Sponsor Latin Americans

Bring people from Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and other Latin American countries to safety in the United States - and make a lifelong impact.

From Crisis to Hope: The power of sponsorship

In Latin America, conflict, economic and political instability, and natural disasters have forced families to flee their homes. Many endure dangerous journeys and encounter human traffickers and other bad actors as they seek safety across multiple borders.

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. Sponsorship offers everyday Americans a direct and impactful way to help those in need. It's the ultimate act of welcome, and anyone can do it.

Learn more about sponsorship

Sign up to learn more about how to bring people from Latin American to safety in the US through orderly sponsorship pathways.

What sponsor pathways are available?

There are two ways to sponsor people from Latin America who are seeking refuge in the United States: 1) Sponsor refugees from Latin America through the Welcome Corps. 2) Sponsor people caught in urgent crises in Cubans, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela through humanitarian sponsorship. Learn more about both options.

Sponsor Latin American refugees through the Welcome Corps

The Welcome Corps is a new service opportunity for groups of Americans across the country to welcome refugees who are seeking safety in the U.S. The Welcome Corps allows people to sponsor refugees from countries across Latin America.

Welcome Corps sponsors work in groups of 5 to sponsor. Groups are led by a coordinator and members partner to support a refugee for their first 90 days in the U.S.

Learn about the Welcome Corps

Sponsor through the Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans

The U.S. government has also created a nimble humanitarian sponsorship program - the Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (or P4CHNV) - to enable Americans to bring people who are caught in crisis in these four countries to safety in the US.

Humanitarian sponsors can welcome newcomers on their own, as a group, or alongside a community organization. Families sponsored under these programs receive humanitarian parole for two years and can apply for work authorization.

Learn more about P4CHNV

Can sponsors apply for the Welcome Corps if they’ve already applied for humanitarian parole?

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.

How long does it take for applications to be processed under each program?

Each sponsorship case is unique and processing times vary depending on the details of each case.

With the Welcome Corps, if you are applying to support a refugee you do not know, 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.

With P4CHNV, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) currently approves up to 30,000 I-134A applications per month under P4CHNV. Daily life in these countries continues to be unsettled by the shortage of basic necessities, security threats, and economic hardship, and many people are seeking the opportunity to build a new life in the United States. This means that the number of applications currently exceeds the monthly cap.

Wait times vary—between the time you submit your official sponsorship application (I-134A) and its approval—and could be anywhere from several weeks to several years. To help remedy these delays, USCIS will process half of the applications it receives based on a monthly lottery system. If your application is chosen for the lottery, you may see approval on a quicker timeline.

Who is eligible to be sponsored

The Welcome Corps is part of the US Refugee Resettlement program, and is open to refugees who are eligible to be resettled in the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. The person you are applying to sponsor must:

Meet the definition of a refugee as defined by U.S. law
Be otherwise admissible under U.S. law
Not be firmly resettled in any foreign country

Check eligibility on the Welcome Corps eligibility tool.

To be sponsored under P4CHNV, individuals must be citizens of one of the four countries - Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. They must also have a valid passport, and pass background checks.

For more information about P4CHNV requirements visit the USCIS.gov.