Section 157 — Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations: Joint assistance sponsorship

If an officer determines that special needs exist in respect of a member of a class prescribed by Division 1, the Department shall endeavour to identify a sponsor in order to make the financial assistance of the Government of Canada available for the purpose of sponsorship. A sponsor identified by the Department is exempt from the financial requirements of paragraph 154(1)(a). In this section, special needs means that a person has greater need of settlement assistance than other applicants for protection abroad owing to personal circumstances, including a large number of family members; trauma resulting from violence or torture; medical disabilities; and the effects of systemic discrimination.