Information for Refugees

The Welcome Corps empowers Americans to help support refugees resettled to the United States in one of two ways: by applying to sponsor refugees they already know or applying to be matched with a refugee or refugee family who they do not know who is resettling in the United States.

To be resettled in the United States, all refugees must be approved for resettlement by the U.S. government through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. If you are a refugee approved for resettlement to the United States, you will be informed by staff at your Resettlement Support Center if you are paired with a private sponsor group through the Welcome Corps. If a sponsor who you already know is submitting a new referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program on your behalf, your sponsor may contact you for additional information needed for the application.

Please note that the Welcome Corps is not available to support individuals who come to the United States through other immigration pathways, such as:

• Uniting for Ukraine: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Uniting for Ukraine program is not part of the Welcome Corps. For more information, visit https://www.uscis.gov/ukraine.
• Asylum Seekers: If you are an asylum seeker in the United States, the Welcome Corps is unable to answer questions about your asylum claim or to connect you to a private sponsor. For more information about the U.S. asylum system, visit https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-and-asylum.

Applicants to Processes for CHNV (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans) may be eligible to apply to the Welcome Corps if they are still living outside the United States.

Private sponsor groups can identify a specific refugee individual or refugee family overseas whom they wish to sponsor and refer them to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for consideration to be resettled in the United States. Refugees referred to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program by private sponsors can be of any nationality and must meet the definition of a refugee under U.S. law and program eligibility criteria.

All refugees referred to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program by sponsors will need to complete the same processing and vetting requirements as all other U.S. Refugee Admissions Program applicants to be approved for resettlement, including the determination of eligibility for refugee status through an interview overseas conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, security vetting by U.S. government law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and a medical screening.

Refugees may be responsible for overstay fines before they can be resettled. Some countries require refugees to obtain permission from the government to leave that country. This is called exit permission. Refugees who are referred to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program by private sponsors and who are approved for U.S. resettlement are responsible for paying any fines for overstaying their visa to receive exit permission. The U.S. government does not cover these costs.

A referral is a way for private sponsors to provide information about a person they would like to sponsor. Referrals help demonstrate whether that individual may qualify as a refugee. Submitting a referral does not guarantee someone will be approved to come to the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. If you are referred by private sponsors through the Welcome Corps, you will be interviewed overseas by the U.S. government to determine if you meet refugee eligibility criteria under U.S. law. Only those approved as refugees may be resettled to the United States.

Welcome Corps does not help individuals find sponsors. Individuals must reach out to someone they know in the U.S. and ask them to apply for the Welcome Corps. Sponsors do not need to be immediate family members of the refugee. Share your story and provide them with the requirements so they understand what it means to be a sponsor.

When refugees arrive in the United States, they are supported by resettlement agencies or private sponsor groups. Refugees receive the same type of initial assistance whether they are supported by a resettlement agency or a private sponsor group. This assistance includes meeting you at the airport when you arrive, arranging your housing, and providing you basic furniture, household items, and clothing.

If you are matched with a private sponsor group, you will be informed by staff at your Resettlement Support Center. If a sponsor who you already know is submitting a new referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program on your behalf, your sponsor may contact you for additional information needed for the application.

If you are not matched with a private sponsor group, you will be assigned to a non-profit resettlement agency that will assist you upon your arrival in the United States. You can learn more about resettlement agencies here.

Don’t pay it! Access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and support from sponsors through the Welcome Corps is free for refugees. No sponsor from the Welcome Corps, regardless of if you know them or not, should ask you for money to cover any costs related to processing your case or for the support you will receive in the United States. If anyone claims to be able to influence the processing of your resettlement case or asks you for money or if anyone you do not know or trusts contacts you claiming to be a Welcome Corps sponsor, please report this to the Welcome Corps at fraud@welcomecorps.org.

American citizens or permanent residents must apply to participate in the Welcome Corps. Interested sponsors must form a private sponsor group, which consists of at least five members over the age of 18 living in the same or nearby community where the sponsored refugee(s) will be resettled. This is a group of people who are eager to help refugees adjust to life in United States. These people are not paid by the U.S. government to help. They have volunteered through the Welcome Corps and have committed to provide you support because they want to help refugees get started on the path to a new life in the United States.

All private sponsor groups must complete an application process to participate in the Welcome Corps. They are vetted and approved to ensure they are able to effectively provide you initial resettlement assistance and basic services. This includes passing background checks, providing a detailed plan that outlines how they will fulfill their responsibilities to support you, and agreeing to a code of conduct. Private sponsor groups also complete a survey to identify resources and capacity to welcome refugees, such as languages spoken or connections to diaspora groups.

All refugees supported by private sponsor groups through the Welcome Corps will be provided information regarding their rights and responsibilities as well as contact information for a staff member who works on the Welcome Corps to whom you can report any issues or concerns that arise with the private sponsor group.

No. Privately sponsored refugees will not be expedited or receive preferential treatment in completing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program processing requirements. All privately sponsored refugees must be approved for resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and are subject to all the same processing and vetting requirements as all other refugees approved for resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, including the determination of eligibility for refugee status through an interview overseas conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, security vetting by U.S. government law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and a medical screening. Processing times are unique to every case, and we cannot estimate how long it may take to complete your case.

No. Welcome Corps only accepts applications from people who want to sponsor and welcome refugees to the United States. We do not accept applications from refugees seeking sponsors. All refugees are approved for resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. For more information on the eligibility and admissibility criteria for the USRAP, please visit: https://www.state.gov/refugee-admissions/about/. You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply to the Welcome Corps.