January 7th, 2024 at 08:20 am
Biden Administration Immigration Program: Welcome Corps Phase 2 Now Open
The Welcome Core Phase 2 program is available and accepting qualified groups consisting of five or more US citizens or permanent residents. A person or family must fulfill certain requirements and pass background checks to be identified as eligible for sponsorship.
When the initiative was launched in January 2023, sponsors of anonymous people could participate. In phase 2, only families of refugees and members of other religious and human rights organizations are anticipated to take part. To meet its overall target of admitting 125,000 refugees in fiscal year 2024, the Biden Administration intends to import 10,000 refugees through a sponsorship opportunity.
Those who apply from overseas can be granted refugee status. Those who are already in the US are eligible for asylum. Only 85 migrants have arrived in the US via the Welcome Corp Program thus far. This falls very short of the target of 5,000 refugees processed in the 2023 fiscal year. Despite this increase, the State Department stated that they anticipate a large number of applications.
The period might vary from six months to several years once sponsors have decided who they wish to support to travel to the US. Potential refugees must register with the US as of September 30, 2023, for them to travel to the US. The goal of this cutoff is to deter participants from leaving their homes to participate.
Qualified Individuals
If they are eligible for refugee status and have an upcoming sponsorship application, people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who have opportunities for legal status to enter the US under the Parole Program may also apply for the Welcome Core Phase 2 Program. Here are some actions to take into consideration during the process if you are thinking about your alternatives for phase 2 of the welcome core program for refugees.
Welcome Core Application Steps
1. Check Eligibility
Use the eligibility tool on the Welcome Core website to verify the refugee you wish to sponsor is eligible. Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Sudan are among the nations that are now ineligible for welcoming Core; although, refugees who are nationals of those nations who apply in a nation that is not on the list may still be eligible.
Sponsors may only submit one application at a time, for a single applicant or a family consisting of up to ten members living in the same home. The family must plan to live in the same household in the United States as well as currently reside in the same nation. After a refugee is authorized and arrives in the US, sponsors must wait three months before applying to the same person. They must then establish a private sponsorship group and register an account to sponsor another refugee.
To create a single account for the group, the five qualifying sponsors must choose a key contact or group coordinator. The group’s sponsors will need to come up with a catchy moniker. Sponsors must participate in an online training course and an information session. To apply, one person must be present and provide proof of training.
The sponsor group members will then be added by the group coordinator. Throughout the application process, each sponsor will need to sign a commitment contract and submit background checks via the partner at Sterling Volunteers website.
2. Proof of Support for the Refugee
It is crucial to provide evidence of support for the refugee upon their arrival. Before the refugees arrive, the group must raise $2,425 for each one of them. Welcome Core needs verification of $1,455 for each refugee before accepting an application. They accept bank statements, GoFundMe accounts, and letters from nonprofit organizations as forms of evidence.
Statements from bank accounts designated for the refugee—not from personal accounts—must be submitted. Additionally, the sponsors must research Core Sponsorship Services or a plan and present their findings. This involves giving the refugee access to applications and information on the names and locations of physicians, health care facilities, mental health services, public benefits, and other places where their health is assessed.
Long-term housing and a means of attending language instruction, whether official or informal, must be provided by the sponsors. They must also assist the sponsored refugee in obtaining a job, education, and, if necessary, child care. These are a few samples of the necessary planning that must be included with the application.
The sponsors must give a variety of details on the refugees, including their ID cards, biographical details, the cause for their refugee status, images, documents for refugees, and even more. Sponsors can check the application dashboard for duties asked by Welcome Core after submitting their application. These possible tasks will need to be completed and returned by the deadline if the application is still pending.
Application Approval
The sponsor group could be affiliated with a private sponsor organization upon permission. The US Refugee Admissions Program will be referred to by the refugee. The sponsored refugees will be processed by the US government and will go through security and medical checks. After they clear the tests, USRAP will make travel arrangements for them to enter the US.
The sponsors must execute their documented plan as soon as they arrive and turn in the necessary 30-day and 90-day reports.
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