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Helping you return home:
The Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Pilot Program
This document is also available in PDF (763 KB)
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Looking for help to return to your home country?
You may qualify for assistance.
You have made a claim for refugee status in Canada. The Immigration and Refugee Board may accept or reject your claim.
What happens if your claim is rejected and you are unable to remain in Canada? In certain cases, you may have the right to appeal the decision. If your appeals are unsuccessful, you must leave Canada.
If you have to leave Canada, you may want to consider a voluntary return to your home country.
Why you should consider the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) pilot program
If you choose to voluntarily leave Canada by applying for the AVRR, you may qualify for assistance to help you return back to your home country and make a fresh start.
What assistance is available?
If you are eligible for the AVRR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will handle your return. This intergovernmental organization can provide you with assistance, including:
- counselling and information on conditions in your home country to help you plan your return;
- help getting necessary travel documentation;
- a plane ticket home and help getting to the airport;
- up to CAN$2,000 in reintegration assistance delivered in-kind, which you can use to help find a job, set up a business or go back to school once you are back in your home country.
How much reintegration assistance you receive will be partly based on how soon you apply. The sooner you decide on a voluntary return, the more reintegration assistance you may be eligible to receive.
Eligibility
Your participation is strictly voluntary. You may be eligible to participate if you:
- Are an unsuccessful refugee claimant who made a claim in or around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
- Respect all the terms and conditions set by the Government of Canada.
You will not qualify if one of the following applies:
- You have a criminal record (minor or serious).
- You are inadmissible to Canada on the grounds of national security, human or international rights violations, or organized criminality.
- Your claim was deemed to have had no credible basis.
- You have an outstanding application for permanent residence along with a spousal sponsorship application.
Please visit www.cbsa.gc.ca for a complete list of eligibility criteria.
How to apply
You can apply in any of the following ways:
- Apply in person at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) office located at:
- 6900 Airport Road
Entrance 2B
Mississauga, Ontario - Speak to a CBSA officer the next time you are required to report to a CBSA office in the GTA for an interview.
- Contact the CBSA by e-mail at AVRR-ARVR@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca for more information on how to apply, or to set up an AVRR eligibility interview.
For more information
For more details on the AVRR, please visit our Web site, visit the IOM's Web site, or contact the Border Information Service from within Canada at 1-800-461-9999.
Technical Assistance
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If you have difficulty accessing a document in PDF format, please contact:
Publishing Services
Canada Border Services Agency
E-mail: Publishing.publication@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Ottawa ON K1A 0L8
Canada
