U.S. Refugee Resettlement Programs

Warning: Some of this information may be outdated due to the 2025 executive orders. Please consider consulting an immigration lawyer if you have questions about your situation. You can also read the President’s executive orders.

The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) helps people who have to leave their home country because they are being treated very badly. This is called persecution. It can mean being put in jail, hurt, or tortured.

Who Can Apply for Refugee Status?

To get help through this program, a person must:

• Be outside the United States right now
• Not have already settled safely in another country
• Be allowed to come to the U.S.
• Show they have been treated badly or are scared they will be because of their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs, or because they belong to a certain group of people
• Be someone the U.S. wants to help for special humanitarian reasons

Sometimes, a person might not be allowed to come to the U.S. if they are seen as a danger to the country, or if they have been sent out of the U.S. before.

What Counts as Persecution?

Persecution could be because of political opinions, either what the person really thinks or what others believe they think. It can also be because someone belongs to a group they can’t or shouldn’t change, like being part of a tribe or being gay.

How Does the Program Decide Who to Help?

USRAP uses a system with three priority groups:

• Priority 1: People picked by the United Nations or U.S. embassies because they need help badly.
• Priority 2: Groups of people chosen because they share a trait that puts them in danger.
• Priority 3: Family members of refugees who already live in the U.S., like spouses, children under 21, or parents.
• Priority 4: People referred to the U.S. through the Welcome Corps program, where private sponsors support refugees after they arrive in the U.S.

Who Works on This Program?

Many groups work together in this program, including:

• U.S. government agencies like the Departments of State and Homeland Security
• The United Nations
• Other organizations that help refugees

How Does the Process Work?

Usually, the United Nations or another group recommends someone for the program. Then, that person gets help filling out an application, is interviewed, and their information is checked carefully.

U.S. agencies do background checks to make sure the person is safe to come here. The person is interviewed again and gives fingerprints. If everything is okay, they get approval to come.

Before coming, refugees take a class about life in the U.S. They also get a medical check-up to make sure they are healthy.
Once everything is ready, the refugee is assigned a place to live in the U.S., and travel is arranged.

When they arrive, a local agency helps them find a home, a job, and offers classes to learn English and understand American culture.

What If Someone is Not Approved?

If the person is denied refugee status or fails the medical check, they usually cannot come to the U.S.

Costs and Family

There is no fee to apply. If a refugee cannot pay to travel, they can borrow money without interest and pay it back after six months in the U.S.

Refugees can bring their spouse and children under 21. Same-sex spouses can come too if the marriage is legally recognized in the country you’re coming from.