Welcome.Us and What It Means to Be a Sponsor
At our core, I-ARC is an organization that connects, and our partnership with Welcome.Us is no different: we’re here to work together to support individuals and organizations are interested in sponsoring Ukrainians, one of the many communities in crisis we work to assist, seeking refuge in New York State.
From our end, I-ARC serves as a resource for sponsors and potential sponsors, providing them information and guidance on how to be a good sponsor and how to best support the people they are sponsoring, as well as connect them with legal services. Any person, group of people or an organization can apply to be a sponsor.
Being a sponsor is a huge commitment that is extremely important for the people being sponsored. Note: they are not technically refugees. Sponsors have a responsibility to help people settle into the US, get everything they need - from work to healthcare to education - and financially support them during this time of transition. By being a sponsor, a person has a huge impact on a person's life, but it takes a lot of work and commitment.
In terms of the nitty gritty of sponsorship, such as the specific responsibilities of a sponsor and how a person or entity fulfills those requirements, including the duration of the sponsorship, welcome.us has the most useful information and process orientation.
In fact, in less than 24 hours, more than 2,200 Ukrainian families signed up on their Welcome Connect hub, hoping to connect with potential sponsors as they seek refuge in the United States. Welcome Connect is a first-of-its-kind platform that enables Americans who want to be a sponsor, but don’t know anyone fleeing the war in Ukraine, to be connected with Ukrainians seeking refuge.
Register at Welcome Connect to sponsor a Ukrainian. Registration is not an immediate obligation to sponsor – you will create a profile, be offered an online training and start the process of connecting with a Ukrainian seeking refuge to decide whether sponsorship is a good fit for you.
