The Biden Administration is rolling out the Welcome Corps. The Welcome Corps is a program set up by the U.S. Department of State to enable groups of individual Americans to sponsor a refugee and help them resettle in a community in the U.S.
Though there are resettlement organizations that help refugees resettle in the community, due to lack of funding, they are unable to keep up with demand. In response to this, the State Department created the Welcome Corps. By doing so, the State Department is expanding the opportunity to sponsor refugees to groups of 5 private U.S. citizens/permanent residents.
The Welcome Corps is being rolled out in two phases. The first phase which started January 19, 2023, connects sponsors with refugees. The second phase, beginning mid-2023, will allow sponsors to recommend a refugee they wish to sponsor to the Welcome Corp.
A refugee is a person fleeing their home country because of persecution or fear of persecution based on race, religion, membership in a social group, political opinion, or nationality. The refugees in the Welcome Corps program have already been approved for the status and are awaiting resettlement. The Welcome Corps allows private citizens and permanent residents to join forces and sponsor an individual refugee or a family of refugees. The collaboration of the five individuals makes them a Private Sponsor Group (PSGs).
To be a private sponsor group, you must follow a specific process. First, you need to go to the Welcome Corp website and watch the information session. You’ll then need to find four additional U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents over the age of eighteen to come together to sponsor a refugee (or multiple refugees). Anyone can join the group if they are a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident. Once you have established the Private Sponsor Group, you will need to complete the background check and training on the Welcome Corps website. You will also need to attend an application support session and complete the Welcome Plan, which is a form explaining how the PSG will support the refugee. After you sign the commitment form and raise a minimum of $2,275 per refugee, you can submit the application.
Once approved, the Private Sponsor Group (PSG) will be matched with a refugee. The PSG will be responsible for the refugee for 90 days. The responsibility includes meeting them at the airport, providing financial support for the first 90 days, helping them find initial housing and furnishing that housing, helping them find employment, accessing health care, education, and moral support, along with meeting other basic needs.
Those interested in volunteering should start the process on the Welcome Corps website.
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