Fact Sheet
The Department of State, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, is pleased to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Welcome Corps, our private sponsorship program that empowers everyday Americans to welcome refugees arriving through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Welcome Corps sponsors support refugees’ resettlement and integration as they build new lives in the United States.
Through this service opportunity, more than 15,000 Americans have already applied to sponsor more than 7,000 refugees through the Welcome Corps, exceeding our mobilization goal for the program’s first year.
In the Welcome Corps’ first year:
In 2024, the Department of State will launch a labor sponsorship pathway called Welcome Corps at Work, through which skilled refugees can be matched with U.S. employers in industries such as hospitality, healthcare, and technology. With a job offer in hand, these refugees will be referred to the USRAP and receive support upon arrival from private sponsors in the community of their employer.
In its second year, the Welcome Corps is asking even more sponsors to answer the call to welcome refugees and change lives, including their own. To learn more about the Welcome Corps, to sign up for updates, or to find information about becoming a sponsor, please visit WelcomeCorps.org.
About the Welcome Corps
The Welcome Corps is one of the many ways we are expanding our capacity to provide a new beginning to more refugees and meeting the Biden Administration’s goal of admitting 125,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2024. In groups of five or more, adult U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents support refugees in building new lives in the United States by securing and preparing initial housing, greeting refugees at the airport, enrolling children in school, helping adults find employment, and forging ties to their new communities. All refugees arriving in the United States through the Welcome Corps have successfully completed all steps in the U.S. government refugee resettlement process, including passing extensive security screening and other vetting. By virtue of their refugee status, they are authorized to work and have access to key public benefits. They can eventually apply for lawful permanent residence and U.S. citizenship. Access to the USRAP and support from the Welcome Corps is free of charge for refugees. Refugees should not pay anyone to refer their case to the U.S. government or to be matched with private sponsors.
The Welcome Corps was launched by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in January 2023. The Department funds a consortium of non-profit organizations with expertise in refugee resettlement, protection, and integration to implement the Welcome Corps under a cooperative agreement.