Private sponsor groups of five U.S. citizens and permanent residents can sponsor one refugee or family at a time. The individual(s) listed on the sponsorship application can be of any nationality and must meet the program eligibility criteria.

We only consider exemptions if the refugees you want to sponsor were in the country where they currently live by September 30, 2023 but do not have the required documentation. We do not grant exemptions for any other program criteria.

We grant exemptions on an extremely limited basis after a case-specific review. To request an exemption: 

1. Contact exemption@welcomecorps.org with your Group Coordinator’s full name and email address.

2. You will receive a reply to fill in a form with information about the case. Only submit one form for your entire group.

3. A Private Sponsor Organization will review your request. You will hear back from exemption@welcomecorps.org with any follow-up questions. You may need to check your spam or junk folder.

4. If approved, the Private Sponsor Organization will give you next steps on how to submit your application.