FY 2021 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program: Refugee and Asylee Integration Services (RAIS)

Description

OoC is charged with promoting instruction and training on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. USCIS recognizes that naturalization is a culmination of the civic integration of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who were resettled as refugees or granted asylum, as well as for Cuban or Haitian entrants or individuals admitted on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV); however, some of these individuals may experience challenges with aspects of civic, linguistic, economic, cultural and institutional integration when resettling in the United States, which may impact their progress toward full civic integration. The sooner these individuals are able to engage in their communities, the more likely they are to find satisfaction and success in their personal and professional lives; make positive contributions to their communities and the Nation, and become naturalized citizens. It is critical to provide refugees and asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, and SIV recipients with opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to fully integrate into American society.The goal of the RAIS funding opportunity is to provide extended integration services, which build on, but are not intended to replicate, those resettlement services funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement, which prioritize early economic self-sufficiency. The primary focus of the RAIS is to provide individualized programming to LPRs who entered the United States under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), were granted asylum, as well as Cuban or Haitian entrants and individuals on an SIV, to attain the skills and knowledge required for successful citizenship and to foster a sense of belonging and attachment to the United States. Although the title of the program refers only to refugees and asylees, LPRs who entered the United States as Cuban or Haitian entrants or were admitted on an SIV are also eligible for services under this program. This grant strives to promote long-term civic integration of those LPRs who have identified naturalization as a goal yet may need additional information and instruction to attain it.

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