Switchboard Blog
Switchboard’s blog posts offer a wide range of insights on the newcomer experience, including practical tips for navigating the resettlement process, resource lists tailored to community needs, case studies about relevant programs, engaging stories of successful integration, and more.
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2025 Changes to the Naturalization Civics Test: What Service Providers Need to Know
On September 18, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Federal Register Notice announcing implementation of the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test. Starting on October 20, 2025, the test will consist of 20 questions chosen from a pool of 128 rather than 10 questions from a pool of 100 in the 2008 version. Passing…
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Many newly arriving refugees and humanitarian parolees are about to experience their first summer in the United States. Depending on where they have settled, they may find themselves in an unfamiliar weather environment with new summer activities available to them. These new environments may include exposure to extreme and prolonged heat, different UV indexes, and…
- NRC-RIM
As the challenges of finding safe, affordable housing for newcomers arriving in the United States have grown during the past few years, so too have the number and variety of housing innovations. Neighbors, friends, faith groups, towns, and cities have come together in inspiring and innovative ways to ideate, plan, fundraise, and create housing for…
- Sophia Martin
It can be difficult for service providers and communities to locate healthcare providers who are trained in refugee and immigrant health best practices. In addition, the U.S. resettlement landscape is changing with the expansion of different categories such as parolees. Finding healthcare providers who understand these varied communities’ unique health needs, who work with interpreters,…
- Switchboard
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach on how to best support mentors of newcomer youth, program coordinators can tailor their management strategies to meet clients’ specific needs and provide strong support to volunteer mentors. Below, Selina Máté describes some of the challenges and common questions that many teams face while building a youth mentorship program…
- Selina Mate
As resettlement service providers, we’re quick to notice when something is working well and when it isn’t. That’s because a key priority is serving clients as smoothly as possible. However, when faced with the challenge of gauging the effectiveness of a program, advocating for funding, or implementing a new intervention, discovering what works best takes…
- Jodie Boisvert
The U.S. government announced that the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. The end of the PHE is likely to impact the clients you serve. This blog post shares four key changes you should know about and ways you can help clients prepare. For even more resources on serving refugee…
- NRC-RIM