Intro to Sponsorship

Sponsors may be retirees looking for an engaging service opportunity or groups of busy parents with excellent time management skills. Your book club, neighbors, faith group, local Girl or Boy Scouts troop, or service group can all make excellent sponsor groups.

The vast majority of U.S. residents can sponsor through at least one of the sponsorship programs (for example, the humanitarian parole program for those who want to sponsor Ukrainians) and Welcome Corps to sponsor refugees from other countries.

You may also be able to sponsor alongside a nonprofit organization or with the support of an employer.

The people who are seeking a sponsor have all been forced to flee their homelands. Their reasons for leaving their country are all unique, but some common causes include:

• They fled war and violence.
• They experienced persecution due to their race, ethnicity, or nationality, or because they are a member of a particular social, cultural, political, or religious group.
• They faced persecution because of their gender or sexual orientation.
• They worked with U.S. government agencies or the U.S. military, and it is no longer safe for them to stay in their home country.
• They worked with U.S.-based non-governmental organizations to provide aid in their home country.

Refugees resettled to the U.S. through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (which includes Welcome Corps) 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

Newcomers may arrive from:

• African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Somalia
• Countries in East Asia, Europe, and Central Asia such as Ukraine and Afghanistan
• Latin America/Caribbean countries such as Venezuela and Haiti
• Counties in the Middle East/South Asia such as Iraq, Iran, Myanmar (Burma), and Sri Lanka

There are two ways to sponsor a friend or loved one you already know.

If your friend or loved one is from one of the countries below, you can apply to sponsor them through the humanitarian sponsorship programs or the Welcome Corps program naming option.

• Cuba
• Haiti
• Nicaragua
• Venezuela
• Ukraine

Visit the links above for more information on how to sponsor people from these countries.

If your friend or family member is a refugee (as defined by U.S. law) from any other country, you can apply to sponsor them through the Welcome Corps program.

Visit the Welcome Corps’s Sponsor a Refugee You Know page for more information.

If you don’t know someone to sponsor, you can be matched with an individual or family seeking a sponsor.

Some people caught in protracted crises in Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo can wait years—or even decades—to be resettled. The new Welcome Corps program will match you with one of these families to sponsor.

Learn more on the Welcome Corps website.

You can also use our Welcome Connect platform to connect with people fleeing urgent crises from eligible countries such as Ukraine. Americans can register on the platform and complete your profile to begin a conversation with people seeking sponsorship. You’ll make a mutual decision about whether to pursue a sponsor application together.

Learn more about Welcome Connect.

Sponsorship includes some basic financial responsibilities. Sponsors support newcomers as they find their footing in the United States, secure jobs, and become self-sufficient. Financial requirements vary, depending on the program.

• If you apply to sponsor under Welcome Corps, you must raise a minimum of $2,375 in cash and in-kind contributions per refugee newcomer being welcomed. This is used to secure and furnish housing and provide for people’s initial basic needs during the three-month support period, while the newcomer secures employment. Depending on the cost of living in your community, you may find you need to raise more than the minimum.

Learn more on the Welcome Corps site.

• If you are applying to sponsor under the humanitarian sponsorship program (such as through Uniting for Ukraine) you must sign a Declaration of Financial Support form. This commitment assures the U.S. government that if needed, you will financially support the newcomers you seek to sponsor for up to two years. While the declaration is not meant to be legally binding, it’s important to recognize that beneficiaries will likely need your initial help, including financially, as they work to rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient. Most newcomers of working age are self-sufficient within a matter of months.

There’s no set amount required for humanitarian sponsorship. But you and your group should plan to raise at least $3,000 for each person sponsored. This money will help the family get settled in the first days and weeks after their arrival in the U.S. before they secure employment.

Not all sponsor groups start out with the financial resources needed to sponsor newcomers—but often, members of your community are eager to help. See our Fundraising Tips and Tools for information about ways to fundraise to meet newcomers’ basic needs.

We recommend these steps to get started with sponsorship:

Step 1: Determine which sponsorship program is right for you.

Step 2: Start fundraising.

Not all sponsor groups start out with the financial resources needed to start to sponsor newcomers—but often, members of your community are eager to help.

See our Fundraising Tips and Tools.

Step 3: Make a list of initial tasks.

In addition to helping the newcomers you are sponsoring with financial needs, you will need to help them find healthcare, perhaps schooling, and employment.

This checklist can serve as a guide.

Go to our Resources section to find more guides and toolkits to support you at every stage of your sponsor journey.