Updates to SIV Resettlement Cities and Procedures
Posted on June 27, 2017
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Denver, Colorado
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Chicago, Illinois
- Louisville, Kentucky
- Detroit Metro Area (Including Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Troy), Michigan
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Durham, North Carolina
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Elizabeth, New Jersey
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Albany, New York
- Buffalo, New York
- Rochester, New York
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Portland, Oregon
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Austin, Texas
- Dallas, Texas
- Fort Worth, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Salt Lake City, Utah
The bolded cities are locations where No One Left Behind has chapters and can provide assistance to new arrivals beyond the traditional refugee resettlement system.
Northern Virginia now has restrictions on new arrivals due to the high cost of living, lack of affordable housing, and lack of adequate employment opportunities to pay the high rental costs. For context, an apartment in Alexandria, Virginia will average between $1,200 and $1,800 per month for rent alone. This attached list of Virginia cities, Northern Virginia Placement Restriction Cities, is now restricted to SIVs who have a spouse, father, mother, sibling, child, or grandparent in the area. SIVs who only have a friend, aunt/uncle, or cousin will not be permitted to come to Northern Virginia through IOM flights and will not be entitled to R&P services due to the high cost of living and high demand for assistance.
SIVs who choose to immigrate to the United States after purchasing their own flights (without IOM assistance) are still entitled to R&P assistance in most of the country. However, new arrivals should expect a 3-6 week delay before they will receive “welcome money” or similar benefits. As such, we discourage SIVs from coming to the United States without IOM if they do not have upwards of $5,000 to secure their own housing or if they do not have friends or family who will house them. If a SIV comes to Northern Virginia without having a spouse, father, mother, sibling, child, or grandparent then you WILL NOT RECEIVE R&P services, welcome money, or housing assistance.
For more information, please review the attached FAQ for SIV placement procedures 2017-12 Attachment B – New SIV Placement Process FAQs and details on the Northern Virginia placement restrictions Placement Restriction for Northern Virginia, as issued by the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
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