Refugees and U.S. Resettlement
Switchboard - a new resource of Resettlement-related Informational and Training materials
Posted 9/8/2022
Funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Switchboard offers a library of learning resources, an online evidence database, a range of self-paced e-learning courses, regular live learning opportunities, and on-demand technical assistance for ORR-funded organizations. Switchboard is implemented by the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
Search its bank of Learning Resources. For example, on Afghan Newcomers, find a range of information and resources for schools and others working with Afghan arrivals.
Search its bank of Learning Resources. For example, on Afghan Newcomers, find a range of information and resources for schools and others working with Afghan arrivals.
THE REFUGEE PROJECT presents up-to-date figures on refugee migration worldwide.
California Dept. of Social Services - Refugee Programs Bureau (RPB)
Home page of the CA Refugee Programs Bureau, with the latest information on programs, policies and funding, and links to lots of information and other resources.
Posted 9/8/22
Posted 9/8/22
U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR): An Overview of The U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program
The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), State and Health and Human Services (HHS) work together to uphold America’s humanitarian response to refugees through the U.S. Resettlement Program (USRP).
Information about Refugee Admissions from the U. S. State Dept., Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
Posted 9/8/2022
About Refugee Admissions
Application and Case Processing
Reception and Placement
About Refugee Admissions
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)
Individuals outside the United States seeking admission as a refugee under Section 207 of the INA are processed through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which is managed by the Department of State in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Those admitted as refugees are eligible for U.S. government-funded resettlement assistance.
The first step for most people seeking refugee status is to register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the country to which they have fled. UNHCR determines if an individual qualifies as a refugee and, if so, works toward the best possible durable solution: safe return to the home country, local integration, or permanent resettlement in a third country.
Application and Case Processing
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program: Overseas Application and Case Processing
When a U.S. embassy or a specially trained nongovernmental organization refers a refugee applicant to the United States for resettlement, the case is first received and processed by a Resettlement Support Center (RSC). The Department of State currently funds and manages seven RSCs around the world operated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, or U.S. embassy contractors.
Certain refugee applicants can start the application process with the RSC without a referral. This includes close relatives of asylees and refugees already in the United States and applicants who belong to specific groups identified in statute or by the Department of State as eligible for direct access to the program.
Adjudication
RSCs collect biographic and other information from the applicants to prepare cases for security screening, interview, and adjudication by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) . The Secretary of Homeland Security has delegated to USCIS the authority to determine eligibility for refugee status under the INA. Refugee determinations under the INA are entirely discretionary. USCIS officers review the information that the RSC has collected and the results of security screening processes and conduct an in-person interview with each refugee applicant before deciding whether to approve him or her for classification as a refugee.
Post-Adjudication Processing
If an applicant is conditionally approved for resettlement by USCIS, RSC staff guide the refugee applicant through post-adjudication steps, including a health screening to identify medical needs and to ensure that those with a contagious disease do not enter the United States. The RSC also obtains a “sponsorship assurance” from a U.S.-based resettlement agency that receives funding from PRM for Reception and Placement (R&P) assistance. Once all required steps are completed, the RSC refers the case to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for transportation to the United States.
Transportation
The Department of State funds the international transportation of refugees resettled in the United States through a program administered by IOM. The cost of transportation is provided to refugees in the form of a no-interest loan. Refugees are responsible for repaying these loans over time through their R&P providers, beginning six months after their arrival.
Cultural Orientation
The Department of State strives to ensure that refugees admitted to the United States are prepared for the changes they will experience by providing cultural orientation programs prior to departure. Every refugee family is offered a copy of “Welcome to the United States ,” a book developed with contributions from refugee resettlement workers, resettled refugees, and government officials that provides accurate information about initial resettlement. In addition, the Department of State funds one- to five-day pre-departure orientation classes for eligible refugees at sites throughout the world. Refugees may also access cultural orientation information through a website that is translated into seven languages and provides information in numerous modes to meet all literacy levels, as well as a new mobile application.
Reception and Placement
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program: Reception and Placement
Refugees selected for resettlement through U.S. Refugee Admissions Program are eligible for Reception and Placement (R&P) assistance, unlike asylees, who arrive in the United States on their own. Each refugee approved for admission to the United States is sponsored by a non-profit resettlement agency participating in the R&P Program under a cooperative agreement with the Department of State.
Where are Refugees Resettled?
Representatives from the resettlement agencies meet frequently to review the biographic information and other case records sent by the Department of State’s overseas Resettlement Support Centers (RSC), seeking to match the particular needs of each incoming refugee with the specific resources available in U.S. communities. Through this process, they determine which resettlement agency will sponsor and where each refugee will be initially resettled in the United States.
Many refugees have family or close friends already in the United States, and resettlement agencies make every effort to reunite them. Others are placed where they have the best opportunity for success through employment with the assistance of strong community services. Agencies place refugees through a network of approximately 200 local affiliates operating in communities throughout the United States. Through its local affiliates, each agency monitors the resources that each community offers (e.g., availability of affordable and safe housing, school capacity, medical care, and employment opportunities).
What Do the Resettlement Agencies Do?
The sponsoring resettlement agency is responsible for placing refugees with one of its local affiliates and for providing initial services. The Department of State’s standard cooperative agreement with each of the resettlement agencies specifies the services the agency must provide. The R&P Program provides resettlement agencies a one-time payment per refugee to assist with expenses during a refugee’s first three months in the United States, but the program anticipates that sponsoring agencies will contribute significant cash or in-kind resources to supplement U.S. government funding.
What Happens When Refugees Arrive?
Upon arrival in the United States, all refugees are met by someone from the local resettlement affiliate or a family member or friend. They are taken to their initial housing, which has essential furnishings, appropriate food, and other basic necessities. The resettlement agencies assist refugees during their initial resettlement in the United States, including enrolling in employment services, registering youth for school, applying for Social Security cards, and connecting them with necessary social or language services. In coordination with publicly supported refugee service and assistance programs, resettlement agencies focus on assisting refugees to achieve economic self-sufficiency through employment as soon as possible after their arrival in the United States.
Refugees receive employment authorization upon arrival and are encouraged to become employed as soon as possible.
Beyond R&P
The R&P Program is limited to the first three months after arrival, but the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement works through the states and other non-governmental organizations to provide longer-term cash and medical assistance, as well as language, employment, and social services.
Application and Case Processing
Reception and Placement
About Refugee Admissions
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)
Individuals outside the United States seeking admission as a refugee under Section 207 of the INA are processed through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), which is managed by the Department of State in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Those admitted as refugees are eligible for U.S. government-funded resettlement assistance.
The first step for most people seeking refugee status is to register with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the country to which they have fled. UNHCR determines if an individual qualifies as a refugee and, if so, works toward the best possible durable solution: safe return to the home country, local integration, or permanent resettlement in a third country.
Application and Case Processing
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program: Overseas Application and Case Processing
When a U.S. embassy or a specially trained nongovernmental organization refers a refugee applicant to the United States for resettlement, the case is first received and processed by a Resettlement Support Center (RSC). The Department of State currently funds and manages seven RSCs around the world operated by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, or U.S. embassy contractors.
Certain refugee applicants can start the application process with the RSC without a referral. This includes close relatives of asylees and refugees already in the United States and applicants who belong to specific groups identified in statute or by the Department of State as eligible for direct access to the program.
Adjudication
RSCs collect biographic and other information from the applicants to prepare cases for security screening, interview, and adjudication by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) . The Secretary of Homeland Security has delegated to USCIS the authority to determine eligibility for refugee status under the INA. Refugee determinations under the INA are entirely discretionary. USCIS officers review the information that the RSC has collected and the results of security screening processes and conduct an in-person interview with each refugee applicant before deciding whether to approve him or her for classification as a refugee.
Post-Adjudication Processing
If an applicant is conditionally approved for resettlement by USCIS, RSC staff guide the refugee applicant through post-adjudication steps, including a health screening to identify medical needs and to ensure that those with a contagious disease do not enter the United States. The RSC also obtains a “sponsorship assurance” from a U.S.-based resettlement agency that receives funding from PRM for Reception and Placement (R&P) assistance. Once all required steps are completed, the RSC refers the case to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for transportation to the United States.
Transportation
The Department of State funds the international transportation of refugees resettled in the United States through a program administered by IOM. The cost of transportation is provided to refugees in the form of a no-interest loan. Refugees are responsible for repaying these loans over time through their R&P providers, beginning six months after their arrival.
Cultural Orientation
The Department of State strives to ensure that refugees admitted to the United States are prepared for the changes they will experience by providing cultural orientation programs prior to departure. Every refugee family is offered a copy of “Welcome to the United States ,” a book developed with contributions from refugee resettlement workers, resettled refugees, and government officials that provides accurate information about initial resettlement. In addition, the Department of State funds one- to five-day pre-departure orientation classes for eligible refugees at sites throughout the world. Refugees may also access cultural orientation information through a website that is translated into seven languages and provides information in numerous modes to meet all literacy levels, as well as a new mobile application.
Reception and Placement
U.S. Refugee Admissions Program: Reception and Placement
Refugees selected for resettlement through U.S. Refugee Admissions Program are eligible for Reception and Placement (R&P) assistance, unlike asylees, who arrive in the United States on their own. Each refugee approved for admission to the United States is sponsored by a non-profit resettlement agency participating in the R&P Program under a cooperative agreement with the Department of State.
Where are Refugees Resettled?
Representatives from the resettlement agencies meet frequently to review the biographic information and other case records sent by the Department of State’s overseas Resettlement Support Centers (RSC), seeking to match the particular needs of each incoming refugee with the specific resources available in U.S. communities. Through this process, they determine which resettlement agency will sponsor and where each refugee will be initially resettled in the United States.
Many refugees have family or close friends already in the United States, and resettlement agencies make every effort to reunite them. Others are placed where they have the best opportunity for success through employment with the assistance of strong community services. Agencies place refugees through a network of approximately 200 local affiliates operating in communities throughout the United States. Through its local affiliates, each agency monitors the resources that each community offers (e.g., availability of affordable and safe housing, school capacity, medical care, and employment opportunities).
What Do the Resettlement Agencies Do?
The sponsoring resettlement agency is responsible for placing refugees with one of its local affiliates and for providing initial services. The Department of State’s standard cooperative agreement with each of the resettlement agencies specifies the services the agency must provide. The R&P Program provides resettlement agencies a one-time payment per refugee to assist with expenses during a refugee’s first three months in the United States, but the program anticipates that sponsoring agencies will contribute significant cash or in-kind resources to supplement U.S. government funding.
What Happens When Refugees Arrive?
Upon arrival in the United States, all refugees are met by someone from the local resettlement affiliate or a family member or friend. They are taken to their initial housing, which has essential furnishings, appropriate food, and other basic necessities. The resettlement agencies assist refugees during their initial resettlement in the United States, including enrolling in employment services, registering youth for school, applying for Social Security cards, and connecting them with necessary social or language services. In coordination with publicly supported refugee service and assistance programs, resettlement agencies focus on assisting refugees to achieve economic self-sufficiency through employment as soon as possible after their arrival in the United States.
Refugees receive employment authorization upon arrival and are encouraged to become employed as soon as possible.
Beyond R&P
The R&P Program is limited to the first three months after arrival, but the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement works through the states and other non-governmental organizations to provide longer-term cash and medical assistance, as well as language, employment, and social services.
Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for FY 2022 October 8, 2021
Data on Refugee Admissions to the United States
The Refugee Processing Center’s WRAPSnet offers statistical data on refugee admissions to the United States, including information about refugees’ countries of origin and U.S. state of initial resettlement.
About the Refugee Processing Center (RPC)
The Refugee Processing Center (RPC) is operated by the U.S Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia USA.
At the RPC and at Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs), an interactive computer system called the Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS) is used to process and track the movement of refugees from various countries around the world to the U.S. for resettlement under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
https://www.wrapsnet.org/
This site contains information and resources related to:
SIV/Iraqi & Syrian P-2/Afghan Referrals
Afghans Granted Humanitarian Parole
Reports on Admissions and Arrivals
https://www.wrapsnet.org/admissions-and-arrivals/
Has links to data on:
Overall Refugee Admissions Report
Refugee Arrivals by State and Nationality
Amerasian and SIV Arrivals by Nationality and State
About the Refugee Processing Center (RPC)
The Refugee Processing Center (RPC) is operated by the U.S Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) in the Rosslyn section of Arlington, Virginia USA.
At the RPC and at Resettlement Support Centers (RSCs), an interactive computer system called the Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS) is used to process and track the movement of refugees from various countries around the world to the U.S. for resettlement under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
https://www.wrapsnet.org/
This site contains information and resources related to:
SIV/Iraqi & Syrian P-2/Afghan Referrals
Afghans Granted Humanitarian Parole
Reports on Admissions and Arrivals
https://www.wrapsnet.org/admissions-and-arrivals/
Has links to data on:
Overall Refugee Admissions Report
Refugee Arrivals by State and Nationality
Amerasian and SIV Arrivals by Nationality and State
Number of Refugee Placements in U. S. Metro Areas 2007-2016
In: Employers' Guide to Hiring Refugees. Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service (LIRS) and The Tent Foundation. February 19, 2018.
Top 20 Metro Areas
Top 20 Metro Areas
Refugees in the U.S. - 2015
> The Process of Refugee Entry into the United States
A step-by-step guide to the rigorous process for refugee entry to the United States.
White House, Nov. 2015
White House, Nov. 2015
> Migration Policy Institute 2015
Refugee Resettlement - U.S. and San Diego
Nov 2016
