Resettlement

Local, federal, and international organizations supporting refugees through the process of getting settled in a new country and home. Includes the Office of Refugee Resettlement and selected sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On this page:
Local voluntary agencies (VOLAGS)
Federal partners
Additional resettlement resources

Local voluntary agencies (VOLAGS)

• Local voluntary agencies
  
  • Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota
  • International Institute of Minnesota
  • Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota
  • Minnesota Council of Churches: Refugee Services
  • Arrive Ministries

Federal partners

• Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM)
  PRM has 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.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  The lead federal public health agency, operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Selected programs and resources:
  • Immigrant and Refugee Health
    Includes medical screening guidelines for refugees and immigrants.
  • Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern
    Offers diagnostic assistance, references, and training on parasitic diseases.
  • Division of Global Health Protection: Emergency Response and Recovery
    CDC program responsible for responding to humanitarian emergencies.
  • Travelers' Health
    Information to assist travelers and health care providers in preventing illness and injury during international travel.
  • CDC Wonder
    Provides access to a wide variety of reports and numeric public health data.

• Customs and Border Protection: Immigration Inspection Program
  Customs and Border Protection officers inspect arriving refugees at ports of entry and determine their admissibility. Operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

• Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
  Provides post-arrival programs to refugees arriving in the U.S. Operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

• National Voluntary Agencies (VOLAG)
  List of agencies that have cooperative agreements to provide refugee services.

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
  The official site of U.S. immigration services. Responsible for establishing immigration services, policies, and priorities and adjudicating immigrant petitions and asylum and refugee applications.

Additional resettlement resources

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

• National Conference of State Legislatures - Immigration
  Information on federal and state immigration policies from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

• 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.

• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) Research + Reports
  A national, nonprofit, non-governmental, nonsectarian, nonpartisan refugee resettlement and advocacy organization. Resources are offered for refugees and immigrants, employers, service providers, lawyers and more.