A refugee is someone who has fled their home country and is unable to safely return.
The 1951 UN Refugee Convention established a clear definition of a refugee in response to the many people affected by World War II. The legal definition was expanded by the 1967 Protocol and regional conventions in Africa (1969) and Latin America (1984).
Learn More: Guide for Convention Refugees and Humanitarian-Protected Persons Abroad (IMM 6000)
UNHCR has identified three durable solutions for refugees: voluntary repatriation, local integration, and resettlement to a third country. Find out more here: UNHCR Website.
AURA works to resettle people within Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugee Program. Find out more here: What is Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR)
In the context of the Private Sponsorship Program, the government of Canada has two categories for people in need of protection: Convention Refugee Class and Country of Asylum Class.
A Convention Refugee is afraid of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.
A Country of Asylum Class Refugee is seriously and personally affected by civil or armed conflict or a massive violation of human rights in their country of nationality or habitual residence (home country).
In both cases, to be eligible for resettlement to Canada, the principal refugee applicant must be outside Canada and outside their country of nationality and unable or, because of their fear, unwilling to obtain the protection of their country.
Please note that the Private Sponsorship of Refugee program is neither a family reunification program nor immigration based on economic reasons. The determination of eligibility for sponsorship is made by the Canadian government, specifically Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Eligibility is connected to being a person in need of protection and unable to return to their home country as per the two categories described above (Convention Refugee or Country of Asylum Class Refugee). Therefore, while AURA decides which applications to submit to IRCC, it is an IRCC Migration Officer who will make the final decision of whether an application is accepted.
Current Global
Refugee Situation
Right now, we are witnessing the highest levels of human displacement on record. According to the UNHCR, as of June 2024 there were over 122 million people that have been forced from their homes because of conflict or persecution.
This means that the population of people forcibly displaced due to events beyond their control has doubled over the past decade. These staggering numbers include close to 44 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. Many of these people will never be able to safely return home.
Read More: https://www.unhcr.org/about-unhcr/who-we-are/figures-glance