Almost three full months into 2014 sponsorship agreement holders, including the Office of Refugees, Archdiocese of Toronto, are still waiting for quota numbers they were promised last fall. Without the quota numbers specifying how many refugees they can take from various regions of the world, the sponsorship agreement holders can’t submit new applications.

The quota system was created in 2012 in an effort to clear a backlog of refugee applications which had resulted in wait times in excess of six years for most African refugees with sponsors waiting in Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada tells The Catholic Register the sponsorship organizations will get their numbers soon.

“Information regarding a cap for new 2014 private sponsorship submissions will soon be available,” media relations for Citizenship and Immigration said in an email.

2014 Syrian refugees will not fall under the caps and sponsorship-agreement-holders are free to submit requests now.