Immigrants & Refugees

As the number of immigrant children and children of immigrants in the U.S. has grown, child welfare agencies are serving an increasingly diverse spectrum of families, including many with at least one parent or some children who were born outside the U.S.

This brief identifies several promising practices that can help overcome access barriers. A consistent theme is the crucial role played by community-based organizations (CBOs) in effectively addressing barriers related to complicated application processes, and issues of language, literacy, fear, and mistrust.

This brief identifies several factors that contribute to lower application and take-up rates among eligible immigrants, including: (1) the complexity of the application process and eligibility rules; (2) related administrative burdens; (3) language, literacy, and cultural barriers; (4) transportation and other logistical challenges; and (5) climates of fear and mistrust. [19 PDF pages]

This brief provides an overview of how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect the eligibility of different immigrants, depending on lawful status and length of residence in the U.S.

This brief describes key federal and state immigrant eligibility provisions to help inform policymakers, program administrators and communities serving immigrant families and children. It provides an overview of the variability across states regarding immigrant eligibility for SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, and CHIP. [12 PDF pages]

Report Submitted to: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

  ASPE RESEARCH BRIEF Vulnerable Youth and the Transistion to Adulthood Second-Generation Latinos Connecting to School and Work July 2009 This Research Brief is part of a larger project:Vulnerable Youth and the Transistion to Adulthood

Summary of Immigrant Eligibility Restrictions Under Current Law As of 2/25/2009 This document summarizes the immigrant eligibility restrictions under the following laws: 

The purpose of this exploratory study was to learn what factors and approaches utilized by Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) programs contribute to refugee economic self-sufficiency. The issue of whether these approaches were applicable to mainstream welfare-to-work programs was also addressed.

This report explores one key dimension of access to public benefits  the application and eligibility determination process. Of particular interest is how local-level administrative procedures and operations may generally affect eligible families access to benefits. Special consideration is given to exploring these issues as they relate to immigrants and limited English speakers.