Our Impact

Our Impact

From Grassroots Collective to Established Organization

Rainbow Refugee was founded as a grassroots response to the urgent need for safety, dignity, and community among LGBTQIA+ individuals facing persecution. What began as peer-led organizing has grown into a more structured and coordinated organization—guided by lived experience and grounded in community care.

Today, Rainbow Refugee supports LGBTQIA+ individuals through three interconnected streams:

The Inland and Time to Thrive Programs, which provide direct support to individuals already in Canada, including refugee claimants, precarious-status migrants, and other newcomers navigating systemic barriers.
The Sponsorship Program, delivered in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) through the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Program (RRAP), which enables private sponsorship for LGBTQI+ individuals abroad seeking resettlement.
The Volunteer Program, launched in 2023, which mobilizes community members to strengthen peer support, public education, events, translation, wellness initiatives, and core operations.

As we’ve grown, we’ve developed new systems to support intake, case tracking, volunteer coordination, and demographic analysis. This report represents our first effort to bring together multi-year data across all three streams of work.

It is organized into three main sections:

People Supported in British Columbia (2021–2024):
Demographic trends from our Inland and Time to Thrive Programs, capturing who accessed support and how our services evolved over time.
People Seeking Resettlement (2024):
A snapshot of LGBTQI+ individuals outside Canada who contacted us for sponsorship support, based on outreach to over 7,000 previously engaged individuals.
Volunteer and Intern Impact (2023–2024):
A summary of the contributions made by volunteers and interns who now play a central role in sustaining our programs and day-to-day activities.

Together, these findings highlight the urgent realities LGBTQIA+ communities face, and the ongoing trust placed in Rainbow Refugee as a source of support, connection, and collective action.

People Supported in British Columbia (2021–2024)

Annual Growth in Membership

Between 2021 and 2024, Rainbow Refugee supported a total of 1,256 people, including refugee claimants, protected persons, Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs), Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs), and other LGBTQIA+ newcomers navigating the early stages of settlement in Canada.

In 2021, 113 people joined our community. That number grew by 71.7% in 2022, with 194 new participants, the same year we transitioned from a grassroots structure to opening our first office. Having a physical space allowed us to offer consistent, in-person support and expand our reach.

In 2023, our membership increased by another 84%, with 357 people joining. By 2024, that number rose to 592 people, reflecting an additional 65.8% growth in just one year. This steady rise speaks to the urgent needs of displaced LGBTQIA+ communities—and the growing trust in our support network.

Gender Identity

Between 2021 and 2024, Rainbow Refugee supported 1,256 individuals through its Inland and Time to Thrive programs. Over 55% did not specify a gender identity, likely due to language barriers and form limitations. In 2024, we improved our website to make gender questions clearer and more accessible.

Among those who responded, 24.6% identified as men, 11.3% as women, 3.1% as trans women, 1.1% as trans men, 3.1% as nonbinary, 0.8% as gender nonconforming or fluid, and 0.6% as queer. The data shows how gender identity plays a vital role in seeking safety, with the most marginalized identities still appearing in the lowest numbers.

Sexual Orientation

This chart summarizes the self-identified sexual orientations of individuals supported through Rainbow Refugee’s Inland and Time to Thrive programs between 2021 and 2024. The most commonly reported category is gay (34.6%), which reflects its widespread use and recognition across many languages and cultural contexts, making it the most familiar term for many of our members. The second most reported identity is bisexual (22.8%), followed by lesbian (15.5%), and heterosexual (2.9%), a category that primarily includes trans women who are attracted to men and who self-identified using this term. Notably, 17.1% of members are categorized as unknown, which includes individuals whose sexual orientation was not collected due to limitations in our data system, those who preferred not to disclose, or those who entered unrelated information such as gender identity or pronouns.

Countries of Origin

This section presents the countries of origin of LGBTQIA+ individuals who accessed support through Rainbow Refugee’s Inland and Time to Thrive programs between 2021 and 2024. While many were refugee claimants, others arrived through pathways such as government-assisted resettlement (GARs), private sponsorship (PSRs), temporary permits, or without legal status.

Members came from regions where SOGIE-based persecution intersects with systemic issues such as gender-based violence, racism, armed conflict, and poverty. These overlapping factors often shape how and why people migrate, and how they navigate Canada’s immigration system.

The data reflects the growing diversity of our community and the urgency of intersectional, status-inclusive support for LGBTQIA+ newcomers. Year-by-year trends also point to global shifts in displacement and the structural barriers faced by those without power or permanent protection.

Rainbow Refugee Assistance Parthernship (2021–2023)

This chart presents a comparison between the total number of individuals sponsored by Rainbow Refugee each year and the overall number of RRAP spots allocated nationally through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Between 2021 and 2023, Rainbow Refugee consistently sponsored 13 to 15 individuals annually, while the national allocation of RRAP spots across all organizations ranged from 61 to 71 per year. These figures highlight both the steady role of Rainbow Refugee in LGBTQI+ refugee sponsorship and the limited national capacity of the RRAP program overall.

The data underscores the critical importance of maintaining and expanding RRAP pathways, especially given the global demand for resettlement among LGBTQI+ individuals fleeing criminalization and systemic violence. Each sponsorship reflects extensive community coordination, trauma-informed care, and a commitment to long-term resettlement support.

LGBTQI+ Individuals Seeking Resettlemnt to Canada

The Rainbow Refugee Sponsorship Program provides a vital pathway to safety for LGBTQI+ individuals fleeing criminalization, systemic violence, and persecution in their countries of origin. Through the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Program (RRAP), a national partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the program enables privately sponsored resettlement for individuals at heightened risk due to their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or HIV status.

At the heart of this program are Circles of Hope, community-led sponsorship teams that offer financial, emotional, and practical support to newcomers during their first year in Canada. Each sponsorship is the result of a careful, multi-step process that includes case screening, relationship building, and close coordination between refugee applicants, sponsor groups, and national partners.

While global demand for LGBTQI-focused sponsorship continues to grow, the program’s capacity remains limited. The number of individuals who can be sponsored each year is constrained by resource availability, legal requirements, and the complexity of the cases involved, many of which include multiple layers of marginalization.

In February 2024, Rainbow Refugee launched a global outreach initiative to reconnect with individuals who had previously requested sponsorship support. We contacted over 7,000 people, inviting them to update their cases and confirm ongoing need. The responses collected through this process, summarized in the following pages, form the foundation of the current dataset and provide timely insights into the realities of LGBTQI+ individuals seeking resettlement to Canada.

This section outlines trends in sponsorship applications, countries of origin, and eligibility, and highlights the continued importance of trauma-informed, status-inclusive pathways to protection.

Country of Origin

This chart reflects data collected in 2024 through Rainbow Refugee’s sponsorship triage team, representing individuals who contacted us that year seeking support through the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Program (RRAP).

The data was gathered during the second stage of eligibility screening, after individuals responded to our outreach and completed a detailed intake form. While Rainbow Refugee receives thousands of inquiries annually, often from individuals still in their home countries, this chart includes only those who met initial eligibility criteria and submitted additional information for further consideration. Country of Origin, Sponsorship Program Inquiries (2024)

The top 12 countries of origin represented include Afghanistan, Uganda, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, Morocco, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Kenya, and Rwanda, countries where LGBTQI+ people face criminalization, state violence, or lack of legal protection. Some individuals are stateless or living in transit countries where they cannot access asylum or residency.

This data illustrates the ongoing demand for safe resettlement pathways and the essential role Rainbow Refugee plays in screening, assessing, and responding to LGBTQI+ individuals seeking protection through Canada’s limited sponsorship mechanisms.

Current Countries of Residence

This chart shows the countries where LGBTQI+ individuals were living when they contacted Rainbow Refugee in 2024 to request support through our sponsorship program. It differs from “country of origin,” as many individuals are displaced, in transit, or living without permanent status in third countries.

Many of these countries criminalize or severely restrict LGBTQI+ identities, and offer little to no protection or resettlement options. In some cases, individuals may be living in countries as undocumented migrants, asylum seekers without rights, or even in hiding due to threats of violence or deportation.

It is also important to note that access to the internet, digital safety, and language barriers can greatly impact who is able to contact us. In regions where LGBTQI+ identities are criminalized, even searching for support online can be dangerous. As a result, this data likely underrepresents individuals in the most restricted or hostile environments.

The data was gathered through our triage intake process, which is part of a broader effort to determine eligibility and prioritize those in greatest need of protection. It highlights both the urgency of safer migration pathways and the digital divide that continues to shape access to support.

Refugee Eligibility and Country of Residence

In order to be eligible for resettlement under the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Program (RRAP), individuals must meet the definition of a refugee as per Canadian immigration criteria—this includes being outside their country of origin and unable to return due to a well-founded fear of persecution.

As part of our 2024 outreach, we asked individuals to confirm their current location. As shown in the chart, 21.8% of those who reached out were still residing in their home country, which makes them ineligible for resettlement under RRAP. These cases are not currently under active consideration for sponsorship.

It is important to note that this group still reflects a significant need for protection. Many LGBTQI+ individuals in countries such as Afghanistan and Syria, where same-sex relationships are criminalized or life-threatening, continue to reach out despite not meeting the technical requirements for resettlement.

This data was gathered through our triage intake process and is not an indication of refugee status determination or reception decisions. It highlights the need for broader international pathways and humanitarian responses to address the realities faced by LGBTQI+ individuals still trapped in dangerous environments.

Family and Dependent Status of LGBTQIA+ Sponsorship Applicants

Waiting Times Since Departure from Country of Origin

This chart illustrates the length of time LGBTQI+ individuals have waited for resettlement since leaving their home country. A majority—over 200 respondents—have been waiting for more than two years.

These delays highlight the extreme mismatch between the urgent need for protection and the limited availability of resettlement spots through pathways such as the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Program (RRAP), UNHCR referrals, or other national programs. The sponsorship process is often slow, with very few available spots relative to global demand, leaving many LGBTQI+ individuals in prolonged states of displacement and insecurity.

Volunteer & Intern Impact Report (2023-2024)

This report highlights the contributions and growth of Rainbow Refugee’s general volunteers and interns across 2023 and 2024. During this period, volunteers supported peer connections, public education, events, administration, and wellness programming. The data does not include Circles of Hope sponsorship groups, as that program was not implemented during this timeframe. Over these two years, volunteers and interns contributed 3,409 hours across four key activity categories: 1,213 hours through General Volunteer Opportunities, 973 hours through Intern Positions, 1,078 hours through Weekly Volunteer Positions, and 145 hours through Monthly Opportunities. This data reflects the growing strength and structure of Rainbow Refugee’s Volunteer Program and the essential role of community engagement in sustaining our work.

From Grassroots Collective to Established Organization