Refugee Assistance & Immigration Services

To enroll in refugee services or to see if you are eligible, please contact Barbi Cupper, at bcupper@cssalaska.org or 907-222-7365

Requirements for accessing services:

• RAIS can serve all Office of Refugee Resettlement eligible clients statewide. This includes refugees, asylees, Cuban/Haitant entrants, Victims of Human Trafficking, and Special Immigrant Visas from Iraq and Afghanistan within 5 years of their date of eligibility.
• RAIS can also serve Afghan Humanitarian Parolees and Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees within specific time periods.

Useful Resources

For an overview of the vetting process for refugees and information about sponsoring new Americans, please refer to the Alaska Office for Refugees.

Provided for the first 90 days after refugees arrive, arrivals are met at the airport and brought to an apartment prepared with essential furnishings, food, and other basic necessities.

RAIS staff work closely with refugees to enroll in school, apply for SNAP and Medicaid if eligible, obtain government documents, and enroll in employment and English-learning classes, among other services.

Case managers help new arrivals develop self-sufficiency to navigate life in the U.S., including assistance applying for public benefits, referrals for English and job-readiness classes, support in obtaining employment. Services are shaped and informed by the needs of the individual and/or family being served.

Through RAIS, we also provide ongoing employment assistance for new arrivals, including resume writing, job application assistance, job interview support & job counseling, monitoring of job placement. We also host a variety of classes focused on economic self-sufficiency and community integration, designed to help refugees feel more self-reliant and become a larger part of their new communities.

Providing health orientation, medical case management for ongoing medical and mental health needs, health education opportunities through quarterly health fairs and ongoing health classes.

We also provide help with enrolling children in daycare and school, as well as serving as point-of-contact with school districts and helping to prepare both parents and youth for the U.S. school system. 

As families acclimate to their new life in the U.S., we provide the connection for youth aged 15 – 24 to be paired with a mentor and provide monthly enrichment activities for additional academic, vocational, social, and/or emotional support.

We also work with arrivals 60+ to provide additional support, host social and cultural events and activities, help with SSI, and assist older refugees with preparing for citizenship.