A private Canadian fund will sponsor relocation of up to 1,000 refugees that have been identified by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The fund, comprised of the University of Ottawa Refugee Hub, the Shapiro Foundation, and Jewish Family Services Ottawa, will sponsor each refugee for a minimum of one year.
“Canadians have consistently demonstrated generosity, compassion, and a willingness to resettle some of the world’s most vulnerable people – a commitment that is particularly important when resettlement options around the world are being reduced,” the fund said in a press release on Tuesday.
Canada is leading the way in accepting refugees in North America. There are currently 54,000 Syrian refugees residing in Canada to the United States’ 33,000.
The refugees, sponsored through the Blended Visa Office Referred (BVOR) program, which matches asylum seekers with private sponsors in Canada, will arrive in the country by December 31. With the help of the fund, the cost of sponsoring a refugee through the program will be fully covered.
The Canadian government accepts private sponsorships for refugees on their website.
“It is critical to support sponsor groups who have served as a model for welcoming refugees and by unbundling their required financial obligations, we hope they will be able to increase their 2018 resettlement commitments,” said Ed Shapiro, Trustee of the Shapiro Foundation.