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General Inquiries

I’m outside Canada​

I'm outside Canada

Asking for refugee protection (asylum) in Canada

Claiming asylum means asking Canada for protection because it’s not safe for you in your own country. Asylum is another word for protection and “claiming asylum” means asking for refugee protection.

You may be able to ask for refugee protection if you cannot return to your home country due to

  • • a well-founded fear of persecution
  • • a danger of torture
  • •a risk to your life
  • • risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment

Claiming refugee protection (asylum) from within Canada

You may be able to make a claim for refugee protection if you are already in Canada.

Please visit the I’m in Canada’ section on our website for more information, or refer to the IRCC website. 

I'm in Canada

Claiming refugee protection (asylum) at the border

You may be able to make a claim for refugee protection at any port of entry when you arrive in Canada. Port of entry means an airport, seaport or land border, and is considered to be in Canada.

Please visit IRCC website for more information. 

Resources for Inland Claimants

Request sponsorship through Rainbow Refugee

Rainbow Refugee manages the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership (RRAP) and participates in Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) Program, which supports the resettlement of LGBTQIA+ and HIV+ individuals facing persecution. We work in partnership with volunteer groups across Canada to sponsor eligible refugees and provide community-based support.

Please note that this is a highly specific immigration program governed by the Government of Canada. Rainbow Refugee does not control the eligibility criteria or processing timelines, but we advocate actively for changes that would include more at-risk individuals.

We support people who are already considered refugees under international law, meaning they are outside their home country and unable to return safely.

Apply for sponsorship

You may be eligible for sponsorship through Rainbow Refugee if:

  • •You are LGBTQIA+ (this includes people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, or sex characteristics), and

  • •You are not living in your home country, and

  • •You are in a country where:

    • - You are not safe, and

    • -The government does not protect you, and

    • -There is no safe place for you to move within the country (no “internal flight alternative”), and

  • •You do not have a permanent or long-term solution where you are now. This means:

    • -You do not have permanent residency,

    • -You are not safely integrated, and

    • -You have not been accepted for resettlement, and

  • •You meet Canada’s refugee resettlement criteria:

    • -You are recognized as a Convention Refugee Abroad, or

    • -You are part of the Country of Asylum Class (you’ve been seriously affected by war or human rights abuse), and

  • •You pass both Rainbow Refugee’s first-stage and second-stage assessments.

If you meet these conditions, you may be added to our applicant pool. This is not a waiting list by date. We match people based on urgency, timing, and volunteer sponsor readiness.

Learn more

Goverment-Assisted Refugees Program

Through the Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) program, refugees are referred to Canada for resettlement by

  • • the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or
  • • another referral organization

You can’t apply to resettle in Canada as a government-assisted refugee. Instead, they rely on referral organizations like the UNHCR to help them reach the people who need resettlement.

To be considered by a referral organization, you must register for refugee status with the UNHCR or state authorities.

As a government-assisted refugee, either the Government of Canada or the province of Quebec will support you while you settle in Canada. This support is delivered by non-governmental agencies that they fund, called service provider organizations.

You’ll receive support

  • •for up to 1 year from the date you arrive in Canada or
  • •until you’re able to support yourself (whichever happens first)

Human rights defenders stream

The Government of Canada created a refugee stream for human rights defenders under the GAR program. Through this new stream, we’ll resettle up to 250 people (human rights defenders and their family members) each year.

They’ll resettle human rights defenders to Canada in the same way that we resettle other government-assisted refugees.

You can’t apply to resettle in Canada under this stream. The UNHCR refers human rights defenders to us. Front Line Defenders and ProtectDefenders.eu help the UNHCR identify the people who are most in need of protection through this stream.

What happens next

If you’re referred to the Canadian Government for resettlement in Canada as a government-assisted refugee, you can learn more about

  1. • what happens after your case has been referred
  2. • how long it takes to process government-assisted refugee cases
  3. • what you can expect when you arrive in Canada

Information bulletin:

This bulletin provides information about the next steps in the application process and gives you more information about Canada.

Information bulletin