Pre-Arrival Processing

Now that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has approved you for admission to the United States, there are only a few more steps before you travel to the United States.

• You and your family must have medical examinations.
• A resettlement agency in the United States must prepare for your arrival so that your move goes smoothly.
• Your trip to the United States will be arranged after all other preparations for your resettlement have been completed.

While you are still awaiting resettlement, processing staff will help make appointments for your medical examinations, ensure that your resettlement agency has adequate information about you and your family, and arrange travel to your destination in the United States. If you will need a wheelchair, crutches, or other kind of special assistance during your trip to the U.S., be sure to tell the processing agency. While you are waiting is a good time to learn as much as you can about the United States and to learn some English, if possible.

Medical Examination
Medical examinations are required for you and your family. In most places, they are free. The medical examination will:

• determine if there are medical problems that must be addressed before departure for the United States,
• ensure that there are no medical conditions that would make you or others in your family ineligible to travel to the United States, and
• give resettlement agencies in the United States information on any medical problems which require follow-up care after you arrive in your new community.

If you do not travel within one year of your medical examination, you must have another one before leaving for the United States.

Pre-Departure Interview
Processing staff will interview you to obtain information to help your resettlement proceed more smoothly. If you have relatives or friends living in the United States, you will be asked to provide their names, addresses, and telephone numbers. If your immediate family, such as a spouse or a child, is already in the United States, you will be resettled in the same town. If your relative in the United States is more distant, such as a cousin, or if you ask to be resettled near a friend, the resettlement agency will make a placement decision which also takes into consideration whether necessary services would be available and whether you would be likely to find employment in that community. If relatives of yours are also being considered for U.S. resettlement, you can request placement in the same community, but there is no guarantee that this will be done.

Be sure to provide as much accurate, up-to-date information as possible to the processing agency prior to your departure, so that the resettlement agency can make the best decision about your resettlement site.

After arriving in the United States, you will find it difficult to change quickly to a new site, because such a move is often quite expensive. Also, most resettlement services will be available to you only at your original resettlement site.

Resettlement Agency
A resettlement agency in the United States will be assigned to assist you during the early stages of your resettlement. The agency will receive biographic information on you and your family, including the names, ages, and occupations of family members; your ethnicity, country of origin, and religion; any medical problems which require follow-up attention; and addresses of relatives already in the United States. The resettlement agency will select the town in which you will be resettled, considering such factors as whether you will be joining other family members already in the United States, the availability of jobs, and the availability of services. You will be told before you leave where you will be living in the United States. Your resettlement agency will ensure that you are met at the airport when you arrive, that housing is ready for you, and that you receive necessary information about your new community. (More detailed information may be found in "Role of the Resettlement Agency")

CONTINUED >

The Cultural Orientation Project--http://www.culturalorientation.net, for more information contact sanja@cal.org
Last Updated: 4/25/00