RefugePoint Welcomes Biden Administration’s Expansion of Private Sponsorship Program for Refugees

Americans can now directly support refugees they know through private sponsorship

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOSTON, December 19, 2023 — RefugePoint, the organization that partners with refugees to access life-changing solutions, welcomes today’s announcement by the U.S. State Department of  the expansion of The Welcome Corps. This private sponsorship program within the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program allows people in the U.S. to sponsor individuals or families forcibly displaced from their homes and are living abroad as registered refugees. The Welcome Corps was first launched in January 2023, but sponsors could not choose the individuals they supported.

Now, American citizens and permanent residents are able to identify a specific refugee or refugee family overseas — including family, friends, and colleagues — and apply to directly sponsor their life-saving resettlement in the U.S. through private sponsorship. As long as the individuals identified are registered refugees and fit other criteria, and can pass the strict interviewing, security checks, and vetting of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, they are potentially eligible for resettlement.

“This expansion comes at a crucial time when more than 114 million people have been forced to flee their homes,” noted Sasha Chanoff, founder and CEO of RefugePoint. “The program builds on America’s founding principles of providing refuge to those fleeing war and persecution,” he added.

The Welcome Corps was built using lessons learned from the successful Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans, which RefugePoint helped to implement. “We have provided guidance to various stakeholders involved in the Welcome Corps’ development to help ensure its success,” Chanoff explained. The Sponsor Circle Program played an important role in supporting Afghans evacuated into the U.S. to integrate into new communities across the country. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the Biden administration created an opportunity to Sponsor Ukrainians called Uniting for Ukraine, which puts the housing and financial responsibilities on the shoulders of the sponsors. More than 170,000 have arrived.

Similarly, Welcome Corps sponsors work in groups of five to raise funds, create a resettlement plan, welcome refugee newcomers at the airport, enroll children in school, and more.

This new program “dramatically expands opportunities for family reunification in the U.S.” Chanoff said, noting that “reuniting refugee families is one of RefugePoint’s top priorities.” The organization recently announced that it will help to lead a global effort to help reunite one million separated refugee families over the next five years.

Since 2005, RefugePoint has helped over 140,000 refugees access resettlement and other pathways to safety, and thousands more to achieve self-reliance and inclusion in their host communities. Many former refugees in the US whom RefugePoint has helped will likely be sending for family and loved ones abroad.