Northern Lights Canada: For Sponsors, Donors, Helpers

10/09/2026

Devastating news this morning, via email from IRCC to SAHs:

Dear Sponsorship Agreement Holder,

Given the operating environment in Pakistan, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will no longer accept new Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) applications for refugees residing in Pakistan effective January 1, 2027.

This exceptional measure is intended to allow the department to focus operational resources on the significant inventory of applications in Pakistan and in recognition of the processing realities on the ground.

Therefore, IRCC is invoking Section 9 of the Sponsorship Agreement.

Applications already received will continue to be processed.

We will continue to engage with the SAH Association staff on issues related to processing in Pakistan.

10/08/2026

Let’s go!

Announcing the featured speakers for Voices of Freedom 🎤

This month, come meet and hear new work from Basima Takrouri (Palestinian writer and poet), Sabiha Ali Naderi (Afghan social worker, educator and writer), and Musa Zafar (Afghan writer and advocate for human rights and education), whose readings will be hosted by Janielle Browne, a Vincentian writer, educator and scholar.

Voices of Freedom is a PEN reading series featuring the members of our Writers in Exile group. This event series celebrates the strength and resilience of their courageous voices, while they share their latest works in development and their perspectives on the complexities of life in exile.

📅 Monday October 19 at 7 p.m.
📍 Emmanuel College Chapel, University of Toronto (3rd floor, 75 Queen's Park Cres E)
🎟️ Entry is free for PEN members, $10 for the public

Learn more about these writers — and get your ticket — here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/voices-of-freedom-a-reading-series-october-chapter-tickets-2002953154804

10/08/2026

Welcoming our Australian friends to our Canadian community. We were honoured to host Nina and Miriam for a great meal and meet up.

10/02/2026

Finally we meet! Nina and Miriam Faine set down in Toronto. Shams and Stephen are here too. 🇦🇺Australia and 🇨🇦Canada together…

10/02/2026

Well said! Shams speaks of his refugee journey, from detention to writing to freedom in 🇨🇦Canada🇨🇦

09/30/2026

Big 🇨🇦Canadian🇨🇦 welcome to Tofayel, travelling from Cox’s Bazaar to Toronto - and on to Edmonton. First flight of his life, but many more to come.

09/19/2026

"Why is my application slower than anyone else's?" We get this complaint daily from people who have been privately sponsored. Below are just 5 of the messages from the last couple days, from different people.

The answer to this question is, "Each person's process goes at a different speed."

Also you only hear about people moving faster than you. There are probably just as many people as slow or slower than you, only you aren't hearing about it - because they have no news to share.

And lately immigration has been acting a little oddly, giving some people biometric quickly, then delaying medical. Or randomly choosing someone for an interview a year before other people. Or only notifying people of their G number when they get sponsor approval (this is now the norm).

This timeline list, therefore, is an average. Some people will be faster, some slower. But if you compare yourselves to others, you are going to become anxious and miserable. Try to trust the process and use this time to study English and math, to prepare for when you come to Canada - WHICH WILL HAPPEN!

Here are the timelines: https://www.northernlightscanada.net/resources/timelines-for-private-sponsorship

09/09/2026

Breaking news ;) This isn't really a refugee story, but it is a Hazara story and quite a big one. If you are Hazara - or a nuclear physicist - you are likely to already know about Dr. Tahir Shaaran.

And now Canada is taking notice too. Thanks to his stellar career and talents, he's received one of the highest honours imaginable: membership in the Royal Society of Canada!

He worked hard for this recognition, which came after many interviews and endorsements from others in academia and industry. He's an example to the next generation of Hazaras and to anyone newcomer who comes to Canada with a dream of making a positive difference. That's a big brain gain, and the honour could not go to a nicer man.

Tahir and I first met over the phone when he was still in England, maybe 8 years ago, and in person since he came to Toronto. He's a supportive presence at every Hazara student event (and works down the street from me at U of T!)

Below are just some of his achievements. Congratulations, Dr. Shaaran!

- Served as Director General of the Afghanistan Atomic Energy High Commission, Afghanistan's senior civilian nuclear-energy authority.

- Led Afghanistan's delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference in 2020 as Head of Delegation.

- Played a leadership role in developing Afghanistan's framework for the peaceful use of nuclear technology, including nuclear regulation, radiation safety, transportation, and nuclear-waste regulations.

- Contributed to international cooperation with the IAEA and initiatives involving human health, agriculture, radiation safety, and scientific capacity building in Afghanistan.

- Conducted internationally recognized research in theoretical physics, including attosecond science, atomic physics, and nonlinear quantum optics.

- Held postdoctoral research appointments at prestigious European research institutions, including the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Germany.

- Earned a Ph.D. in Physics from University College London (UCL) and collaborated with leading international laboratories in the United Kingdom and France.

- Served as a visiting scholar and professor at the University of Toronto, where he continued research and teaching in quantum optics and physics.

And so, he's been recognized by the Royal Society of Canada for combining scientific research with public leadership that strengthened scientific capacity, higher education, and international partnerships.

https://rsc-src.ca/en/about/publications/2026-class-fellows-and-college-members

09/04/2026

Our friends Hazrat and Shams are fighting the good fight. Thanks guys! It’s a tough world out there for girls and women.