Private refugee sponsorship has been an important policy in Canada for 40 years. It is now gaining international attention as Europe faces an influx of refugees. However, there has been no Canadian research on the long-term economic integration of privately sponsored refugees compared to government-assisted ones, using rigorous analysis. This study compares the economic outcomes of Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSRs) with Government-Assisted Refugees (GARs) using the Longitudinal Immigration Database, which includes data on nearly all immigrants and refugees in Canada since 1980. Our analysis shows that PSRs have higher employment rates and earnings than GARs up to 15 years after arrival, even after adjusting for differences between the groups. The advantage is especially clear among less educated refugees. These findings suggest that unmeasured factors may help explain the long-term economic benefits for PSRs.