IRIS is excited to partner in the national launch of Welcome Corps to welcome refugee newcomers as they begin life in America. You can join us to sponsor refugees. As a sponsor, your group of at least 5 US residents will secure and furnish housing, greet refugee newcomers at the airport, enroll children in school, and help adults find employment. These shared acts of welcome strengthen communities and make it easier for newcomers to adjust to life in the U.S. — providing access to critical services, social networks and initial financial and in-kind support.
What Is the Welcome Corps?
Welcome Corps equips U.S.-based residents, working in groups of at least five, to welcome refugee newcomers as they begin life in America.
As a sponsor in the Welcome Corps, your group will secure and
furnish initial housing, greet the refugee newcomers at the airport, enroll children in school, and help
adults to find employment. These shared acts of welcome strengthen communities and make it easier
for newcomers to adjust to life in the United States—providing access to critical services, social
networks and initial financial and in-kind support.
In 2023, the Welcome Corps aims to mobilize and equip at least 10,000 Americans and lawful permanent residents to welcome refugees through private sponsorship and experience the community benefits of welcoming.
Many of the refugee families who will be welcomed by sponsors in the first months of Welcome Corps will come from Sub-Saharan Africa, where they have been waiting for years to restart their lives in safety.
Welcome Corps is a private sponsorship of refugees program launched by the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) as part of the Biden administration’s commitment to restoring and enhancing the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
In December 2022, PRM entered into an agreement with the Community Sponsorship Hub and its consortium of partners to design, implement and launch Welcome Corps and Welcome.US.
The Welcome Corps consortium includes six organizations with expertise in refugee resettlement, protection and welcome
Church World Service/ Refugee Welcome Collective, Community Sponsorship Hub (CSH), Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Learn more from these frequently asked questions OR by watching this recording of a recent General Information Session
You can also contact us at [email protected]