USA: Launch of the Welcome Corps – Private Sponsorship of Refugees

The U.S. State Department announced the Welcome Corps program, which aims to increase refugee admissions via private sponsorships by U.S. based American citizens and permanent residents.

In the first phase of the program, private sponsors participating in the Welcome Corps will be matched with refugees whose cases are already approved for resettlement under the USRAP. The Department of State will begin facilitating matches between private sponsors and refugees arriving within the first six months of 2023.

In the second phase of the program, which will launch in mid-2023, private sponsors will be able to identify refugees to refer to the USRAP for resettlement and support the refugees they have identified. Further details on the second phase of the program will be forthcoming.