About the Welcome Corps

No. The Welcome Corps program, which was a refugee sponsorship initiative within the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), was terminated in Feb. 2025. The Welcome Corps is no longer accepting new applications, and pending applications will not be processed or certified.

Refugee cases that have already been referred into USRAP through a certified Welcome Corps application currently remain in the pipeline, though their processing is on hold and no flights are being scheduled for refugee arrivals.

A certified application means information about the refugee(s) you applied to sponsor was referred to USRAP, and the refugee(s) named on your application has a case with the U.S. government.

If your Welcome Corps application was certified, an email was sent to your group coordinator at the time of certification.

If your Welcome Corps application was not certified, the refugee(s) named on your application do not have a USRAP or SIV number. This means they have not been referred to the U.S. government for private sponsorship and therefore do not have a case with the U.S. government.

The refugee(s) named in your Welcome Corps case were referred into USRAP if:

• Your group coordinator received an email from [email protected] stating that the refugee(s) named in your application were referred to USRAP.
• The refugee(s) named in your application have received a USRAP number. A USRAP case number consists of two letters followed by a 6-digit number, for example, JO-123456.

The U.S. government has not provided guidance on how to request admission on a case-by-case basis.

Sponsors may seek help from their congressional representatives to understand the process.

Use our guide to contacting your federal representatives to learn how to request a case review.

Refugee travel to the U.S. is suspended until further notice. Other than limited arrivals on a case-by-case basis, all scheduled travel has been canceled, and no new travel will be booked during the USRAP suspension.

If your Welcome Corps application was not certified, this means the refugee(s) named in the application was not referred to USRAP and does not have a case with the U.S. government.

Following the termination of the Welcome Corps on Feb. 6, 2025, refugees will not be referred to USRAP through the Welcome Corps moving forward.

Maybe. Refugees who have already arrived in the U.S. through the Welcome Corps are not at risk of losing their legal status, but may not be able to access some services funded by the federal government.

It is unclear if or when USRAP programming will reopen and whether private sponsorship will be included in that programming. The Welcome Corps program was terminated by the State Department in late February 2025.

SIV holders can travel to the U.S. with private dollars, but they will not receive Reception and Placement (R&P) services.

An SIV holder may be an Afghan or Iraqi in any country with an approved visa in their passport and a valid passport or travel document.

The approved visa must include an Immigrant Visa case number, also known as the Consular Electronic Application Center (CEAC) number. This number starts with 3 letters followed by 10 numbers. For example, KBL1234567890. This is not the NVC SIV Case Number.

On Jan. 20, the U.S. government suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for a minimum 90-day review period. This includes a halt on all refugee case processing and arrivals except on a case-by-case basis. It is unclear when or in what form USRAP programming will reopen and whether private sponsorship will be included in that programming. The pause will remain in effect until the U.S. government lifts it.

The Welcome Corps program was terminated by the State Department in late February 2025. This means that the Welcome Corps is no longer accepting new applications, and pending applications will not be processed or certified.

It is unclear whether refugee sponsorship will return. As elected officials shape new policies related to refugee admissions, Americans can share their support for private sponsorship by using our guide for contacting your federal representatives.

We are closely tracking the lawsuit, Pacito v. Trump, which challenged the U.S. government’s suspension of USRAP. We will provide more information once a final order is made. For more up-to-date information, you can follow the case here.

You can:

• Contact your congressional representatives to express support for refugee sponsorship programs or get help with your application.
• Use our guide for contacting your federal representatives for detailed instructions.