Building the Future of Named Community Sponsorship: Lessons from Canada and a Call to Action for the UK

The morning after the Named Community Sponsorship Summit, Our operations Manager Steph Moligoda joined the Community Sponsorship Alliance sit down with Nadine Nasir of the Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) Association of Canada alongside Hannah Gregory of Pathways International.

"One of the most energising and clarifying conversations I’ve had in years" - Susannah Baker MBE

Canada has been running what we now call named sponsorship for decades. Their model of private sponsorship is mature, resilient and—crucially—proven. With 143 Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) organisations, Canada has welcomed tens of thousands of people through sponsorship pathways. And it has done so under governments of every political persuasion, continuing to function even when the wider system has come under pressure.

The Community Sponsorship Alliance sit down with Nadine Nasir of the Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) Association of Canada

What Canada Teaches Us

The Power of the Intermediary Layer

Canada’s ecosystem functions because of an intermediary layer between government and community. The SAH Association does not deliver sponsorship directly. Instead, it represents the organisations that do—collecting information from the ground, spotting trends, and conveying that intelligence to government officials every two weeks. This creates a virtuous cycles, operational reality shapes policy not the other way around.

This is precisely what we are trying to build in the UK through the Community Sponsorship Alliance: a trusted bridge between policymakers and practitioners.

Named Sponsorship Complements—Not Replaces—Other Routes

In Canada, named sponsorship sits alongside stranger‑matching rather than replacing it. And yet, over 90% of all sponsorship cases are named. In most instances, a person already in Canada knows someone abroad who lacks a durable solution and wants to act. The personal connection is the starting point. But it is the infrastructure—the organisations, the frameworks, the accountability—that makes action possible.

A Diverse Ecosystem Bound by Shared Standards

The organisations leading this work vary enormously:

• diaspora volunteers

• small community groups

• large, well‑staffed national organisations

What holds them together is a clear framework, shared expectations, and a government that recognises the sector as an essential delivery partner.

Canada Has Had 50 Years. We Have a Running Start.

Canada has spent half a century developing this system. But the UK is not beginning from zero. The Community Sponsorship Alliance—fourteen organisations strong—brings together years of learning, delivery, and on‑the‑ground experience.

Still, if we want to build this properly, we need:

• sustained and strategic investment

• a genuine intermediary function

• and a government willing to share the architecture with the people who deliver on it

Near the end of our discussion, one of the CSA members asked Nadine a question - “If naming comes into the UK system, does the UK need an organisation like yours for it to grow?”

Nadine’s answer was unequivocal: yes. We knew this. Now we need our government to know it too. We were grateful to Nadine Nasir for her openness and generosity—and to Hannah Gregory for co‑facilitating such an insightful conversation.

The Pickwell Foundation alongwith the CSA and their members are building a list of organisations and individuals who want to stay informed as Named Community Sponsorshipdevelops in the UK. By completing this form, you're agreeing to receive updates on the scheme, including how to get involved, as this work progresses. 

Ministerial-level summit on Named Community Sponsorship

On Wednesday 25 March, a landmark Ministerial‑level summit on Named Community Sponsorship brought together government representatives—including the Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris MP—alongside civil society, funders, academics, and frontline practitioners to shape the future of a new refugee welcome pathway for the UK.Experts signalled support for shaping an effective, safe, and scalable named sponsorship routeThe event marked the first time such a broad coalition has aligned around introducing a formal mechanism that would allow communities to name the individuals they wish to sponsor for protection. Although widely used in other countries, naming has never before been available in the UK.

Experts signalled support for shaping an effective, safe, and scalable named sponsorship route

The event marked the first time such a broad coalition has aligned around introducing a formal mechanism that would allow communities to name the individuals they wish to sponsor for protection. Although widely used in other countries, naming has never before been available in the UK.

I've been working in this space for ten years, making the case that communities should be able to choose who they welcome alongside the existing stranger-matching model. Both matter. But naming has never been available in the UK - until now. In that time, I have never seen the alignment that was in the room on Wednesday. - Susannah Baker MBE, Chair of the Community Sponsorship Alliance and Trustee and Director at The Pickwell Foundation.

Ministerial‑level summit on Named Community Sponsorship brought together government representatives

At Wednesday’s summit, hosted by Citizens U.K. in partnership with the Community Sponsorship Alliance and Pathways International that position found unprecedented consensus. Representatives from the Home Office, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, philanthropic foundations, government agencies, NGOs, local leaders, and academic experts all signalled support for shaping an effective, safe, and scalable named sponsorship route.

While concerns remain about broader immigration policies (read more on the CSA's position on earned settlement here), the shared sense of purpose around this specific pathway was salient. Many attendees expressed that if change is going to happen, this is the moment.

Sector infrastructure already in place

Speaking as a panellist, Susannah Baker MBE emphasised that the UK is not starting from scratch. The Community Sponsorship Alliance already brings together fourteen well‑established organisations delivering community‑led refugee welcome across the country. The infrastructure needed to make named sponsorship work at scale is therefore already in place—not in the form of organisations waiting to be created, but those with proven track records, strong relationships, and years of experience in what it takes to welcome newcomers well.

A second summit is planned for November with an expectation of meaningful progress before then.

Concrete Commitments and Next Steps

Several early commitments emerged during the summit, including:

• A review of the proposed ten-year route to settlement, with indications it could be shortened to five years and decoupled from the 30‑month review point.

• A second Ministerial summit planned for November, with the expectation that measurable progress will be delivered before that meeting.

The message from the sector was clear: momentum must now translate into policy.

How Communities Can Get Involved

With Named Sponsorship emerging as the primary viable new refugee pathway the Government is prepared to support, supporters are being encouraged to take three key actions:

Write to your MP

Ask where they stand on Named Sponsorship, when they expect it to launch, and direct them to available support from the Community Sponsorship Alliance, Pathways International, and Citizens UK. This week these partners were represented at a Labour MPs Roundtable on exactly these questions - the conversation is live.

Register your interest

Sign up via trusted organisations—such as The Pickwell Foundation—to be among the first to hear when the scheme opens. Links are available through sponsoring partners’ websites and communications.

Spread the word

For the first time, community groups, congregations, clubs, and networks could directly identify someone they know who needs protection and offer them a route to safety. Awareness is crucial at this early stage.

A Turning Point for Community-Led Welcome

Named Community Sponsorship Stands at a critical juncture. The political will, sector expertise, and community readiness have aligned in a way not seen before. Whether the UK realises the full potential of this pathway—and how quickly—now depends on sustained public engagement and collective effort.

Welcoming the BBC Spotlight team into The Pickwell Foundation's Welcome Hub

We were delighted to welcome BBC News South West’s Home & Social Affairs Correspondent, Anna Varle, to our Barnstaple Welcome Hub. An opportunity to share our community-led welcome approach to supporting new neighbours— from volunteer-led ESOL sessions to casework support. We discussed proposed changes to the Community Sponsorship Scheme, including the potential for Named Sponsorship.

We’re proud that The Pickwell Foundation is helping to shape proposals, which could give communities more choice in who they welcome and an opportunity for controlled expansion to safe, legal routes for refugees.

Susannah Baker, our Refugee and Asylum Director for the programme and chair of the Community Sponsorship Alliance, also joined the BBC Radio Devon team to discuss what that could mean for communities nationality - Listen here (approx 10 mins in).

Huge thanks to the BBC, and to the volunteers, sponsors and neighbours who make this work possible every day.

Read the accompanying article and learn more about Refugee Sponsorship.

Trustee, Susannah Baker MBE discussing Community Sponsorship with the Guardian

For almost a decade, we’ve supported and seeded Community Sponsorship groups across the UK - teams of at least six volunteers who come together to welcome a refugee family arriving through a government-approved pathway.

Each group finds and prepares suitable housing, offers practical and emotional support, and walks alongside the family as they adapt to life in the UK. Support is most intensive in the early months and gradually reduces as confidence and independence grow.

The Pickwell Foundation provides training, supports the matching, and ongoing specialist guidance - from education and employment to wellbeing and integration. This grassroots, community-led model has helped hundreds of families rebuild their lives while enriching the communities that receive them.

“This places control firmly in the hands of communities, allowing them to identify and welcome refugees they are ready to support,” she says. “It is both compassionate and controlled, delivering strong integration outcomes because communities are active partners from the outset. When local people are involved early, newcomers learn English more quickly, find work sooner, and become part of community life.”

- Susannah Baker, Trustee The Pickwell Foundation & Chair of the Community Sponsorship Alliance

Our Trustee, Susannah Baker MBE, who also serves as Chair of the Community Sponsorship Alliance, was featured in an article published today by The Guardian. Susannah, together with one of our Community Sponsorship volunteers and the mother receiving support from the Bideford-based group, shared their experiences of being welcomed into the community and the benefits of providing support.

Read the article in full here.

Learn more about Community Sponsorship and how you can register your interest in creating a group in your local community here.

2025 Annual Highlights

Well that's almost a wrap from us this year! As we approach the end of 2025, we'd like to invite you to reflect on our eventful year and enjoy our Annual Highlights.

May we take this opportunity to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to each and everyone of you, who've supported our work towards a more welcoming and resilient society — where displaced people and the planet can thrive.

Civil society groups respond to community sponsorship commitment from Government

Pickwell Foundation volunteers and mixed groups of refugee communities visiting Exmoor, North Devon in 2025.

We welcome the Government’s commitment to give voluntary and community groups a greater role in refugee protection through named sponsorship.

Named sponsorship, where communities are empowered to identify refugees they wish to welcome to the UK, is a compassionate and controlled approach that builds cohesion and reflects our country’s proud tradition of offering sanctuary. It reduces pressure on the wider system, leads to stronger integration outcomes, and shows that communities across the UK are ready to roll up their sleeves to make welcoming refugees a reality.

We will continue to engage with the Government on the design of community sponsorship so it can support Government objectives, while empowering communities in a spirit of effective partnership. At a time when wider policy measures may create new risks for people without secure status, it is vital that credible protection routes like named sponsorship are designed with clear safeguards, strong community involvement and practical pathways for people to reach safety. We will be reaching out to civil society and community networks across the country and encourage anyone interested in playing their part in upholding our proud tradition of sanctuary to get in touch.

The Pickwell Foundation

With

Citizens UK
Refugee Council
The Community Sponsorship Alliance
Reset
The Social Justice Network 
CHARIS Refugees
CARITAS Salford 

Learn more about Refugee Sponsorship here