Private Sponsorship

Private sponsorship programs empower everyday Americans to play a leading role in welcoming refugees arriving through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program by fully supporting their resettlement and integration independently of local resettlement agencies. 

This deep level of engagement involves groups of five or more community members coming together in solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable people to secure housing, enroll children in school, assist with employment, and facilitate other core support services essential to successful integration.  

The Solidarity Circles’ private sponsorship team provides support and guidance to community members sponsoring refugees through two similar yet legally distinct programs: 

  • Welcome Corps

    Welcome Corps is an exciting new initiative launched by the US Department of State in January of 2023 which allows community members to sponsor refugees with refugee status through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. For more information, visit the Welcome Corps website.

  • Welcome Circles

    The Welcome Circles (also called Sponsor Circles) program allows community members to sponsor displaced families from Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who are seeking safety in the United States through Humanitarian Parole. Currently USCCB’s Welcome Circle program is operating only in Boston, Cleveland and Seattle. For more information, visit the Welcome Circles website.