There are few terms in immigration policy that can be so confusing as the word sponsor. The U.S. government recently rolled out two new sponsorship programs; my intention here is to give a brief overview of both. If you want or need more detailed information, please follow up with your own research. To learn about other types of immigrant sponsorship you may want to consult with an immigration attorney.
1. CHNV Process
The CHNV process is also known as sponsorship of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. In this model, the sponsor must live in the U.S., but does not need to be a citizen or legal permanent resident (LPR). The sponsor must pass a security background check, and prove financial stability. The sponsor must know the person(s) they are sponsoring, or at least their basic identifying information. There is an official government website to match prospective sponsors with potential immigrants.
Sponsors are responsible to fly the immigrant(s) to the U.S., house them, help them find work, enroll children in school, and pay for medical care. If the immigrants are from Cuba or Haiti, they will likely be eligible for Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) support, including cash assistance, case management, ESL classes, job support, etc. If they are from Nicaragua or Venezuela, they will not be eligible for anything other than a work permit.
People coming to the U.S. through the CHNV Process apply for Humanitarian Parole, a temporary status that typically lasts for two years with the CHNV Program. The idea is to offer temporary relief for populations whose home countries are experiencing some form of humanitarian disaster, with the idea that once the humanitarian disaster has resolved, most individuals would want to return to their homes. Once the individual is in the U.S., if they want to remain beyond the expiration date of their parole and would not feel safe returning to their country, they could potentially apply for asylum. But asylum status is difficult to receive.
Translation: A sponsor could potentially spend a lot of money, time, and energy on a family that has no case for asylum or any other pathway to legal presence in the U.S. beyond their temporary humanitarian parole. If the migrant has no legal pathway to stay in the U.S., they must return to their home country upon expiration of their humanitarian parole, or remain in the U.S. illegally or be deported.
In my opinion, this system is open for potential abuse by sponsors. With little oversight, deceptive sponsors could practice human trafficking and other abuses. Also, with the myriad complications of the U.S. immigration system, newcomers can be sorely disappointed to learn that their humanitarian parole expires after two years.
2. Welcome Corps
Welcome Corps is modeled after the Canadian program of private refugee sponsorship. Under Welcome Corps, sponsors must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, at least 18 years old, and undergo a security background check. Sponsors must be part of a team that consists of at least 5 adults living in the same geographical area. Sponsor teams must raise at least $2375 per immigrant that they sponsor, to cover initial resettlement costs. Sponsors must complete an application, a Welcome Plan, training, surveys, and reports.
With Welcome Corps, immigrants are vetted refugees who are waiting in the refugee resettlement pipeline. This means they have already gone through the 18-24 month process of security, criminal, and health background checks. Shortly after arrival in the U.S., refugees can receive a work permit and a SSN, and after the initial 90 days they will be eligible for ORR benefits. Refugees have legal status to live and work in the U.S., and a pathway to eventual citizenship, should they choose.
Sponsors are responsible for initial housing of the refugees, medical appointments, enrolling children in school, helping refugees to find jobs—all things a resettlement agency would normally do—and will be completely responsible for their sponsored family for the first 90 days. The idea is that sponsor teams might be able to receive refugees in locations where there are no refugee resettlement agencies, such as more rural areas. Welcome Corps will also help the U.S. to come closer to our goal of resettling 125,000 refugees this fiscal year.
Those are the basics of the two programs. The main differences I see are that with CHNV, the immigrants have less government support, especially those from Nicaragua and Venezuela. The sponsors also have less support and oversight. The immigrants might not ever qualify to stay in the U.S., in which case they will either go home, be deported, or stay in the U.S. illegally after their humanitarian parole expires.
With the Welcome Corps, both the immigrants and the sponsors will have much more government support and oversight. Refugees have a pathway to remain in the U.S. and even become citizens. If you’re interested in forming or becoming part of a sponsor team, check out the Welcome Corps website: welcomecorps.org
stand4welcome 