This past March, Patchwork Indy became one of the first organizations in Indiana to become a Private Sponsor Organization (PSO) through the U.S. federal Welcome Corps program. We are empowering Hoosiers throughout the state to take advantage of the incredible opportunities the Welcome Corps presents.
The Welcome Corps is the boldest innovation in refugee resettlement in four decades.
- U.S. Department of State Press Statement, January 19, 2023
What is Welcome Corps?
A program under the U.S. Department of State in which groups of five or more legal permanent residents or citizens who live in the same area join as a Private Sponsorship Group (PSG) to sponsor a refugee or other immigrant that meets eligibility criteria to resettle permanently in the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
Private Sponsor Groups can also welcome eligible Afghans, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to safety in the United States.
A New Path to Resettlement in the U.S.
A refugee who arrives through Welcome Corps can:
Apply for permanent residency after one year in the U.S.
Apply for citizenship after five years.
Work upon arrival without applying for work authorization.
Be referred to be sponsored through Welcome Corps.
Be matched with a private sponsor group that can best support them.
How does Patchwork Indy, as a Private Sponsorship Organization, play a role in Welcome Corps?
Mobilize and train PSGs.
Provide application support to PSGs.
Support coordination of resources to PSGs.
Serve as liaison between PSGs and federal government administrators.
Our diverse team of international policy experts has met with faith communities and faith-based organizations interested in sponsoring refugees through the matching program. And within a month of being approved as a PSO, we have helped ten sponsor groups submit applications to sponsor loved ones to come to the U.S. for safety and community. Two of these applications have already been approved by the Welcome Corps team and are going on to the next step in the processing pipeline.
Upcoming events Patchwork Indy will host as a Welcome Corps PSO
April 6: Personal one-on-one application support sessions with local Indianapolis faith communities.
April 25: Engaging higher education institutions with Welcome Corps on Campus, a Welcome Corps initiative to provide resettlement to refugee students. Sign up here.
April 28 : Sponsor an Afghan through Welcome Corps information session. Sign up here.
We look forward to working with more sponsor groups to apply for refugees they know or be matched with a refugee household!