A required document for all sponsorship groups. Core Team members & volunteers who plan to work with the newcomer family, please read through and sign this document before returning it to your SAH to be kept on file. 

The 72-page handbook that all sponsor groups will want to download and read through as a Core Team together to think through the questions and issues that go into a successful settlement experience. Chapter titles include:

• Pre-Arrival Preparations
• Considerations for Successful Settlement
• Week of Arrival
• First Month
• During the Year
• Preparing for Independence, and
• After the Settlement Year

Refugee applicants as well as sponsors have expectations. It is useful for sponsor group members to be aware of these and to prepare themselves to prevent these expectations from creating unnecessary problems after newcomers arrive. Sponsors will develop skills to mitigate the effects of unrealistic expectations or sense of entitlement when those expectations arise.

This resource is a curriculum that includes background information, activities, and links to video clips - everything needed for one or two team members to facilitate this training for Core Team members and for any volunteers who want to work with the newcomer family post-arrival.

This checklist only covers the important tasks of the first few weeks. Included in this template are columns indicating who the task has been assigned to, and a column for any comments you may want to add.

This document prepared for sponsors by the SAH Association is intended to help groups prepare for the arrival of the newcomer(s). Topics covered include airport arrival, emotional considerations, the first day, and confidentiality and privacy. Particularly helpful may be the basic do's and don'ts and some helpful perspectives on female newcomers.

The visa officer's interview of the refugee is one of the most important parts in the determination of refugee sponsorship applications. Since the decision of the visa officer depends significantly on the outcome of the interview, this document will offer some recommendations on how to prepare for and what do do during the interview.

As sponsors, you have a significant role to play in helping the refugee prepare for the interview. By knowing what to expect, what his/her rights are, and arriving prepared, you can help them achieve the best possible outcome.

This settlement checklist published by the SAH association looks at what needs to be done prior to arrival, at the airport, within the first 24 hours of being in Canada, during the first several weeks and months of resettlement, and finally how to support the newcomers in their journey from dependence to independence.