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The terms and definitions in this glossary are from the Dictionary of Terms produced by the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program.


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V

Voluntary repatriation

Voluntary repatriation (or resettlement in their country of nationality or habitual residence) is a durable solution. It should occur only when the situation in the country of habitual or permanent residence has changed in a lasting and meaningful way and refugees can return in conditions of safety and dignity. If the country is made up of many ethnic groups, officers should bear in mind that some individuals could be safely repatriated while others could not. There are a variety of reasons why some individuals may not be able to return safely when others can, including political opinion, religion and personal experience (e.g. survivors of torture or rape for whom it would be re-traumatizing to return, or individuals who would be social outcasts like the forced slaves of combatants.) The UNHCR is an excellent source of information on such conditions.

VOR

Visa office-referred sponsorship (VOR) refers to situations where a refugee has been determined to be eligible and is referred by a visa office for sponsorship. Either a sponsor requests the visa office-referred case or a visa office refers the case to the Matching Centre to find a sponsor.

Vulnerable

"Vulnerable" with respect of a Convention refugee or a person in similar circumstances means that the person has a greater need of protection than other applicants abroad because of the person's particular circumstances that give rise to a heightened risk to their physical safety. Vulnerable cases are eligible for expedited processing. Expedited cases are not urgent and it is acceptable to have refugees in these cases en route to Canada within one to four months.


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