About: Refugee Health Program

• Local public health departments
  Collaborate with the Refugee Health Program to coordinate and schedule Refugee Health Assessments.
• Clinics
  Providers complete the Refugee Health Assessment for newcomers and report results to the Refugee Health Program.
• Resettlement agencies
  Provide basic services and assistance to newcomers during resettlement to a new country and home. Minnesota resettlement agencies include:
  • Arrive Ministries
  • International Institute of Minnesota
  • Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota
• Community-based organizations
  Assist newcomers with connections to benefits, services, and community.
• Minnesota Department of Human Services: Refugee Resettlement Programs Office
  Supports the effective resettlement of people under humanitarian protection who are eligible for Office of Refugee Resettlement benefits.
• Private sponsors
  Private sponsors may assist newcomers in various capacities, including financially and/or in accessing basic services.

• Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
  Provides programs for people under humanitarian protection post-arrival to the U.S. Operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Key State Contacts
    Find State Refugee Coordinator and State Refugee Health Coordinator contact information and websites for all US states.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  The lead federal public health agency, operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM)
  Holds primary responsibility for formulating U.S. policies on population, refugees, and migration and for administering refugee assistance and admissions programs. Operated by the U.S. Department of State.
  • Refugee Processing Center
    Provides technical and processing support to PRM.
• Customs and Border Protection: Immigration Inspection Program
  Inspects arriving refugees at ports of entry and determines their admissibility. Operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
  Responsible for establishing immigration services, policies, and priorities and adjudicating immigrant petitions and asylum and refugee applications.

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
• International Organization for Migration
  Intergovernmental organization responsible for overseas medical examination of refugees, management of refugee movement to the U.S., and some cultural orientation for refugees overseas.
• Refugee Council USA
  A coalition of non-governmental organizations that provide advocacy on issues affecting the rights of refugees, asylum seekers, displaced persons, victims of trafficking, and victims of torture in the U.S. and across the world.

People outside their country of nationality who are unable or unwilling to return to their country of nationality because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

• U.S.-granted asylees meet the definition of refugee, seek asylum while already present in the U.S., and receive asylum while residing in the U.S.
• Follow-to-join asylees join a family member who has been granted asylum in the U.S. These are also called derivative asylees.  

Special Immigrant Visas may be granted to individuals who worked with the U.S. Armed Forces or under Chief of Mission authority as a translator or interpreter in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Humanitarian parolees are provided temporary legal entry into the U.S. during urgent humanitarian circumstances. Some individuals apply for parole under special programs such as Uniting for Ukraine and Operation Allies Welcome (Afghanistan). Some parolees have private sponsors who have agreed to be financially responsible for them during the duration of their time in the U.S. Only some humanitarian parolees are eligible for ORR benefits.

There are four ways in which a Cuban or Haitian national may be classified as an Entrant

• Humanitarian parole under INA 212(d)(5)
• Conditional parole under INA 236 (as long as they have not acquired any other status) and no final order of removal
• In removal proceedings (under INA 212 or expedited removal under INA 235) and no final order of removal
• Pending asylum application with DHS and no final order of removal

Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. The federal Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) issues certification letters (adults) and eligibility letters (minors) to permit individuals who have experienced trafficking to access Office of Refugee Resettlement benefits.

Individuals fathered by a U.S. citizen and born in Vietnam after January 1, 1962, and before January 1, 1976 who meet the criteria established in Public Law 97-359 (Act of 10/22/82)