Americans can sponsor refugees directly under programme launching this week

Small groups can sponsor refugees for $2,275 as part of a new Welcome Corps programme

Afghan refugees in their new home in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Reuters

Groups of Americans will be able to directly sponsor refugees for resettlement in the US under a new programme launching on Thursday, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters, a step that could bolster admissions and reduce government costs.

Under the pilot programme, which will be called the Welcome Corps, groups of at least five people will be expected to raise a minimum of $2,275 per refugee assigned to them by the government, one of the people said.

The sponsor groups will also be required to pass background checks and create a support plan.

The programme will aim to find US sponsors for 5,000 refugees in fiscal year 2023, which ends on September 30, another of the sources said.

The individual sponsorship programme for refugees — similar to a model used in Canada — is part of a broader effort by US President Joe Biden to provide opportunities for Americans to support foreigners seeking protection.

Earlier this month, Mr Biden rolled out a humanitarian entry programme that allows up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter via “parole” if they have US sponsors and travel by air.

The administration also used parole to admit Afghans and Ukrainians and piloted sponsor programmes to support them in the US.

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  The US border fence in Tijuana, Mexico. All photos: Willy Lowry / The National

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  The entrance to Unidad Deportiva Benito Juarez, where hundreds of Ukrainian refugees are staying.

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  Georg Bondarenko with his uncle in Tijuana, having fled Ukraine.

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  Ukrainians are sleeping beside luggage in Tijuana.

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  Children pick out toys from a donation box at the sports complex where Ukrainian refugees are staying in Tijuana.

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  A young girl plays with a toy.

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  Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees are sleeping in the gymnasium in Tijuana.

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  Victoria and her partner fled Kyiv for the US. Here they pose inside a refugee camp in Tijuana, Mexico.

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  Sandra, a 21-year-old university student, waits to enter the US.

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  Karina Konotopets fled Chernihiv at the start of the war.

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  Ukrainians huddle around a makeshift charging station in Tijuana.

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  Anastasiya Polo is one of the lead volunteers helping to organise the makeshift refugee camp in Tijuana.

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  A woman carries a child on to a bus in Tijuana.

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  A bus carrying refugees is parked in front of the sports complex where Ukrainians are staying in Tijuana.

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  A young girl sits on a bus in Tijuana, waiting to enter the US.

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  Ukrainian refugees walk up the pedestrian ramp to the PedWest point of entry into the United States.

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  Ukrainian refugees wait to enter the US.

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  The San Ysidro Port of Entry from Tijuana.

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  A man wearing a sombrero and draped in Ukrainian flag welcomes refugees on the US side of the border.

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  Victoria and her partner pose with a young child on the US side of the border.

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  The controversial US border fence stretches for kilometres near Tijuana.

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  The US border fence stretches towards the Pacific Ocean.

The Welcome Corps programme will bring in refugees through the US Refugee Resettlement Programme, which takes referrals from the UN and US embassies.

Mr Biden set a cap of 125,000 refugee admissions this fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2022, but only 6,750 arrived from October-December, according to programme data.

The US greatly curtailed refugee entries under former Republican president Donald Trump, who portrayed them as a security threat. Admissions have yet to rebound to pre-Trump levels.

Sasha Chanoff, founder of RefugePoint, which identifies people in need of resettlement, said the sponsorships could be one of the most significant developments for the US refugee programme since it began in 1980.

“It invites Americans to get involved in new ways,” he said.

Giant refugee puppet joins 'huddled masses' in New York — in pictures

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  Little Amal, a giant puppet depicting a Syrian refugee girl, walks outside St Patrick's Cathedral in New York. AFP

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  The puppet was built to raise awareness of the plight of displaced children seeking safety across borders. AFP

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  She started her journey at the Syrian-Turkish border in July 2021. AFP

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  Little Amal walks through Times Square in New York City. AFP

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  On a 17-day tour of New York City, Little Amal will visit a variety of neighbourhoods while raising awareness about immigration and refugees. AFP

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  Little Amal, who has been touring around the world, symbolises a 10-year-old Syrian refugee girl. AFP

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  She met Ukrainian refugees in Europe. AFP

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  The puppet performs with members of New Victory LabWorks at the New York Public Library. AFP

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  The tour, organised by The Walk Productions and St Ann's Warehouse, will cover all five boroughs at 55 events. AFP

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  Little Amal at the New York Public Library. AFP

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  Her producers chose New York because America and Europe are where the 'huddled masses' are welcome. AFP

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  She was designed by the Handspring Puppet Company based in South Africa. AFP

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  Little Amal walks around Grand Central Station. AP

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  Newlyweds meet Little Amal. AFP

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  Little Amal is trying to reach every corner of the Big Apple. AP