Last checked: 24 October 2026
Jobs and employment services
Your right to work
- Refugees may work immediately on arrival [source].
- USCIS creates a digital I-765 for principal refugees and accompanying family; the EAD usually arrives within a few weeks [source].
- For Form I-9, your I-94 is acceptable for 90 days after arrival; after that show an unexpired EAD or other documents such as a driver's licence plus an unrestricted Social Security card [source].
- No fee for an initial or renewal refugee EAD (category (a)(3)) [source].
Free employment help
- Refugee Support Services: job training, search, placement and retention, English classes, childcare and transport, up to 5 years [source].
- RCA is provided alongside employment services through your provider [source]. Detailed participation rules: not stated by the pages checked.
- Matching Grant: intensive case management and job help, aiming at self-sufficiency within 240 days [source].
Watch for job scams
Be wary of overseas or email job offers that ask for money [source]. See Avoiding scams.