Post Arrival Assistance and Benefits
(a) Private Voluntary Agency Assistance
Refugees arriving in the U.S. are placed with one of the private voluntary agencies (volags) that have signed a cooperative agreement with the State Department. Volags generally have local affiliates throughout the U.S. The volags are responsible for assuring that most services are provided during the first 90 days after a refugee's arrival. Volags arrange for food, housing, clothing, employment, counseling, medical care, and other necessary services.
Voluntary agencies often work with relatives or others who have filed sponsorship papers (normally affidavits of relationship and other supporting documents). Such sponsors will be responsible for assisting the agency with a refugee's resettlement. Sponsors may be relatives or friends of the refugee. In some instances voluntary agencies will accept refugees who do not have a sponsoring relative or friend. These are usually referred to as "free cases." For free cases an agency often locates an individual, a church, or other group willing to undertake sponsorship of the refugee. In some cases, the agency itself will act as the refugee sponsor.
Click on the following links to read the 2010 Cooperative Agreement and a list of volag affiliates.
(b) Public Assistance
Refugees are eligible for federal cash assistance (welfare) and Medicaid programs for the first eight months following arrival. However, states may reduce this eligibility if they choose to. Assistance is provided by states, which in turn are reimbursed by the federal government. The level of benefits will vary depending on the State of residence. Following the first eight months, refugees are eligible for categorical benefits in that State; that is they have the same eligibility for public assistance as do other legal residents of the State. Refugees over age 65 may be eligible for federal social security benefits.
In FY 1998, new laws and regulations went into effect that prohibit immigrants from receiving many forms of federally funded public benefits, until such time as they become US citizens. Refugees, however, are excluded from this prohibition for the first seven years after arrival. After seven years, however, refugees will be unable to receive most benefits unless they have acquired US citizenship.
(c) Education
All refugees under the age of 18 years old may attend primary or secondary schools free of charge. Refugees have the same access to university education as US citizens and permanent residents, however, in most states there are tuition charges for public universities.
(d) Employment Benefits
All refugees are entitled to receive authorization for employment. They are protected by civil rights legislation and cannot be discriminated in the workplace. They are not eligible, however, to work for the federal government (except in US armed forces) until they become US citizens.
(e) Immigration Benefits
(i) Travel Documents
Refugees are eligible to leave the US for up to one year provided they have obtained a refugee travel document. Refugee travel documents are obtained by filing form I-131 with the DHS/USCIS Nebraska Service Center. Travel documents are valid for one year. Refugees who leave the US without first obtaining a travel document, may apply for a travel document abroad. However the refugee still must return to the US within one year of his departure. It is strongly recommended that refugees obtain the refugee travel document prior to leaving the US.
(ii) Adjustment of Status
One year after arrival refugees are eligible to adjust their status to permanent resident. Five years after arrival they can petition for naturalization, provided they have adjusted status to permanent resident during this time and have continuously resided in the US for five years prior to petitioning for naturalization. Adjustment of status and naturalization takes place at the DHS/USCIS District Office covering the refugees residence.
(iii) Family Reunification
Immediate family members of refugees have US refugee status on a derivative basis. This is referred to as the Visa 93 procedure; that is, a spouse or any unmarried minor child of a refugee receives refugee status automatically provided that the relationship existed prior to the entry of the refugee into the US. (See Section (8) below). The spouse, parents, unmarried sons and daughters of persons with legal status in the US, who were initially admitted as refugees or granted asylum in the US, are eligible for family reunion, if the nationality is designated for priority three processing. (See section 4 (b)(ii)). However, unlike the Visa 93 process, persons in the Priority-3 category have to be interviewed by DHS/USCIS and meet the US definition on their own. They do not receive refugee status on a derivative basis. It should be noted that parents, spouses, and unmarried children of US citizens, are NOT eligible for US refugee status. They must enter the US through normal immigration mechanisms.
