Skip to main content
  • This page, Audit of the Office for Refugees and Immigrants Overview of Audited Entity, is   offered by
  • Office of the State Auditor

Audit of the Office for Refugees and Immigrants Overview of Audited Entity

This section describes the makeup and responsibilities of the Office for Refugees and Immigrants.
Skip table of contents

Table of Contents

You skipped the table of contents section.

Overview

The Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI), within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, was established by the state Legislature in 1992, in part, as a response to the federal Refugee Act of 1980. Section 206 of Chapter 6 of the Massachusetts General Laws states,

The director shall be the state refugee coordinator pursuant to the federal Refugee Act of 1980. . . . The director shall also have primary responsibility for the administration of programs and services pursuant to the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

ORI’s executive director is appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the appointment is approved by the Governor. As of June 30, 2022, ORI had 14 employees.

ORI partners with resettlement agencies and community and faith-based organizations in Massachusetts to provide services to refugees and immigrants, such as health assessments, social services, and assistance with naturalization.

Sections 207 and 208 of Chapter 6 of the General Laws outline ORI’s duties. These sections also establish an advisory council that advises the Governor on policy, planning, and priorities for refugees and immigrants in the Commonwealth. Section 205 of Chapter 6 of the General Laws states, “The purpose of [ORI] is to promote the full participation of refugees and immigrants as self-sufficient individuals and families in the economic, social, and civic life of the commonwealth.”

Refugee Health Assessment Program and Health Assessment Services

The Refugee Health Assessment Program (RHAP), which is administered through ORI, provides health assessment services to eligible refugees who enter the United States through Massachusetts within 90 days of their entry. These health assessment services include medical examinations, follow-up appointments, immunizations, and referrals to primary care physicians. ORI oversees the RHAP and the Department of Public Health (DPH) provides the health assessments for the program through interdepartmental service agreements with ORI. DPH contracts with RHAP providers, which are private healthcare organizations that provide medical services to refugees. The services offered through the RHAP are meant to mitigate barriers to healthcare access by providing health assessments in a format and language that meet the needs of refugees.

The Program Reports section of the fiscal year 2021 interdepartmental service agreement between ORI and DPH states that DPH must complete Trimester and Annual Reports on the RHAP, which must include “1) quantitative data on the Refugee Health Assessment Program; and 2) qualitative information on activities and issues related to the implementation of the RHAP.”

The tables below illustrate the number of refugees who entered the United States through Massachusetts, the number of these refugees who enrolled in the RHAP, and the number of assessments that these refugees received during fiscal years 2021 and 2022.

RHAP 2021

This object is a bar graph displaying data about the RHAP in fiscal year 2021. According to this graph, there were 194 refugees who arrived in Massachusetts, 192 refugees enrolled in the RHAP, 191 refugees with one completed assessment, and 189 refugees with two completed assessments.

RHAP 2022

This object is a bar graph displaying data about the RHAP in fiscal year 2022. According to this graph, there were 396 refugees who arrived in Massachusetts, 382 refugees enrolled in the RHAP, 370 refugees with one completed assessment, and 361 refugees with two completed assessments.

ORI must conduct site visits of RHAP providers and DPH and must complete site visit reports on its findings. Site visit reports contain information such as the ORI employees who participated in the site visits, the procedures followed during the site visits, and ORI’s findings, if any.

Citizenship for New Americans Program

ORI administers the Citizenship for New Americans Program (CNAP) through contracts with private organizations, called CNAP providers, that offer support services to help lawful permanent residents attain US citizenship. These services include citizenship application assistance, English language classes, and civics classes. ORI is required to perform monitoring activities over its CNAP providers. These monitoring activities include (1) holding kickoff and fiscal year close conference calls with CNAP providers to discuss program outreach and enrollment; (2) performing desk reviews1 and site visits; and (3) holding ongoing calls with CNAP providers to ensure that they are meeting program goals and implementing ORI’s recommendations, if any. During the audit period, ORI contracted with 17 CNAP providers.

The table below illustrates the number of CNAP participants enrolled in the program and the number of participants who became naturalized US citizens during fiscal years 2021 and 2022.

This object is a bar graph displaying data about CNAP participants. According to this graph, (1) in fiscal year 2021, there were 3,687 CNAP participants enrolled in the program, while 1,356 CNAP participants were naturalized, and (2) in fiscal year 2022, there were 3,624 CNAP participants enrolled in the program, while 1,403 CNAP participants were naturalized.

1.    During a desk review, ORI reviews CNAP providers’ case files to ensure that all paperwork for immigrants seeking citizenship through the program is fully documented. ORI also reviews CNAP provider staffing to ensure that they are able to meet program goals.

Date published: November 14, 2024

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback