Refugee resettlement: rebuilding a life
You carried your family, your story and your strength across the world. Rebuilding takes time, and you don’t have to do it alone.
By the numbers
How rare resettlement is, and what research says about wellbeing.
World
Wellbeing
U.S. arrival
What resettlement means
A rare path to a new country, and the mixed feelings it brings.
Resettlement means a refugee is moved from the country where they first found safety to a new country that agrees to let them stay. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, helps identify people who face serious risks where they are and can’t safely go home.
Only a small fraction of people who need resettlement get it. In 2025, about 37,000 refugees departed through UNHCR-supported resettlement, while 2.4 million are expected to need it in 2027.
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In the U.S., resettlement agencies try to place people near family or close friends already in the country. Others are placed where there are jobs and strong community services, like interpreters, schools and English classes.
You may arrive in a city or town you had never heard of. It is normal to feel unsure, even if people around you seem welcoming.
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Many refugees feel relief once they are resettled. But the difficulties they face do not simply end on arrival, and new stresses can begin.
Feelings people often describe
- Exhaustion after years of waiting
- Gratitude, and guilt about people left behind
- Homesickness for places, food and language
- Hope for your children’s future
- Worry about money and what comes next
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Paperwork may call you a “case” or an “arrival”, but you were a parent, student, farmer, nurse, teacher or neighbour long before. Those parts of you came with you.
Research also notes that refugee children and young people show resilience, even after very hard experiences.
The first months: what to expect
Airport, housing, papers, school and a fast push toward work.
Under the U.S. program as described in 2023, every arriving refugee is met at the airport by someone from the local resettlement office, or by family or a friend. They are taken to a first home with basic furniture, clothing for the weather and some familiar food.
Common early steps
- Getting settled in a first home.
- Applying for a Social Security card and other papers.
- Registering children in school.
- Going to first medical appointments.
- Starting English classes and job help.
- Looking for a first job, often within months.
The program’s initial support usually lasts 30 to 90 days. Longer-term help, like English classes, job services and some cash and health assistance, comes through state programs and community organisations.
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Banks, buses, schools, clinics and forms may all work differently from what you know. Learning them while tired and grieving is hard work.
Small things that help
- Ask the same question twice if you need to
- Keep one folder for every important paper
- Use a phone calendar or wall calendar for appointments
- Write down your case manager’s name and number
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U.S. refugees receive permission to work when they arrive, and the program aims for people to find jobs as soon as possible.
A first job can bring income, routine and pride. It can also sting if it is far from your training. A first job does not have to be your last job.
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Resettlement programs differ by country and can change from year to year. Your case manager or a local refugee organisation can tell you what applies to you now.
Why life after arrival matters so much
Housing, work and belonging shape healing as much as the past.
It is easy to think a refugee’s pain is only about what happened before. Research shows the present matters a lot too. Housing, money, work, family and the asylum process all affect how refugees feel after arrival.
A major review of 59 studies found worse mental health for refugees living in institutional housing and those with few chances to work. The authors concluded that improving these conditions is likely to help.
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WHO lists poor living conditions among the stresses that can harm refugees’ mental health after arrival.
Even a small, shared home can start to feel like yours. A photo, a rug, a plant or the smell of your own cooking can help.
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Unemployment and difficulty getting entitlements are named by WHO as risks to mental health after arrival.
If a job isn’t possible yet, purpose can come from caring for family, volunteering, learning or helping newer arrivals.
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Separation from family and support networks is one of the stresses WHO lists for refugees and migrants.
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WHO names racism, exclusion, social isolation and tension with host communities among the risks after arrival. Discrimination can also delay people from asking for help.
Unfair treatment is not your fault. Talking with people who understand can ease the sting.
Finding your place in two cultures
You don’t have to choose between where you came from and where you are.
Some people feel pressure to leave their old culture behind. Others hold on tightly and keep away from the new one. Research suggests that being able to live in both tends to go along with better wellbeing.
A review of 83 studies with more than 23,000 people found a strong link between being bicultural and doing well, both emotionally and in daily life. The link was stronger than for people who held only one culture.
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- Celebrate your holidays, even in small ways
- Cook the dishes you grew up with
- Keep speaking your language at home
- Share songs, stories and prayers with your children
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- Go to a local library event
- Learn the names of neighbours
- Try one new food or local tradition
- Watch local news or shows to learn phrases
You decide which new customs fit your values. Learning about a culture is not the same as giving up your own.
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Children may pick up the language and habits quickly, while parents and grandparents take longer. This can lead to tension, or to children translating for adults.
Language, learning & starting over at work
Why these matter for wellbeing, and gentle ways forward.
Language opens doors to jobs, friends and services. In a study of Cambodian refugees in the U.S. two decades after resettlement, weaker English, unemployment and poverty were linked to more distress.
That does not mean you must be fluent to feel better. It means that support with language and work is also support for your mind.
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Stress, poor sleep and worry make learning harder for anyone. If words aren’t sticking, it may be your tired brain, not your ability.
Ideas
- Join a free class through your resettlement office or library
- Learn phrases you need this week, like for the doctor or bus
- Practise with a neighbour, coworker or volunteer
- Use children’s books or songs: they are made to be simple
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Many refugees were doctors, engineers, teachers or business owners. Starting over in a very different job can feel like losing part of who you are.
Your knowledge did not disappear. Some people later return to their field, some find a related path, and some discover new interests. Each is valid.
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WHO names language barriers as one reason refugees and migrants often don’t get the care they need.
You can ask for an interpreter at health, school and legal appointments. It is better than relying on children to translate hard or private news.
Children and teens in a new school
School as a lifeline, and how to support young people.
For refugee children, going to school is linked to better mental health, WHO notes. School brings routine, friends, learning and a sense of a normal childhood.
Refugee trauma can affect a child’s emotional and behavioural development, and children also show resilience. With patience and support, many do well.
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- Clinginess or fear of being apart from parents
- Headaches or stomach aches
- Quietness or withdrawing in class
- Sudden anger or frustration
- Trouble sleeping
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- Ask for an interpreter at parent meetings
- Ask about language support and school counsellors
- Share what your child enjoys and what helps them feel safe
- Tell teachers if your child has had gaps in schooling
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Teens may want to fit in with classmates while also carrying family responsibilities, like translating or working. They may feel proud and pulled in two directions at once.
Healing is a long road, not a deadline
Why feelings can surface years later, and why help still works.
WHO says that for most people, distress after hard experiences improves over time. Others need more support. There is no right speed.
For some, the past keeps hurting for many years. In a study of Cambodian refugees in the U.S., high rates of post-traumatic stress and depression were still found more than two decades after resettlement, linked to past trauma and to hardship after arrival.
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Many people hold everything together while surviving. When life slows down, memories, grief and tiredness can rush in. This is a common pattern, not a sign of weakness.
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If you have been carrying pain for a long time, you still deserve care. WHO recommends care that fits a person’s language and culture and gives them choices about where and from whom they get help.
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Children of refugees sometimes sense old pain in their families, even when it’s never talked about. Caring for your own healing is also a gift to them.
How community helps
People who share your background, and new neighbours too.
Being part of a community with a shared background is linked to better mental health for refugees and migrants, WHO says. People who understand your language, food and faith can make a strange place feel like home.
Researchers describe social ties as a key buffer against stress for people who have had to move. Losing them can hurt, and rebuilding them can heal.
Places people often find community
- Community centres and cultural associations
- English or citizenship classes
- Mosques, churches, temples, synagogues and other places of worship
- Parent groups at your child’s school
- Sports teams, gardens and music groups
- Volunteering, including helping newer arrivals
How to support a newcomer
For neighbours, coworkers, classmates, sponsors and volunteers.
You don’t need to be an expert to help. Warmth, patience and practical kindness go a long way, especially in the first year.
Try this
- Learn how to say their name correctly.
- Offer specific help: a ride, a tour of the grocery store, help with a form.
- Let them share their story only if and when they want to.
- Ask about their skills, hopes and home, not only their hardships.
- Invite them to everyday things: a walk, a game, a meal.
- Keep showing up, long after the welcome week is over.
Things to avoid
- Asking for details about trauma or the journey
- Assuming what they need without asking
- Expecting constant gratitude
- Making them the spokesperson for their country
When and where to get help
Signs it’s time to reach out, and free support in many languages.
Reach out to a clinical provider or therapist if…
- Fear, sadness or anger feels constant or overwhelming
- It is hard to look after yourself or your family
- Memories or nightmares keep pulling you back
- Your child’s behaviour has changed a lot and isn’t easing
- You feel hopeless or cut off from others
- You’re having thoughts of hurting yourself
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988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Calls with interpreters are offered in more than 240 languages, at no cost.
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741 for free support by text.
If a life is in danger, call 911.
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The U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement funds services for survivors of torture and their families. Your resettlement agency or case manager can help you find one near you.
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The American Red Cross works with Red Cross and Red Crescent societies worldwide to help find relatives separated by conflict, disaster or migration. The service is free and confidential.
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findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines in many countries, by phone, text or chat.
Your national Red Cross or Red Crescent society can usually help with family tracing.
📝 Worksheets for this guide
Fill these in privately in the app. Your answers stay on your phone.
Sources
- UN News (United Nations), reporting UNHCR’s Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2027 (2026). Resettlement remains out of reach for millions of refugees
- PLOS Medicine (peer-reviewed) (2020). The prevalence of mental illness in refugees and asylum seekers: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Blackmore et al., PLOS Medicine 17(9): e1003337)
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2025). Refugee and migrant mental health (fact sheet)
- JAMA (peer-reviewed) (2005). Predisplacement and postdisplacement factors associated with mental health of refugees and internally displaced persons: a meta-analysis (Porter & Haslam, JAMA 294(5): 602–612)
- Current Psychiatry Reports (peer-reviewed) (2016). The Relationship Between Post-Migration Stress and Psychological Disorders in Refugees and Asylum Seekers (Li, Liddell & Nickerson, Current Psychiatry Reports 18(9): 82)
- U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (2023). The Reception and Placement (R&P) Program (FY 2023 fact sheet)
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Refugee Trauma
- Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (peer-reviewed) (2013). Biculturalism and Adjustment: A Meta-Analysis (Nguyen & Benet-Martínez, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 44(1): 122–159)
- JAMA (peer-reviewed) (2005). Mental Health of Cambodian Refugees 2 Decades After Resettlement in the United States (Marshall et al., JAMA 294(5): 571–579)
- BMC Public Health (peer-reviewed), via PubMed Central (NIH) (2017). The centrality of social ties to climate migration and mental health (Torres & Casey, BMC Public Health 17: 600)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Services for Survivors of Torture
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 988 Frequently Asked Questions
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Crisis Text Line. Crisis Text Line
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Crisis Text Line (resource listing)
- American Red Cross. Reconnecting Families (Restoring Family Links)
- Alameda County, California (Newcomers Welcome). Reconnecting Families Program (American Red Cross): resource directory
- Find A Helpline (ThroughLine). Find A Helpline
- International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). Crisis Centres & Helplines
This guide is for education and self-care. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. Please talk to a counselor or clinical provider about your health. Reviewed October 2026.
