American sponsors will be able to nominate individuals to be resettled in the United States under a new refugee program that the Biden administration is launching. This initiative aims to facilitate family reunions and increase engagement from regular Americans in resettlement efforts.
In a program run by the Welcome Corps, officials informed Reuters that groups of five or more permanent residents or US citizens may nominate an individual or family to sponsor, provided that they fulfill certain requirements and pass background checks. Those who are anticipated to take part include members of religious groups, the LGBT community, veterans, and relatives of refugees.
United Nations and the US State Department officials used to choose most refugees arriving in the US.
Expanding Programs for Refugees
US President Joe Biden has initiated several initiatives to facilitate the legitimate entry of migrants and those escaping their home nations. In fiscal year 2024, the administration plans to accept 125,000 refugees, with 10,000 of them coming in via sponsorships.
Migrants already present in the US are eligible for a different kind of protection known as asylum, while those applying from outside the country are granted refugee status.
Some Republicans have demanded more restrictions on refugees despite the fact that they are legitimately admitted after undergoing screening. In his time as president, Donald Trump drastically reduced the number of refugees allowed in.
In an interview, Sarah Cross, a deputy assistant secretary for the State Department, said that Americans are eager to help refugees and that sponsorships facilitate this effort. "This program taps into the tremendous capacity and willingness of our communities to help people arrive in safe, orderly, and legal ways with the support that they need, which should appeal to any administration."
In January 2023, the Biden government started private sponsorships. The first refugees, who were given to sponsors instead of being selected, came in June.
So far, the sponsorship scheme has allowed 85 refugees to enter the country, but officials from the State Department have said that the numbers have been steadily rising.
Biden Admin's New Scheme
In order to be eligible for the new program, those seeking asylum must have registered with the UN by September 30, 2023. This deadline is intended to deter individuals from leaving their home countries just for the purpose of participating.
Refugees from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela who have pending sponsorship applications under a different Biden "parole" scheme are eligible to apply.
A 30-year-old woman named Luwam Abraham migrated to the US from Eritrea when she was a child. She presently has six relatives living in refugee camps in Ethiopia and plans to use the new program to bring them over.
A director at a Grand Rapids long-term care facility in Michigan named Abraham said that she and her colleagues had collected enough to meet the minimum need for sponsorship of $2,425 per person. According to Abraham, new immigrants may find entry-level positions in Grand Rapids, but they would benefit from having personal contact to assist them with language and cultural barriers.
