Updates for Welcomers

The Welcome Corps is a U.S. State Department initiative. It’s part of the U.S. government’s Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which was established by Congress in 1980. Refugees are processed overseas and granted refugee status before arriving in the United States. The program is meant to respond to long-term crises and support refugees who would otherwise spend their lives in refugee camps with no hope of being able to return home.

The law under which the U.S. Refugee Program is established specifies that the president annually designates the total number of refugees the U.S. will admit, and under what criteria. The current administration established criteria to create the Welcome Corps and enabled community sponsors in groups of five or more to raise the private funds to welcome and resettle refugee newcomers. Because refugee status is determined before newcomers arrive, refugees who come through the Welcome Corps enter with immediate work authorization and a path to citizenship.

We do not know what the presidential determination on refugee admissions will be in 2025, but the incoming administration has said it plans to reduce refugee admissions.

It’s possible there could be slower processing of applications as policy is reviewed and new criteria are established. This was also something that happened under the previous administration.

No. Refugee status in the U.S. cannot be revoked. Based on the clear legal pathway for refugees who have arrived, refugees can apply for permanent residency after one year of living in the U.S., and are eligible for citizenship after five years. The next administration has not indicated intent to change this process, and it would be very difficult to do so. Refugees who came through the Welcome Corps do not need to pursue alternative pathways to remain in the U.S. other than the traditional pathway to citizenship.

Yes. We highly encourage you to submit an application as soon as possible.

There is financial support available for Welcome Corps sponsors. For matching applications, sponsors are automatically eligible to receive 60% of the required fundraising amount from the Sponsor Fund ($1,455 per refugee you welcome), which helps with basic necessities during a refugee family’s first 90 days in the United States. You do not need to fundraise further to submit your application. You can raise the remaining $970 through in-kind or cash donations after you apply. Also, Airbnb housing is available for up to 60 days, which allows the sponsor group more time to find permanent housing for the arriving family.

For those interested in sponsoring someone you know, applications remain open, and we encourage you to submit your application. For U.S. veterans interested in sponsoring Afghan allies, the Veteran Sponsor Fund is open until Dec. 10 and will cover up to 60% of the funding needed per refugee.

Humanitarian parole is meant for urgent crises for which people may need immediate safety, like the situations in Ukraine, Haiti, and other countries. Humanitarian parole is granted by executive order and can be withdrawn by executive action under the current or a new administration. Newcomers who arrive through humanitarian parole are granted status for up to two years. Newcomers with humanitarian parole should strongly consider applying for more durable legal status, such as asylum.

The incoming administration has said it will end humanitarian parole programs and possibly revoke the legal status for the people who have already arrived through the humanitarian parole program.

There are several things the incoming administration can’t do without significant changes to law and congressional action.

They cannot revoke status for refugees already in or approved to come to the U.S. who have come through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, including the Welcome Corps.

They can’t revoke the status for anyone in the asylum process already, and they can’t revoke status for anyone granted asylum.

If humanitarian parole sponsorship is ended, individuals who have entered the U.S. through the programs will eventually lose the status the programs conferred. That may happen when their parole period ends, or it may be revoked earlier. We do not know yet what the next administration will do.

Individuals can have more than one legal status at a time, so it is possible to apply for an alternative status now, making it possible to have another status in place if humanitarian parole is ended.

Individuals currently on humanitarian parole can seek alternative statuses outlined below. Detailed information about the status, the protection it offers, and the process to apply can be found on the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project website.

Consulting an immigration attorney for additional guidance on your specific case and eligibility is strongly recommended but not required.

All nationalities:

• Asylum: Newcomers who have a viable claim can apply for asylum. Asylum is complicated to apply for and difficult to receive, requiring a lengthy individualized application and review process. If granted, asylum is a permanent form of status with a path to citizenship, and having a pending asylum claim creates some temporary protection and access to work authorization. While support from an attorney is highly recommended, it is not required. If an individual has missed the deadline to file within one year of arrival in the U.S., they may still have a viable claim because they were on parole.

Ukrainians:

• Temporary Protected Status: Like humanitarian parole, TPS is a discretionary authority. It allows an administration to authorize temporary status to individuals of specific nationalities already in the United States should it be unsafe to return home. Ukrainians can apply for TPS if they arrived on or before Aug. 16, 2023. They must apply by April 19, 2025. It is possible that USCIS will issue a redesignation of TPS for Ukraine, which would allow people who arrived after this date to apply as well but that is not something that is known at this time.
• Re-parole: They can apply for re-parole which, if granted, will extend their parole deadline, but does not make humanitarian parole a more stable status.

Cubans:

• Cuban Adjustment Act: Cubans who have been in the U.S. for one year, can apply for adjustment to permanent status through the Cuban Adjustment Act, which offers a path to citizenship.

Haitians:

• Temporary Protected Status: Like humanitarian parole, TPS is a discretionary authority. It allows an administration to authorize temporary status to individuals of specific nationalities already in the United States should it be unsafe to return home. Haitians who have arrived on or before June 3, 2024, can apply for TPS. They must apply by Feb. 3, 2026. It is possible that USCIS will issue a redesignation of TPS for Haiti, which would allow people who arrived after this date to apply as well but that is not something that is known at this time.

Nicaraguans:

• Temporary Protected Status: Nicaraguans are not currently eligible for Temporary Protected Status. It is possible that USCIS will issue TPS for Nicaragua but that is not something that is known at this time.

Venezuelans:

• Temporary Protected Status: Like humanitarian parole, TPS is a discretionary authority. It allows an administration to authorize temporary status to individuals of specific nationalities already in the United States should it be unsafe to return home. Venezuelans who arrived on or before July 31, 2023, can apply for TPS. They must apply by April 2, 2025. It is possible that USCIS will issue a redesignation of TPS for Venezuela, which would allow people who arrived after this date to apply as well but that is not something that is known at this time.

Without legal status, individuals can be at risk of deportation; but individuals who entered the U.S. through humanitarian parole sponsorship programs are not likely to be a target of immediate deportation. It would require a court hearing and a process that would take some time.

If humanitarian parole is revoked, work authorization that is based on that parole status will be revoked as well. Asylum, TPS, and other alternative forms of status include eligibility for work authorization, but the individual will need to apply both for the alternative status and the new work authorization.

Submit it as soon as possible. However, there’s no guarantee that newcomers will arrive before the program is potentially impacted by the new administration’s policies, or if they do arrive in time, retain their legal status.

Humanitarian parole applications are still being processed, but it seems likely that the program will be ended under the next administration, before all current applications are evaluated.

USCIS is working quickly to process re-parole applications. We do not yet know what will happen after Jan. 20, 2025.

For the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans: The U.S. government may grant advance travel authorization to up to 30,000 noncitizens each month to seek parole on a case-by-case basis under the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. Due to high interest in these processes, USCIS updated the review process effective May 17, 2023.

Under the new review process, USCIS randomly selects about half of the monthly total of Forms I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, regardless of filing date, from the entire pending workload to review. USCIS will review the other half of the monthly total of Forms I-134A based on when the case was submitted under the first-in, first-out method, which prioritizes the oldest Forms I-134A for review. This is intended to maintain a meaningful and equitable opportunity for all beneficiaries of a Form I-134A to move forward through the process and seek advance travel authorization. For more information, see the USCIS web alert.

To inquire about the status of a submitted Form I-134A or make a correction to a submitted Form I-134A, applicants should log in and send a secure message from their USCIS online account.

For Uniting for Ukraine: USCIS is accepting and considering, on a case-by-case basis, re-parole requests from certain Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who were paroled into the United States on or after Feb. 11, 2022. The I-134A review timeline for new applications has been affected by the processing of re-parole applications, and supporters may experience longer review timelines.

To inquire about the status of a submitted Form I-134A or make a correction to a submitted Form I-134A, applicants should log in and send a secure message from their USCIS online account.

For more information, see the Contacting USCIS About Form I-134A section on the Frequently Asked Questions about Uniting for Ukraine page.

If you’re interested in sponsoring, submit your Welcome Corps matching application. We highly encourage you to submit an application as soon as possible.

You also can donate to Welcome.US to ensure we can continue supporting hundreds of community organizations and thousands of sponsors and newcomers. Your donation will help us continue to support them as they navigate this uncertain time.