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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As a State Refugee Coordinator (SRC), you play a vital role in supporting newcomers by partnering with community-based organizations (CBOs). To help you strengthen these partnerships, Switchboard gathered insights from CBO leaders and staff through a national survey and input from SRCs through conversations the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilitated. This blog offers practical…
- Switchboard
Do you field questions from newcomers who speak Haitian Creole? The Settle In team can help! Settle In responds to direct messages—both through text and voice—on topics including job search, public benefits eligibility, community resources, and more, within one business day. Haitian Creole and French have joined Dari, Pashto, Ukrainian, Russian, Spanish, and English as…
- Settle In
Newcomer adolescents (10–19 years old) and youth (15–24 years old) face distinct challenges as they navigate young adulthood in a new environment. Service providers can play a pivotal role in supporting this demographic by implementing tailored strategies. This blog post outlines key recommendations for supporting youth health needs in a family-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive…
- Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers
Refugee and immigrant children often arrive in the U.S. with unique health care needs and experiences shaped by trauma, displacement, and cultural transition. Service providers play a critical role in ensuring the health, safety, and integration of newcomer children. This blog post outlines key recommendations for supporting newcomer children and their families’ health needs in…
- Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers
Do you get questions from clients about tuberculosis? This blog post provides language you can use to give an overview of TB to your clients and respond to frequently asked questions they may raise. Switchboard has also partnered with Settle In to share this information via the Settle In website in Ukrainian, Dari, and Spanish.…
- Switchboard
This blog is for state-level actors and service providers, particularly those navigating transitions in the administration of refugee services. It explores strategies for managing change, preserving service continuity, and building organizational readiness, drawing on Switchboard’s recent conversations with several states who have successfully worked through challenging transitions. State Refugee Programs and Change Management As with…
- Switchboard