Bring a refugee from Latin America to safety and make a lifelong impact.
The global displacement challenge has reached an unprecedented scale, with 120 million people displaced worldwide. In Latin America, conflict, economic and political instability, and natural disasters have forced families to flee their homes. Many endure dangerous journeys, often falling prey to human traffickers and other bad actors as they seek safety across multiple borders.
In response, Americans across the country have stepped up, eager to help our neighbors as they begin to rebuild their lives in the United States. Recognizing the rising violence and political oppression in the region, new pathways allow people from Latin America to come to the U.S. safely and legally with the support of American sponsors. The Welcome Corps offers everyday Americans a direct and impactful way to help those in need. Sponsorship is the ultimate act of welcome, and anyone can do it.
Learn more about sponsoring refugees in Latin America and how you’ll be supported at every stage of your journey.
You can be a bridge to safety for refugees from Latin America.
Sign up for emailsSign up for a Live Information Session with experienced sponsors and Welcome.US staff.
Register todayWatch a 2-minute video about a church group's journey sponsoring a family from Colombia.
Watch the videoThe Welcome Corps, launched by the U.S. Department of State in 2023, empowers Americans to help refugees build new lives in the U.S. while providing a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship. Americans form sponsor groups, fundraise, and commit to supporting refugees during the first three months by securing housing, enrolling children in school, and connecting them with job opportunities. By serving as friends and guides, sponsors often find they are transformed in the process. You don’t need to be an expert in refugee resettlement. The Welcome Corps experts offer guidance and support every step of the way.
You will have everything you need to begin your sponsor journey, including:
Sponsors work with friends and neighbors to sponsor a refugee or refugee family, helping them transition into their community. Support will include finding housing, employment, enrolling children in school, and connecting newcomers to local services.
Reach out to friends, family, church members, or others in your network to form your 5-person sponsor group. Group members must be citizens or permanent residents, willing to complete a background check, and partner with you to support a refugee for their first 90 days in the U.S.
Form a groupYou can be matched with a refugee you don’t know yet and indicate the number of people you can support and preferences for language or nationality. Or you can sponsor someone you already know.
Sponsor someone you knowReview the core services sponsors commit to providing and make a plan for how you’ll work together to support newcomers. Begin fundraising the minimum of $2,425 per refugee. Sponsors must fundraise 60% of total funds before submitting an application. Financial assistance may be available through the Sponsor Fund.
The Sponsor FundConsider attending an application support session to get any questions you may have answered, and submit your application.
Attend an application support sessionAmericans in all 50 states have stepped up to sponsor. Read more about sponsor groups in every part of the country who are welcoming refugees from Latin America and helping them build new lives in safety with hope for their futures.
Stories of Welcome
April 12, 2024
Experience the power of sponsorship–help bring a refugee from Latin America to safety and make a lasting difference. Sign up to learn more.
Already pursuing sponsorship but have questions about refugee eligibility, sponsorship requirements, or local resources? Check out our help section.
Refugees entering the U.S. through the Welcome Corps have refugee status, allowing them to work upon arrival and apply for permanent residency after one year, with eligibility for citizenship after five years. Humanitarian parole is open to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Ukrainians, and Venezuelans. The program grants individuals temporary parole status for up to two years with no automatic path to citizenship. Individuals may apply for work authorization and seek asylum or another status for permanency in the U.S.
Refugees entering the U.S. through the Welcome Corps have refugee status, allowing them to work upon arrival and apply for permanent residency after one year, with eligibility for citizenship after five years. Humanitarian parole is open to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Ukrainians, and Venezuelans. The program grants individuals temporary parole status for up to two years with no automatic path to citizenship. Individuals may apply for work authorization and seek asylum or another status for permanency in the U.S.
Each case is unique and processing times vary depending on the details of each case. If you are applying to support a refugee you do not know through the Welcome Corps, it typically takes between two and three months after your application is approved to be matched with a refugee or refugee family and for travel arrangements to be made. If you are applying to sponsor someone you know, it could take a minimum of six months up to a few years from the time you submit a completed application.
Yes, sponsors can apply to multiple immigration programs simultaneously. Once a refugee or refugee family is accepted into the U.S. under one program, any other applications will be canceled.
The Welcome Corps accepts individuals of any nationality who meet the U.S. legal definition of a refugee. They must have left their home country due to persecution and be unable to return.
Eligibility requirements:
To qualify for the Welcome Corps, refugees must have one of the following registration documents:
Refugees must be 18 or, if a minor, referred with their parent(s). Refugees must not have been previously denied resettlement to the U.S. through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Sponsors must form a group of at least five U.S. citizens or permanent residents. All group members must be over the age of 18 and live in or near the same community.
They must agree to provide the core minimum requirements for 90 days, which includes duties like fundraising, securing housing for refugees, connecting them with employment, enrolling children in school, and obtaining essential documents.
Yes, sponsor groups can indicate a preference for a certain household composition, language, or nationality on the application.
Sponsors must secure a minimum of $2,425 in cash and in-kind contributions per refugee they plan to sponsor. Groups must have raised 60% of the minimum before submitting their application. The funds will be used to cover the essentials of the first 90 days.
There are two ways to sponsor through the Welcome Corps.
Sponsor someone you know
Identify a specific refugee or family you already know to sponsor and refer them to USRAP for consideration to be resettled in the U.S.
Learn more about sponsoring someone you know and use the refugee eligibility tool to check if the individuals you’d like to sponsor may be eligible.
Sponsor someone you don’t know (yet!)
Apply to be matched with a refugee or family already in the process of being resettled to the U.S. You can indicate any preferences for language, nationality, or household size on your application.
Applications are typically reviewed within two to six weeks, though timelines vary depending on the case. If you’re applying to sponsor someone you don’t know, it usually takes two to three months after your application is approved to be matched with a refugee or family and for travel arrangements to be made. This time allows your group to complete fundraising and make final preparations.
If you’re applying to sponsor someone you know, the process can take six months to up to a few years from the time you submit an application.
Yes, refugees who come to the U.S. through the Welcome Corps are eligible to work immediately.
No expertise is required! Sponsors agree to support refugees in their first 90 days, sharing knowledge about life in their community. The Welcome Corps provides extensive resources and guidance, and sponsor groups are assigned to a private sponsor organization—resettlement experts who will support them each step of the way.
All refugees admitted through the USRAP, including refugees supported through the Welcome Corps, must complete thorough security vetting and health screening before coming to the United States. Only refugee applicants who are cleared through an extensive security vetting process, including vetting by U.S. government law enforcement and intelligence agencies, are approved for resettlement to the U.S.
Once you’ve formed a group, it’s time to get started on the application. Your group leader can create an account and fill in the application. Read more about the process here.
We have resources available to guide you throughout the sponsor journey.
Use the refugee eligibility tool to understand whether the individuals you’d like to sponsor are eligible through the Welcome Corps program.
Determine eligibilityIf you’ve determined eligibility but have questions before you start your application, attend a 1:1 session to get individual support.
RegisterExplore resources that will help you prepare to sponsor refugees from Latin America.
Discover how rewarding it can be to welcome newcomers into your community.
