Get help as a refugee or asylum seeker | British Red Cross (2024)

FAQs

What does the Red Cross do to help refugees? ›

We provide financial and material assistance to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Australia who are suffering financial hardship and are not eligible for other support. We help to meet the most urgent needs through: food packages for families who might otherwise go hungry.

At Refugee Action, we help people who've survived some of the world's worst regimes. We get them the basic support they need to live again with dignity.

The Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) program helps eligible refugees and other humanitarian immigrants by providing cash assistance for up to twelve months from their arrival date in the United States (or from the date of their immigration status for asylees or victims of trafficking).

But in order to gain refugee status, one must first claim asylum. An “asylum seeker” is someone whose claim for refugee status is being formally considered. Countries have over time developed their own systems for processing asylum claims, recognising refugees and granting refugee status.

Each resettlement office serves as a free, one-stop center for refugees' needs during their pivotal first months in the U.S. Through a network of staff members and volunteers, the IRC helps refugees learn about life and customs in America, secure jobs, learn English, and become citizens.

USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) provides life-saving humanitarian assistance—including food, water, shelter, emergency healthcare, sanitation and hygiene, and critical nutrition services—to the world's most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach people.

Those granted asylum can apply to live in the United States permanently and gain a path to citizenship and can also apply for their spouse and children to join them in the United States.

The UN Refugee Agency | UNHCR Australia.

The Welcome Corps at Work links refugees to employment opportunities and resettlement through the USRAP providing innovative solutions for both U.S employers and skilled refugees. Through this pilot, qualified refugees are matched with U.S employers that provide concrete job offers.

How long do refugees get benefits in the USA? ›

ORR-funded cash and medical benefits are limited to a maximum of 12 months from the date the immigration court or DHS granted you asylum.

Once approved for asylum, people should contact their local refugee agency as soon as possible. The agencies can guide asylum seekers through getting government benefits they qualify for, such as food stamps, health insurance, or cash aid. They also offer crucial services directly.

To be eligible for asylum in the United States, a person must first meet the definition of a refugee as established in the Immigration and Naturalization Act. This means that they have a fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or their inclusion in a particular social group.

First-time asylum seekers are concentrated in a few European countries (see Figure 1). Germany, the UK, Sweden, Italy and France attract the majority of people seeking asylum for the first time. In the UK, the number of asylum seekers has increased from 42,000 in 2019 to 75,000 in 2023.

A refugee is someone who has been forced to flee conflict or persecution and has crossed an international border to seek safety. They cannot return to their country without risking their life or freedoms.

Helping Refugees Around the World

The Red Cross and Red Crescent network delivers relief supplies—such as food, water, hygiene kits, baby supplies, clothing and basic medical items—in addition to first aid and medical services, shelter, and comfort to families traumatized by conflict.

The Red Cross provides international aid to help people around the world in emergencies and support refugees and survivors of trafficking, and those facing chronic hunger.

We are on the ground in Ukraine, providing critical emergency relief such as food and hygiene parcels, construction materials, and access to safe drinking water. Please join us in making a difference. Over 93% of your donation goes directly to fund our operations in the field.