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Snowball Cookies

Buttery, nutty, and blanketed with powdered sugar, these nostalgic snowball cookies make a festive addition to any cookie tray. Here’s a clear, calm, truly step‑by‑step guide so you can just follow along and bake. Recipe overview Snowball Cookies  Yield: About 36 cookies Oven temperature: 350°F Pan: Unlined baking sheet (you can use parchment if you like, but not necessary) Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks) ½ cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, plus more for coating 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2¼ cups all‑purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts) Instructions: 1. Get ready Soften the butter Take the butter out of the fridge about 1 hour before baking. It should be soft enough to press a finger in easily, but not melted or greasy. Preheat the oven Set oven to 350°F . Make sure the rack is in the center position. Prepare your pans Use unlined baking sheets (or line with parchment if you prefer). No need to...

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Canada Pauses Private Refugee Sponsorship Applications Until 2026


The Canadian government has announced a temporary pause on private refugee sponsorship applications from groups of five or more people and community organizations. This measure, effective immediately, will last until December 31, 2025. The decision aims to address the growing backlog of applications and improve processing times for both refugees and sponsors.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stated that the number of applications received annually far exceeds the available spaces for private refugee sponsorships. The government has set a target of admitting 23,000 privately sponsored refugees in its 2025-27 immigration plan, while the total refugee target for next year is just over 58,000 people. As of the end of October, there are over 85,000 pending refugee claims.

IRCC recognizes that this measure will impact the refugee sponsorship community and has pledged to work closely with partners and stakeholders to adjust to these changes and explore long-term improvements to the program. The pause will allow the system to catch up with the existing workload and ensure a more efficient and predictable refugee sponsorship process in the future.

For more information, visit the [IRCC website](https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/notices/temporary-pause-intake-refugee-sponsorship-applications-groups-five-community-sponsors.html).







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