Finding a Sponsor

Watch these guides to registering on Welcome Connect:

• English
• Haitian Creole
• Spanish
• Ukrainian

Again, the Welcome Connect registration page will open for beneficiary sign-ups on the 3rd Tuesday of each month.

Registration will open at 3 pm Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which means:

• If you are in Nicaragua, registration will open at 9 am (Central Standard Time)
• If you are in Haiti or Cuba, registration will open at 10 am (Eastern Standard Time)
• If you are in Venezuela, registration will open at 11 am (Atlantic Standard Time)
• If you are in Ukraine, registration will open at 5 pm (Eastern European Time)

If you were not able to register this month, we encourage you to try again next month. But we also want to be transparent about the challenges.

To work effectively and safely, the Welcome Connect platform must have balance between those who want to sponsor and those who are seeking a sponsor. To keep that balance, we have to limit the number of newcomer registrations on the platform—so many people who are attempting to sign up during the registration period won't be able to do so.

As we recruit more Americans to sponsor, we will be able to accept more registrations from people who are anxiously awaiting an opportunity to connect.

Welcome Connect is a free platform—there is no fee associated with registering or using the Welcome Connect platform, nor is there a fee to file the humanitarian parole application (Form I-134A) with USCIS.

Welcome.US will never ask you to pay to access the platform as either a sponsor or beneficiary or grant anyone preferential access based on a fee.

Do not pay money to anyone who claims they can help you find a sponsor on Welcome Connect for a fee.

To protect yourself and your family, keep these safety tips in mind during this process.

A sponsor should never:

• Require money or a fee for filing the Uniting for Ukraine application or for any other purposes related to your sponsorship.
• Note that you may have to pay for some parts of your travel to the U.S., such as flights costs, but you should not pay any such fees directly to your sponsor.
• Require that the person they are sponsoring work for them, paid or unpaid.
• Require that the person they are sponsoring do favors for them, including sexual.
• Take away travel documents or means of communication.
• Limit travel. People who enter the U.S. as part of the USCIS humanitarian sponsorship programs are free to travel anywhere in the United States, and you are not required to stay in the city/town where your sponsor lives.

If you experience any of these things when you arrive in the US:

• Tell someone immediately: Tell someone who can reach emergency services on your behalf what you are experiencing.
• Call 911 on any phone: This is the emergency number in the United States. You will talk to an emergency dispatcher, who can help you reach safety immediately.
• Additional Emergency Resources:
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
• National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

If you or someone you know is forced, tricked, or blackmailed, into working or trading sex in exchange for sponsorship or something else of change value (food, shelter, money), help is available. Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

Once you’ve found a sponsor, you’ll need to complete the following steps:

Step 1: Complete Form I-134A

Your sponsor will complete the form online, but you will need to provide them with information about yourself.

Step 2: Create your online myUSCIS account

If Form I-134A is approved, you will receive an email from USCIS to create an online myUSCIS account.

Step 3: Confirm the required information

On your myUSCIS, you will need to confirm your biographical information and fulfill all requirements, such as attestation to the required immunizations.

Step 4: Check for your Travel Authorization

You will be notified on your myUSCIS account if approved.

Step 5: The most immediate needs you likely will need to work on with your sponsor are:

• Housing Arrangement: Ensure that temporary housing has been settled on before you plan your travel coordination.
• Travel Coordination: Note that each member of your family must have travel authorization in order to arrive in the U.S.
• Employment Authorization: Your approved Form I-134A will suffice as work authorization, but only for 90 days after approval so you will need to complete Form I-765 for long-term authorization.

See more information the USCIS website.