Frequently Asked Questions on SAH Global Cap Allocation and Usage -2014

Transcription

1 Frequently Asked Questions on SAH Global Cap Allocation and Usage Expressions of Interest and Allocations 1. Why is the Expression of Interest now part of the Annual Report? 2. I already submitted my Annual Report template and indicated how many refugees my organization wishes to sponsor. My situation has not changed. Do I still have to submit a new template? 3. With the new deadline of April 22 nd for the revised Annual Report/EOI, when might I expect to receive my 2014 allocations? 4. Given that the SAH caps were not announced until April, 2014, will SAHs be given additional time to submit cases under their 2014 allocations? 5. Why is CIC asking which non-capped missions I plan on sponsoring from in 2014? Will I be restricted to only submitting sponsorships for the missions I indicate? 6. Why does the Expression of Interest list Ankara as a non-capped mission sponsors can submit applications to? 7. Can sponsors submit applications for refugees in Turkey in 2014? 8. Why did the Nairobi sub-cap increase so significantly in 2014? 9. Are there any limitations to the use of Nairobi cap spaces? 10. Why have sub-caps for Pretoria and Cairo not changed from the previous year? 11. Why does Islamabad have a sub-cap of zero for 2014? 12. How will CIC decide how many spaces to allocate based on my Expression of Interest? Will I receive all of the spaces I request? 13. Am I guaranteed to receive at least the same amount of spaces I did last year? Using and Reporting on Spaces 14. Can SAHs share/trade allocations amongst each other? How should this be reported? 15. What if a SAH does not have enough allocations to cover an entire family unit, e.g., the SAH has five spaces and wishes to sponsor a family of six? 16. Do I need cap space to sponsor One Year Window (OYW) cases or to add a dependant? 17. What if an additional dependent comes up and the SAH does not have the allocations to cover the entire family? 18. Do I need cap space to sponsor Visa Office-Referred (VOR) or Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) spaces? 19. What if a SAH does not use all of their allocation spaces? 20. What is the SAH s responsibility in keeping track of allocations? 21. What will happen if a SAH goes over their overall allocations and capped mission allocations? 22. If a SAH did not submit an Annual Report/Expression of interest and has no allocations for 2014, what can it do? 23. Do cost-sharing LGBT cases submitted by a SAH in cooperation with the Rainbow Refugee Committee in Vancouver count towards a SAH s allocation? Using and Reporting on Syrian Ministerial Priority Spaces 24. There are 1000 spaces allocated for sponsorship of Syrian nationals out of Lebanon or Jordan in Is this part of the SAH cap? 25. Can I use capped or non-capped spaces apart from the 1000 Ministerial Priority Spaces towards sponsorship of Syrian nationals? 26. Can I use allocated Syrian spaces towards other missions? 27. How will the allocation process for Syrian spaces work? 28. What should I do if my circumstances change later and I am interested in having some Syrian spaces? 29. How do I use and report on Syrian Ministerial Priority spaces? Annex A: 2014 Cap Space Allocation Process 1

2 Expressions of Interest and Allocations Q1: Why is the Expression of Interest now part of the Annual Report? A1: The Expression of Interest exercise is now part of the Annual Report to streamline SAH reporting requirements and to help SAHs plan for allocations required over the upcoming year in light of allocations and usage over the preceding year. Q2: I already submitted my Annual Report template and indicated how many refugees my organization wishes to sponsor. My situation has not changed. Do I still have to submit a new template? A2: If your situation has not changed, you do not need to re-submit your information. However, CIC realizes that the recent announcement of a significantly higher global SAH cap and changes to mission sub-caps affecting Nairobi and Islamabad may impact planned sponsorship activities over the year. Consequently, CIC is allowing SAHs to resubmit their requested allocations under the 2014 global cap by submitting a revised 2013 Annual Report Template at PSR- PPPR@cic.gc.ca by Tuesday, April 22, Please be advised that you only need to complete the chart in Part 2, Section A, which can be found on page 4 of the template. Q3: With the new deadline of April 22 nd for the revised Annual Report/EOI, when might I expect to receive my 2014 allocations? A3: CIC is planning to have allocations completed by Friday, April 25 th, Q4: Given that the SAH caps were not announced until April, 2014, will SAHs be given additional time to submit cases under their 2014 allocations? A4: Yes, CIC will give SAHs one full year to submit cases after we issue the 2014 allocations. We plan for this one year period to begin on Friday, April 25, SAHs would thus have until April 25, 2015 to use 2014 spaces. Q5: Why is CIC asking from which non-capped missions I plan on sponsoring in 2014? Will I be restricted to only submitting sponsorships for the missions I indicate? A5: CIC is asking about your planned sponsorship activity in non-capped missions for internal planning purposes only, including helping us to set realistic mission targets. CIC will not restrict use of your non-capped spaces towards missions you indicate; you are free to use your noncapped mission spaces on any non-capped mission (i.e. any mission other than Pretoria, Cairo, Islamabad or Nairobi). Q6: Why is Ankara listed as a non-capped mission to which sponsors can submit applications? A6: The mission in Ankara is included because it processes refugees from a number of countries. Gauging sponsor interest in this mission will assist CIC with internal planning, including setting realistic mission targets. 2

3 Q7: Can sponsors submit applications for refugees in Turkey in 2014? A7: In 2004, CIC invoked section 13(e) of the SAH Agreement, restricting SAHs from sponsoring refugees in Turkey. This clause was invoked due to difficulty obtaining exit permits for privately sponsored refugees in Turkey. CIC continues to monitor the situation. Given the changing environment in Turkey, CIC is implementing a pilot through which we will be accepting a small and limited number of applications from SAHs for refugees in Turkey. Our goal is to assess the feasibility of resettling SAH-sponsored cases out of Turkey in the medium term. Please contact the SAH Secretariat for more information on specific criteria that SAHs must meet to participate in this pilot. Q8: Why did the Nairobi sub-cap increase so significantly in 2014? A8: Since CIC implemented its intake management strategy in 2012, the mission in Nairobi has made significant progress in inventory reduction. As of October 2013, the inventory of cases has reached a working level, which means the current inventory can be processed within 18 months. By raising the Nairobi sub-cap to 2000 persons, we will be able to ensure that intake is sufficient to maintain a working inventory over the next few years, but will not result in a surge of applications that could jeopardize inventory reduction efforts in the future. Q9: Are there any limitations to the use of Nairobi cap spaces? A9: Yes. CIC is currently unable to process applications from refugees in the Dadaab refugee camp due to mounting security and safety concerns. We have therefore placed a moratorium on applications for refugees in the Dadaab camp. Q10: Why have sub-caps for Pretoria and Cairo not changed from the previous year? A10: Processing times are still of concern at these missions. We are maintaining existing sub-caps in order to make further progress in reducing backlogs and improving processing times, while also allowing SAHs to maintain some sponsorship activity in these regions. Q11: Why does Islamabad have a sub-cap of zero for 2014? A11: The region s volatile security situation and logistical challenges outside of CIC s control have contributed to our backlog reduction strategies not progressing as quickly in Islamabad as elsewhere. The sub-cap for Islamabad has therefore been set at zero to enable the mission to expedite reduction of its inventory to a working level and decrease processing times as quickly as possible. Q12: How will CIC decide how many spaces to allocate based on my Expression of Interest? Will I receive all of the spaces I request? A12: The number of spaces you will receive depends on a variety of factors, including whether you asked for non-capped or sub-capped mission spaces, the number of spaces you requested, and the number of spaces requested by the wider SAH community. The process for allocating cap spaces is described more fully in Annex A. 3

4 Q13: Am I guaranteed to receive at least the same amount of spaces as I did last year? A13: No, there is no guarantee you will receive the same amount of spaces as last year. Your allocation is based on your expression of interest, in proportion to the number of capped and non-capped spaces available, and the total number of SAHs submitting requests for spaces. A small number of SAHs did receive fewer spaces in 2013 than they did in 2012, depending on how many they requested and whether they were successful in the lottery process for subcapped missions. The vast majority of SAHs did receive at least as many spaces in 2013 as they did in Using and Reporting on Spaces Q14: Can SAHs share/trade allocations among each other? How should this be reported? A14: Yes, sharing and trading of spaces between SAHs is fully permissible these must be reported to the SAH Secretariat for tracking purposes. For sub-capped missions, spaces may also be shared and traded. SAHs may use sub-capped spaces for non-capped missions, but not vice versa. For the already allocated Syrian Ministerial Priority spaces, trading and sharing can occur but these spaces may only be used to sponsor Syrian nationals. The SAH giving up its spaces must inform the SAH Secretariat which will continue to be responsible for keeping track of SAH allocations and trading of spaces. Q15: What if a SAH does not have enough allocations to cover an entire family unit, e.g., the SAH has five spaces and wishes to sponsor a family of six? A15: If a SAH does not have enough allocation spaces available for the entire family they should try to find the additional spaces from another SAH. Sponsoring groups must include ALL accompanying and non-accompanying family members that are listed on the Application for Permanent Residence on the sponsorship undertaking forms, and must have enough spaces in their allocations to cover all family members listed on the undertaking. Even if dependants are in a different country, they must still be part of the application. Families CAN NOT be split up. In the event that a SAH is unable to find available spaces from within the community, they should contact the SAH Secretariat for information on how they may be able to proceed. Q16: Do I need cap space to sponsor One Year Window (OYW) cases or to add a dependant? A16: All accompanying and non-accompanying family members are counted under the SAH cap at the time of initial application. For sponsorship submissions made during or after 2012, OYWs and dependants are impacted by the cap. For sponsorship submissions made prior to 2012 when there was no cap in place, no space would be required and the cap does not apply. Please be reminded that Sponsoring groups must include ALL accompanying and non-accompanying family members who are listed on the Application for Permanent Residence on the sponsorship 4

5 undertaking forms, and must have enough spaces in their allocations to cover all family members listed on the undertaking. Q17: What if an additional dependant comes up and the SAH does not have the allocations to cover the entire family? A17: If a SAH does not have enough allocation spaces available for the entire family, they should try to find the additional cap allocation spaces from another SAH (see Q13 above). In the event that a SAH is unable to find available spaces from within the community, they should contact the SAH Secretariat for information on how they may be able to proceed. Families CAN NOT be split up. Q18: Do I need cap space to sponsor Visa Office-Referred (VOR) or Joint Assistance Sponsorship (JAS) spaces? A18: No, you do not need cap space to sponsor VOR or JAS cases as neither of these types of cases come out of the PSR inventory and therefore do not contribute to backlogs. Q19: What if a SAH does not use all of its allocation spaces? A19: The SAH may give its unused allocations to other SAHs, or alternatively it may allow the allocation spaces to go unused thereby contributing to backlog reduction. Q20: What is the SAH s responsibility for keeping track of allocations? A20: SAHs are responsible for not exceeding their individual cap allocation. They are also expected to keep track of their approved and pending sponsorship submissions. The SAH Secretariat also maintains a tracking tool that can help SAHs to keep track of their allocations. Q21: What will happen if a SAH goes over its total and capped mission allocations? A21: CIC will not process cases unless a SAH has sufficient space to do so, and will return, without processing, any applications that exceed the SAH s cap space. Q22: If a SAH did not submit an Annual Report/Expression of interest and has no allocations for 2014, what can it do? A22: It can ask other SAHs if they can share their allocation, or it can sponsor VOR and JAS cases. Q23: Do cost-sharing LGBTI cases submitted by a SAH in cooperation with the Rainbow Refugee Committee in Vancouver count towards a SAH s allocation? A23: No; these cases are part of a special agreement to promote the development of capacity to support LGBTI refugees and do not count against a SAH s allocation. 5

6 Using and Reporting on Syrian Ministerial Priority Spaces Q24: There are 1000 spaces allocated for sponsorship of Syrian nationals in Is this part of the SAH cap? A24: No, this is not part of the SAH cap. These are additional spaces over and above the SAH cap that are being made available for SAHs to sponsor Syrian nationals. Q25: Can I use capped or non-capped spaces, apart from the 1000 Ministerial Priority Spaces, towards sponsorship of Syrian nationals? A25: Yes, you can use any spaces allocated to you under the Global SAH Cap to sponsor eligible Syrian nationals from any non-capped mission. Q26: Can I use allocated Syrian spaces towards other missions? A26: No. The Ministerial Priority Syrian spaces are only to be used for sponsorship of Syrian nationals, as these are over and above the global cap. They may not be used towards any other capped or non-capped mission. Q27: How will the allocation process for Syrian spaces work? A27: 1000 Syrian Ministerial Priority spaces are available in 2014 for the purpose of sponsoring Syrian nationals. Following a recommendation by the SAH Council, 675 of these spaces were allocated to SAHs this fall in accordance with expressions of interest; the remaining 325 spaces will be held until August 2014 (or earlier) and then made available to SAHs on a first-come-first-served basis. The use of an allocation model for the first 675 spaces helped to ensure fairness in the distribution of spaces, and the subsequent freeing up of the remaining 325 spaces should help to avoid or minimize occurrences of allocated spaces not being used. Q28: What should I do if my circumstances change later and I am interested in having some Syrian spaces? A28: CIC realizes that circumstances may change and you may wish to take advantage of these additional spaces later in the year. You must, however, use any allocated Ministerial Priority spaces prior to drawing from the pool. Q29: How do I use and report on Syrian Ministerial Priority spaces? A29: When using Syrian Ministerial Priority spaces, SAHs should write Syrian Ministerial Priority on the envelope, as well as at the top of the undertaking when submitting the application. This will ensure that they are tracked apart from your regular allocations under the global SAH cap. If not flagged, it will be assumed that you are using regular allocation spaces for this purpose rather than Ministerial Priority spaces that are over and above your regular allocation. 6

7 Annex A: 2014 Cap Space Allocation Process For non-capped missions (i.e., all missions other than Nairobi/Islamabad/Pretoria/Cairo), If demand for non-capped missions exceeds the number of available spaces, each SAH will be allocated a proportionate amount of its request, taking into account the total number of SAHs requesting spaces, the number of spaces requested and the number of spaces available. If demand for non-capped missions is less than the number of spaces available, SAHs will in most cases receive the amount of spaces requested. For sub-capped missions (Nairobi /Pretoria/Cairo), the number of spaces you receive will again depend on the number available per mission, how many spaces you request and how many are requested by other SAHs. For the 2014 process, a lottery will be established for each sub-capped mission where SAH demand exceeds the number of available spaces. The order in which lotteries are drawn will be determined through a random draw. For the Cairo and Pretoria lotteries, SAHs will receive a maximum of six spaces. To promote fairness and diversity, a SAH will only be allowed to be successful in either the Cairo OR Pretoria lottery; not both. Given the increase in spaces available for Nairobi, SAHs will not be restricted to a maximum of six spaces for this mission. Allocations will be based on demand for spaces. All SAHs requesting Nairobi spaces will receive some for that mission, and will still be able to participate in the Cairo and Pretoria lotteries. As was the case for the sub-capped mission lottery for 2013, a SAH observer will be invited to observe the 2014 exercise. 7