Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) uses memoranda of understanding (MOU) to facilitate the exchange of information on sponsored immigrants with provinces, and where applicable with municipalities, for the purpose of administering social assistance programs and for the department's own sponsorship initiatives. Privacy is a concern and the MOUs must respect federal and provincial privacy legislation. At this time CIC has MOUs with the municipalities of metropolitan Toronto, Peel, Windsor, London, York, and the Ontario ministries of community and social services and health. Negotiations are under way to sign MOUs with other provinces and municipalities that require them. In Ontario some municipalities require their own MOU because the provincial data base does not hold all municipal data.
The MOUs allow CIC to confirm with welfare authorities that an applicant is a sponsored immigrant and how long the sponsorship is for. They also allow welfare authorities to advise CIC when a sponsor has defaulted on his or her sponsorship agreement and to confirm that the sponsor has paid back the provincial funds paid out to the sponsored immigrant.
Question No. 205-