Immigration minister extends pause on new private refugee sponsorships to 2027

Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab responds to a question in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Lena Diab is extending until 2027 the pause on new applications through the Private Sponsorship for Refugees Program as the department works to clear its backlog.

New ministerial instructions were published in the Canada Gazette today along with a notice on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website.

This pause applies to refugee sponsorships submitted by community organizations or groups of five or more individuals.

Applications that were submitted before the pause took effect on Nov. 29, 2024 will still be processed, according to the notice.

When the pause was announced last year, immigration officials said there were approximately 90,000 private refugee sponsorships awaiting processing.

The government plans to resettle 16,000 privately sponsored refugees annually over the next three years, according to its immigration levels plan.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2025.

David Baxter, The Canadian Press