Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)

About RAP

Under the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), the Government of Canada helps government-assisted refugees (GARs) and other eligible clients when they first arrive in Canada by providing direct financial support, and funding the provision of immediate and essential services.

Financial support includes a one-time start up allowance and monthly income support typically provided for up to one year or until clients can support themselves, whichever comes first. RAP Service Provider Organizations, located in communities across the country except Quebec, deliver RAP immediate and essential services to clients generally within four to six weeks of arrival in Canada. These services include:

  • Port of entry and reception services;

  • Temporary accommodation and assistance with locating permanent accommodation;

  • Needs assessment and referrals to other settlement programs and community based services;

  • Information and orientation on financial and non-financial information as well as life skills training; and

  • Links to essential federal and provincial programs

Thunder Bay Multicultural Association has been delivering this program since September 2016.

Who is a Refugee?

Refugees are people who have been forced to leave their country in order to escape war or persecution. For reasons such as these, they are not able to return home. A refugee is different from an immigrant. An immigrant is a person who chooses to settle permanently in another country, whereas refugees are forced to flee.

In keeping with the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees, according to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a person resettled to Canada as a Government-Assisted Refugee or as a Blended Visa Office Referred refugee is “a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” On the other hand, persons resettled under the country of asylum class such as Privately Sponsored Refugees do not need to meet the above definition, however, they must have been, and must continue to be, seriously and personally affected by civil war, armed conflict or massive violations of human rights.

The Canadian refugee system has two main parts: