ORR’s Refugee Program Bureau (RPB) helps refugees and other eligible individuals achieve economic self-sufficiency, well-being, and successful assimilation in the United States. ORR and other federal agencies administer the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. Then, with the support of its network, ORR coordinates the resettlement and placement of refugees across the United States. After arriving in their destination states, ORR provides initial benefits and services to assist newcomers, including time-limited cash and medical assistance. ORR also supports longer-term resettlement services available for up to five years, such as job readiness and employment services, case management, English language training, and specialized supports for children and youth. These services are administered through an extensive private-public recipient network, including states, resettlement providers, and other community-based organizations.
Eligibility: Over the past four decades, Congress has expanded ORR’s authority to serve other populations as part of the Refugee Resettlement Program.
Legislative Authority: The Refugee Act of 1980 established ORR to help refugees integrate into their new communities, and ORR’s regulations—45 CFR Parts 400-401—implement the requirements of the Act.
Resettlement Programs and Services:
Initial Resettlement
Refugees, Special Immigrant Visa holders, and other populations made eligible by law receive initial resettlement services upon arrival and connections to health and employment resources to ensure a seamless transition to the United States.
Economic Self-Sufficiency
Refugees are economically self-sufficient, connected to sustainable forms of income and economic mobility, and progressing toward their personal and professional goals.
- Refugee Cash Assistance - Provides short-term financial assistance to help refugees ineligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to meet basic needs
- Refugee Support Services - Helps refugees connect to employment services that foster independence
- Matching Grant - Assists refugees to overcome barriers to self-sufficiency and rapidly find jobs
- Refugee Microenterprise Development - Provides loans and training to help refugees start, sustain, or expand a small business
- Wilson Fish Bridge to Employment Program - Provides access to employment training, job placement services, and English language training to certain eligible individuals in participating states (Program page coming soon.)
Social Adjustment and American Assimilation
Refugees build successful new lives in the U.S. by becoming actively engaged in their communities and gaining equitable access to and participation in social and economic systems.
- Preferred Communities - Supports refugees with unique vulnerabilities that require special attention
Health and Well-Being
Refugees achieve well-being and self-sufficiency through appropriate physical and behavioral health services and supports.
- Refugee Medical Assistance - Provides short-term medical coverage to refugees ineligible for Medicaid
- Medical Screening - Safeguards public health and supports healthy resettlement through initial domestic medical examination of arriving refugees
- Survivors of Torture - Helps people who have been tortured in another country restore their health and dignity (Note: eligibility for services does not depend on a person’s immigration status, and there is no time limit for receiving services)
- Health Resources
Safety and Stability of Children and Youth
Refugee children and youth achieve English language proficiency, access education to reach their academic and professional goals, and receive support to promote their social adjustment and integration in U.S. communities.
- Unaccompanied Refugee Minors - Places unaccompanied refugee minors into a safe and nurturing foster care setting and provides case management to promote well-being and transition to adulthood