The State Department launched a new refugee admission program called Welcome Corps on Thursday.
It will allow everyday Americans to directly help refugees adjust to life in the U.S. through private sponsorship. The program aims to lower government costs while boosting admission rates.
The initiative will have two phases: the first of which will begin facilitating matches between private sponsors and refugees arriving within the first six months of 2023. The second will launch in mid-2023.
Senior State Department Officials emphasized the plan is one among numerous initiatives to “reach the target that the President has set of 125,000 refugees admitted per year”.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration also rolled out an admission program that will allow up to 30,000 individuals per month coming from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti to work in the country via parole for two years, extending the successful Venezuela parole process.