The International Railroad for Queer Refugees (IRQR) and the Marjan Foundation have released a new briefing report titled When Protection Waits: Canada’s Private Sponsorship Delays and the Human Cost for Refugees in Türkiye.
This report is addressed to Members of Parliament and documents the growing crisis facing vulnerable refugees in Türkiye who are waiting for Canada’s private sponsorship process. Many of these refugees have already been sponsored, their applications have already been submitted, and their sponsors in Canada are ready to welcome and support them. Yet many remain trapped in uncertainty for years.
The report highlights serious concerns about prolonged processing delays, the lack of meaningful responses from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in urgent cases, and the increasing risks faced by refugees in Türkiye, including detention, deportation, serious medical conditions, religious persecution, gender-based violence, and LGBTQ+ persecution.
For many refugees, delay is not simply an administrative issue. Every day of delay can increase the risk of harm. Some refugees are facing deportation to countries where they may be imprisoned, persecuted, tortured, or killed. Others are living with serious medical conditions, unstable legal status, or constant fear while waiting for their cases to move forward.
The briefing also outlines the financial, operational, and emotional burden placed on small sponsorship organizations such as the Marjan Foundation. Private sponsors raise funds, prepare applications, maintain settlement plans, support refugees overseas, and provide the first year of settlement support after arrival in Canada. However, sponsors cannot do this work effectively when processing timelines are unclear, urgent requests receive generic responses, and refugees remain in danger despite having a pathway to safety.
The report calls on Members of Parliament and the Government of Canada to take urgent action, including:
- applying urgent-protection principles to high-risk private sponsorship cases;
- providing case-specific responses instead of generic replies;
- creating a direct urgent communication channel for experienced sponsorship organizations;
- developing a Türkiye-specific backlog reduction plan;
- restoring a predictable and functional private sponsorship pathway; and
- introducing targeted special measures for Iranian refugees stranded abroad.
IRQR and the Marjan Foundation believe that Canada’s private sponsorship system must remain a meaningful pathway to protection. When communities step forward, raise funds, and take responsibility for welcoming refugees, the system must respond with urgency, transparency, and accountability.
Behind every application number is a human life. Refugees cannot wait indefinitely while danger increases around them.
