Refugee and asylee resettlement services: where to find help

Step 1 — Know who helps you in your first days

If you came as a refugee, ORR coordinates your placement and first help through its Program of Initial Resettlement (PIR), for up to 90 days. Typically, a local resettlement provider gives you an airport welcome, furnished housing with food, case management, connections to cash and medical assistance, and referrals for a medical screening, jobs and school (ORR — PIR). Where housing is scarce, families may first stay in temporary places such as hotels (ORR — PIR).

Settle In, a federally funded newcomer resource, adds: your case manager is your main point of contact; you don’t need to speak English, because interpretation is provided for required services; and for permanent housing you’ll likely sign a one-year lease (Settle In — PIR).

Until ORR took over on January 1, 2026, this stage was the State Department’s “Reception and Placement” program, a name you may still hear (ORR — PIR).

If you were granted asylum here, you can still get help. Starting on the date you were granted asylum, you can apply for ORR benefits at your state government benefits office or the closest resettlement agency (ORR — Benefits for Asylees).

Step 2 — Find the refugee office for your state

Each state has a State Refugee Coordinator, and most also have a State Refugee Health Coordinator. ORR’s Key State Contacts page lists their emails and phone numbers (ORR — Key State Contacts).

• Local providers: ORR is updating its state-by-state list of providers; until then, it says to ask your State Refugee Coordinator for providers in your area (ORR — Contacts).
• Not every contact is a government office. In some states, a nonprofit runs the program (a “replacement designee”) (ORR — Cash & Medical Assistance). So a contact on ORR’s list may have an email that doesn’t end in .gov (ORR — Key State Contacts). Take contacts from ORR’s page, not from a stranger’s message.
• General questions about ORR benefits: RefugeeInfo@acf.hhs.gov (ORR — Contacts).

Step 3 — Sign up right away, with proof of your status

You apply at your state government benefits office or the closest resettlement agency, and you bring proof of your status and the date you got it (ORR — Benefits for Refugees). ORR’s examples:

• Refugees: an I-94 (arrival/departure record) showing admission under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, an I-94 with the code “Visa 93”, or an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with the code A03 (ORR — Benefits for Refugees). See your I-94 arrival record.
• Asylees: an immigration judge’s order granting asylum, an asylum approval letter from USCIS, or an EAD with the asylee code (ORR — Benefits for Asylees).

ORR’s fact sheets, marked “Updated May 2025”, say some refugees and asylees can get federal “mainstream” programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid and SNAP food assistance; people who can’t may be screened for ORR’s own benefits (ORR — Benefits for Refugees). Some rules changed since. HealthCare.gov says only green card holders, Cuban or Haitian entrants and COFA migrants are now eligible for full Medicaid or CHIP, plus some children and pregnant women in certain states (HealthCare.gov); Settle In says this took effect on October 1, 2026, and may affect some refugees and asylees (Settle In — Medicaid and CHIP). For SNAP food assistance, a 2025 law changed the rules for non-citizens (USDA): USDA’s guidance to states of December 9, 2025, says refugees and people granted asylum, including children under 18, are no longer eligible for SNAP “by virtue of that status”, and that refugees and asylees who later get a green card don’t have to wait 5 years (USDA — SNAP Q&A). Other food help is in our food assistance guide. Ask your caseworker what applies to you today, and see health insurance for newcomers.

Step 4 — Learn what each ORR program offers, and for how long

• Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA): short-term cash for basic needs such as food, shelter and transportation, for people who can’t get TANF or SSI (ORR — Benefits for Refugees). Amounts and processes differ by state (ORR — Cash & Medical Assistance).
• Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA): short-term health coverage, generally similar to Medicaid, for people who can’t get Medicaid (ORR — Cash & Medical Assistance).
• How long RCA and RMA last: this has changed several times. In a letter revised on October 1, 2026, ORR set up to 12 months for people whose ORR eligibility date is on or after January 1, 2026, if they meet the other requirements (ORR — Dear Colleague Letter 26-05; Federal Register). ORR also asked states to quickly re-enroll people whose RCA or RMA ended but who remain eligible (ORR — DCL 26-05). The older fact sheets still say four months (ORR — Benefits for Refugees). If your date is before January 1, 2026, or you’re not sure, ask your State Refugee Coordinator which limit applies.
• Matching Grant: an alternative to TANF or RCA, with cash assistance, intensive case management and job services, aiming for self-sufficiency within 240 days; places are limited (ORR — Benefits for Refugees). Participants must enroll within 31 days after their date of arrival or eligibility (ORR — Matching Grant), so ask your provider early.
• Medical screening: an ORR-funded health check, with vaccines required for school and work and referrals to a regular doctor; ORR recommends it soon after arrival (ORR — Benefits for Refugees). Your Refugee Health Coordinator knows the local process (ORR — Medical Screening).
• Refugee Support Services: up to five years of help such as job training, English classes, childcare, transportation and interpreting (ORR — Benefits for Refugees). Referral, interpreter and citizenship preparation services have no time limit (ORR — Refugee Support Services).

Step 5 — Take the practical first steps

Your case manager helps with many of these (Settle In — PIR):

• Work. USCIS says admitted refugees may work as soon as they arrive: the I-94 with a refugee admission stamp is evidence of work authorization, and an EAD isn’t required (USCIS — Refugees). Settle In warns that some employers wrongly believe refugees must wait for an EAD and a Social Security card (Settle In — PIR). See finding a job.
• Our guides: a Social Security number, a bank account, medical care, school for your children, free English classes, renting (read it before you sign that one-year lease) and a state ID.

A tip: keep one folder, on paper and as phone photos, with your status documents, agency letters, your case manager’s contact details and the date your benefits started.

Step 6 — Look after your emotional health

Many refugees and asylees carry war, persecution or separation from family. Settle In suggests seeking support if, for several weeks, daily tasks feel hard, your sleep changes a lot, or you feel sad, worried or irritable most of the time; your doctor or caseworker can help you find a counselor or support group (Settle In — Emotional Health).

• Survivors of torture: ORR funds programs for people who were tortured in another country, and their families. Eligibility doesn’t depend on immigration status, there’s no time limit, and there are 35 programs in 24 states (ORR — Survivors of Torture).
• When someone you love is missing: Settle In calls this “ambiguous loss” and explains common reactions and ways to cope (Settle In).
• Adjusting to a new country: see culture shock and building your circle.

If you’re in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline); Settle In notes that counselors can connect you with an interpreter (Settle In — Emotional Health). If you’re in danger, call 911. More in emergency numbers and helplines.

Step 7 — Plan for your first year and beyond

• Green card: U.S. law requires refugees to apply for permanent residence after at least one year of physical presence in the U.S. (USCIS — Green Card for Refugees). Asylees can apply too; the law requires at least one year of physical presence after the grant of asylum (USCIS — Green Card for Asylees). Talk to free immigration legal help before you file.
• Travel abroad: USCIS says refugees in the U.S. must apply for a Refugee Travel Document, and attend any biometrics appointment, before they leave (USCIS — Refugees). Get legal advice before booking. With a green card, see traveling abroad as a green card holder.