The terms
for using
this site.

About ICV

International Christian Voice (ICV) is a Canadian registered charitable organisation founded in 2002. We are headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, and our mission is to defend persecuted Christians and other religious minorities worldwide — through refugee sponsorship, advocacy, education, and direct relief.

This website — icvcanada.org — is operated by ICV. These Terms of Use apply to everyone who visits the site, makes a donation, signs up for our newsletter, submits an inquiry, or otherwise interacts with us through this platform.

By using the site, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old, or are using the site under the supervision of a parent or guardian, and that you agree to these terms.

Acceptable use

We ask that you use our site lawfully and respectfully. Specifically, you agree not to:

• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information through any form (donations, contact, sponsorship inquiry).
• Impersonate another person or organisation.
• Use the site to harass, threaten, defame, or harm any individual or group — including the persecuted communities we serve.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems, donor data, or staff accounts.
• Scrape, copy, or republish substantial portions of our content for commercial purposes without written permission.
• Use our brand name, logo, or imagery in a way that suggests endorsement of products, candidates, or causes unrelated to our mission.
• Upload viruses, malware, or any code that could damage our site or other users.

We reserve the right to refuse service, block access, or refer matters to law enforcement where we reasonably believe these terms have been violated.

Intellectual property

All content on icvcanada.org — including text, photographs, videos, illustrations, logos, page layouts, and the underlying code — is owned by International Christian Voice or used under licence from our partners and contributors. It is protected by Canadian copyright and trademark law, and by international treaties where applicable.

What you may do

• View and download pages for personal, non-commercial reference.
• Quote short excerpts (one or two paragraphs) with clear attribution to International Christian Voice and a link back to the original page.
• Share links to our pages on social media or in email.
• Reproduce our materials within news reporting, academic research, or commentary, consistent with fair dealing under the Copyright Act.

What requires permission

• Reproducing entire pages, substantial portions of our content, or our photo archive.
• Using our materials in commercial publications, training programs, or paid products.
• Translating our content into other languages for redistribution.
• Using our logo, brand colours, or visual identity in your own materials.

For permission, email info@icvcanada.org with details of what you want to use and how.

Blood & Water

The book Blood & Water is co-published by International Christian Voice and The Voice of the Martyrs Canada (VOM Canada). All rights to the book — including the text, cover art, and any derivative materials — are jointly held. Any reproduction, translation, or commercial use requires written permission from both ICV and VOM Canada.

Third-party content

Some images and footage on our site — including news clips, archive photographs from Pakistan, and partner materials — are used with permission from the original copyright holders. These materials remain the property of those copyright holders, and your use of them is subject to their original licences.

Donations & refund policy

How donations are processed

Donations are processed through CanadaHelps (our primary processor and tax-receipt issuer) and PayPal. We never see or store your credit card or banking information — that is handled entirely by the payment processor on their own secure systems.

Tax receipts

Tax receipts are issued under the rules of the Canada Revenue Agency:

• Receipts are issued for donations of $20 CAD or more.
• Receipts are emailed automatically by CanadaHelps for donations processed through that platform.
• For PayPal donations, mailed cheques, or other channels, receipts are issued by ICV directly, typically within 30 days.
• Receipts include all CRA-required information: registered charity number, donor name and address, amount, date, and our authorised signature.

Refund policy

Our general policy is that donations are non-refundable, because they are immediately applied to our mission work. However, we will consider refund requests in good faith for:

• Genuine errors — a wrong amount entered, a duplicate donation, or a transaction you did not authorise.
• Requests made within 30 days of the donation date.
• Cases where a tax receipt has not yet been issued, or where the donor is willing to return the receipt.

To request a refund, email info@icvcanada.org with the donation date, amount, and the reason for the request. We will respond within 10 business days.

Once a tax receipt has been issued and used to claim a credit on a tax return, refunds are not possible.

Use of donations

Donations are used to fund our charitable activities: refugee sponsorship, advocacy work, emergency relief for persecuted communities, educational programs, and the operational costs of running the organisation. Our annual T3010 filing to the CRA is publicly available and reflects how funds are allocated.

Refugee sponsorship inquiries

Important: information on this site about refugee sponsorship is general guidance, not legal or immigration advice.

Refugee sponsorship in Canada is governed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP), and the rules of the relevant Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH). The processes, eligibility criteria, and timelines change regularly.

When you contact us about sponsorship, we will share what we know based on our experience as a long-standing sponsor. We will help you understand the general landscape, connect you with the right resources, and where appropriate work with you on a case. However:

• We are not a licensed immigration consultant or law firm.
• We cannot provide binding advice on whether a specific individual qualifies for sponsorship.
• Our staff are not authorised to file forms or represent applicants in dealings with IRCC, except within the scope of cases we directly sponsor.
• Cases that we accept for direct sponsorship are subject to our internal review process and capacity. We are unable to take every case.

For binding advice on your specific situation, consult an immigration lawyer or a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). For programmatic questions, contact IRCC or RSTP directly.

Third-party links

Our site links to a number of external resources — partner organisations, payment processors, government agencies, news articles, video hosting platforms, and others. These links are provided for your convenience and reference.

We do not control, endorse, or take responsibility for the content of any external site. When you click an external link, you leave icvcanada.org and become subject to the terms and privacy practices of the destination site.

If you find a broken or inappropriate external link, please email info@icvcanada.org so we can review it.

Disclaimers

Our site and our communications are provided “as is” and “as available.”

• We make reasonable efforts to keep information accurate and up to date, but we do not warrant that everything on the site is current, complete, or error-free.
• News reports, country profiles, and statistics about persecution are compiled from sources we believe are reliable, but we cannot guarantee their accuracy.
• The site may occasionally be unavailable for maintenance, due to hosting issues, or for reasons beyond our control. We do not warrant uninterrupted access.
• We do not warrant that the site is free of viruses, malware, or other harmful components — you should run your own security software.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties — express or implied — including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Ontario law, International Christian Voice, its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, and contractors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with:

• Your use of, or inability to use, our website.
• Any reliance on information provided through our site or by our staff.
• Any outcome of a refugee sponsorship application, whether or not we were involved.
• Any action or inaction by a third party we link to, partner with, or refer you to.
• Any interruption, error, or security breach affecting our services or systems.

Where liability cannot be excluded under Ontario law, our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the site is limited to the greater of (a) the amount you have donated to us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred Canadian dollars ($100 CAD).

This limitation applies regardless of the legal theory under which the claim is brought — contract, tort, negligence, statute, or otherwise.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless International Christian Voice, its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, and contractors from any claims, damages, losses, costs, and reasonable legal fees that arise out of:

• Your breach of these Terms of Use.
• Your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.
• Any false, misleading, or fraudulent information you submit to us.
• Your misuse of our content, brand, or materials.

We will notify you promptly of any such claim and cooperate reasonably in your defence, at your expense.

Governing law & dispute resolution

These Terms of Use are governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Ontario, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

Any dispute arising out of these terms, or out of your use of our site, will be resolved as follows:

• First, by good-faith discussion — please contact us at info@icvcanada.org and we will work with you to resolve it informally.
• If that fails, the dispute will be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario, sitting in the Region of Peel.

You agree not to bring class actions or representative claims against us. Disputes must be brought individually.

Severability

If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable — or, if that is not possible, removed entirely. The remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these terms is not a waiver of that right.

Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms of Use from time to time — to reflect changes in our practices, new services, regulatory requirements, or after legal counsel reviews them.

When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the “Effective date” at the top of this page.
• Post a notice on our homepage for at least 30 days.
• For active sponsors and donors, mention significant updates in our next newsletter.

Your continued use of the site after a change takes effect means you accept the revised terms. If you do not agree with a change, please stop using the site and contact us if needed.

Contact us

Questions about these terms, content permission requests, refund inquiries, or any other legal matter:

International Christian Voice
Attn: Legal
Brampton, ON · L6P 2B3
Canada

Email: info@icvcanada.org

For privacy-specific inquiries, see our Privacy Policy.