Hi Friends,
In this blog, you will find updates on Fady’s Family Refugee Sponsorship application and practical things you can do to help make this happen.
For background information, click here.
March 23, 2026
Dear Calvin,
How are you? Just want to give you an update on where are at with Fady’s refugee case. With the conflict in Iran that has become a urgent situation in Lebanon, I might able to secure 3 spots for Fady’s family.
Legal Structure
Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH): Harbour Fellowship Church
Constituent Group (CG): North York Chinese Baptist Church
In order to proceed, there are two main steps to submit our case to the SAH secure the spots: Build the CG team and Raise funds. I am currently working on building the CG team to support Fady’s family when they arrive. For the fundraise part, we will need to fundraise roughly $35,000CAD, which will be place into a trust account with the SAH and will be available to cover Fady’s first year in Canada.
The calculator used for the calculation is here:
https://www.rstp.ca/calc/?lang=en
The SAH suggested that we raise the full amount even though Jenny and I are committed to house Fady’s family. It is for the worst case scenario that Jenny and I are not available when Fady’s family arrives.
As soon as we raise the $35,000CAD, we can proceed with the submission to the SAH.
This sponsorship is not simply administrative—it is a 12-month commitment to provide:
• Safe and stable housing
• Food and basic living necessities
• Settlement support (schooling, healthcare, language integration)
• Community, care, and relational support
After the case is accepted, and the SAH assured me that it would as long as they have spots remaining in 2026, they will submit to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Unfortunately, the current wait time is about 30 months. There’s nothing we can do the expedite that.
Therefore, the quicker we have the funds raised and have Fady’s case submitted, the quicker we can secure a spot and start this 30-month clock.
From Pastor Joel Tang in Toronto, Canada
August 8, 2024
The following are a WelcomeCorps Sponsorship group of 5 people in the US, who successfully submitted an application to the US refugee resettlement program in Fall 2024. Unfortunately, the program was terminated in early 2025 by the Trump’s Administration.
As many of you know, Fady and Grace got married in 2022 and my family went to Lebanon to celebrate with them. As the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, they have prayed that God would sustain them so they can stay and serve in Lebanon, but the situation has become so difficult that they have applied for the refugee status through UNCHR. They, like many others in the area, are looking for ways to move to another country which provides them with a better future and opportunity.
The US WelcomeCorp program allows 5 US citizens/permanent residents to apply for refugees as individuals or as a family (up to 10 individuals). I am in the process of trying to create a group of at least 5 sponsors who will form a group with me and begin the application process for Fady and Grace. You can read more about the program here: https://welcomecorps.org/about/
And lastly, we need to show proofs that we as a group has at least $1455 ($3110 for two refugees) in cash in a bank account. And the goal is to raise $2425 per person ($5050 for two) to cover the expenses for their first 90-day upon arrival in the US. If you are interested in 1) being a sponsor, 2) help us fundraise, or 3) refer us to more people who might be interested in supporting them. https://welcomecorps.org/become-a-sponsor/covering-costs/
Calvin Ho, San Francisco Bay Area, USA
