OTTAWA - The Immigration Department suggested extending a freeze on most private refugee sponsorship applications by three more years to clear backlogs in the system, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.

Last November, the federal government paused approvals of refugee resettlement applications filed by community organizations or groups of five individuals looking to bring someone from a refugee camp abroad into Canada — a move which caught refugee advocates off-guard.

The memorandum that enacted that decision, obtained by The Canadian Press through the access-to-information law, suggests that the freeze could be extended to late 2028 if Ottawa wants to clear its backlog of applications.

Immigration Minister Lena Diab and her department have not yet said whether the fr

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