Group of Five (G5) Refugee Sponsorship Lawyer

What Is Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR)?

Canada offers two main paths for refugees to resettle here: Government-Assisted Refugee (GAR) resettlement, and Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR), where private Canadians take on the responsibility of supporting a refugee. There are three avenues within PSR:

• Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH) — incorporated organizations with a standing agreement with IRCC to sponsor refugees on an ongoing basis, often through local constituent groups.
• Community Sponsors (CS) — organizations without a formal sponsorship agreement that sponsor on a case-by-case basis, subject to an annual cap.
• Groups of Five (G5) — five or more individual Canadian citizens or permanent residents who come together to sponsor a specific refugee, without needing any organizational backing.

G5 is the most accessible route for private citizens who want to sponsor someone directly — often a relative, a friend, or a member of their own community — without going through an established sponsorship organization.

How the Group of Five (G5) Program Works

A Group of Five is exactly what it sounds like: five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents who jointly agree to sponsor a refugee for resettlement. The group takes on full responsibility for the refugee’s settlement in Canada, generally for a period of one year from the refugee’s arrival. Because a G5 is not tied to a sponsorship agreement organization, the group itself is directly accountable to IRCC for meeting the sponsorship commitments it makes in the application.

Eligibility Criteria for G5 Sponsors

To form an eligible Group of Five, each of the five sponsors generally must:

• Be at least 18 years old;
• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
• Reside in the community where the refugee is expected to settle;
• Not be in default on a previous sponsorship undertaking or receiving social assistance for reasons other than a disability; and
• Be able to commit, individually and collectively, to the settlement and financial support the sponsored refugee will need.

Getting the group’s roles, financial capacity, and settlement plan properly documented matters — this is often prepared alongside a sponsorship letter and supporting undertaking that sets out exactly what each sponsor is committing to.

Responsibilities of G5 Sponsors

Once a G5 sponsorship is approved, the group takes on real, binding obligations toward the sponsored refugee, including:

• Providing for the refugee’s food, housing, clothing, and other basic living costs for the sponsorship period;
• Helping the refugee find and set up housing on arrival;
• Assisting with enrolling children in school and connecting the family with healthcare and community services;
• Providing general settlement orientation — banking, transit, employment services, and everyday life in Canada; and
• Ensuring the refugee does not need to rely on government social assistance during the sponsorship period.

These commitments are legally binding undertakings, not informal promises — if the group cannot follow through, the sponsors remain responsible for meeting them.

Admissibility Criteria for Refugee Applicants

The person being sponsored also has to meet requirements before IRCC will approve the application. Refugee applicants generally must:

• Be recognized as a Convention refugee, or fit within the Country of Asylum or Source Country classes;
• Have no reasonable prospect of a durable solution — such as local integration or safe return home — within a reasonable time; and
• Pass the required security, criminality, and medical screenings applied to all refugee applicants.

In some cases, an applicant’s specific circumstances may also intersect with a Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds assessment, particularly where the standard admissibility criteria don’t fully capture the applicant’s situation.

The G5 Sponsorship Application Process

A Group of Five sponsorship generally moves through these stages:

• The five sponsors confirm their eligibility and agree on their respective roles and financial commitments.
• The group prepares the sponsorship application, including the settlement plan, financial undertaking, and supporting sponsorship letter
• The refugee applicant completes their own application forms and gathers supporting evidence of their refugee status and circumstances.
• The completed package is submitted to the applicable visa office for processing.
• IRCC reviews the sponsors’ eligibility and the applicant’s admissibility, including background and medical screening.
• If approved, the refugee travels to Canada and the sponsorship period — with its settlement and financial obligations — begins on arrival.

Why Choose Batra Law Offices for G5 Sponsorship

Sponsoring a refugee is a serious, legally binding commitment, and an incomplete or poorly documented application can mean lengthy delays for someone waiting in an unsafe situation. Our Brampton refugee sponsorship team helps groups of five confirm their eligibility, put together a settlement and financial plan that meets IRCC’s requirements, and prepare a complete application package. Where a sponsored family’s situation also touches on related issues, such as Cessation & Vacation of status concerns for someone already in Canada, we help connect the pieces so nothing falls through the cracks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Group of Five (G5) sponsorship program?

G5 lets five or more Canadian citizens or permanent residents jointly sponsor a refugee living abroad to resettle in Canada, providing financial and settlement support for the sponsorship period.

How is G5 different from a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH)?

A SAH is an incorporated organization with a standing agreement with the government to sponsor refugees regularly, while a G5 is an ad hoc group of five private individuals sponsoring on a one-time basis without such an agreement.

Who can be part of a Group of Five?

Any five Canadian citizens or permanent residents who are 18 or older, live in the community where the refugee will settle, and can commit to the required financial and settlement support may form a G5.

Do G5 sponsors need to be related to the refugee?

No. G5 sponsors do not need any family relationship with the refugee they are sponsoring, though many groups do sponsor relatives, friends, or community members they know.

What financial commitment does a G5 sponsor take on?

Sponsors must show they can cover the refugee’s basic living costs — food, housing, clothing, and other essentials — for the full sponsorship period, generally one year, without the refugee needing government social assistance.

Can a refugee sponsor themselves or nominate their own G5?

No. The refugee applicant cannot organize their own sponsorship; the group of five sponsors must independently commit to and submit the application on the refugee’s behalf.

What settlement support are G5 sponsors expected to provide?

Beyond financial support, sponsors typically help with finding housing, enrolling children in school, accessing healthcare, learning about community services, and general orientation to life in Canada.

What admissibility requirements must the refugee applicant meet?

The applicant must be recognized as a refugee or be in a refugee-like situation, meet Canada’s refugee definition, and pass the required security, criminality, and medical screenings before approval.

Can a G5 group sponsor more than one person at a time?

Yes, a Group of Five can sponsor a single refugee or a family unit, provided the group can demonstrate sufficient financial capacity to support all sponsored individuals.

How long does a G5 sponsorship application take to process?

Processing times vary by the refugee’s location and visa office, and can range from under a year to several years depending on the country and current application volumes.

What happens if a G5 sponsorship falls through partway through the year?

The sponsoring group remains legally responsible for the settlement commitment for the full sponsorship period; if a sponsor can no longer participate, the remaining sponsors may need to cover the shortfall or find a replacement sponsor.

Is a lawyer required to submit a G5 application?

A lawyer is not legally required, but the application involves detailed settlement plans, financial documentation, and forms where errors or omissions can lead to delays or refusals, so legal guidance is strongly recommended.

Can G5 sponsors be found inadmissible or disqualified?

Yes — sponsors with certain criminal records, outstanding sponsorship debts, or those who have previously defaulted on a sponsorship undertaking may be found ineligible to sponsor.

What is the difference between G5 sponsorship and family sponsorship?

Family sponsorship is used to bring a spouse, parent, child, or other eligible relative to Canada based on the relationship itself, while G5 sponsorship is specifically for resettling a refugee, regardless of any family connection.

Why should I use a lawyer to organize a Group of Five sponsorship?

A lawyer experienced in refugee sponsorship helps confirm the group’s eligibility, prepares an accurate settlement and financial plan, ensures the application package meets IRCC’s documentary requirements, and helps address any admissibility concerns before they cause delays.

Book a Consultation With a Brampton G5 Sponsorship Lawyer

If you and four others are considering sponsoring a refugee through the Group of Five program, get advice before you apply. Contact Batra Law Offices today to book a consultation. Call us at +1 905-533-0183 or WhatsApp us to get started.