Via the Refugee Humanitarian Resettlement Program, refugees are identified by United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) or by private sponsors and are brought to Manitoba through either government or private sponsorship.

• Government Sponsored Refugees (GARs) come through the federal sponsorship program known as Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), through which refugees are sponsored directly by the government of Canada. Between 2014 and 2019, about one third of the refugees arriving in Manitoba have been GARs.
  • The federal government partners with two agencies in Manitoba to deliver RAP: Accueil Francophone (Winnipeg) and Westman Immigrant Services (Brandon).

• Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs) and Blended Visa Office-Referred Refugees (BVORs) are sponsored and supported by a variety of groups in the community.
  • Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs) have ongoing agreements with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to directly sponsor and support refugees or collaborate with other groups in the community. In Manitoba there are 11 SAHs.
  • Groups can also form temporarily to sponsor refugees on a one-time, or limited, basis. The term “Group of Five” refers to five or more individuals collaborating in this way to support a refugee. The term “Community Sponsors” refers to organizations within communities who sponsor a refugee, usually by mobilizing their membership.