How much monthly social assistance can privately sponsored refugees get in Canada?
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Executive summary
Privately sponsored refugees in Canada do not receive a standing, federal monthly social assistance cheque the way government‑assisted refugees do; instead, their monthly financial support is provided by their private sponsors and—where applicable—must at minimum match the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) monthly income support rates used as a benchmark, which vary by province and family size [1] [2]. Government top‑ups or RAP income are generally for government‑assisted refugees; private sponsorship can include blended or joint programs where federal help is provided, and in exceptional circumstances RAP or provincial assistance may apply if a sponsorship breaks down [3] [4] [5].
1. What “monthly social assistance” means in practice for privately sponsored refugees
The standard Canadian public program that sets a benchmark for refugee income support is the federal Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), which pays monthly income support based on provincial social assistance rates for up to a year for government‑assisted refugees; private sponsors are expected to provide financial support for privately sponsored refugees instead of them receiving RAP benefits directly [3] [6] [7]. IRCC guidance states that privately sponsored refugees get financial help from their sponsors in most cases and that the federal government “doesn’t usually give financial support” to privately sponsored refugees except in specific programs or exceptional situations [1] [7].
2. How much that support typically equals: the RAP floor and provincial variation
Sponsoring groups are required to plan to meet the newcomers’ basic needs and, for the PSR and BVOR streams, the minimum level of financial support sponsors must provide is tied to prevailing RAP monthly income support rates in the expected community of settlement—meaning the dollar amount depends on province, family size and local social assistance levels [2]. Public examples show significant variation: advocacy material and government reporting cite figures such as roughly $781 per month for a single person in Ontario in past reporting, and regionally specific housing allowances (for example, a cited Vancouver housing allowance for a family of six of around $900 per month), illustrating that there is no single national monthly sum [8] [9] [2].
3. Common myths and the real limits of federal top‑ups
Long‑running viral claims that privately sponsored refugees receive fixed government cheques of multiple thousands per month are false; fact‑checks point out that alleged “$1,890 plus $580 monthly” figures conflated one‑time startup allowances and varied supports intended for families, not an ongoing monthly government welfare payment to PSRs [10] [11]. AFP and refugee sector summaries emphasize that ongoing government monthly aid via RAP is limited to specific categories and a maximum of about one year, and that private sponsors rather than the state are responsible for ongoing support for privately sponsored refugees [11] [3].
4. Blended programs, exceptional cases and sponsorship breakdowns
There are hybrid streams—Blended Visa Office‑Referred (BVOR) and Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS)—where costs are shared between government and private sponsors: under these, refugees may receive some federal-funded income support for an initial period while sponsors also contribute [4] [1]. The federal RAP terms also note that privately sponsored refugees who are not part of a joint assistance program might be considered for income support only in exceptional circumstances such as sponsorship breakdown, meaning provincial social assistance or RAP could become relevant if sponsors fail to meet commitments [5] [4].
5. Bottom line for monthly amounts
There is no single, universal monthly government social assistance payment that privately sponsored refugees automatically receive; monthly financial support is provided by the sponsor and must at minimum align with provincial RAP benchmarks when applied to PSR/BVOR minimums, which vary by province and family composition [2] [1]. For concrete numbers, consult the RAP monthly income support tables for the intended province (the RAP rates and calculators are published and vary regionally), and note that government assistance directly for refugees is typically reserved for government‑assisted cases or blended agreements, or only invoked if sponsorship fails [2] [3] [5].