Unique Opportunity for Parish Refugee Ministry

Unique Opportunity for Parish Refugee Ministry

There is a unique opportunity for parishes to sponsor a refugee family, one which requires no fundraising.  For a limited time, any parish in our diocese can sponsor a refugee (family) through the Blended Visa Office Referred (BVOR) program that is fully covered by a new and innovative fund created with the generous financial support of The Shapiro Foundation and another significant Canadian donor. 

The BVOR Program matches refugees identified for resettlement by the UN Refugee Agency with private sponsors in Canada.  Under this program, our government gives up to six months of income support.  Usually, private sponsors (such as your local church) usually give another six months of financial support and up to a year of social and emotional support.  With this initiative, funding for both start-up and settlement costs will be available to groups willing to sponsor a refugee family before the available fund is exhausted or prior to September 17 deadline.  All that your group will be expected to provide is a year of social and emotional support.

For more information, click here.  To read about Pope Francis’ call for countries to introduce humanitarian corridors and take in more people fleeing conflict, click here.

If you are interested and want to know how to get involved, please contact our diocesan Refugee Ministries Office at giliyam@dol.ca or 519-256-0506, extension 1.