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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Child labor trafficking is an important area of concern for service providers who support Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URMs). Due to their unique circumstances, children and youth enrolled in the URM program may be at increased risk for labor trafficking. URM agencies are community-based service providers with connections to child welfare, law enforcement, local schools, and…
- Switchboard
I recall sitting in my bedroom-turned-home-office in Washington, D.C., last August feeling distraught watching the news coming out of Afghanistan. Like most Afghan-Americans during that time, a sense of helplessness had washed over me. I wished I could do more. At the time, I was working at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as a Gender…
- Yasmine Arsala
Switchboard, in partnership with Refugee Housing Solutions (RHS), recently published a blog post on Helping Newcomers with the Housing Search. Here, we focus on the housing selection process for newcomers, from walk-through to move-in. This information is relevant for providers serving clients who have recently arrived in the U.S. and have immediate housing needs (such…
- Sophia Martin
Determining whether a potential client is eligible for Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-funded services can sometimes be a challenge. This blog post gathers some key resources for service providers who are new to the work of navigating ORR eligibility requirements and documentation.Federal ResourcesClients with many different immigration statuses are eligible to participate in services from…
- Switchboard
For newcomers adjusting to life in a foreign country, financial insecurity often emerges as one of the most pressing and difficult challenges to overcome. To support successful integration of newcomers and empower them to build financial stability, service providers must equip clients with the necessary knowledge and tools to navigate the financial system here in…
- Lauren Bowden
For newcomers to equitably receive the vital integration services they are eligible for, language access is essential. As service providers know, working with a professional in-person or telephonic interpreter from the same cultural and linguistic background as the client is always ideal. But live interpretation is not always possible given the demands of newcomer services.…
- Rob Callus