Department of Health and Human Services

Administration for Children and Families

OFFICE OF REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT

Asylee Eligibility for Assistance and Services

**[Through the Office of Refugee Resettlement]{.underline}**

**Am I eligible to receive benefits through the Office of Refugee
Resettlement?**

> If you have been granted asylum in the United States, you may be
> eligible to receive assistance and services through the Office of
> Refugee Resettlement (ORR). ORR funds and administers programs to help
> refugees, asylees and other special populations restart their lives in
> the United States. Programs include cash and medical assistance,
> employment preparation and job placement, and English language
> training.

**Who runs these programs?**

> These programs are run by state and private agencies in various
> locations throughout the United States. Each state may have different
> programs available. To find out what is available and where to go for
> assistance and services in your state, please call:
>
> 1-800-354-0365
>
> You may also sign on to the ORR website at
> [www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/orr](http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/orr).

**What is the eligibility period for these benefits?**

> You may only receive certain assistance and services for a limited
> period of time. Asylees may apply to receive refugee cash and medical
> assistance for 8 months beginning on the date that they are granted
> asylum. When you go to the benefits office to apply, you will need to
> bring proof that you have been granted asylum and proof of the date on
> which you were granted asylum. In addition to proving that you are an
> asylee, there are other requirements that you must fulfill in order to
> receive this assistance. These will be explained to you when you go to
> apply. The eligibility period for other ORR programs is normally 5
> years.

**Am I eligible for any other benefits?**

> Along with ORR assistance and services, you may be eligible for other
> benefits programs administered by the Department of Health and Human
> Services. When you go to the benefits office, ask to learn about all
> of the assistance and services that may be available to you.
>
> Revised August 2005

**Number range CHAPTERYou have been granted asylum. Asylum status
carries certain benefits and responsibilities, some of which are
described below.**

**BENEFITS**

**1. [Employment Authorization]{.underline}:** You are authorized to
work in the United States for as long as you remain in asylum status.
Your dependents are also authorized to work in the United States, so
long as they retain derivative asylum status. In order to work in the
United States, every employee must show a prospective employer certain
documentation as proof of employment authorization. That proof may
consist of, among other things, an unrestricted social security card and
a state-issued driver's license. It may also consist of an unexpired
employment authorization document (EAD) issued by U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS). For a list of all documents that can be
accepted by an employer as proof of employment authorization, consult
the USCIS Form I-9, *Employment Eligibility Verification*, available on
the USCIS website at
<http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/index.htm>. You and any
qualifying dependents are each entitled to immediately receive an EAD
issued by USCIS. To obtain an EAD, visit or make an appointment at your
nearest USCIS district office. Bring your copy of the immigration
judge's order or the Board of Immigration Appeals decision granting
asylum and some form of identification. Request an I-94 card at the same
time as the EAD.

**2. [Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices]{.underline}:**
You may be the victim of unlawful discrimination if you are refused
hire, or are fired, because you are not a U.S. citizen or lawful
permanent resident. You may also be subject to unlawful discrimination
if an employer refuses to accept your unrestricted Social Security card
or unexpired employment authorization document during the employment
eligibility (I-9 Form) verification process, or refuses to hire you
because you do not have a green card. For further assistance, please
call the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair
Employment Practices (OSC) at 1-800-255-7688 or 1-800-237-2515 (TDD for
hearing impaired). You may also visit the OSC website at
<http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/osc/>.

**3. [Derivative Asylum Status]{.underline}:** You may request
derivative asylum status for any spouse or child (unmarried and under 21
years of age) who is not included in this decision and with whom you
have a qualifying relationship, whether or not that spouse or child is
in the United States. To request derivative asylum status, you must
submit a Form I-730, *Refugee and Asylee Relative Petition*, to the
Nebraska Service Center, P.O. Box 87730, Lincoln, NE 68501-7730. **The
Form I-730 must be filed for each qualifying family member within 2
years of the date you were granted asylum status**, unless the USCIS
determines that this time period should be extended for humanitarian
reasons. You may obtain a Form I-730, *Refugee and Asylee Relative
Petition*, online at
<http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/index.htm>.

**4. [Social Security Cards]{.underline}:** You may immediately apply
for an unrestricted Social Security card at any Social Security office.
To get an *Application for a Social Security Card* (Form SS-5) or to get
more information about applying for a Social Security card use
<http://www.ssa.gov/ssnumber/> on the Internet, call the toll-free
number 1-800-772-1213, or visit a local Social Security office. When you
go to a Social Security office to apply for a Social Security card, you
must show either: your original order from the immigration judge or
Board of Immigration Appeals granting asylum; your I-94 card; or your
EAD. If available, you should take some kind of photo-identity document,
such as your passport. For directions to the Social Security office
nearest to you, call the SSA toll-free number or visit the website
listed above.

**5. [Adjustment of Status]{.underline}:** You may apply for lawful
permanent resident status under section 209(b) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act after you have been physically present in the United
States for a period of one year after the date you were granted asylum
status. To apply for lawful permanent residence status, you must submit
a separate Form I-485, *Application to Register Permanent Residence or
Adjust Status*, for yourself and each qualifying family member to the
Nebraska Service Center, P.O. Box 87485, Lincoln, NE 68501-7485. You may
obtain a Form I-485, *Application to Register Permanent Residence or
Adjust Status*, online at
<http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/index.htm>.

Revised August 2005

**RESPONSIBILITIES**

**1. [Departing from the United States]{.underline}:** If you, and/or
your qualifying family members with derivative asylum status, plan to
depart the United States, you must each obtain permission to return to
the United States before you leave this country by obtaining a refugee
travel document(s). A refugee travel document may be used for temporary
travel abroad and is required for re-admission to the United States as
an asylee. If you and/or your qualifying family members do not obtain a
refugee travel document in advance of your departure, you may be unable
to re-enter the United States, or you may be placed in removal
proceedings before an immigration judge. You and each qualifying family
member may apply for a Refugee Travel Document by each submitting a Form
I-131, *Application for Travel Document*, with the required fee or
request for fee waiver under 8 C.F.R. 103.7(c) to the Nebraska Service
Center, P.O. Box 87131, Lincoln, NE 68501-7131. You may obtain a Form
I-131, *Application for Travel Document*, online at
<http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/index.htm>.

**2. [Changes of Address]{.underline}:** You must notify the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) of any change of address within ten days of
such change. You may obtain a Form AR-11, *Alien's Change of Address
Card* at your nearest post office or USCIS office, or online at
<http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/index.htm> to comply with this
requirement.

**3. [Selective Service Registration]{.underline}:** All male asylees
between the ages of 18 and 26 must register for the Selective Service.
To obtain information about the Selective Service and how to register,
you may sign on to the Selective Service website at
[[http://]{.underline}www[.sss.gov]{.underline}](http://www.sss.gov/) or
obtain a Selective Service "mail-back" registration form at your nearest
post office.

**4. [How to Get Your Personal Property After You are Released From
Detention]{.underline} \[excerpted from *Pocket Knowledge*, a
publication available at**
<http://www.lirs.org/What/programs/pocketknowledge.htm> **\]:** When you
came to the detention center an officer took your property. Your
property was put in a safe place. The processing officers gave you
receipts for your property: Form G-589, a white paper describing
personal property, including documents and cash; and Form I-77, a ticket
for luggage and a description of contents. They should return your
property when they release you. When you left detention, you and the
officer should have checked that you received everything written on the
G-589 and I-77 forms. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may
reserve the right to appeal the judge's decision in your immigration
case. If ICE reserves the right to appeal, it may keep some of your
original documents. ICE must appeal within 30 days. If you have not been
notified of an appeal within 30 days, you can get back your documents.
To do this, call the detention center and ask for help.

Revised August 2005