Can I sponsor a refugee family financially?
We are deeply grateful for your compassionate response to the plight of refugees. The International Rescue Committee’s emergency teams are unable to pair families with financial sponsors. However, your support of our humanitarian relief efforts directly benefits families escaping crisis and allows the IRC to respond immediately and effectively.
In addition, some of the IRC’s 29 offices in the U.S. offer opportunities to mentor refugee families and support cultural orientation for families who have recently arrived in the the country.
Can I host a refugee family in my home?
The IRC does not place refugee families in private homes because we cannot independently verify the safety of each placement. Instead, we help refugees who have been welcomed by the United States to rebuild their lives by helping them find their own safe, secure homes. We believe that this is a more sustainable solution that respects the inherent dignity of the people we serve.
Can I help refugees come to the U.S.?
Certain immediate family members in the U.S. may petition for resettlement for their relatives who are refugees overseas. To do so, the family living in the U.S. must contact an agency in their area affiliated with one of the nine national voluntary resettlement organizations, which work with the U.S. State Department. Filing an application in support of a relative does NOT guarantee that they will be accepted for resettlement in the U.S., as they must demonstrate that they meet all eligibility criteria through the same process as all refugees resettled through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
If you'd like to help refugees who have already been invited to start new lives in the U.S., contact an IRC office near you or another resettlement organization in your community to find out about volunteer opportunities.
Learn more about how refugees make it to the United States.
How can I adopt a refugee child?
The IRC does not facilitate adoptions, but supports traumatized children and works to reunite them with family members wherever possible.
In most cases it is best for orphaned children to be placed with members of their extended family or with other families from their own communities. Read more about protocols about adoption set forth by the United Nations refugee agency and the U.S. Department of State.