who would like to sponsor family members to come to Canada.  These families are required to provide their own funds for sponsorship. We do not provide any financial assistance for the sponsorship of refugees.

While the legal sponsorship agreement is held at the national level, as the Constituent Group, our role is to help local families navigate the application process to sponsor their relatives who are living as refugees in other countries. We meet with the local family to discuss the situation and help the local family with the application that we then submit to the United Church Canada. We hold the funds in trust that are required to support the application. We liaise with the church Head Office during the wait time.

INTERNATIONAL Refugees Seeking Sponsorship

We know that many individuals and families around the world are hoping to find safety in Canada, and we receive many requests each week. While we wish we could help everyone, please note that Rosedale United Church cannot provide any financial assistance for private sponsorship of refugees.

All refugee sponsorships are managed through the United Church of Canada’s national office, which is a recognized Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) with the Government of Canada. Rosedale United Church is a Constituent Group (CG) and help with the application submission.

To learn more about United Church of Canada refugee sponsorship, please visit: United Church of Canada – Sponsor a Refugee

For information on Government of Canada refugee programs and how to apply, please visit: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

Please also visit UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency, Canada.

We hope these resources will guide you to the right channels.