Handful of Syrian refugees paid sponsors to come to Canada, evaluation reveals
OTTAWA — A handful of Syrian refugees paid their sponsors to come to Canada, a government study published Friday reveals.
The Immigration Department evaluation of the Liberals’ landmark refugee program surveyed 581 of the 8,918 privately sponsored Syrian refugees who arrived between November 2015 and March 2016. Just over 26,000 Syrians were resettled in Canada during that time.
Of those surveyed, 23 said they paid someone to complete their sponsorship application, or to provide for their own support while in Canada, with some suggesting they were asked to pay.
While the report doesn’t say how much the refugees paid, private sponsorship groups aren’t supposed to accept or require any funds from a refugee for submitting a sponsorship.