Welcome.US Expands 'Welcome Connect' Platform to Match U.S. Sponsors with Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans Seeking Refuge

First-of-its-kind tool initially helped match sponsors in the U.S. with Ukrainians in need of safety 

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the U.S. government's announcement of expanded humanitarian sponsorship pathways through the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, Welcome.US is expanding its Welcome Connect platform today to support Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans — in addition to Ukrainians. Eligible beneficiaries and those interested in sponsoring newcomers are now able to register and create profiles on Welcome Connect. The platform will enable potential sponsors to connect with and begin the sponsorship journey with eligible Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans in need of safety.

In less than a year, Welcome Connect has helped more than 1,400 Ukrainians find sponsors in the United States. And, more than 200,000 sponsors across America have stepped up to provide a pathway to safety for Ukrainians forced to flee their homes. The platform has made it possible for Americans who want to help, but do not know how, to connect and welcome those in need — like the Teigland family in Kansas City who are sponsoring a family from Kharkiv.

Previously, there was no streamlined and efficient process for potential sponsors to find beneficiaries without already knowing one another. Welcome Connect bridges this gap by giving Americans interested in sponsorship and those seeking refuge a secure, accessible way to connect, start a conversation, and mutually agree on sponsorship.

"Our communities have an immense capacity to welcome. We see it every day. But they don't always have the information about how they can help, or safe and secure tools to connect with the people who need it. That's why we've created innovative solutions that make it easier for Americans to support newcomers as sponsors. This last year has repeatedly shown us that Americans are ready and eager to step up — we just need to provide the pathways to do so," said Welcome.US CEO Nazain Ash.

Welcome Connect is a first-of-its-kind platform designed to help people fleeing violence, oppression, and strife connect with Americans willing to sponsor them. As of February 2023, over 200,000 Americans have submitted applications to sponsor Ukrainians under the Uniting for Ukraine program, and more than 100,000 Ukrainian beneficiaries have arrived in the United States. Based on the success of Uniting for Ukraine, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has expanded the humanitarian sponsorship program to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, to allow those populations a similar path to safety.

Welcome.US is working with national and community-based partners to recruit Americans to step up as sponsors. In order to maintain the sustainability of the platform and ensure both sponsors and beneficiaries are able to make successful connections, Welcome.US and its partners will actively recruit sponsors from the American public and phase signups.

Once a connection is established, the potential sponsor and beneficiary can mutually decide to pursue sponsorship through the U.S. government's Uniting for Ukraine or Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans programs.

Those interested in learning more can sign up to get information on sponsorship and new resources as they become available and visit the Welcome.US Welcome Hub for answers to frequently asked questions and a guide to the new sponsorship processes. Resources are available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, and will guide potential sponsors step-by-step through the application process.

About Welcome.US
At Welcome.US, our mission is to unleash the desire and capacity of Americans to welcome newcomers and help them thrive. We catalyze the support that improves outcomes for newcomers, in ways that build the ongoing, enduring, geographically and politically diverse constituency that will ensure support for welcoming more newcomers in the long-run. We operate on the evidence that direct participation with newcomers transforms both the welcomer and those being welcomed. By making it easier for Americans from all walks of life to participate in the work of welcoming — and telling their stories — we are building a movement that celebrates America's welcoming spirit by providing an opportunity to serve for all who seek to welcome.

In partnership with local and national resettlement agencies, diaspora organizations and leaders, refugees, community sponsorship groups, nonprofits, businesses, faith-based institutions, veterans, universities, four former Presidents and four former First Ladies, and the U.S. government, Welcome.US is the single point of entry for Americans who want to get involved and support those who are starting new lives in the United States. To learn more about Welcome.US, please visit welcome.us.

SOURCE Welcome.US