Sponsor a Refugee You Know

There are thousands of people in the United States eager to help family members or friends who have been displaced. Through the Welcome Corps, your group can apply to sponsor someone you know.

Who can I sponsor?

Your group can sponsor a refugee or refugee family (up to 10 people) at a time. The individual(s) listed on your sponsorship application can be of any nationality but must meet the definition of a refugee under U.S. law and all of the following criteria:

Location

  • Afghanistan
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Burma
  • Canada
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
  • Denmark
  • Eritrea
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Haiti
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Iran
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Latvia
  • Libya
  • Lichtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • The Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Republic of Korea
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Somalia
  • Sudan
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Syria
  • Türkiye
  • Turkmenistan
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom
  • Venezuela
  • Yemen

The above list is subject to change and may be revised as country conditions evolve.

At this time, we are implementing a temporary pause on new sponsorship applications for Uganda-based refugees given the high volume of existing applications. Applications already submitted by sponsors for individuals in Uganda are under review and are not affected by this pause.

Registration

To be eligible for Welcome Corps, individuals must have one of the following registration documents:

Age

Status

Screening

Exit visa permissions

Is my friend or family member eligible?

Use this helpful tool to check whether the refugee or refugee family you hope to sponsor is eligible to be considered for resettlement through the Welcome Corps.

Join the Welcome Corps today!

Begin your application and set out on a journey to change a life  — including your own.