Timeline
ORR has been serving refugees and other eligible individuals in partnerships with states and local communities since 1980. Click on each decade below to see a few snapshots showing the evolution of ORR programs over the past four decades.
1980-1989
1980: The Refugee Act formalized the Refugee Resettlement Program and the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) Program.
1982: ORR supported more than 40 national projects—such as involving business leaders in refugee job development—to improve resettlement operations at the federal, state, and local levels.
1987: Congress authorized ORR to serve Amerasians.
1990-1999
1991: The Refugee Microenterprise Development Program started to help refugees develop, expand, or maintain their own businesses.
1998: The Ethnic Community Self-Help Program began to support local ethnic organizations to assist refugees in adjusting to life in the U.S.
1999: The Individual Development Accounts Program launched to help individuals save toward an asset to increase their financial independence, and Services to Older Refugees began to address the needs of refugees 60 and older.
2000-2009
2000: ORR regulations were revised, establishing the framework that still governs the Refugee Resettlement Program and guides the strong relationships between ORR and states that exist today.
2006: The Refugee School Impact Program started to provide grants to states to promote academic performance of school-aged refugee children.
2007: The Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program began to help refugees lead rural farming and urban community gardening projects.
2010-2019
2011: The Refugee Family Child Care Microenterprise Development Program began to help individuals start and run family child care businesses in their homes to make an income.
2013: The Preferred Communities Program expanded to focus on populations and individuals needing intensive case management, including specialized supports for medical and mental health.
2018: Refugee Career Pathways and Youth Mentoring programs launched to support individual educational and career development goals.
2020-Present
2021-22: In response to global events, Congress authorized ORR to serve Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees.
2023: The Employer Engagement Program began to help local organizations create networks of employers for refugees and develop workplace-based training programs for new employees.
2024: The Support for Trauma-Affected Refugees Program provided holistic health support services to all eligible populations.